Day 25: Walking better, reducing Tylenol, Seroma Progress
ay 25 — largely improvements all around. Day 25 — largely improvements all around. I’m walking better and more without the walker.
Mornings are still a bear because of the ‘legs on fire’ syndrome. It’s now restricted more to the calves than the feet, but if I rotate the right foot around, it’s still quite painful.
The good news is the the right foot’s swelling is mostly gone.
The bruising around my hips and thighs is pretty much gone, as well, and my thighs are much less sore, save for the area directly below the incisions — that’s still pretty sensitive.
Seroma (Fluid Buildup Under Incision)
This is still pretty pronounced. I don’t really feel it in my hips, but exploring it with my finger tips, it’s still pretty swollen.
I messaged the PA about it, asking do we need to continuously drain it until it (hopefull) lessens and subsides. His response was: No. He didn’t want to risk infection.
My initial thoughts on that was basically, “Hmmm. They’re using sterile needles and fresh syringes in sterile packaging — why are they concerned about infection?” I’m thinking maybe they just don’t want to be bothered with it.
However, Some research on the topic in Wikipedia corrected my perceptions. There has been history of patients being with seromas getting drained in aseptic conditions with aseptic materials and still contracting infections.
So, the PA’s concerns and prudence was, in fact, justified.
Good enough, then.
The main approach now is to not aggravate it. Besides reducing the walking, I have to cut out all the physical therapy exercises.
“Just walk,” was the instruction.
“Roger,” I responded. I did suggest that, until my next visit (which isn’t scheduled until four weeks from now), I at least take a picture of it now and again and send it to him (the PA) via the portal.
That engendered an enthusiastic, “Great!” response.
So, we’ll do that.
Disability Parking Placard
I can’t be walking long distances in parking lots for some period of time. That realization prompted an application for a temporary disability parking placard.
The process required filling out a form and then taking it to the DMV in person (this is Utah.) I was able to take the application to the drive-through — after what seemed like an inordinate amount of time, the clerk finally popped the placards into a canister and pushed it through the vacuum tubes.
Easy, if tedious.
Once I had them I had to put them to use: I went to a small store and, lo and behold, there were two disabled parking spots right next to the door! I hopped out and in five steps I was inside and getting what I needed. Five steps more after checkout, I was back in the car.
I have to admit, it was a pretty good experience.
In our normal routine we’ve become accustomed to ignoring the disabled parking spaces, and used to driving around them — sometimes begrudging the reservation of prime parking real estate.
Then again, usually I am an advocate of parking out in the hinterlands, anyway, so I can get in a good walk. So they haven’t really mattered.
Now, the tables are turned and I’m really appreciative they are there. I will definitely make use of them.
Same with the electric scooter shopping carts, I think.
Looking Forward
The next major milestones will be getting this seroma under control, and walking my normal gait. And waiting for the morning lower-legs-on-fire syndrome to abate. Basically, get my feet back to normal.
Another milestone will be to drive my car, which has a manual transmission. It requires more action from the feet to operate the clutch and brake more frequently than with an automatic, but I don’t think I’m too far away.
After that, who knows? Maybe I can get on a bicycle!