10-Weeks Post Op: Home Stretch to Freedom

So it's been awhile since my last update, as I haven't really had much to report. I settled into a rhythm of sorts, going about my days with resignation for the long stretch until I saw the doc again. I've been extremely busy managing my office, as we've been without a receptionist since Aug 4. It will be a big push up to my surgery date, which has been set for Aug 28.

Speaking of which, I saw the doc on Tuesday. I was holding a little hope that he would let me out of the cast, but he didn't even remotely suggest it. I was pretty much only there to get the surgery date confirmed for next Friday. I'll have the syndesmotic screw removed (the big one holding the tibia and fibula together while the syndesmotic joint heals). From there, I'll go into a walking boot and progressively start weight-bearing, and start PT as well. 

I was rather surprised by my doc's cavalier attitude toward PT. He didn't even suggest it!! He pretty much said I would just slowly be returning to my normal activities, and I said, yeah..."and doing PT..." He sort of just shrugged and said, "If you want to. A lot of people don't like doing exercises and are resistant to PT, so..." WTF? Listen people: if you break your ankle, have surgery to fix it, and don't walk for 3 months, take my stern advice - GET PT!! I've been working on bodies with injuries for a long time, and I've seen many, many cases of people with old injuries that they never re-habbed properly in the first place and they're paying for it years later. Compensation patterns that affect their gait, which in turn, affect their knees, hips, low backs; scar tissue build-up that inhibits proper function; lack of strength which creates pain and forces other muscles to be recruited excessively...the list goes on. So yeah, I will be doing PT. 

The nerve pain/irritation has settled down quite a bit. I no longer take pain killers to sleep at night, although I do still have some numbness and soreness in my toes/foot. Thankfully, I won't need to have another pop block during surgery, which is what we think caused all these nerve problems in the first place. 

I am so very ready to have this cast off. My son got his off this week - 4 weeks exactly for him. I will have been in mine for 8 weeks, 2 days when it finally comes off. Hallelujah!

I'll update again after the surgery, folks. Thanks for tuning in.