About this topic
This surgery is done to treat accidents, trauma, and infections. The doctor will take off dead or damaged tissue in your foot or toe. ‚
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What care is needed at home?
- Ask your doctor what you need to do when you go home. Make sure you ask questions if you do not understand what the doctor says. This way you will know what you need to do.
- Prepare your home to help with your recovery.
- Talk to your doctor about how to care for your cut site. Ask your doctor about:
- When you should change your bandages
- When you may take a bath or shower
- How you will get around at home
- If you will need a wheelchair, crutches, or walker
- When you may go back to your normal activities like work or driving
- If you smoke, stop. Smoking lowers blood flow and can slow healing.
- If you have diabetes, continue to monitor your blood sugar. Take your drugs as ordered.
- Do your exercises as ordered by your physical therapist. These will help you get stronger. They will make it easier to wear and use your prosthesis.
- You may need to wear a special shoe to protect your foot until the stitches are taken out.
What follow-up care is needed?
- Your doctor may ask you to make visits to the office to check on your progress. Be sure to keep these visits.
- If you have stitches or staples, you will need to have them taken out. Your doctor will often want to do this in 1 to 2 weeks.
What drugs may be needed?
The doctor may order drugs to: ‚
- Help with pain and swelling
- Prevent infection
Will physical activity be limited?
You may have to limit your activity. Talk to your doctor about the right amount of activity for you. ‚
What problems could happen?
- Poor wound healing or spread of dead tissue. This might require amputation of more of your foot, toes, or leg.
- Infection
- Very bad pain in the remaining tissue. This is stump pain.
- Painful feeling that the foot or toe is still there. This is phantom pain.
- Bleeding
- Nerve damage
- Limp ¢ ˆ ’ depending on which toe has been removed
When do I need to call the doctor?
- Signs of infection. These include a fever of 100.4 ‚ °F (38 ‚ °C) or higher, chills, or wound that will not heal.
- Signs of wound infection. These include swelling, redness, warmth around the wound; too much pain when touched; yellowish, greenish, or bloody discharge; foul smell coming from the cut site; cut site opens up.
- Trouble breathing or not able to take a deep breath
- Numbness or tingling feeling in the rest of your foot, toes, or leg
- Chalky white, blue, or black color in the rest of your foot, toes, or leg
- Pain that you cannot control with the drugs you have been given
Teach Back: Helping You Understand
The Teach Back Method helps you understand the information we are giving you. The idea is simple. After talking with the staff, tell them in your own words what you were just told. This helps to make sure the staff has covered each thing clearly. It also helps to explain things that may have been a bit confusing. Before going home, make sure you are able to do these: ‚
- I can tell you about my procedure.
- I can tell you how to care for my cut site.
- I can tell you what I will do if the rest of my foot, toes, or leg is white, blue, or black in color.
- I can tell you what I will do if I have a fever or swelling, redness, or drainage from my wound.
Where can I learn more?
Society of Vascular Surgery ‚
http://www.vascularweb.org/vascularhealth/Pages/Amputation.aspx ‚
Consumer Information Use and Disclaimer
This information is not specific medical advice and does not replace information you receive from your health care provider. This is only a brief summary of general information. It does NOT include all information about conditions, illnesses, injuries, tests, procedures, treatments, therapies, discharge instructions or life-style choices that may apply to you. You must talk with your health care provider for complete information about your health and treatment options. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to accept your health care providers advice, instructions or recommendations. Only your health care provider has the knowledge and training to provide advice that is right for you. ‚
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Copyright ‚ © 2015 Clinical Drug Information, LLC and Lexi-Comp, Inc. ‚