Recovery

The reason behind the hiatus...

It's nearly been two weeks since the operation.

For those who follow this blog or know me personally, you'll know that a year ago this summer, I encountered a problem. A painful accident really. Whereby a brick fell directly on my right big toe. Landed at an angle as well. At the time, I was wearing sandals and therefore, there was no protection - so direct pain (>_<)

I actually blogged briefly about this injury [ here ].

Approximately 4-5 months (I can't remember exactly how long) after the incident, the nail fell off, and obviously regrew. Unfortunately due to the manner of the fall, it caused a dent which in turn created an ingrowing toe nail (╯︵╰,)

After leaving the nail to naturally grow and try to fix itself with this issue, it got to a point where I couldn't stand it anymore. I don't know if any of you have suffered with this before? But it's uncomfortable and very sore. The area around the toe, especially on the right side, was swollen and painful. Of course, certain shoes were not ideal during this time. Blah blah blah, you know the jist.

Spoke to my local GP, researched different options and eventually decided to go ahead with surgery.

So here we are... a year on. And I've had the procedure done. 〜(￣▽￣〜)

Basically in short, the procedure entails them cutting off a section of the toe and treating the area.

[ image source ]

Upon leaving the hospital, I was provided with a pack. I have to change the dressing myself, and I've got pretty good at it. The pack included the following (I hope they have given me enough of everything);

This is what they removed.
Check out that sharp bit - that's what was causing the irritation 

Supplies required when redressing the toe.
Like I said previously, I've got good at doing this.
I know exactly how much I need to use for each part.

Sorry the following images are unclear - they were taken on my phone ^^;;

WARNING; BLOOD FEATURED BELOW.
DO NOT LOOK IF YOU HAVE A WEAK STOMACH

Initial day - after surgery
(large dressing to cover the area)

Removing the dressing for the first time, to discover what's underneath.
Can you see the bruising on my toe? That's from the anaesthetic. 

I'm having to change the dressing quite often, because of the bleeding.
As a result, I have got pretty good at dressing my toe. Looks neat, huh?

One of my favourite hobbies, which I do every Sunday morning, is swimming. Have always enjoyed it, ever since I was little. Unfortunately, one of the requirements after the surgery, is to keep the toe dry. Therefore enabling a quicker recovery and less risk of infection. This is easier said than done. You have to be extra careful with everything. I live in England, and it's been raining a lot recently. Also, when having a shower, I have the beauty of wearing a plastic bag.

Sadly for me, this means no swimming for at least two months  ｡･ﾟﾟ･(>д<)･ﾟﾟ･｡ (how perfect is this emote?) Now to play the waiting game. To continue resting the foot and hopefully get back to wearing regular footwear without pain.

Thanks for reading and have a good day ◕‿◕

Visit me elsewhere online

☆•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.¤ facebook ಌ instagram ಌ tumblr ¤•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸.☆