Never have hammertoe surgery

On Nov 17th I had hammertoe surgery on the 3 middle toes of my left foot. Kwires were put in to stabilize the bones which had been cut and rotated to straighten the severely deformed and fused joints. They sent me home at lunch after the surgery and I was given a walking cast and told it should be fine for what little walking I would be doing on it for the next week. Well, fine if you call stepping on a landmine OK. When I put my foot down that night to go to the bathroom I discovered I could no more put weight on that than I could run a marathon. I had to crawl/drag myself on my butt to the bathroom. This went on for 2 days until I finally called the surgeons office and said maybe you guys think this is OK but I have blisters on my hand and abrasions on my hiney from scooting on the carpet to go to the bathroom or kitchen. What were you thinking sending someone who lives alone and will be alone all day home without any crutches. So they sent me crutches. That was at least some improvement.

Nov 24 I went back to the surgeon and the toes were extremely red and puffy no exudate but he put me on Augmentin. I was motivating around pretty well on crutches occasionally putting the foot down and taking a step or two. So the next day Archie and I went to Myrtle beach SC for Thanksgiving holiday (4 days) and we did pretty much nothing which was great, lots of rest with my leg elevated, we left once a day went out to dinner. I rode over there in the back seat of the truck with the foot elevated.

Dec 2 I went back to the surgeon in theory to have stitches out, and while the redness and a lot of the puffiness was gone, uh oh the bandages were yellowish green or greenish yellow, now I have had animals for a long time and that is not a good color for any mammal to produce. I said look I am no doctor but that is real infection. He changed me to Bactrim 2x a day as I had just about finished the Augmentin and this time did a culture ( what he should have done the first time). He told me the results would be back Monday Dec 6 and hopefully the Bactrim would be fine but if not he would call in another Rx. I asked him if it would be OK for me to go back to work, no he said not until I know what you have here. What about my trip to FL this weekend, I am flying. Fine he says as long as you clean and change the would dressing daily and keep it elevated as much as possible and take your Bactrim. So I did, cleaning with saline solution in squirt bottle (contact solution) sterile gauze dressing etc. Monday I am back in TN and I call and say what's up. Another uh oh, what you have Miss Moore is pseudomonas, I am calling you in a prescription for Cipro and you cannot go to work this week. I will see you Thursday Dec 9.

So here I am freaking out after I read all the literature on pseudomonas. The Cipro is complicated to take, has to be 6 hours after anything like a multivitamin or calcium or dairy product (like yogurt which I live on) so I have to take it first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. Then you can't take those vitamins or calcium or eat any dairy for 2 more hours afterwards or it interferes with absorption of the Cipro. Cleaning the wound is just vile although there doesn't seem to be a lot of pus now and thanks to my friend Mary Childs who is a home health care specialist nurse for her advice as the doctor gave me no real instructions for how to do it. I am armed with saline solution, q tips, Rx silvadene, gauze and wrap for it. Those who are inclined please say a prayer for me. This is scary stuff for someone like myself who has never missed more than 2 weeks of work and that was after gastric bypass surgery.