Preparing for MIS bunion surgery alone: practical tips needed

Do your Christmas shopping early.

Prepare a bunch of food and freeze it. Stock up on everything you’ll need.

It's hard in life with no support 😪 x

Practice balancing on one leg every morning and evening when you brush your teeth, this helped me so much when I was on my crutches! make sure you have a flask of something to drink, and everything you need next to you. Good luck with the surgery, I found an ice gel half slipper on amazon , it was so good and better than ice packs as it’s gel so much softer. Also bio oil for the scar , I’m 8 weeks after my surgery and still using it!

Had the same surgery last year and doing the other foot soon…I had a “walking” recovery post-op with a special boot. Yes, I could put weight on my recovering foot, but it hurt and was not exactly walking functional. I utilized two walking sticks to help me get up out of chair/bed/sofa/toilet. After 5-7 days I didn’t need the additional support. If you can, I’d say get walking sticks or rent a walker, just to be on the safe side. Set up your recovery situation (chair, recliner, sofa, bed) as close to a bathroom and kitchen as possible, and it needs to be a situation where you are able to keep your foot elevated at all times. I kept an ice pack on the back of my knee non-stop for at least a week, so make sure you have ice packs. Meal prep for a weeks worth of food - you won’t feel like standing to prepare food. This may be TMI but needs to be said: constipation is an uncomfortable post-op reality, magnesium citrate can help a lot. You can find it at any natural foods store, take the regularly recommended dosage, and drink plenty of water before and after surgery, but of course, not the 8-12hrs right before surgery. Oh, and since you have a few months, do as much strength training as possible because your arms and other leg will be doing extra duty. I was really strong going into my surgery but still ended up with a mild shoulder injury from pushing/pulling myself up out of my chair. Wishing you a successful surgery! You will be so glad you did it.

I had a short term subscription to Ancestry so could do some family history research at night when couldn’t sleep. Also bought one of the hospital bed type tables on wheels, so had everything I needed to hand as on own all day - until husband came home. Even had kettle in bedroom - so could make hot drink without negotiating stairs on crutches. Buy some second hand jigsaws, some mandala colouring books and felt tips. Also got raised seat for toilet - as struggled to get up ( had cast up to knee for my surgery on foot and ankle ) Give a neighbour / friend a house key just in case - one day our milkman came late and neighbour couldn’t bring it up as hubby had locked me in so ended up struggling down stairs, with low blood pressure, very dizzy ( meds sent home with made me worse! If you have no one to shop for you - get lots of tinned fruit etc. -as someone mentioned constipation can be a real problem when immobile - I ended up with an impacted bowel - even though was taking lactulose etc - was more painful than the surgery or giving birth I can tell you. Made sure I had pessaries in bathroom for 2nd foot operation! Good luck x

I’ve just had mine MIS 2 days ago it’s not bad at all I have had a very good experience although today am fatigued, focusing on icing and elevation and will continue this for 2 weeks as well as small exercises that were given to me and resting in my shoe. I am very happy with my experience.