An addendum to the toenail-clipping poll

[Singer]

Hi all,

After 7 months of not being able to touch my feet and having my husband and/or my daughter (sometimes both at the same time) trim my toenails, I finally made an appointment with a podiatrist because my toes were getting sore and red and just generally disgusting. He fixed them up and said I was JUST shy of developing a couple of nasty infections from ingrown toenails -- something a fusion patient doesn't want. So now I'm scheduled to go in and have the nails trimmed by a pro every six weeks or so.

Moral of the story: if you can't take care of your own feet, hire someone to do it for you!!

[CHRIS WBS]

This post-surgery stuff sounds like it can get pretty expensive if you have to hire people to carry out your basic grooming needs. And I don’t have anyone to cut my toenails or shave my legs. Chris, if you lay on your back, can you pull your feet up to you the way a baby does and reach your feet enough to trim your nails? I’m very flexible and it works for me, but I don’t have hardware in my spine yet and I don’t know if a fusion to the sacrum would allow me to pull up my legs that far.

Chris

[Geish]

Chris
I am fused to the sacrum and cannot pull my legs up like that...not that I could do it before surgery either! I did lose a lot of flexibility after surgery. It is pitiful to see how far I have declined. If I sit in a chair and have my knees bent at a 90 degree angle I can only straighten out my leg so it lifts my foot off the floor maybe 6 inches or so. This is actually one of the PT exercises I work on.
I don't have anyone to trim my nails or shave my legs either. I go and have a pedicure every 4-6 weeks. I started using veet to do my legs and I think if I stand and use my shower chair I will be able to reach all of the spots on my legs. My daughter just went back to college 2 days ago and I haven't tried doing my legs on my own yet. I don't have a lot of money but I really don't mind the money I spend on my pedicures. Good Luck.
Alicia

[Susie*Bee]

There's a thread about shaving legs from a little while ago... but I can do a fairly decent job with an electric razor I got post-op. There are also long handled nail clippers, I believe. I'm able to have my hubby do that though.

[Linda W]

Chris aka Singer: Thanks for the heads up on making sure we remember to keep our feet healthy. I, too, have been relying on my husband/son for trimming my toe nails which means putting up with all their bad jokes as well. In particular, they have been making less than kindly comments about my baby toe which is deformed by arthritis. I am tempted to turn in my joke team for someone a bit more professional. I have tried to clip my own while sitting on the shower chair or by putting my foot up on the shower chair but cannot get the right angle of my bifocals to effectively see my toes!

Chris WBS: I have tried lying on my back and maneuvering my leg into a position that would put my toes in reach and view without success. I have frequently wished I had the flexibility of my son as a baby when he could put his foot in his mouth without a problem. He can still do it as an almost 13 years old -- both literally and figuratively! I bet you will probably find a friend or two who will come forward to help you with this aspect of grooming. Make it a "girls night" and do the polish too. They probably won't take advantage of you with bad jokes either!

GEISH: I'm also working on being able to raise my legs while sitting. I'm able to shave my legs pretty well if I sit on the shower chair, extend my leg resting my foot on the tub edge and use a disposable razor taped (the black electrical taped is a good choice) to a 12 inch ruller. Some days, I'm able to stand and put my foot on the shower chair and shave them that way. I've given up on bar soap because it keeps escaping and I am using some really nice smelling liquid body soap in a tube which is easier to control.

My mom used to say, "Where there is a will, there is a way". Most of us manage to find a "way" with a little help from our friends.

Linda

[crepehanger]

Any way to have insurance cover the podiatrist?

I would be less embarrassed ( I have monster feet) if a podiatrist did it. I have never, ever had a pedicure! I am so modest...I laid myself up doing my own pedicure early on in my recovery from my own stupidity, but a podiatrist??? hm.....I have the ugliest feet ever put on a woman...