Bunion Surgery- Left Foot

Sept 10, 2020- Surgery

Megan has been struggling with foot pain because of her bunions for a few years and 2 years ago I took her to the Orthopedist. He said that she had significant juvenile bunions and was a candidate for surgery.  With this pandemic upon us and activities canceled Megan was eager to have surgery.  We went back to Dr Brandao and were surprised at the speed in which she could get on the surgery schedule.

Surgery day was the 3rd day of school and I was a little worried about starting the year by taking days off but Megan worked to get a handle on classes in those 1st two days. We arrived at Kernan Hospital, got registered and brought back right away. Then the medical staff came by and asked questions, the nurses, the anesthesiologists, the surgical nurses and Dr. Brandao. It turned out one of the nurses went to Mary's Land farm store regularly. We were texting updates to the sisters and Jim as things progressed. Megan got prepped as I sat with her. Everything went pretty smoothly. We brought crutches and she got instructions of using them. 

They were going to do a nerve block guided by ultrasound so there was prep for that. Dr. Brandao marked Megan's toe and incision points and added a smiley face. He marked her heal and I asked about it and he said that was where they would harvest bone for the graft. It was the first we heard about that, but everything else was as expected. The anesthesiologists asked Megan if she was ready to be sedated, and I got to give her a kiss and pray for God's blessing. 

I then headed out. Megan didn't remember the sedation but was soon asleep. I returned to the waiting area and settled in. They had a the TV set to Law and Order so I popped headphones in and journaled and read a book. It was drizzling but I went outside and prayed a Rosary while doing laps on the grounds. The patient liaison came out to let me know that Megan would be done soon and be moved to recovery. Shortly afterward Dr. Brandao came out to talk to me. He said everything went well and got about a 95% correction and that he was happy with how it went. We also talked about his newborn daughter. I eagerly waited for them to come get me so I could go back to see Megan. The patient liaison came out and said that Megan was so sweet and that she woke up crying that she had to leave Hogwarts. About 20 minutes later I got to go back and Megan was really drowsy and weepy, but they had her sitting upright and she looked pretty good. She was actively listening to things around her and was worried for the man in the other hall because he looked like he was in a lot of pain. She is a caring young women right at her core. Shortly she mentioned she could use the bathroom and that started a whole process, of unhooking and shifting and putting a stabilizer on. Luckily it was also the process toward going home so after the bathroom visit there wasn't much to do to get released. 

We were really hungry as it was now after 6 and Megan hadn't eaten since last night and I had only had snacks. Megan asked for Subway which was across the street. The drizzle turned into a downpour just at that moment I got out. Megan was so hungry she ate her foot-long sub on the ride home and felt much better. It also was the night for picking up materials at the high school. We drove to the school and after seeing the back up of cars, I made a U-turn and headed home.

Rachael came out with an umbrella when we pulled up at home. I grabbed a plastic grocery bag from the back and quickly tied it over her big wrapped up foot. Megan was good with the crutches and we got her in to her room. She had spent the previous few days cleaning so it was welcoming and easy to navigate. 

We settled into a routine of alarms and pain meds, including a middle of the night dose. My interrupted sleep reminded me of those long gone years of infancy. Megan slept most of the weekend but also had time with visitors. She would come to the dining  room for dinner and her friend Zach came over one night to join us. The kittens kept her company and her sisters came in to play games. 

As the days have gone on, her pain isn't as intense. She has been doing her classwork and virtual school, with a few sewing projects mixed in. Her toes have gradually disappeared into her bandages and we are looking forward to getting them off, for whatever the next wrappings will be.