home sweet home well maybe not

When we get home I have this idea that I will be up and running marathons by the second week. The first day it is not easy to get comfortable. They had compression hose on me so I really didn’t have a lot of swelling. The first night I had Greg up every hour to help me roll over or go to the bathroom or adjust my pillows or bring me pain meds needless to say it was a rough night for both of us.. There was no position that I could sleep in that was comfortable or even painless the best we could shoot for was less pain. The pain I was having was more from the RA and not the surgery. We went to see a movie on Sunday evening and I could feel my feet swelling. I was expecting the swelling that is what happens when I don’t take my RA meds. The second night was better I only got Greg up twice. We learned to keep a dose of my pain medicine and some water next to my bed then I didn’t have to wake him in the middle of the night.




. My 2 week checkup after the surgery went well and I was making good progress. With how swollen my feet were it looked like I trying to smuggle sausages out of the doctor’s office in my panty hose.

When the compression hose came off is when the real problems began. Now my feet would swell and there was nothing to push the blood back up. My feet just seemed to get bigger and more painful. I had kankles and people told I knew what is like to be pregnant. Great all the pain and none of the benefits.

We went to thanksgiving at our friend’s house. Good food, good friends and thankful hearts it was a good time. After we ate I gave everyone the chance to lose to me in dominos. I was unable to complete an entire game of Mexican train my feet were hurting to bad. Greg and I ended up leaving early the drive home was just excruciating. We get home I go to bed with my feet propped up with ice packs on them okay not really ice packs frozen corn. My take home instruction says that frozen peas make good ice packs. Closest thing I had to peas was corn. I am reading my progress sheet things I should be able to do. At 4 weeks I should be able to walk a mile, I count on my fingers this is week 3 I have some work to do. I start walking around the block mostly and I step up the exercises I am doing. Week 4 my friend Marcy takes me to the mall to walk my mile. We walk some sit down to eat and then walk some more. I made my mile. I was exhausted and in so much pain I just wanted to cry. Midway through week 4 we go to the urgent care clinic to see if there is anything they can do. They give me a topical anti-inflammatory which works some but there is still no relief. Greg goes and gets one of those water foot massagers. I put my feet in there for about 10 seconds. The water hitting my feet felt like little knives stabbing my feet. I feel completely defeated I just started crying.

We made it through Christmas, which were my last time wearing normal shoes. It was so painful to walk that I stay in bed with my feet propped up with nothing touching then. I had given up on making the other milestones. I got depressed and stayed in bed. We go over a friend’s house for New Year’s Eve. I am wearing Greg’s slippers because they are large enough for me to position my feet were they not touching anything.

First week of January I have my 6 week checkup. There are a lot of people in the waiting room. We sit out there for a long time my feet are killing me. I finally get called back to a room; they x-ray me and weigh me. My doctor is in the hallway and we make eye contact and he can see I am crying. So he comes straight over to my room talks to me looks at my feet and asks me to walk for him and I do. He says I can start taking my RA Meds again. I am elated and relieved maybe back on my RA med I can get some relief. The first week back on my RA meds I see no signs of improvement. I tell myself that is okay it takes a while to get in my system. The second week on my RA med I get worse. It was Sunday evening and I can’t get warm and I am restless I can’t settle down. I tell Greg that I am going to take a shower. I turn the water as hot as I can stand it. I am sweating in the shower, steam is everywhere and I can’t get my feet warm. I get into my pajamas and I am about to crawl in bed when Greg walks into our steamy bedroom and asks if the shower helped. I say no I am still cold, my feet still hurt and now my hands are cold and tingly. He looks at me and says grab your shoes and coat we are going to the emergency room.