15 weeks post lisfranc surgery

Stairs at last!!!!

At 15 weeks post lisfranc surgery, I can go downstairs without any banister support, if I take it slowly and carefully.  My physical therapist has had me practicing with different step heights during my PT sessions and it has paid off!

(note how hard my recovering foot's toes have to work in order to maintain balance.  I guess there was a reason to the marble exercises after all!!  ;0)

My Physical therapist told me most of a person's balance is through the big toe which is the last thing to heal after lisfranc surgery repair.

15 weeks post lisfranc surgery going down stairs!

15 weeks post lisfranc surgery image left side view

Below shows a fairly good view of what my lisfranc surgery scar looks like 15 weeks after surgery.
The scar still itches often and the whole top of my foot is tender to the touch. The good news it the top of my foot has stopped having the constant tingling sensation that had become very annoying, especially at night.

15 weeks post lisfranc surgery image right side view

I still do not have full sensation in my big toe but I can feel tingling and sharp twinges of pain as the nerves continue to heal. My big toe is very sore to the touch.

15 weeks post lisfranc surgery

15 weeks post lisfranc surgery scar image

I keep hoping the scar will continue to fade, but that has become far less important to me as the days roll by.

14 Weeks post lisfranc surgery

14 Weeks post lisfranc surgery

Yes!  At 14 weeks post lisfranc surgery I can finally bend my upper foot and put half my weight on my recovering foot while standing on tip toes!!!

Here is a list of what else I CAN do at 14 weeks following lisfranc surgery:

My recovering foot can bear 100% of my body weight while standing one legged.

I can easily walk upstairs without pain and without holding on the the banister while in sneakers.

Every 3-4 footsteps are completely pain free, without using a cane and when walking in a sneaker.

I am completely pain free while walking in a boot.

I can stand pain free for up to 10 minutes in bare feet and even longer in sneakers.

I can manage walking around my living area in sneakers without a cane or a limp when my foot isn't tired.

I rarely wake up at night with foot pain

My pain level rarely goes above a level 4 no matter what I do!!!

I am pain free all the time when sitting with my foot elevated.

I only ice 1-2 times a day now.  Sometimes I even forget!!!!!!!!

My recovering foot fits easily into my sneaker and I can tie the laces!!!

14 weeks post lisfranc surgery

Some things I still have not achieved at 14 weeks following lisfranc surgery:

I cannot walk downstairs normally without my cane and hanging on to the banister.

I still have trouble with balance on my recovering foot unless I walk slowly.

I cannot walk on uneven ground

I cannot walk down a hill

I cannot wear any other shoe other than a sneaker.

My foot itches where the incision is all the time.  (Which means the nerves are regenerating!!!!)

My big toe aches with activity.

I cannot walk any type of distance.

14 weeks post lisfranc surgery image

left side view 14 weeks post lisfranc surgery image

Right side view 14 weeks post lisfranc surgery

And best of all, today was the first day I could sit outside on the grass and get up without help!!

Getting through TSA airport security after lisfranc surgery

  After being pretty much homebound for the last 14 weeks (following my lisfranc surgery on May 10th) I took my first vacation this last week-end.   My husband and I decided to visit his senior partner who has a home on Lake Geneva.  It is a 45 minute flight from Minneapolis to Milwaukee, so it was the perfect flight to take for my first post lisfranc outing.  I was really excited to get out of town for a short week-end.

My physical therapist and I  agreed that I should wear my boot and use my cane to navigate all the walking I would need to do in the airport.  And even then, I still may need to use the handicap transportation at the airport.

I wondered how I was going to get through TSA with my boot and my cane!  As I approached the place where you take your shoes off, I was surrounded by 2 TSA agents who were more than willing to assist me.  They took my cane and gave me one of theirs.  (Mine had to be X-Rayed.)  And then I took off my one shoe and placed it in the X-ray along with my carry on.  Next I was helped up the ramp into the full body scan.  I never noticed before that there is a a definite sharp decline to walk out of the body scan, so I needed help there as well.  

After the body scan I was put in a roped off area where I offered to take off my boot.  This suggestion was met with a lot of emphatic "NO's" from more than one agent.  Instead, the TSA agent scanned my boot!

TSA Scanning of my boot

Getting through TSA airport security with my boot


Getting through airport security was really easy and all the agents were helpful.  I was surprised they let me take pictures for my blog!

Being able to travel once again was a huge boost, psychologically, for me in my lisfranc recovery journey. It felt wonderful to be one step closer to living a normal life once again.

Embracing the sneaker after lisfranc surgery!

When my surgeon promised me cute shoes by September, I think we differed on our ideas of what I meant by cute shoes!  I was thinking cute shoes meant being able to wear some of the sandles collecting dust in my closet or maybe even maybe even slipping on a  pair of low heels! 

 After my appointment with my surgeon last week, it was clear that I will be wearing sneakers for 3 more months.  After I got through my disappointment, I turned on my computer and headed to the Zappos website for some shopping therapy.  I ordered these Saucony sneakers in a  half a size larger than I normally wear and guess what?  My recovering foot not only fits into the sneaker perfectly, I can even tie the laces!!!!

Sneakers that fit after lisfranc surgery

I am hoping my physical therapist will soon be taking away my beloved boot and upgrading me to sneakers all the time!

 These new sneakers will now join my cherished pink sneakers in my closet.  A girl need choices, especially when it comes to shoes!  Both pairs have the added benefit of screaming to the world              "Back away from my feet!"  

I won't have to worry about my recovering foot getting accidentally stepped on!!!

Post lisfranc land physical therapy exercises next stage

These are my newest and more challenging exercises given to me by my physical therapist. (12 weeks after lisfranc surgery repair.) All of them are a HUGE challenge for me which is fantastic.   I am not able to do the heel raises yet because it is still too painful.

I am posting these exercises, because some of you have expressed an interest in them.  These exercises were tailored made for my current recovery needs. Please check with your own physical therapist, physician or surgeon before doing any of these exercises  as your limitations my be different from mine.

12 weeks post lisfranc surgery physical therapy land exercises.
Please check with your own surgeon, therapist or physician before doing any of these exercises.

13 weeks post lisfranc surgery

I am now 13 weeks post lisfranc surgery and looking back, I have made huge progress!

  

I need to ice only 1 - 2 times per day now. 

I am navigating fairly well around our house with sneakers on and am only dependent upon my cane for longer distances within our home. 

I walk up our stairs effortlessly

I am starting to learn to walk down our stairs normally, although this is much more difficult for me and I can only do this with partial weight bearing. (Leaning on my cane and the banister.)

When outside of our house, I still used my boot and a cane. 

My pain level is zero when walking in my boot and 2-3 when walking in a sneaker. 

I rarely have to elevate when at a restaurant or church

My nighttime cramping in my leg and foot have stopped.

I sleep all night pain free.  In fact, I cannot remember the last time I took extra strength tylenol!!

13 weeks following lisranc surgery  my recovering foot is very similar to my "normal" foot now!

13 weeks following lisfranc surgery.  Not much swelling anymore

13 weeks following lisfranc surgery, right side view.  My ankle is almost normal

13 weeks following lisfranc sugary, left side view. At this angle, my scar is not very noticeable 

There is hope for pain free walking at the end of this journey!

Ready to take on the 2nd half of my lisfranc journey

Yesterday, my husband and I attended the Global Leadership Summit and one of the speakers we heard was Dr. Henry Cloud.  Dr. Cloud is a famous  psychologist who wrote the 4 million best seller "Boundaries." 

 http://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-When-Take-Control-Your/dp/0310247454  


His topic yesterday was taken from his newest book, "Boundaries for Leaders."  While the topic specifically targeted C level people (CEO's, CFO's etc) I couldn't help but apply his ideas to my lisfranc recovery situation.  

I realized that after hearing my surgeon tell me I still had 3 more months of recovery in front of me my sadness and grief came from a sense of loss of control.  After all, I was taught that A + B = C.  In my reality, that would mean therapy plus ice/elevation = healing.  My thought was the harder I worked, the better outcome I would have.  I never considered the one thing I couldn't control......healing.  Bones take time to heal.  That is something I cannot speed up, no matter how much therapy I do.  And I cannot control the amount of pain I have either as my foot continues to adjust to the titanium plate drilled into my foot. 

The loss of control is what started my downward spiral in attitude on Tuesday.  Did you know that when you start the attitude spiral decent that your actual brain starts to change?  Dr. Cloud explained his theory of the 3 P's:

Personal:  A negative attitude causes the brain to interpret the situation in a personal way.  In my case my negative thoughts started telling me I'm not good enough or that I haven't worked hard enough to "earn" pain free walking.

Pervasive: A negative attitude causes the brain to interpret the situation as all encompassing.  In my case my negative thoughts include saying my whole life sucks, not just the pain when walking, but every area of my life is terrible.

Permanent:  A negative attitude causes the brain to interpret the situation is never going to change and is permanent.  In my case, my negative thoughts included starting to doubt if my foot was ever going to heal.  Will I always walk with pain?

So now it is time to reverse the 3 P's!

To dispute the Personal I have to tell myself that 99% of my negative thoughts are false.  I know I have worked hard trying to rehab my foot!  In my case, I have worked too hard at rehab and haven't let my foot rest and heal enough in-between therapy sessions.

To dispute the Pervasive I have to realize that everyone's life has injury and pain and just because I still have 3 more months of serious re-hab doesn't mean I still can't enjoy the parts of my life that are working well.  It is time to count my blessings once again

To dispute the Permanent I decided to Dr. Clouds's suggestion and make a list of things I can't control and compare it to the list of what I can control and then focus on the things I can control.  I mean, I do have control of some things, even if I have limited mobility. According to Dr. Cloud,  It's all about disputing the negative brain noise.

What I can't control
Bone healing
Amount of pain during healing
Amount of swelling
My sneaker not being able to fit
Walking with a limp
Walking with a cane
Using a handicap motorized cart while shopping at Target
Not being able to walk downstairs
Not being able to walk 1 block

What I can control
The amount of therapy I do each week
The amount of walking I endure
Stopping my activities and icing when I am in pain
My attitude
Finding activities that don't require mobility
Making someone smile at least once each day
Being grateful for all I do have and not focusing on what I don't have.

These lists are far from complete, but you get the general idea.  Thanks to Dr. Cloud, I have a brand new attitude and am now ready for the 2nd half of my lisfranc recovery period.

The above ideas were taken from Dr. Henry Cloud's talk at the Global Leadership Summit 2013 and were meant to explain the downward spirals of people in leadership and to provide a solution to get back on track.  If you would like to read Dr. Cloud's ideas without my interpretation for my personal journey they are included in his newest book:
"Boundaries for Leaders."  http://www.drcloud.com      http://www.drcloud.com/resources

12 Weeks post lisfranc surgery

I have reached the 12 week post lisfranc surgery milestone....Three long months of recovery are now behind me.  My scar continues to fade and my swelling is minimal when I am not moving around trying to walk.

12 weeks post lisfranc surgery 

 I can even start to see the tendons in my toes once again!

12 Weeks post lisfranc surgery left side view

                             Even the swelling in my ankles is minimal

12 weeks post lisfranc surgery right side view

 My recovering foot still turns purple when not elevated.  My surgeon told me that when my foot stops turning colors, I will know it is completely healed.  I am waiting for that day!!!

12 weeks post lisfranc surgery comparison to my "normal" foot

Returning to a Zen like state during lisfranc surgery recovery

Last evening was a tough night for me psychologically.  I had such high hopes that my lisfranc surgery recovery was almost over. After being so limited, mobility - wise, for such a long time,  I was really looking forward to resuming my normal routines.   

Mentally I had already started planning for what is left of summer with maybe a pool party or hosting a large family Labor Day party.  I  wanted to throw myself fully into fall life starting out with a fall vacation followed by long walks around our lakes looking at the fall colors.  I couldn't wait to be "out there" among the living once again.

After meeting with my surgeon and finding out that realistically I will not be walking comfortably for another 3 months,  my dreams crumbled.  I tried really hard to talk myself into the whole glass is half full thing which sounded very much like blah blah blah.  But no matter how many "it could be worse" scenarios I could envision,  I had to come to grips that I was overwhelmed by disappointment.

When my husband walked through the door, I burst into tears which had been building all day.  I asked him not to "fix" my pain, but to just hold me and let me share my disappointment with him.  I think the amount of tears stunned him into doing the guy thing complete with a pep talk and telling me I was going to prove my surgeon wrong etc.  He was trying to help, but it made me feel worse.  I felt very alone in my grief.

This morning I woke up and knew that in order to survive the next 12 weeks, I was going to have to  re-enter my Zen mode of survival which I used during my 6 weeks of complete non weight bearing recovery period.  During that time, I can remember pulling into myself and learning to listen to my thoughts and emotions.  I was in my own little world since I had no power to enter the world of moving, active people.  My personal thoughts and emotions became more real to me than the outside world that I watched from my windows.  I was completely dependent on others for all of my needs, even my basic needs.

To try to achieve a partial Zen like sate I started out my day with a 90 minute massage and a good conversation with my massage therapist.  Turns out that she is also a psychologist and understood exactly what I was trying to accomplish with my massage.

I have now re-entered my Zen mode, slowing my life down once again.  It won't be as intense as it was during my complete non weight bearing period, but this peaceful state of mind will prove to be just as useful.

I am slowly letting go of my fall plans and tonight I was even able to deal with the fact that I will be missing quite a few of the Vikings home games.  Our season tickets are 8 rows off the field and there is no way I can handle the steps or the amount of walking it would take to attend.  I have already started planning on who to give the tickets to, and have even enjoyed thinking about how the different people might find joy in attending a Vikings game.

lisfranc silver lining during recovery

After receiving the news from my surgeon that at 12 weeks post lisfranc surgery I was only 1/2 way through with my recovery, I was really bummed.  Before leaving my surgeon's office, I asked his office manager about an extension for my disabled persons parking pass.  My current parking pass expires at the end of August.

Since my next appointment isn't for 12 more weeks (October 29th) she was able to extend my parking permit into 2014!  I am happy for this small silver lining in what was otherwise a very dark day.  While I would rather have the gift of pain free walking, at least my new car will continue to be protected from door nicks!

12 weeks post lisfranc surgery X-rays

12 weeks post lisfranc surgery repair X-ray

Yesterday I met with  my surgeon for my three month post lisfranc surgery appointment.  It was depressing to learn that I have 3 more months of recovery until I can walk comfortably again.

The good news is that the current X-rays show that I don't have any stress fractures.

12 weeks post lisfranc surgery X-ray outside left side view

The X-rays also show that my joints are starting to fuse the way they are supposed to at this point in recovery.  My surgeon showed me my current X-rays and compared them to the ones taken 6 weeks ago:

12 Weeks post lisfranc repair X-Ray.  You can clearly see the joints around the prosthetic starting to fuse.

6 weeks post lisfranc surgery repair X-ray.  Joints have not started to fuse.

Meeting with my surgeon 12 weeks post lisfranc surgery

I was really looking forward to seeing my surgeon yesterday for my 12 week post lisfranc surgery follow up.  Armed with my list of questions and notes from my HydroWorx therapist, I was well prepared for my appointment.  I even went as far as to have a fresh pedicure with hot pink toe nail polish to match my sneakers.  

I was fully expecting my surgeon to be extremely pleased with my progress and tell me I was way ahead of schedule.  After all, I have been attending either HydroWorx therapy or physical land therapy 6 days a week, plus performing my at home exercises given to me by my physical therapist.  I knew I had worked hard these last 6 weeks and was well on my way to pain free walking again. I expected my surgeons  full endorsement and recognition of my progress.

After I arrived, I was escorted into my patient room where I removed my boot and headed to the X-ray room in my stocking feet.  I was in more pain than other days, so I did have to use my cane, but I kept up with the X-ray technicians gait which made me smile proudly to myself.

I was able to step up easily on the X-ray pad without difficulty and even mentioned to the technician how much easier it was for me this time as compared to 6 weeks ago.

Shortly after returning to my room, my surgeon walked in.  He sat in his chair and said, "you are still limping quite a bit."  I was surprised he knew.  After all, I fully intended to demonstrate walking without a limp so that my surgeon could see my gait during the times I am not experiencing pain.  BUSTED!!!
 Apparently, he had observed me walking to his X-ray room.  (I guess that is the best time to asses a patient is when he or she does not know he/she is being watched. )

I then admitted I was experiencing pain when walking and asked him realistically when I could expect to be able to walk down our driveway, which is a steep hill, and pick up my mail pain free.  Not running or jumping or anything fancy, just pain free walking doing everyday activities.

My surgeon said realistically it will be 3 more months until I can walk comfortably.  I was stunned and I started to feel my world shatter once again. I had to try hard not to burst into tears, which most certainly would have embarrassed us both. 

I sat quietly with this information for a few moments, not wanting to meet his gaze.  When I collected myself I looked up at him and repeated quietly   "three more months???"  He nodded slowly maintaing eye contact.  (My surgeon is quiet, gentle and a man of few words.)

Desperate for my surgeon to revise the remaining three months of recovery to something shorter, I asked him if he had a chance to read my physical therapist report and the report from the HydroWorx therapist.  I thought certainly he must not have had time to read the glowing endorsements from both modes of therapy.  

(Hint to my surgeon,  this the part where you are  supposed to "pat me on the head" and tell me what a good girl I've been!!! )  My surgeon didn't get the hint.  Instead he nodded quickly and asked me why I was in such a hurry?   I said, I was determined to walk like a normal person again and that I was tired of the lisfranc recovery.  

We briefly discussed stress fractures and I found out it would not be uncommon for that to happen during this period, especially if I am pushing myself too hard.  My surgeon said I needed to cut down on the amount of therapy and just relax and give my body a chance to heal.  "Healing takes time and cannot be rushed," he said.   He looked at me long enough to make sure I understood and then he smiled and said, "look at it this way, you are half way there."

I slowly nodded still trying to comprehend that I am not almost at the finish line but am only halfway through this journey.