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.

Lisfranc Hardware removal surgery

lisfranc hardware removal surgery

Last Wednesday I went in for my lisfranc hardware removal surgery.  I requested the same nurse that I had for my lisfranc surgery and was thrilled when she came to get me from the waiting room.   Nurse "Emily" is the perfect combination of humor and empathy with the ability to convey information in a way I can hear.   

In preparation for my surgery, nurse Emily got me into a heated gown, and covered me with heated blankets, which made me feel like I was at a spa.  As she started my IV and explained exactly what was going to take place, I shared that I  wasn't nervous about the surgery itself, but was really anxious about the pain and recovery period.  As we were talking, Emily took my blood pressure and it was 168!!!!

Nurse Emily immediately started re-assuring me that it would be nothing at all like my last surgery and that I would be feeling "normal" in a few weeks.  Then my surgeon walked in, calm as ever, and with a reassuring smile asked me how I was doing. Since it was nearing the end of his surgery day, I immediately asked him if I could buy him a cup of coffee.  He laughed and said he was plenty alert for me.

 He reassured me that this surgery would be nothing at all like the last one and then talked with me in depth about the kind of anesthesia I would be having.  The biggest question I had was whether I would have to go another 6 months with my big toe and the top of my foot being numb.  We decided together that I would not have a nerve block unless I absolutely needed one which would cut down on the likelihood of lingering big toe numbness.

After he signed my right foot and turned to leave, I told him that the anesthesiologist said I couldn't watch the surgery.  He smiled and said, "bummer."  

When he left, I was a lot more at ease with what was about to happen.  Emily shut my curtains and told me to rest until it was my time, which turned out to be 1 1/2 hours!  I have never sat in a room, with nothing to read and nothing to do for that length of time. Unrestrained thoughts can be a dangerous thing!

Finally, my surgical nurse, Sarah, came to get me and she and the nurse anesthetist  wheeled me into the operating room.  The operating room was quite cold and when I mentioned the cool temperature, I was asked to transfer to the operating table with the promise of more warm blankets.  The operating room table was really narrow and did not have space to put my arms by my sides. While I was still trying to decide where to put my arms, someone took my arms and placed on side tables located on either side of the operating room table while someone else secured a thick strap over my stomach.  I asked why the strap and was told it was so I wouldnt fall off the operating room table during surgery.  About  now I was starting to get a little creeped out, and as I was staring up at the ceiling at the many bright white lights that looked a lot like  spider's legs, a mask was placed over my mouth and nose.  I was very happy to succumb to the anesthesia!!!!!

It felt like only a few minutes when I woke up in recovery with my nurse Sarah asking me if I had any pain.  As I slowly came to, I felt a searing red hot pain in the top of my right foot and noticed tears starting to stream down my face.  I told nurse Sarah I was quite uncomfortable and she said I did not have a nerve block and that they needed to control my pain with meds instead.  She immediately gave me a couple of opiates and some crackers.  After about 20 minutes my pain level decreased from a 7 to a 3 for which I was grateful.  After getting my pain under control I was offered ice water and I can honestly say, no ice water has ever tasted so good!!

My surgeon came in smiling widely and told me everything went extremely well and asked me if I wanted to keep the hardware he removed from my foot.  I told him I planned to take pictures of it and post it on my blog and keep it next to my boot.  He laughed and  said they would sanitize it and mail it to me.  Eventually, my pain remained under control and I was told I could return home, where I have been mostly in bed, sleeping and occasionally visiting with family and friends who have been care taking me and my husband.

lisfranc hardware removal surgery ice and elevation and a cute new surgical boot