Removing stitches after lisfranc hardware removal surgery

The morning after we arrived in Cabo, the swelling had gone down in my foot and my husband was ready to try and remove my stitches.

I could not wait!!

3 weeks post op after lisfranc hardware removal surgery

I thought I could do it on my own, but my hands were shaking too hard, so my husband took over.  The top of my foot was very sensitive, so he had to be very gentle.

Removing stitches after lisfranc hardware removal surgery

My husband took his time and made sure each thread of my 8 stitches was accounted for.

Removing stitches after lisfranc hardware removal surgery

After we were sure everything was done correctly, he adhered steri-strips to my incision to help hold it together.

3 weeks post op from lisfranc hardware removal surgery

I was now ready to do the "homework" my surgeon gave me.  He asked me to walk several times a day in the resort pools in order to begin to regain the proper movements for walking once again.

Relaxing by the pool after lisfranc hardware removal surgery

I was surprised to find that I had to once again, re-learn how to walk by repeating the mantra "heel, toe, follow through."

 I was not able to swim at all, and was actually content walking around the pool smiling to myself because I was walking again without pain!!!!!!

My homework assignment after lisfranc hardware removal surgery

As you can see, the pool was large enough to really get in a lot of walking!  Once I was able to walk without concentrating, I pushed my husband on a float around the pool while he read a book. Other guests asked me if they could hire me to do the same thing for them!

Recovering from lisfranc hardware removal surgery

I decided that recovering from lisfranc hardware removal surgery is best done in Cabo at the Esperanza resort!!!

Lisfranc hardware removal 2 weeks post op

2 weeks after my lisfranc hardware removal surgery I couldn't wait to have my stitches removed.  The pain from this surgery mostly stemmed from the incision site and each step I took made me feel like my skin was ripping.  Because my incision looked red and was hot to the touch, I was concerned that it may be infected.

2 weeks post lisfranc hardware removal surgery

When I arrived at my 2 week post op appointment, my surgeon assured me I did not have an infection and that my incision looked "normal" with the amount of weight bearing I had been doing.  

2 1/2 weeks post lisfranc hardware removal surgery

At this appointment my surgeon also decided not to remove my stitches after all.  My husband and I were leaving for a trip to Los Cabos a few days later and because feet often swell on long plane rides, my surgeon was not comfortable removing my stitches.  He didn't want my incision to break open and then have me find someone in Mexico to stitch it up again!!!  (No one was going to touch "his" foot.)  

He asked me to remove the stitches after waiting 24 hours for my foot to recover from plane swelling.  He sent me to Cabo with a suture removal kit and showed me how to remove my own stitches when the time came.

Suture removal kit

 Notice how the scissors has a pointed edge to help pull up the stitch for easier cutting..

On the plane, I brought along an ice substitute and iced my foot each leg of the trip.  We had to switch planes in Arizona and the airlines had a wheelchair waiting to transfer me to my new gate.  I honestly thought I was past all of the handicap stuff, so I was a little embarrassed as my wheel chair pusher wisked me through the Phoenix airport at lightening speed, with my husband trying to keep up!

lisfranc hardware removal surgical boot

Lisfranc surgical boot Esperanza Resort Cabo San Lucas, Mexico

We arrived at our favorite resort in Cabo San Lucas, the Esperanza Resort.  My "cute" surgical boot and I made it at last!!

Lisfranc hardware photos

A few days after Thanksgiving, the hardware my surgeon removed from my foot arrived in the mail!!!

Hardware used to heal my lisfranc fracture

My surgeon knows I have been writing a lisfranc blog and was more than happy to let me keep the hardware he used to help my body heal from a lisfranc fracture.

lisfranc fracture plate

lisfranc fracture screws

What amazed me was to see the screws varied in color,  physical size and thread size.  Check out the teeth at the end of the screws!!!  YIKES!  Maybe it was for the best that my anesthesiologist would not let me watch either surgery!

lisfranc fracture screws



Psychologically it has been very rewarding to think I no longer have plates and screws in my foot.  My surgeon has assured me that in the next 6 weeks, the holes in my bones left by the screws will fill in.

33 weeks after lisfranc surgery

I cannot believe it was 33 weeks ago today that I had my lisfranc surgery!  I apologize for not keeping up with my blog these past few weeks.  

I had my lisfranc hardware removal surgery on Nov 20th (5 1/2 weeks ago) followed by entertaining for both Thanksgiving and Christmas plus my husband and I took a  "lisfranc hardware removal recovery trip to Cabo.  So things have been hectic.

I will try and pick up where I left off from my last blog.  

One week after my lisfranc hardware removal surgery was Thanksgiving and we were having 14 people over for Thanksgiving dinner.  I was told I could not lift a finger and had to stay off my foot as much as possible icing and elevating, so my husband and I had to get creative.  (As you can see, at Thanksgiving, my foot was really swollen, black and blue and extremely painful)

1 week after lisfranc hardware removal surgery

My husband hired a chief to prepare the food so the only thing my husband  had to do was warm up all the food.    Our guests were mostly family members and all understood that I had to play the princess once again.

1 week after lisfranc hardware removal surgery