The 1st Dr.'s Appt after Surgery

10/17 I couldn't wait for this. I needed a doctor to look at my ankle and just tell me that things look okay. This confirmation of "we're moving in the right direction" was a boost I needed for a pretty dismal time in my life.
Wayne wheeled me in and I got the confirmation I needed. A nurse in training (okay, I'm not going to lie. I know they need training but I don't want anyone near my ankle who doesn't know exactly what they're doing), removed my soft cast ~ the one they applied immediately following surgery~ and the great reveal happened. My foot didn't look as swollen as I might have imagined (though it was huge) but the sutures were pretty freaky. I had researched enough to know what to expect but when it's your ankle, it still surprises you. Here are the photos....not for the squeamish.

Are you still with me? Okay, the first photo is the outside of my ankle~ the longer scar. The second photo is from the inside of ankle. It became pretty clear to me that this particular kind of break doesn't play...this is a big deal.
So, after the nurse in training took a try at removing my sutures (no staples, which surprised me!) and the tears began to flow from the pain of that, the supervising nurse finished off the job and covered the fresh scar with steri-strips. Happily, I am healing well.  The surgeon came in, gave the stamp of approval and told me to start moving the ankle around while I'm lying around at home. Turns out that instead of the coveted, waterproof fiberglass cast I had longed for, the doctor had prescribed moving me to a big black boot. A big black boot that can not only be removed for showers but can be removed to sleep at my discretion. Terrifying!!...and exciting. No weight bearing but at least some relief from the bulky casts.
I was then sent down the hall to Tony who fitted me with a boot and, in doing so, stretched out my achilles heel without a warning shot about how painful that would be. It was quick but it was noticeable! We made an appointment for November 15th (praying, praying, praying that the xrays they take on that date will change their minds about 10 weeks of bearing no weight. Praying that November 15th results in my surgeon saying that my bones appear to be well healed and we can progress with some weight bearing and physical therapy).
My amazing best friend (who happens to be my spouse) took me to breakfast and took me to grab some skirts for a 3 day, very important weekend that I didn't want to miss. Now, I won't go in to that on this blog but I will say this...if you're 2 weeks and a few days post op from this type of surgery, don't get crazily aggressive and travel too far from home. It was difficult and, trust me, I had a lot of help...do yourself a favor and stay home. Continue to heal, continue to rest.

10/21  It's good to be home. I'm lying in bed with the boot off and moving the ankle around a little bit. I'm 3 weeks post op today. I refuse to believe I'm less than 1/3 of the way through this phase. As I said earlier, I firmly believe I'm about halfway to hearing those magic words of "You can begin to bear 25% of your body weight. Next week, you can try bearing about 50% of your body weight." Standing on my own 2 feet by Thanksgiving (8.5 weeks post op) is my goal and I'm relying heavily on the healing power of my body and the healing power of Christ. That said, I will always do what the doctors advise.

Don't take things for granted. Awesome things like walking, seeing, touching, seeing, etc.
Be blessed.
Amy