8 Weeks Post-Op....Really?

The first six weeks following my ankle replacement surgery seemed like an eternity. Usually at my age, time always flies by as fast as it possibly can, and much faster than I want,  and I try so hard to slow it down, yet never succeed.  Time doesn't fly when you're chained down with a non weight bearing cast...the days go by so very slowwwwwly.  Perhaps not for everyone, but for fidgety, busy people like myself, time stands still.  Not a good situation for the impatient.  Suddenly, here I am at 8 weeks post-op, and I find myself wondering where all the time went!  Go figure. 

Since my last post I have experienced some very high highs, and some fairly low lows.  One of the very high highs is that I've been walking.  Exhiliaration times ten times ten times a million!  I was so excited to be on my feet and feelin' alright, that I spent more time than I should have, on my feet, without assistance.  So I learned, the hard way, not to over do it.  All along I promised myself that I would not over do....  perhaps I'm just not capable of taking things slow. Hence, there were lows.  That said, the pain and/or discomfort that I have experienced has been welcomed, in comparison to what I felt prior to my ankle replacement.  I truly believe that I will never feel that bad again!  Now that I am walking in my boot, my achilles is acting up. Can you blame it? It was lengthened and stretched to oblivion to help my future range of motion. The back of my calf is letting me know that it hasn't been used in awhile, and by the way, my right calf is teeny tiny compared to my left one, talk about atrophy.  Also, I feel an annoying burning pain on the inside of my ankle.  This is all normal, and it doesn't hold a candle to what I am capable of enduring.  Anyone out there going through the bone crunching pain knows exactly what I mean.  So in a nutshell, the good and bad of it is....  it's all good.

Today was my best day ever when it comes to walking.... properly.  I continue to have difficulty keeping my foot straight.  The words of my husband resonate in my mind, "straighten your foot...straighten your foot..straighten your....".  My foot is so used to being straight out to the side, and even in this big cast of a boot, I'm unable to conquer my bad habit of sidewinding!  Must continue to work on that, it's mind over matter.  I will win, no matter what.  I'm driving now, and all of my neighbors have been warned.  They all steer clear when I'm pulling out of the driveway!  I'm doing JUST fine with my driving...just don't cross my path.

Today I went shopping for dresses for myself and my daughters.  My brother is getting married in June, and I plan to look like nothing ever happened to me.  I want to wear a beautiful dress and "normal" shoes.  Perhaps I won't be dancing, but at least I can try to look good while sitting there in my fancy seat!  Anyway, I borrowed the wheel chair in the department store because I didn't want to over do it :).  I have blisters on my thumbs from zipping around from goodie to goodie, I have a list of things I'll be going back for shortly.  My husband insists that I was wheeling wrong.  I love him.  I think I am suffering from lack of wheeling, my fingers haven't been toughened up.  I am, however, very skilled at the knee walker.  Very.  I think my next post will be about items you must have in order to make ankle replacement surgery recovery easier.  Stay tuned for that, as much as I thought I was prepared and ready, I learned a lot as I went along.

More about shopping....  I LOVE those electric scooters, but they are dangerous as I could shop all day breezing up and down the aisles without a care in the world.  My check book suffers greatly!  The other day I met a guy in an aircast like mine, and he told me he was going to have his ankle frozen.  He was so young and vibrant, and I asked him if he had asked his doctor about Total Ankle Replacement.  He said "No, and if my doctor says to freeze it then I'll freeze it."  I wish he had known more.

Since I have not met with my doctor, I can only report on the findings of  Nick, my physical therapist, who surpisingly, I adore. As of Monday, he reports a significant increase in my ROM, however he would not measure me.  :(  He added strenghtening exercises to my regimen, and oh....  they feel good.  My ankle literally shakes like a leaf when doing them.  The mucles I am using have not been used in years.  Wonderful to use them again.  My next PT appointment is on Friday, I hope to get measured. Even though degrees are tiny, any improvement is inspiring. Trust me.

The nasty rash that I had has finally cleared up so now my incision can have a chance to heal.  I get very itchy anyway, from wearing my boot.  I am happiest when I take that thing off.  Many people still sleep with it at this point, I feel too much pressure and pain from it, so I'm happy to sleep without it.  My cat bites my ankle sometimes, because I move my foot around in my sleep. I really REALLY don't like the way that feels....grrrrr.   Important to have my crutches around, as I am not ready to walk without my brace.  I'm supposed to try over the next couple of weeks...  I'm not ready, but I will.  I'll let you know how that goes.

We are having a 95 degree day here in St. Louis, and there is sweat pouring down my face as I type.  Our central air is not working properly.  Must be fixed immediately.  As I sit here and sweat I want to give a shout out to my friend Kay, the TAR Lady.  My thoughts are always with her, she and I are recovering together.  High five Kay, you did it!  I hope you are experiencing the same happiness that I am! 

Speaking of shout outs, I want to thank every single person that has happened upon this blog.  I started this thing because I wanted to help someone.  I also wanted a diary that I could look back on in the future, regardless of my lack of writing skills.  When I was in crazy pain, I was like a fish out of water trying to find a solution.  I googled and yahoo'd and everything else, for information.  I'm certain that many of you out there are doing the same thing.  If my story can help you make your decision, well, then this has all been worthwhile.  You are not alone, never forget that.

Thank you to my page viewers from USA, Canada, Australia, Singapore, South Africa, Gemany, India, Sweden, United Kingdom, Denmark, and France.  Thank you to all of my friends and family, I love you all.

Thank you ALL for stopping by....  I wish each and everyone of you a happy and pain free life!

Best Always,

~Suzanne