Day 19

(^Air Them Out!^)

12:05 a.m.

Mood: Lost, Tired, Frustrated

I'm up late again. I have been doing homework since 6:00 p.m. yesterday. O.k., minus one hour for eating, bathroom breaks, and whatever, but my life has been all about homeowrk for the past few days. I am so ready for spring break. I need a good long time away from school (if that's what you call it these days) and some quality R & R.

Today, my pain was highest at a 2. This was when I was lifting. I was doing hamstring curls (50lbs., 3 sets of 20, and towards the end of each set, I flexed my toes a bit to help lift my legs...That was kind of dumb. It didn't hurt for too long though. I managed to lift weights and do an ab workout for almost 90 minutes today. I actually exercised. That's one success that I had today.

I'm ready for the cruise. This week won't go fast enough, especially with this staying up until 12 or later doing homework crap. At least after tomorrow I will be all caught up from my surgery.

Well, I am going to go study for my history test tomorrow. I'll hopefully be in bed by 12:40, only to wake up in less than 6 hours. Sigh....Life was better when I could run.

9:58 p.m.

I am finally all caught up with my homework. Ahh, I can finally relax a little bit. I am going to pack my stuff for school tomorrow, clean my filthy shoes, and then go to bed. I am so glad and relieved.

I can't believe I am already almost 3 weeks out of surgery. This has been fantastic so far. Looking back, it seems that just yesterday I was laying down in the den, drugged up, staying home from school, and sleeping through the day. I wouldn't walk at all, and only left the den to use the bathroom. Now, I can walk (slowly - wooden shoes) and I hate being so limited. I haven't taken any prescription painkillers in 6 days, and am only on Tylenol if things get bad.

I'm ready for the cruise, and the drive down. I'm not so sure about the drive home though. I just got to make it through the next two days, and then the fun will begin.

Goodnight.

Day 17

9:35 p.m.

Getting ready for bed. I am really tired, and really fat. I need to exercise. I am going to find a lot of upper body exercises that I can start to do. I know that I can always do Ab workouts, but I need to do some sort of all-around lifting.

Today was a long day. I have 2.5 out of 9 sections of History to go yet. That's better than the 7.5 out of 9 that I had left last night.

Pain was a 1 today. I had a few flare ups, and this constant dull ache between my first and second metatarsal on my left foot, but other than that, my feet are just sore all over. I can't wait to run again.

Well, off to find some weight lifting exercises, then I'm gonna go to bed.

Day 16

11:37 p.m.

Today has been a long day. I have two chapters of history to do this weekend (9 sections) before I am all caught up with my homework. All I have to do yet is take notes on each section. I could do all this tonight (3 hours) or some tonight and some tomorrow (1 hour + 2 hours = 3 hours). I don't know what I will do. The good news is that I am not tired, so I could do 3 hours straight of notetaking if I wanted to (sounds fun, don't it?).

My feet are feeling pretty good right now. There is just some mild pain from the cotton ho,lding my toes apart. Other than that, I haven't been better.

Well, homework can't do itself (although I wish it could), so I'm off to finish my history.
Goodnight!

Day 14

12:57 a.m.

I think I'm gonna give up on homework. It's so depressing, it makes me want to cry. I can't sleep well, my feet hurt all the time, and I still have a crapload of homework to do and only 2 days to do it, because the freaking marking period ends tomorrow! Screw it! I'm going to go get a mountain dew or something and get everything done tonight. I won't sleep AT ALL. Maybe something good will come out of staying up until God knows when.

I'm off to start the impossible!

Day 13

12:38 a.m.

Yep. What am I still doing awake at this hour of the night? I am working on finishing homework from school that I recieved after I came back. I am still going to do an English assignment, and then maybe some history notes or chemistry. Oh, so much to do, and the marking period ends friday!

On the note of my feet, I got my stitches taken out today. I don't know if you can tell from the pictures or not. My feet have just been generally sore from too much walking/crutching around. I haven't taken a prescription pain killer in two days though. To me, that's a milestone on the way to a full recovery!

Well, I'm off to finish the homework. Good night (in an hour or so)

Day 11

9:42 p.m.

Holy Cow! I can't believe I used to be able go through an entire day of school. That was a rough one on me. I spent the afternoon camped out in the den. I am still making up tests, and now I have to reschedule two of them. It's just wonderful.

Today, I was victim to a new kind of pain. I felt shooting pains that rain between my first and second metatarsals on both feet feet. They would intensify for 10 seconds, and they fade away, leaving a dull ache. I still haven't went an entire day yet without popping a painkiller. :-(

Well, I go back Wednesday to get my stitches taken out. I'm so excited! I finally (God-willing and Doctor allowing) will get to wash my feet. I'm so happy about that! No more odor!

Well, I am off to bed (I think). I thank all of you that have sent cards and get well wishes to me. I enjoy reading them.

Good night.

Day 9

12:25 a.m.

Just getting off to bed. Yesterday was a good day. I only took 1 pain pill because I have been up on m,y feet a lot. Gotta finish up what little homework I have yet sometime today. Oh boy! What fun!

10:38 p.m.

Long Day. I'm sorry that these posts are getting to be kind of short. I just don't have much to say. I can already see the next 5 weeks of my life. I'm going to have to restrain myself from overdoing, like no more 5 hour shopping trips with the girlfriend (at least I took a nap in the guest services).

The pain today is just a general achiness on the bottom of my feet caused by the shopping trip. I guess it was worth it, because I got a few much wanted shirts.

I didn't work out at all last week. :-0 Holy Crap, I just said that. I have to at least start with some sort of weightlifting regimen.

I'm still catching up on homework. I have 2 tests to make up, and a few small assignments yet. This is mostly from chemistry, which I have all but just forgotten how to do. At least now I have the time to bury my face in a textbook. :-)

Well, I'm off to finish a little bit of Spanish, then to bed. Thank God for 3 hour naps!

Day 8

(^Before^ & After (see below))

11:51 p.m.

Ahh. I am finally relaxing. Today was a really long day. I went to school for an hour, and then home. We went to Dr. Duncan's office for a 2:00 p.m. appointment.

We saw Dr. Duncan's Nurse Practitioner, Amanda. I can tell you that I was thoroughly not expecting what my feet looked like. My big toes are straight, and there is a huge space between the 1st and 2nd toe! On a sad note, beccause I am young and they want everything to heal well, I probably won't run until July. Oh boy. I got my bandages changed (Holy lots of Blood). My new ones were clean until I got hit on both feet by a basketball. OUCH

Well, apart from the basketball episode, my pain was pretty much nonexistent today. I am worn out from crutching around Meijer earlier.

I wonder when I will fall asleep tonight.

Day 7

(^Wheelchair of Awesomeness^)

7:23 a.m.

I just woke up from a 7 hour slumber. It took 2 hours to fall asleep last night. I had the same problem last night. I am really tired, and my pain is probably a 3. Other than that, I'm ok. I'm hoping that today is not as boring as yesterday. I'm going to take a bath and then have some breakfast. Then I have no idea.

9:55 p.m.

Wow. Long day today. I went to school at 9 today. I stayed at school until 12:15. My feet were really swollen and they hurt. They were throbbing and they hurt. But don't worry, my poor feet are happy now. I have had them elevated pretty much since I got home.

I also had a little mishap around 6:30. I was laying on the living room floor, doing my algebra homework. I went to get up to go to the bathroom, and so I got up off my belly onto my knees. Then, when I went to pick m,y right leg up, I got my foot caught on the living room floor, and I kept pulling it to stand up. OUCH! The top of my foot felt like it was bleeding. I had been doing pretty well with pain medicine and pain control until then. I'm feeling better now.

Well, I have a doctors appointment tomorrow at 2. I am excited to see my feet for the first time in a week. I wonder what they will look like. I will hopefully have pictures on here tomorrow night.

Day 6

1:51 a.m.

Just finished typing up a paper for English, and wasting time on facebook. Second night in a row that I have been up until 2. This is really not good for my sleep schedule. I'm expecting my feet to be sore later today when I wake up. I did a lot today, including walk to the bathroom without crutches. When laxatives work, there is no stopping them!

Anyway, Good Night.


11:56 a.m.

I woke have had breakfast in the past half hour. I wake up now with bladder pains that are worse than my feet hurt. At least those are easily taken care of.

I'm at home alone right now. I'm bored, and I don't really want to do my English homework, but I probably should. Soooo, that's what I'm going to do.

7:24 p.m.

I managed to get my English homework done. I still have to do a chemistry review, a chemistry vocab sheet, and 3 easy math assignments. I am waiting here patiently for my girlfriend to finish her homework. I should do some of mine, but that requires me to think. Don't wanna do that right now.

11:45 p.m.

Really bored, and I can't sleep. This has not been a good past few days. I haven't slept well at all. Off to try to sleep, like I have been for two hours.

Day 5

(^Me lookin pretty B.A.^)

9:46 a.m.

I woke up around 9:20 to a crapload of text messages. I guess Mrs. Wenzlick showed all of the kids in my 2nd hour my blog, and one of my papers was used as an example. :-) Really tired right now. The pain today is about a 3, but it's become a "normal" thing. I need something to do after I eat. I know that homework is there, but I'm not in the mood (all though, as I write about it, I have the motivation to do it).

Well, I'm off on today's first adventure. To the Kitchen and Bathroom!

12:31 p.m.

Wow. Just slid up the stairs on my butt, and then crawled to the bathroom. I'm gonna take a bath before we go to Subway and eat lunch with my dad. I'm making progress on the history homework. I think I will have chapters 22 & 23 done before today is over. I'm enjoying it thoroughly.

Well, I got to go. I don't know how long this will take, but we are leavin at 1. Oh yeah, barely any pain when I am laying now. I'd say it's a 1, when I use crutches, it doesn't go higher than a 4. Hooray!

8:59 p.m.

Well, I take back the last statement. I woke up about 10 minutes ago, and my feet hurt bad. I think they fell of the pillows that I had them on, so they started to swell. I would say it was about a 6. These little "freak accidents" are the only things that make my feet hurt worse than a 3. It's kind of my fault that my feet hurt, as I think I was too mobile today. I gotta calm it down tomorrow. On the bright side, Chapter 22 for History is done!

I'm now laying in bed, contemplating if I should write and type my 3 short essays for English for English tonight. I will probably do at least one of these papers tonight.

Today, I went up to Subway to enjoy a White Turkey footlong sub with lettuce, American cheese, and honey mustard with my mom at 1:30. Dad would have been there, but certain patients sometimes keep him late for lunch. After this, we went to Dollar Daze. I must have sat in the car for a half hour while my mom looked at graduation party stuff. Well, good for you mom, I am glad you accomplished something today! After this, we returned glasses to my Grandma Grace, and then we visisted for a half hour with her and Grandpa Jack. After this, we talked to Mr. Baese about the current political issues that are going on (It all makes sense now, thanks for the explanation). When I finally arrived at home (around 4), I finished my History and tried to start my Chemistry, but I need to re-read that chapter before I attempt the assignments.

After eating a light dinner, I crashed in bed around 6:30. I slept for 2 hours and now I am here, writing about my day. Oh yeah, I won the "Busy Bee" award from the Oscars tonight, which I did not go to. I only wish it was easier to use the bathroom sometimes.

Day 4

(^Go! There's food inside!^)

(^The Best Way to Pass Time^)

7:20 a.m.

Good morning all. It's a wonderful, splendid day. This is the best I have felt so far. My pain is about a 2 on a 0 to 10 scale. This is a HUGE improvement since yesterday. The recovery seems to be almost to good to be true. I just have to keep reminding myself that both of my feet are technically broken.

I took a bath and had some cereal in the past hour. At some point today I will probably start my homework. I really just want to lay in bed and snooze, but I've already got it better than most simply by being home this fine Monday morning.

Sigh...today's going to drag on forever.

12:24 p.m.

I'm laying in bed (what else is new). I'm sick of being confined to the home, and I would like to go see everyone at 3 (before the 1st day of track practice), but that is probably too much of a pain for my mom. I'm not blaming her for anything; she is doing an amazing job of waiting on me hand and foot (haha).

I miss being able to walk around, but this is a nice experience. I'm still thinking ahead to next week (I may have to prop my feet up on a desk in every class, because right now, if I'm not movin, the feet are to be above my heart). Sigh...Even to sit outside. Just keep smiling.

8:33 p.m.

Well, I had fun today. I went to Owosso today from 1:45 to 4:30. Getting into Mcdonald's has never been such an ordeal. I must have spent 10 minutes just by going from the car, into the restuarant, and back. The 10 pc. nuggets that I had were almost worth the trouble, but it was definitely worth it when my entire left leg decided to take a nap on while I was eating. Those were some weird sensations.

On the way back, I saw most of the Cross Country team getting back from a run. Track really has started, and I'm not there (again). Sigh. This is more of a mental battle than a physical one. The pain has been from a 2 to a 5 today, so it is getting better. Right now, I'm experiencing weird, "blood flowing" pains in the area of my big toes.

Day 3

(^Blurry picture of me dragging myself to the bathroom @ 1 a.m. last night^)

8:27 a.m.
I woke up once last night to take painkillers. Then I woke up again at 7:40. I was behind in my painkillers, so this was definitely the worst pain I have felt so far. My left foot likes to throb and exert a warm, outward pushing pressure from within the toe. Just excruciating this morning. I would say an 8 out of 10.

I feel like now the pain has at least stabilized around an uncomfortable 6, but at least it is not an 8. I have some ice on my ankles in hope that it will cool the blood entering my feet. Less warmth = less weird sensations = less pain. Oh yeah. How's that for thinking? (I actually found that on the Internet). I'd like to fall back asleep, but I don't think that's going to happen for a while. God bless my mom for being there this morning.

11:17 a.m.

Woke up a short while ago from another drug induced nap. I'm debating on dragging myself to the bathroom. I have given up on the crutches, as they hurt too much and it takes 2 other people to watch me. At least when I drag myself, I don't have to worry myself or anyone else about me falling.

Kind of bored, but that is to be expected. Maybe I will do some heavy weight training with my arms, so I will have something to do, and so my babe will have something to look at during Spring Break.

6:08 p.m.

I finally got back into bed after eating dinner with my family. This was rough, as I had to have my feet up the entire time. Eating with everyone was very pleasant, and it took my mind off of the pain.

Jessica has been here for a few hours, and I think I have bored her to death. This is the best my feet have felt so far, just laying here blogging about my day. I guess I missed the melting of the last bits of snow. I'm kind of depressed about not being able to go outside and enjoy the nice weather, but maybe by the end of the week that will change.

First post-op appointment is Friday! Hopefully I will be able to get some good pictures of my feet. I really want to see them!

8:57 p.m.

Wow, it has been a long day. I had a lot of visitors a while ago, but the house is mostly cleaned out, and I am settling in for the night. My feet feel much better now than they did earlier (down to a 3 from an 8), but I'm scared of what tonight has in store for me. I can only hope and pray that it goes well.

I get to start my homework tomorrow! Welcome to the story of my life! Goodnight all!

Day 2

7:26 a.m.

I woke up once last night to take my pain medicine around 4:30 a.m. The pain in my left and right feet is on the area around and on my big toe joints, all along the side and top of that area. I'd say the pain is about a 3 out of 10 (but I just took another pill when I woke up). This is going to be a great weekend, I can already tell. ;-)

Well, breakfast is almost ready. I'll post later.


12:55 p.m.

I just woke up from a two hour nap. Feelin ok, but the feet are more sore. I think that the anesthesia is probably gone, so all the pain I have now is unmasked. My girlfriend just showed up, so that ends this quick update.

4:48 p.m.

Jessica just left, and everyone except for my dad is at Church, so now there is some peace. My pain was at a 6 or 7 earlier, but now it's at a tame 3. I'm not tired, just kind of bored. I had bilateral distal chevron osteotomies and bilateral dorsal chielectomies done (if you're wanting some interesting reading).

9:41 p.m.

I just got back from another trip to the bathroom. Everytime I go, getting there is a huge pain, and coming back sucks. Right now, my pain is about a 5 or 6, and I'm miserable. I think I tweaked my right foot the wrong way earlier, and now I'm scared to put it down when I use crutches. I am bored. I think I may play some Nascar 09 on the PS2 if I am feeling ambitious. And God, bless and watch my parents as they continue to take care of me. I couldn't do this without them.

11:15 p.m.

I just took my first bath. Man, that was a workout! My mom and I decided that the tub in their bathroom was to tall, so I made the effort to scoot all the way up the stairs. I wish I could have enjoyed the bath more, but I felt like I was going to slide into the tub. At least I feel clean now. I think that I'm going to start doing some heavy weight lifting with my arms. I would feel better about not falling over if I had strength in these guns.

I still have another hour to go before I get my next dose of painkillers, and then I would like to say I'm going to fall asleep, but at this point, I',m pretty awake. I hope tonight isn't a long night.

Wow, just wow. (Day 1)

(^Support from the Brothers^)

(^The Newest Fashions in Hospital Wear^)

(^My Awesome Post-Surgery Shoes & Straight Big Toes!^)

I arrived at the hospital today at 10 a.m. We checked in, sat around in the waiting room, and talked to the receptionist for a while. By 10:45, I was in a surgical/hospital gown in a pre-op room. Then, a very friendly nurse came into my room. She asked a few basic questions and put an IV in my left arm, but no drugs yet, just fluids. Between talking to multiple people, (nurses, anesthesiologists) and waiting for the surgeon, I must have used the bathroom about 8 times. Finally, at 12:45 p.m., I was prepared. The surgical team assembled themselves in my pre-op room, and I was wheeled down to the surgical room. They switched me over from the gurney to a smaller, narrower, bed. People were bustling around, just like T.V., where they are doing 10 things to you all at once. An antibiotic was started, and then the anesthesia was started. Less than a minute later (I had fallen asleep earlier while waiting), I was gone.

I was informed that my surgery took almost 4 hours or so. Along with doing the Bilateral Dorsal Cheilectomies, Dr. Duncan did two Chevron Osteotomies and fixed the ENTIRE bunion on both of my feet. I guess the procedure took so long because I have "hard bone". I hope that's not a bad thing. ;-)

Well, now I am home. I'm ok so far, but feet (left especially) have done their fair share of being painful. I just got to keep thinking about that cross country state title this fall. :-)

Night
Feet hurt every time I get up and go to the bathroom. It's ok on the way there, but but by the time I'm getting back into bed....pain is about a 5 on a 1 to 10 scale. These first few days should be fun. Right now, I'm listening to my brothers play basketball outside, and I tried to play some PS2, but that was no fun. I finally ate something substantial around 10:20. It was a small bowl of cereal [for those of you that know me well, you should get a kick out of that ;-)].

Thursday, March 11, 2010 (The Day Before)

Oh boy. My world is going to turn upside down in about 16 hours. I'm staying home from school tomorrow to sleep in hopefully before I leave to be to the Hospital at 10 a.m. Surgery is not until noon, but why do I have to be to the hospital 2 hours early? Hmmm, I guess it is something to think about and find out when the time comes.

I want to upload a picture of the little room I am staying in at home (I won't be able to climb the stairs, so I got moved :-). Not much else to say.

I am nervous, I'm not going to lie about that. I'll just be relieved when it's all over. I don't know how tomorrow will go, but hopefully I will hopefully get a few pictures on here of my surgical adventure. Maybe some from the surgery, or maybe before and after, but definitely a picture of my boots. ;-).

Here's to all going well!

Schoolwork and Other Things

I have been collecting my homework for my classes for the days that I will be gone from school. I have a mountain, and haven't even recieved my chemistry homework yet! I'm trying to get most of it done before surgery (as I sit here, surgery is 61 hours away).

I'm kind of nervous, but I am ready for it. Hopefully the procedure goes well and is done right!

March 8th, 2010

(Top - non weight-bearing, Bottom - weight bearing)

(^Pre-surgery feet^)

Hey, My name is John. I am creating this to provide insight on the experience of double dorsal bunionectomy. I am an avid runner and am nervous about this upcoming procedure. I will try my best to keep this updated with photos and feelings including the pain I experience so you can a source of information if you are turning to bunion surgery for help.


I was told today, around 1 p.m., that I would be undergoing double dorsal cheilectomy with the possibility of Chevron Osteotomies on Friday, March 12th, 2010, at 12:00 noon. This will take place at St. Mary's Hospital in Saginaw, MI. My surgeon is Dr. Duncan.
I have been seeing Dr. Duncan for awhile now (since November, after going to the State finals and taking 9th as a team in Cross Country for Chesaning). I am supposed to be at the hospital at 10 a.m. with surgery scheduled for noon. I cannot run this entire week [:*(]. No food or water after midnight the day before my surgery (ugh, no FOOD for 14+ hours!!!! NOO!) Anyway, I'm going to try to get a picture of my feet on here soon so we have an image to start with.