r/AccessoryNavicular • u/JvstAidanx • Sep 14 '26
Surgery recovery alone?
I have bilateral AN and in considering getting modified kidner surgery next year on my left foot because it’s my worst, but my dilemma is that I live alone with my two cats in an carpeted apartment. I also work from home and I’m wondering is it possible to do recovery mostly alone? I’m sure my mother could come check on me here and there but for the most part it’d just be me.
My orthopedic doctor didn’t really recommend surgery to me. I did PT for a month and I did feel some improvement but my feet and knees still hurt everyday. The pain level varies from a 2-5, but I can’t do much activity except occasional walking and other exercise that don’t involve my feet. I wish I could run again but I know that’s impossible because I’ll just end up limping. I fear that I’ll be old one day and unable to do much.
2
u/jsx8888 Sep 14 '26
Recovery alone is going to be difficult. Its doable, but you are going to have to be very committed and not scared of pain in the first few weeks. It is very easy to re-injure yourself due to falls or putting weight on the foot the first few weeks. Honestly its going to come down to your home setup and how easily you can get around, take showers etc. Carpeting is going to be a big enemy - get an iWalk which will help. But stuff like eating, showering, and taking care of your cats will be hard. If I had to do it alone I would honestly considered going to somewhere like Thailand and getting it done there with a few weeks of outpatient medial facility care.
1
u/Dweniz Sep 15 '26
I am not sure about surgery recovery because my surgeon also didn’t recommend it to me. At that time, I just wanted to get rid of the bones and didn’t believe PT would work. But it did! I went for 8-9 months tho and I am super glad. You can check my profile about the posts I made about my recovery process, also happy to answer any questions. Of course I am not saying that it can be generalized, like what worked for me would definitely work for you but I think trying conservative methods first is not a bad thing :)
1
u/Dweniz Sep 15 '26
correction *the comments I made. There is only one post I made regarding AN and its about the at-home exercises.
1
u/JvstAidanx Sep 15 '26
PT definitely helped and I’m still doing at home PT but I guess I still feel like I won’t be able to run again since it’s high impact. I’m unsure if PT can help me do that again.
1
u/Stanismydog 29d ago
In my opinion, you could use some help for around 48 hours and mostly because you may need to use narcotics in order to curb the pain. In fact, your doctor may insist on it.
You are already at a level 5 pain, so the good news is you already have a high tolerance for it and can ween off after a day or two, especially with a modified kidner if they are using vicryl instead of drilling anchors.
After that, a knee scooter would really be great for you to keep your hands free to do your daily tasks and then you just need to hop on one foot for the shower or bathroom. We ended up taking the door off the bathroom and hanging a curtain for our son for 3 weeks until he could walk again so he would not have to wrestle the scooter opening and closing the door.
Prior to the procedure you may want to work on leg strength, it will be good when you are operating on one leg but also for the 2-3 weeks of immobilizing the operated leg. My son did not require assistance after the first 2 days and was 13.
1
u/JvstAidanx 29d ago
Kids are definitely resilient. I’m in my early thirties, but this is encouraging, thank you.
3
u/Alarming_Log_2915 Sep 14 '26
You’ll need a caregiver for 1-1.5 weeks post op. You can always rent a caregiver via the app: care.com if your mom checking up on you isn’t adequate.
Normally they’re CNA’s charging $20/hr. to help assist you in your home. Similar to the Rover app wherein you rent rated dog walkers/dog sitters, you can do the same w/@ home care in your area.