My Wife's Foot, Part II

It is now 46 days since Julia broke her foot. The diagnosis was Lisfranc with a total of three breaks. Ligaments were damaged, but will heal, we are told. Cartilage was damaged and will not heal and could cause problems down the road. The likelihood of a "good" outcome is "good", in the words of the surgeon. An excellent outcome is unlikely and, in any event, it will be a full year before Julia returns to something resembling normal. After just six weeks of immobility the muscles in her right calf have shrunk considerably.

She had surgery one week after the break. Julia feared not waking from the anesthesia. The young, fit anesthesiologist seemed confident, which I have learned means nothing, and viewed answering Julia's questions as a necessary evil. The surgeon marked Julia's right foot with his initials to verify, 1) he was the one doing the surgery, and 2) it was the right foot that needed it. After surgery she spent an hour in a recovery room and then the evening in a private room. That stay was optional, but she did not feel like going home and she enjoyed the attentions of two nurses who had no other patients to look after. The anesthesiologist applied a "block" to her leg that (by design) made her unable to feel her foot for about 24 hours after the surgery. She took oxycodone (generic version) for pain as sparingly as possible, as one side effect for her (and some others) was constipation.

The surgeon inserted three screws and three pins (closeup). Those pins will come out in a couple of weeks, apparently he just pulls them out, no anesthesia or pain-killers necessary. There is some debate among the medical community about whether the screws should be removed. They provide additional stability, but restrict movement, and have a tendency to wiggle out of position over time. Removal involves anesthesia.

Julia traveled to Ottawa with us last week. She had asked the surgeon what he thought of the risks of blood clots at airplane altitude. He said he could not guarantee she would not form blood clots; the risk is reportedly higher; what would keep him from flying is the inconvenience that comes with all flights coupled with being in a cast. The connections
were horrible and Julia did not die from a blood clot.

Through this process Julia has had five casts applied to her foot:
1) The emergency room.
2) An immense white one after surgery.
3) A blue one after the first post-op X-ray.
4) A green one after the second post-op inspection.
5) An American flag.