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Ankle Ankle surgery 12/21/2023

@MissFanny I’m exactly the same with alcohol, started about 20 years ago. I’ve never been a great drinker but it never used to make me ill like it does now. I blame the menopause. Mine was quite early and that’s when all the problems started. :spin:

Good luck with the sneakers.
 
Those shoes look good, rocker sole as well which will match your rocker sole boot. It will take a while for your foot to settle back in so these may be in use for a while once the boot is off.
I've done this 12 week sentence twice now, it has been easier this time but I knew what was coming & planned which really helps. Also I'd already had 5 surgeries & radiotherapy that year the first time so was up against it's a bit.
This time the hospital physio & surgeon was skeptical I could cope, wanted to get me a commode, & bed downstairs etc., they made me so determined to take control, get fitter, buy equipment & practice (I had my crutches already) which really helped.
Fanny you could not do any of this, it's much more of a shock, takes a lot out of you & makes you despair at times. The worst is almost over, you have coped, well done.
 
Thank you for the vote of confidence, @Annie N. Especially noting the worst is almost behind me. I am a little nervous about the pain flaring back up when I begin weight bearing. But I’m trying to take a one day at a time outlook and not get too tangled up about future problems I am imagining for myself.

On that note, I feel really good this morning! I slept a solid and restful 8 hours and 17 minutes. My injured leg looks loads better today! The swelling is down and it was almost normal sized. About half the shin abrasion where I slid down the last 3-4 steps is healed. My lower back and hip pain have resolved and I am really gentle with myself. I am fatigued and hungry lately, which I read as a sign of the tremendous energy my body is expending to heal now.

I had to give up concert tickets for Friday night, which I purchased before all this happened. Luckily, a friend could use them. I have a February 29 concert in my sights though. We’ll see! I think I may have shared this but one of my good friends fell down the stairs in her daughter’s garage and did the exact same thing as me (same injury) 12 days before my accident. Strange coincidence. But anyway, she wants to go to that February 29 concert, too. She said she is going to take a walker with a seat. This is a general admission event, no seating. I hope we can both go! We are going to be quite a pair! :egypdance:
 
No seating??? You get on to them now & tell them your are unexpectedly disabled & need priority entry & appropriate seating. I've been to 2 concerts & 2 talks in the past 8 weeks, always asking for accomodation & always been wonderfully looked after. However these are all local, events by car.
You will be tired if there is a lot of traveling as well, but end February might be doable especially if there's both of you in the same boat.
Mad or what my first London theatre visit is in 12th Feb 10 days after the foot should be healed & likely I will still be in a boot intermittently! I'm on my own as well.
My first study day is a week later, my first exploring group (slow walking around town) is a week after that. By March we will be at the theatre or a concert once a week minimum.
Fingers firmly crossed!
 
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There will probably be some random chairs, but good idea to reach out to the venue and see what I can arrange in advance. Have fun with all of your outings and adventures, @Annie N! I look forward to getting out of my “prison” in a few weeks.

ETA: No travel involved. This is a local event.
 
My friend who had this same accident and surgery on December 6 (my accident was 12/18 and my surgery was 12/21) was cleared for weight bearing and return to work yesterday. She said walking was incredibly painful and awkward, but she was shown how to navigate stairs and was super excited to get her first shower since the accident. She is doing PT 3x/week and started yesterday afternoon. I am 99% sure my surgery center only schedules PT 2x/week, thank goodness!

My next checkup is 1/31. I hope I will be in her shoes . . . or boot, if you will. :heehee: Even though I know it will be painful and all the exercises and PT will take up a lot of time, I am eager to begin the next stage in the healing process. I have reminded myself her surgery was 15 days before mine and my next appointment is only a week after hers, so there is a chance I won’t have healed as much as she has. But I hope I am cleared for the next chapter!
 
If you're a stranger to PT here's some advice, they love proactive people.
1. Go in with a list of aims, things you need to be able to do earlier than other things. Run through the list so you have something to tick off as the weeks go by - mark your achievements.
2. ALWAYS take painkillers an hour before you go, they will be manipulating you, it will hurt.
3. If it hurts overly, and you have taken painkillers then you are going at it too fast and need to slow it down, and you have to be able to discuss this with your PT honestly. Don't be pushed into doing anything thats going to leave you in pain for hours and days.
4. Some days are better than others, so go with it if it's a bad day and try again the next day. That also applies to mornings, afternoons and evenings.
5. Most PTs are younger than you and may have no idea what you could do beforehand, so tell them. Control the session yourself, don't be pushed too far.
6. Do your PT every day, if only part of it, it really helps to see how you are improving. Write down your exercises, you will forget.
7. Remember baby steps to start with, your recovery is usually twice as long as your immobility, and can be a fair bit longer.
8. PT in water is excellent, doesn't hurt so much, you achieve far more. You are very tired afterwards!
 
@Annie N we disagree with taking as-needed (unscheduled) pain meds before PT. It can easily lead to not realizing that things are being over manipulated or overworked until hours later. Pain is our post op body's only way of saying STOP! and manipulation that causes pain should not be tolerated in PT.

Many of our members also report that while they like and benefit from water therapy, they find it's very easy to overdo things and pay for it that night and the next day.

Otherwise a most useful list!
 
mendogal said:
we disagree with taking as-needed (unscheduled) pain meds before PT. It can easily lead to not realizing that things are being over manipulated or overworked until hours later.
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Understood but this might be a PT difference in our countries at work here. In the UK standard physio does not involve much manipulation or hands on work. I think the overworked physio teams are afraid of giving themselves overused injuries of their own! You just get exercises & shown how to do them, and are often told that these won't be easy to do to start with, appointments are often 2 or 3 weeks apart so you are getting 3 weeks work. The physios themselves tell you to take painkillers before you go, mainly because they know you will already be tired just getting to the appointment (most physio depts are tucked away deep in the bowels of the building) so may not otherwise have the capacity to do much.
The other side of this for me is my private physio who seems to have angel hands. I found her when I was struggling to recover after two broken ankles, one session with her and I gained so much flexibility it was like waking on air. She recently came to my house to help my crutch hand issue. Her advice is worth its weight in gold. Many of us in the UK end up walking away from hospital based physio as it's of limited value unless you are prepared to make the most of limited sessions
 
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Good things to keep in mind @mendogal, thank you! I did a few sessions of PT after my first hip replacement because I was afraid to push too hard or stretch too far. So, she just got me comfortable with what was possible after hip surgery. But there wasn’t a lot of pain or pushing me hard. I have a feeling this round will be quite different since one of the goals will be to regain the range of motion in my ankle! I am already doing gentle ROM exercises and it has improved a lot since I started 2 weeks post surgery. Hopefully, I will be a little ahead of the game there!

I can’t wait to get started and work towards normal again!
 
Two more sleeps and I go to the doctor! I am trying to manage expectations—I feel good, but I still have a considerable amount of swelling. I showed my husband my foot last night and asked, “Do you think they are going to tell me it’s okay to walk on this thing Wednesday?” He looked skeptical. I am just a sweller. I had a lot of lingering swelling with my hip surgeries, too.

I have started a few new practices in hopes of managing the swelling: I am massaging my leg, ankle, and foot when I wake up and before bed. I can literally see the swelling subside before my eyes as I massage, especially in my foot. I bought light compression socks and put those on before I even get out of bed. During evening TV time, I elevate and ice. Beginning today, I am going to try to elevate more again. The better I feel, the less I elevate. But it’s clear I still need to be doing that.

I got outside for about 15 minutes on Saturday for a knee scooter walk. And my grandson came over yesterday. We built a programming robot, watched a Winnie the Pooh movie (he recently read The Adventures of Winnie the Pooh and is hooked on these sweet stories), and played games. Grandpa took him for a walk while I got a short nap. He also helped me around the house by dusting and vacuuming. I must not be too boring in my injured state; he asked if he could come over after school this week. He’s such a joy to be around. Super sweet kid. He will be 9 in March.
 
Yes, compression, light massage, and most definitely elevation are your friends!!!!

It sounds like you and your DH are rocking the grandparent roles!!!!
 
MissFanny said:
“Do you think they are going to tell me it’s okay to walk on this thing Wednesday?” He looked skeptical. I am just a sweller. I had a lot of lingering swelling with my hip surgeries, too.
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My experience with ankle surgery is that it's the Xray findings (not the swelling) that will determine whether or not you are allowed to bear weight on that foot.

Swelling is normal - and you should expect that it may get worse once you start weight-bearing again! Elevating and icing regularly throughout the day will be even more important then. The good news is that, with more movement, that swelling will gradually come down. So, be patient! You are almost done with the hard part!

Let us know how things go on Wednesday.
 
It sounds to me that things are going the right way. Can I suggest that you reread some of your earlier posts when you could barely move & were in a lot of pain?
Swelling is really normal for ankle injuries, you have a lot of soft tissue damage here & the surgery will have compound that, that also takes time to fix. It can be months before your body has that properly under control but it will eventually. If it's really bad you can use a cryocuff system as that can be used for a long time without risky ice damage. That was an amazing tool for my knee replacements.
Ice, compression, supporting shoes, a walking stick, & a big dose of realistic patience will be your friend. Swelling is 6-12 months to shake off I'm afraid & you physio will help improve it & will also temporarily make it worse, but it's a sign of healing so don't be worried overly.
Looks like life is getting back to normal but it will be maybe 6 months or more before you don't notice this injury regularly, you may not even spot it when that happens but it will. Roll on that day!
 
I bought the Breggs Polar Cube for my hip surgeries. I have since loaned it to my BIL but maybe I will ask for it back. My sister said he isn’t using it anyway.

I like that visual of seeing swelling as a sign of healing, @Annie N!

Doctor tomorrow! Ironically, I have had zero pain the past few days. Just in time to bring it back with walking! But I am ready for the next stage of healing.
 
That will do it. I had an aircast cryocuff and ice bucket - you can buy add on cuffs for new injury areas. The knee were swollen beasts, the first time I discovered these it was a game changer. The last ankle reconstruction was the same, so far this ankle gets a bit pink and that's it. I've got loads of simple ice packs, but fingers crossed it's going to behave.

The other half is having a rotator cuff repair revised in a couple of weeks, so I need to be back on my feet now.

You will take your questions with you to the doctor and write down the answers, of course?
 
I ordered a 3pair pkg of wide leg yoga pants on Amazon. They have been a godsend for me. One problem…3pairs is not enough unless you plan to do laundry every other day or so. Just my observation!
im 3 weeks out today of my tri-maellalor surgery. Doing okay still non-weight bearing.
 
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