Keeping Yourself Sane After Foot Surgery
In our last blog, we talked a bit about the things you need to know when considering foot surgery—when it’s appropriate, what your alternatives might be, and how to prepare for both the procedure and the recovery phase. Check it out if you haven’t seen it yet.
In that blog, there was a small section we’d like to expand upon here: boredom. Sure, you might laugh now, but it’s a very real problem for people in the days and weeks following a foot surgery! Active individuals and athletes tend to struggle the most with this, but the truth is that just about everyone gets a little cabin fever. If you can’t really walk (or can only walk for a short distance), even very basic everyday activities, or simple pleasures like shopping, may be off the table.
So, there’s a good chance you’ll be bored to tears—that is, unless you plan for it ahead of time! Even without the full use of your feet and ankles, there’s still plenty you can do to keep yourself from going insane. As a matter of fact, you might even use the time to better yourself in a permanent way!
Here are a few of our suggestions.
Hit up the library before your surgery. Your local library is stuffed to the rafters with books, comics, Blu-rays and DVDs, audio recordings, and more. So go out and find what interests you! Remember that reading list you made of novels you’ve been meaning to read, or classic films you’ve always wanted to see? You might never get a better opportunity to clean out your backlog. Just remember to return all these objects back to the library on time!
Load up your Netflix queue. If you subscribe to any streaming services, of course, you can also catch thousands of films and show, new and old, over your internet connection. Although your regular routine might be to simply browse for several minutes until you find something you like, during surgery recovery it might be less stressful to choose a number of titles beforehand.
Keep a diary or journal, or start blogging. Writing down your experiences is one of the best ways to process your thoughts and feelings. It’s also a great way to track your progress and record how far you’ve come. Who knows—ten years later, you might appreciate being able to revisit your old records. And if you choose to make your writings public via a blog, your words can help inspire or encourage others in similar circumstances.
Craft something. Have you been meaning to knit some scarves for the nephews and nieces? Make yourself a new quilt? Organize your old family photos? Create your own jewelry or repair some old clothes? There are tons of practical, interesting, and fun crafts and projects that you can do right from your comfy spot in the easy chair or at the kitchen table. In the past, you might have said “too busy,” but that excuse won’t play anymore. So take the opportunity while you have it!
Play some video games. Maybe you’re already looking at a 50+ game backlog in your Steam library on PC. Or maybe you haven’t touched a video game since Mario upgraded to more than 8 bits. Whatever your taste, you’ll have plenty of time to enjoy the latest releases and/or dust off the old NES and finally get back to restoring the Triforce after a 30-year siesta.
Play some “analog” games. If you’ve got a closet full of old board games or decks of cards, collecting dust, it’s time to pull them back out. Better yet, invite some friends over and have them bring some new ones along for you to learn. Of course, if competition isn’t your things, you can pass the time with a jigsaw puzzle, crossword book, coloring book, Sudoku, or other solo challenge.
Learn a new skill. Of course, you can do a whole lot more than just “pass the time” while you’re recovering from a foot surgery. Why not develop a new skill that will continue to benefit you long after you return to health? How long has it been since you practiced your guitar? How about trying to learn some Spanish or French, or teaching yourself how to program or edit photos? There are lots of great online resources you can check out to help with this.
Write some letters. Here’s a good one. Hand-written letters can be a pleasure to both write and read. So get yourself some stamps and start writing! Tell mom or grandma how much they mean to you. Reconnect with an old friend you’ve fallen out of touch with. You can even write some thank-you notes to doctors, nurses, front office staff, caregivers, and anyone else helping you with your surgery and recovery. You never know how much it could mean to someone—or to you.
Get some time in the sun. If the weather permits, try to spend a few hours relaxing out on the front porch or the back deck. Doesn’t matter whether you take a nap, check your phone, do some knitting or just plain relax. The fresh air and sunlight-assisted vitamin D is almost guaranteed to lift your spirits.
We hope we’ve given you enough good ideas to get you started! But of course, while there may be physical limits on your activities, there’s no limit to your creativity. Just a little bit of forethought before your surgery can save you from going nuts. In fact, you might even find that you enjoy it!
To schedule an appointment with the Kansas Foot Center, give us a call today at (866) 222-5177.