Best Day Ever!

I'm at about 22 weeks post op now.  I got a phone call from a good friend and she asked me to join her foursome in a golf tournament.  I had to hang up and think about it for awhile.... it's been about 8 years or so since I hit the links.  She told me I had to act fast so I asked for half an hour.   I wondered if my ankle could withstand it, would I have to leave in the middle of the tournament?  I called her back and said "I'm in" and the rest is the story of one of the best days of my life.

Not only did I play 18 holes on my new ankle, I could have played more, and I had the time of my life!  Here I am nearly two days later and I'm still elated.  I never in a million years thought that I could play 18 holes of golf without experiencing pain.  I can not put into words how wonderful it felt to be out there again, feeling normal, having fun, and being pain free. No one stared at me, I was just a regular person, not the one with the ridiculous limp. I'm floating.... still.  Can't wait to hit a bucket of balls!

So there you have it.  An ankle replacement can surely change your life.  Interestingly enough, I ran in to someone on the course who needed information about replacement surgery, for her boss, who happens to be afraid.  Y'all know that I directed her to my surgeon.  I know first hand now, that there is life after replacement!  I told my husband that I have the golf bug again and he quickly told me to get a job to support my habit!  Although he was kidding, I am going back to work (not really work) two days a week.  I'm a lunch supervisor at the elementary school that my daughter attends.  It's not much of a job, it's more fun than anything... I love being around the kids and my daughter loves having me there. It's a fun job that I can do while my husband travels, what more can I ask for?  If I feel that my ankle can withstand the hard surfaces, I might consider going to full time, like I used to be.  Or......  I might just want to ride my bike, or hike, NO hiking, garden, maybe shoot some hoops?  A little volleyball if I can? Sky is the limit now!   Heck, I'm just happy to play in the yard.  Life is so good.  Never thought it would be THIS good.... 

Wishing you ALL the life that you hope for, the life that you dream about, the one without pain....  don't be afraid to go get it!

Best,
Suzanne

Ann had some great questions, here are my answers

Dear Suzanne, It has taken me several tries to finally be able to post a comment. I'm not blog savy but I do have an old injury from the '70s and now hobble around in pain unless I have a shot in my ankle or too many meds to walk a straight line. Hate the meds and prefer to take as few as possible.
I am scheduled for ankle surgery Oct. 14th and I am a nervous wreck trying to decide between ankle replacement or fusion.
How are you doing today? It's been four months. Are you driving? How long can you walk without needing a rest? I am supposed to walk 45 minutes a day for my back but cannot due to the ankle.
Are you constantly aware of the joint implant? How do you balance on uneven ground? That's one reason I don't want a fusion I have enough trouble with balance now.
Looking forward to hearing from you. You have a great blog and I love the photos. Thanks.
Ann in South Carolina

Greetings Ann and Everyone!  Ann brought up several good questions in her comment to my very first post, and rather than answer her in the comment box, I thought I'd answer here so anyone else that might have the same concerns could benefit from the answers.  So here goes....

You are a nervous wreck trying to decide between ankle replacement surgery and fusion:

You have every right to be nervous, confused, and/or unsure, and wrecked!  I was too, for a very long time.  Fusion was never an option for me though, for a couple of reasons.  I always had hopes of improving my ROM and I knew that with a fusion, it would never improve. The biggest drawback to a fusion for me, was that I knew that I would eventually end up with arthritis in the surrounding joints, and I simply wasn't willing to trade one problem for another.  If you decide to have a fusion, chances are great that you will end up experiencing arthritis pain in your toes etc, due to lack of motion.  I'm not saying that it would be a bad decision for you, because all of our circumstances vary....  I don't know enough about your situation and Lord knows, I'm not a doctor.  I'm just a happy patient!  From what I have gathered from fusion patients, the recovery is longer and more difficult, but again, that depends on circumstance and threshold for pain.

How are you doing today?

I am doing very well, far better than I ever expected.  Extremely thrilled with the outcome, pain is minimal at best.  I can honestly say that my ankle replacement has changed my life, or let me say that it has given me my life back.  One of the best decisions I have ever made.  No regrets, so far, whatsoever.  I am living a normal life.  Needless to say, that is awesome.

It's been four months, are you driving?

Ohhhhhh yes, I am.  My surgery was on March 15th, I started driving by the end of May, I believe.  I feel better driving now than I did prior to my surgery. I couldn't even stand pressing on the gas and/or the brake prior to March 15th.  I use my cruise control a lot less often now! :)

How long can you walk without needing a rest?

That's a tough question, because I've never really tested it by time.  Let me just say that I've walked the malls, carnivals, festivals, the streets, etc. without a great deal of pain.  Most recently I was in Lake of the Ozarks in an area with what seemed like a million stairs and steep inclines, hills, valleys, and more.  Does my ankle aggravate me?  Yes, however the aggravation does not hold a candle to the pain I've experienced in the past.  The pain that you are experiencing now.  My ankle aches, but I have very little swelling at this point in my recovery.  Most of the time I can walk like a normal person, I still turn my foot outward, it's a bad habit I've been trying to break.  There is still a limp, but not that noticeable....  steep inclines are my biggest problem, due to lack of dorsi flexion. I struggle on stairs as well. I believe that has more to do with my mind than my physicality.  I've walked on rocks, fields, and uneven surfaces with no great problem.  All is not perfect yet, but I'm getting there. Patience comes in to play here... my doctor recommended that I give myself a full year to recover.  I'm not even half way yet, and I couldn't be more thrilled.

I am supposed to walk 45 minutes a day for my back but cannot due to the ankle....

45 minutes a day would take some time to work up to.  That would be a lot to ask of a replacement or a fusion...  I wouldn't recommend doing that for at least a few months or more, following surgery.  Again, I'm not a doctor, but regardless of the surgery you decide to have, you must give it time to heal.  Lots of time. Personally, I think if I walked for 45 minutes straight right now, I'd be hurting.  Pain aside, I would be very worried that I might be putting too much stress on my precious implant.  I suffer from lower back pain and my family doctor prescribed Cymbalta.  It is normally prescribed for depression but is also prescibed for pain.  You might consider asking your doctor about it. It actually eliminated my back pain, but again, we're all different.  I've stopped taking it because it is so darned expensive, but really, throughout the time that I took it, my body was pain free.

Hate the meds and prefer to take as few as possible

I can tell you, without a shadow of doubt, that I have not taken one single pill other than a vitamin since March 20th, 2011.  Trust me, that is a huge deal since prior to my surgery I could not have survived the day without having taken at least six ibuprofen.  That alone, should speak volumes to you.  I have not taken anything, ANYTHING since March. I can only hope that all those years of pill popping hasn't caused too much irreversible damage.  The absence of medication is a true testament to the success of my ankle replacement surgery. 

Are you constantly aware of the joint implant?

Yes, I am constantly aware of my new implant.  But not for the reasons you might think.  I am not constantly aware of it because I feel the implant in there...  I feel like I have a regular ankle, really.  I am reminded when I beep at airports, and when I see my badges of honor...my scars.  The reason I am constantly aware of my implant is because I am extremely careful at all times of where I go, and where and how I step.  That can not be helped!  After years and years of excrutiating debilitaing pain, I do whatever it takes to protect my implant. I want to get as much life out of it as possible.  In addition, it's pretty pricey.  Certainly don't want to pay these bills again!  Yikes.  I'm up to about 65,000 and my insurance isn't so hot.  Fortunately, I have the STAR implant, so I won't have to have a total replacement down the road when it wears out.  I'll just have some parts replaced....that's a good thing!

How do you balance on uneven ground?

Carefully, that's all.  The innate fear of twisting my ankle keeps me on my toes, so to speak.  Normally I spend part of the summer in Canada with my family.  This summer, however, we collectively decided to skip it.  As beautiful as it is, and as much as we love it there,  it is loaded with dirt and rocky roads with huge pot holes, cliffs, hills, rocky beaches... it's even rocky in the water.  Thought it would be best that I remain on somewhat level ground until I am fully healed.  Instead we're stuck here in Missouri sweating out the ridiculous heat wave that never ends.  By the way Ann, and everyone, weather no longer has an effect on my ankle!  I used to be able to predict rain three days in advance, and low pressure days were a no-brainer!  Wow...those low pressure days were the most painful.  Proud to hang up my meteorologist hat, thank goodness I can no longer predict the weather.

So Ann, and everyone, I hope that I have satisfied some of your curiosity.  Ann, I am not very blog savvy either, I'm just trying to get this out there the best way I can because I remember how I felt when I had a zillion questions, but no answers...it was very frustrating.  The best advice I can offer you is...  do your research and be 100% certain that you are consulting with the best possible experienced surgeon.  I would not be where I am right now without my surgeon.  If you have trouble commenting you are more than welcome to email me, just scroll over to my profile and you will find my email there.  I've had many conversations on the phone as well, I'm happy to do that also.  Best of luck to you and I wish you all a pain free happy life!!

20 Weeks Post-Op... Woo Hoo!!

~Suzanne