12 Weeks Post-Op: Next Phase Begins!

Surgery went really well on Friday. It took about 15-minutes...I went off to la-la land while listening to Journey in the OR, which I thought was hysterical. Pretty sure I heard some REO at one point, too. I also remember someone massaging my leg, and it felt AMAZING. Seriously, it was very easy as surgery goes. 

I put the walking boot on, and took my first few tentative steps in the hospital (with crutches). I don't have the OK yet to ditch the crutches, nor do I want to. The little weight I did put on my foot lit me up like a Christmas tree. I'll be easing into this walking thing. 

Speaking of which, I'm going to document my recovery progress through video. My daughter has taken a new liking to creating videos, so I thought it would be fun to do together. I was also really inspired watching the video of the woman in my last post - it was cool to see her progression as she began walking again too. Here's our first one, shot the day after surgery (do not judge the cheese-ball music. All the good stuff is not free or available to use!):

I have a follow-up appointment next Wednesday to look at an Xray, and have the doc evaluate my weight-bearing status. Not sure exactly what that timeline will look like. 

I had an awesome massage from one of the therapists who works for me - she pretty much spent an hour working just my left leg/foot. Everything is sore, especially my achilles tendon. The majority of the limitation with mobility has less to do with the injury itself, and more to do with being immobilized for three months. All the muscles have atrophied, the ligaments and tendons are very rigid, and my nerves are quite irritated from all the inflammation and general trauma. I don't really have any pain near the injury/surgical site. I saw my chiro yesterday, and she said it actually looked really good. Swelling is minimal, coloration is good, ROM is about as good as can be expected at this point. She said I'll need to really focus on getting that achilles tendon loosened and stretched. Weekly massages for me (an excellent benefit to working in the bodywork field)! PT starts in just over a week.

Feeling stoked to start moving again. 

11 Weeks Post-Op: Gettin Giddy

I got fitted today for the walking boot, which I will start wearing after surgery on Friday. I am so thrilled to be in the final days of this phase of my healing. I know rehab will be difficult, probably painful...but at least I'll be DOING

Mine is not this cute.

something about it. While I understand being in the cast has been allowing my body to be doing it's thing uninterrupted, I am at the end of my rope of being unable to move my ankle. 

My surgery is scheduled for 4pm on Friday. I'll be under monitored anesthesia care (MAC), also called twilight sedation or conscious sedation. It's a lighter form of general anesthesia. The doc will be removing the syndesmotic screw, the big one holding the fibula and tibia together to allow the joint space between the two to heal. 

I have an appointment with my chiro next week, and she'll be able to give me guidance on how to start rehab. I have my first PT appointment on Sept 14 - trying to sweet talk him into seeing me sooner, but I know he has a very full schedule. I intend to be a very good patient! I think I'll also document my walking progress in video. 

I'm hoping I'll progress as fast as this woman!

I'll update over the weekend to let you know how it goes. SO STOKED!

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. 

7 Weeks Post-Op: New Xray Tells All

Saw the doc on Tuesday for another X-ray (4 weeks in the cast). There is a little bone growth, but not nearly enough to set me free of my cast burden. He told me to come back in 3 more weeks. <sigh> He also set a tentative date to have the big screw removed on August 28th (just before he leaves for Burning Man. It's kind of weird to think of my surgeon going to BM, but hey, he's got a life outside of work, too!)

Apparently my 40-year old bones are taking their sweet time to heal.

The rest of the week was pretty uneventful. This is when we were supposed to be in Yosemite for our yearly trip, so that was kind of sad to think about.

Feeling generally ok. I get pretty tired seeing clients, but I feel like I'm seeing a reasonable number of them to not over-do it. It's good getting some exercise too!

I don't have much to add this week...just staying the course until the next check-up. Keep ya posted. :)

6 Weeks Post Op - I Went Swimming!!

You heard that right, kids. So I was trying to imagine a way to keep sand out of the cast so that I could go to the beach (can't miss those Caribbean-blue waters up in the Monterey Bay right now!). After doing a web search, I discovered this brilliant device: 

The Dry Pro - why didn't I think of this?? 

I ordered one immediately. Maya and I had a pool day planned for today, so the timing was perfect. I gave it a test run in the shower last night, and it worked perfectly. I was a little nervous to fully submerge it in the pool...but there's only one way to find out if it works. And guess what? It works!

I got to swim...AAHHH. Being able to move my leg around freely and fairly normally made me so happy. AND I got to play with my girl! We tossed a beach ball around, and I cruised around with her on my back. Wow, that felt good. 

It's been a good week. The medical bills have started rolling in. Looks like I owe about $1500 so far, which isn't bad considering the total without insurance is almost 33K!! Krikey. Feeling pretty grateful for my expensive health insurance right about now. That being said, funds are frighteningly low due to a total loss of income for over a month. I am slowly starting to see clients again, but only about a third of the amount I was seeing before the accident. 

If you, my dear reader, are so inclined, I would welcome a donation to my fundraising campaign. I think there's about 15 days left before it ends, and I'm hoping to reach the goal of one month of my income + extra for medical expenses. It's about 75% funded. And if you see it on Facebook, please share! Thank you!! Your donations have been so deeply appreciated. 

I see the doc next Tuesday for an X-ray check-up. I expect he will probably tell me I need another 2-4 weeks in the cast. Hoping for the best, preparing for the worst. 

I get my not-so-little man back tomorrow. I'll post a pic of our matching casts! How cute is that?

Take care, readers. Thanks to all of you for your continued support - donations, care packages, running errands, friendly visits. I so appreciate you and all you're doing for me. 

5 Weeks Post-Op: The Sun is Starting to Shine Again!

Love you, Shawn!

Well, here we are, friends. 5 weeks down. After a really tough week, which culminated in me having a cathartic emotional breakdown on Sunday night in Shawn's arms, the skies are clearing and the sun is coming back. Woohoo!

It didn't help matters that I went 4 nights with very little sleep. I ran out of narcotics, and unfortunately, neither Tylenol nor Aleve helped enough with the nerve pain and irritation that I feel at night. It's so bizarre to me that it gets that much worse when I lay down to sleep. I don't need to take anything during the day, but starting around 9-10pm, it sets in. Talked to my doc on Tuesday, and picked up a refill yesterday. Another victory!

I have started seeing a few clients at my house. It's going really well, except for managing my furry child, Iggy. I put him upstairs in the kids' room for the first two sessions and he was not happy with this little timeout. He stayed pretty quiet - a few whimpers here and there. It's not really a good solution, though. If only he were an old, lazy dog that would just lay quietly on his bed while I worked. I need an Iggy-sitter. (Yes, the kids do help when they're here). Hit me up if you want to foster him for a few hours a week!

Iggy is not happy with this arrangement.

Speaking of kids, my son left yesterday for the East coast to visit his cousins for 10 days. This is his first solo voyage, flying as an adult! Wow, it's crazy that he's old enough to do that. It's a little bittersweet indeed. Got a call from him last night...and guess what? HE BROKE HIS ARM! Crazy, right? He was horsing around with his cousins, jumping and sliding on wet grass. He landed wrong and fractured his radius. One day into his trip! No swimming while visiting Cape Cod. :( He's in really good spirits, though. He gets a cast today (I suggested he get green so we can be matchy matchy), and he'll have 4-6 weeks in it. Probably only four since he's so young...I'll bet those little bones heal quick fast. He'll probably be out of his before I'm out of mine!

I have to give my mom a huge thank you for sending me one of those cast bags that allow you to shower and keep your cast dry. I took my first shower last night in over a month (as opposed to really awkward baths with my leg sitting on the edge of the tub). Third victory of the week! It was bliss.


I'm still feeling pretty bummed about not getting to take part in any outdoor adventures this Summer and Fall. Some girlfriends are planning a backpacking trip at the end of August, and I SO wish I could go. Although I will be walking by then, I will not be ready for that and I feel pretty sad about it. But at least I'm out from under the dark cloud of last week. Onward into brighter days...

Happy Dance

4 Weeks Post-Op...Feeling Blue

I haven't posted much lately because I haven't honestly been in the mood. Being at home, sitting on the couch for 90% of the day is driving me a bit crazy. I decided to see a few clients this week (a manifestation of my craziness?), and see how I felt. Giving the massage was actually pretty good - moving around the table was a bit awkward, but not so much to deem it a wash. The problem was that the whole experience start to finish was so taxing on me: getting to the office, getting upstairs with the scooter, setting up, doing the massage, re-setting the room, getting back downstairs, and getting home. By the time that whole thing was over, my foot was fat and purple, aching more than usual, and I was simply drained.

The process was also taxing on my mental state - getting around takes twice as much time and energy. Every time I move around I am reminded of this fact, which makes me even more frustrated and irritable.

I had a nice 4th - Shawn's sister and her kids were visiting overnight. After having a nice bbq dinner on the deck, we walked/scootered to Ocean View Park to watch some fireworks over the Boardwalk. On the way home, though, I managed to tip over and catch my fall with my casted foot. It did not feel good! It was pretty sore that night and the next day, and I was worried I jarred some of the hardware loose. I let the doc know on Monday, and he had me come in for another Xray on Tuesday. Good news: everything is still in place. The break in my bone, however, looks no different to me. :/

The nerve pain/irritation persists. Always much worse at night. I have a feeling

it's not really going to get better until I am mobile. This thought also contributes to my generally sad state. Guess you could say I'm in the throes of a classic pity party, of which I feel somewhat shameful...which leads me to feeling even lower. I know this will pass, and that my mood will change. But right now I feel like a little kid who is in a state somewhere between having skinned her knee and wanting mama's sympathy and affection...and throwing a tantrum because of great injustices she is suffering (like being left out of other kids' games and not being able to get her underwear on easily).

But hey, only 8 more weeks to go.