Beach Walking

One of the things I have missed most over the past few years is walking on the beach. I took a day trip to Isle of Palms a couple of days ago snd was able to walk barefoot on the sand and in the surf! Woohoo! It's the little things that really matter.

Four+ Months Post Op

I looked at this blog and realized that it has been two months since my last post. Just in case anyone still looks at this thing I decided to update.

I stopped wearing the accursed boot May 5 and switched to tennis shoes. I wore the boot to Taste of Beaufort on the 3rd, and went to the beach with it on the 4th. The reader is wondering why I just didn't switch to tennis shoes three days earlier. The truth is that I was afraid I wouldn't be able to handle the activity level with tennis shoes. In retrospect I probably could have. The transition to a shoe was much easier than expected.

My last visit to the doctor's office was May 20 when I was seen by the PA who removed my stitches. I was still feeling a lot of pain and numbness in my foot - the same spot that was so bothered by the boot. I was rubbing the spot and asked him why it felt that way and what I could do. He said that the nerves had been pushed around and were still waking up and that what I was doing was the very best thing.  I gave myself lots of foot massages for the next few days. The area started feeling better fast.

I asked about physical therapy, and he said walking was all that was recommended. After that I decided that I would mow the lawn myself since that is basically walking. That is really the most strenuous walking I have done so far. I walked a mile at Congaree National Park - a combination of boardwalk and trail. Hopefully by the time the weather is pleasant enough to do so I will be able to hike to the Harry Hampton tree.

The first weekend in June I attended a formal wedding and wore gold Birkenstocks! The dress was long enough that the sandals didn't show. I was afraid I wouldn't be able to dance at the wedding but I did. The increased swelling experienced over the next day or two I am blaming on the long car ride to and from Atlanta where the wedding took place.

I starting teaching my Monday aquafit class June 9 and the Thursday class on the 19th. Best of all, I have been kayaking several times and have even managed to load my own boat. I paddled on Cedar Creek three days ago for the first time since my surgery. It was great. I didn't realize how much I had missed it.

I continue to have some level of discomfort every day, and there is also some swelling most of the time, though less and less of both as time goes by. The pain is not always in my ankle but rather in my leg well above where one might expect it to be, or I get a strange twinge on my foot or even in a toe. Sometimes I have a tingling feeling or a little numbness, mainly in my foot, which I know is more of the nerves trying to get back to normal.

My activity level determines the extent of pain and swelling. An ice pack is sometimes enough to relieve both. The shoes I wear have an impact on my discomfort. If I am walking a lot or if I am standing for an extended time I need to wear tennis shoes or something similar. Even if I am working at the desk at the CNP visitors center where I am up and down I need tennis shoes.

Here is what the ankle looks like today. I'm pretty pleased with how it's coming along.

Give the Boot to the Boot

I have now had my walking boot for over two and a half weeks and am so ready to be done with it! For the first week it was so painful I could hardly stand to have it on at all. I called the doctor's office about it and went in to see one of the PAs. They sold me some heel cups and gave me some padding for another area of my foot that was hurting. The PA said to get rid of the crutches. (I was walking with two.) The padding helped and I have been able to get rid of the crutches entirely when I am wearing the boot. In about a week I will get rid of this torture device and wear tennis shoes.

My incision still is not completely healed. There is one sections that continues to have a scab, but it seems to be getting smaller.

The surgeon told me that I would experience swelling for up to a year. I hope that six months from now it won't be as badly swollen as it is now. I am still sleeping with my foot elevated and try to ice it at least a couple of times each day, but the swelling never seems to go away entirely. Also, there is some discomfort even when I am sitting or lying down. I've resorted to taking a little pain medication again so that I can tolerate the boot and do something other than sit with my foot elevated.

I had to find some Mary Jane style water shoes because my regular shoes cannot be loosened enough to feel comfortable. I am barely able to fasten them, but they are okay, and being in the pool has allowed me to get some good exercise and makes my back, which hurts from the awkward sleeping and walking positions, feel better. I try to incorporate some good stretches into my pool workouts.

In a way it seems like the surgery was a long time ago, but it's only been eight and a half weeks. Considering what was done that's not a very long time. The folks at the doctor's office say I am doing great, so I guess I am even though it doesn't always seem like it.

And, of course, here is a photo of the latest in fashion footwear for the spring. Soon to be passe.

Walking!

Today I got my walking boot!  The doctor said I can put full weight on it.  I can remove the boot for showering, sleeping, getting in the pool, etc.  I will wear the boot for 3 to 4 weeks.  Then I will be able to switch to tennis shoes.

It hurt to put weight on it at first, but felt a little better after the first few tries.  The top of my foot is somewhat numb, but I was told that is normal. I will need to do a few exercises moving my foot up and down.  That's it for now.

My incision is not completely healed, but the doctor said that is okay too.  I just need to keep a little antibiotic ointment and bandaids on it.

Things are progressing as they should, and I am so pleased to be able to start walking!

Five weeks

In two days it will have been five weeks since my surgery.  I have found that if I keep my ankle elevated I do not need to take much for pain.  It's hard to be sure with this cast but I believe some of my discomfort is due to swelling.  When I see the doctor next week I should get a walking cast that I can take off.  That means I will be able to use ice to control swelling and not just elevation, allowing me a little more freedom to go out and do things, knowing that relief won't be as difficult to find.

I also hope that I will get some good physical therapy instruction and that permission to get in the pool will be granted as well. Two or three times a week in the pool will feel great!  It will also get me out of the house and outside.  Now that the weather is warming up I am excited about having the chance to enjoy it. I bought a quad chair with a built-in footrest.  The doctor says my ankle will swell for up to a year, so the chair will come in handy for outdoor concerts, soccer games, campimg, etc.  I can hardly wait to use it.

So, for now, I am feeling well.  I don't have any real pain - more like discomfort.  I can get around fairly well on my scooter or crutches and even do okay getting the scooter up and down the front steps if necessary. Being allowed to put weight on the foot will make all that even easier.  Bit by bit my life is getting back to normal.

Two Weeks

I'm living life in two week increments.  Every two weeks marks an important milestone.

Tomorrow it will be four weeks since my surgery and two weeks since having the stitches removed and the splint changed to a cast.  My next appointment is two weeks from today. At that time, hopefully, I will be put in a walking boot and be able to start putting weight on my foot!  How cool will that be?!  Hope I'm ready.

Before the surgery I was advised to "take the drugs."  So I did.  I took the Percocet for a week.  Then I took the Vicodin for a week. Then I switched to Tramadol.  I'd probably still be taking that if I hadn't developed a very stiff neck.  The Tramadol didn't seem to help the neck pain so I took some Extra Strength Tylenol instead, and I realized my ankle felt fine.  I'm down to two Tylenol in the morning and one every five or six hours the rest of the day.  So, my question is, how do you know when to stop taking the drugs?

Now that I have the drugs out of my system I feel so much better. When my neck is back to normal I will really feel great.  Getting out and about is still a challenge. The crutches make me nervous and take a lot out of me physically, and while the scooter is a fantastic device, I can't get it in and out of the house easily without assistance.  Also, I feel off balance when stationary on it for a while - such as when trying to do things in the kitchen - and my hip starts to hurt. Maybe a height adjustment will help.

I am so excited that spring is almost here!  By the time I get my walking boot the weather will hopefully have warmed up enough for me to start taking daily walks in my neighborhood. I'm also hoping for clearance to get in the pool where I will really be able to do some good whole body workouts.

What will the boot be like?  Will I be able to remove it so that I can bathe?  Will I have to sleep in it?

So, two more weeks and then...
    -walking
    -less need for crutches/scooter
    -a clean, non-itchy leg (even if just for the day)
    -good aquatic exercise.

Yay!!!

Stitches Out, New Cast

My first post op appointment was today.  I was attended by one of the PAs and a fleet of medical assistants and trainees.  Once again everyone was helpful and courteous.   The splint was removed, x-rays taken, stitches and staples (ouch!) removed and a cast put on.  The staples were in the bottom of my foot.

  

And here are the stitches.

Here is the bottom of the foot after the removal of 3 staples and the top of the incision site after being cleaned.  Looks pretty good.

And finally... the new cast!

The PA said everything looked perfect and that I can drive now. Yay!