I've had arthritis in my big toe for years and found out earlier this year that it would require surgery. Not an easy prospect when you live in a country where you definitely don't want to have elective surgery. I was either going to spend my Christmas in Houston on the couch after surgery or have it done in Singapore. After meeting the the surgeon in Singapore, I was really pleased and loved the idea of flying home in 90 minutes. The only initial problem was that I needed to stay in country for a week following the surgery, but once I got the family and household sorted for my absence, it turned out to be a huge blessing.
I waited until the fun events were over in Jakarta and Matt and I flew out the day after Melbourne Cup. We were surprised to find Christmas had already arrived on Orchard Road!
My surgery was at 5pm, so I had the morning to do some grocery shopping and get one last meal in before fasting began at 11am.
Perfect timing to get ready for Thanksgiving with all the goodies we can't buy in Indonesia.
Finally, it was time for me to check in. I found it ironic that I walked myself to the hospital for my foot surgery. I was happy to have it done at Gleneagles because it was my third time to go in for surgery there and I was so comfortable with everything.
One last look at my foot intact! I skinned it two weeks before in a pool and my poor toe hadn't healed, but it didn't affect the incision at all. The ugly streaking on the joint was a result of inflammation.
I was bummed that the single rooms were full and I had to double up, but it turned out I had a wonderful roommate who was quiet and almost nonexistent. I considered asking for the Gleneagles suite.
Once I was checked in and passed my ECG, I had nothing to do but (try to) relax and wait until they were ready for me. Matt was working from the hotel room and joined me around 4pm.
Finally, it was time to go!
Everything went really well and it took just over an hour to remove a lot of excess bone and hopefully get mobility back in my toe. I had a wonderful nap during that time.
Dr. Wong was very surprised to find a cartilage ball loose in my joint and told me that was probably really contributing to the pain. So happy to have that gone!
They got me back in my room just in time for dinner and I was thrilled to get some mushroom soup and char kway teow. It was delicious! Or maybe I was just really hungry.
My foot was bandaged tightly to prevent bleeding and my toe was completely immobilized. I was still scared to get out of bed on this foot, though.
I spent one night at Gleneagles and moved the next day to my home for a week. It was a bright, happy room and thankfully pretty cozy so I could get everywhere in just a few steps. Matt went home to meet the boys after school and spend the weekend with them and our maid Tina took wonderful care of them in my absence. No one went hungry!
I got a wonderful surprise from my friend Andrea and these flowers brought me joy all through the week!
I spent most of my days with my foot propped up, reading or napping or watching Netflix. Lots of texting and facetime as well! My chair by the window was great for sunshine and a view.
Once the tight dressing came off, I was pretty happy with my foot. The dressing really kept the swelling down, except for my toes, and bruising was minimal. The scary part was that I had to start moving my foot and bending my toe throughout the day.
I ate lots of room service and plenty of meals in the lounge. My room was at the very end of the hall so I got plenty of walking practice going back and forth to the elevator. I had a lovely clunky walking shoe to keep my foot protected but it was still slow going.
My schedule pretty much centered around food. If I ate a late breakfast, I could have high tea for lunch!
Even though I wasn't familiar with the Robertson Quay area, it was nice being in an old home and spending time in Singapore.
A week later, the kids had a day off of school so Matt brought the boys back with him and I was thrilled to see all of them! They took the early flight so we had time to go the electric kart track before lunch.
This guy couldn't wait to get behind the wheel.
We enjoyed some pepper crab and chili crab, then I had my last doctor visit and the guys all got dental cleanings. It was a very efficient day!
On our way home Saturday, we made an important stop at the airport.
We had to go to Jewel Changi to find the Subway and I was pretty excited to see it after having watched a documentary on its creation. The indoor waterfall is amazing and the hundreds of trees inside feel like a forest.
I had a pretty great driver around the airport!
Thankful for my ugly shoe to keep my foot protected.
A quick flight to Jakarta and a really long wheelchair ride to immigration, and we were on our way home. I was so happy to be back and recovering well.
