Ankle Talonavicular joint fusion scheduled Nov 23

[Annie N]

Yesterday I went for my final review, yes I did say final!
Amazingly at 9 weeks & 3 days post talonavicular fusion I am fully healed and discharged.
The joint has completely vanished, there is a minor line where a little healing is still going on but it's way ahead of the usually curve for this surgery & I've been released to normal life again.
The surgeon was really impressed & said the speed of recovery could only be because of my fully complying with the post surgery non weight bearing & elevation requirements. He pointed out that my Iwalkfree knee crutch was actually holding the leg in an elevated position & may have contributed to this. I'm very pleased as you can imagine.
This surgery comes with a long rehabilitation and I was given some great guidance on managing this. I can now walk on the foot for as long as I can bear it but that won't be long for a while yet. Boot off indoors only for the next circa 2 weeks. Boot on & crutches for as long as I need to outdoors, he said I will know when the time has come to stop using the boot naturally but it may be a little while until I can swap to supportive shoes. Basic physiotherapy will help me but he thought I could manage that myself if I wanted to, he's going to write guidance for my physio to me so I can employ my own lady with this but it will be a while regardless for the foot to settle into its new shape and the other bones to step up and take over from this joint. He thought it will take until the summer to become natural again. He wants me to let him know when I feel comfortable walking off path across the downs and yes recovery will allow me to walk on uneven ground safely with time.
After this wonderful news I went a bit mad, first stop was for a glass of fizz with my friend who took me too the hospital, then a local comedy night, walking on my own two feet! It was wonderful but I paid for it. Afterwards the foot was the swollen and unhappy & needed ice & elevation. It's not swollen like that yet so far, I've found the boundaries of what I can do quite quickly! It soon went down, so I'd better take care for a day or so before I try again.
I took photos of my x-rays for my friend to see. She was an operating theatre nurse working in orthopedics & said that the plates & scews she saw were more robust than normal & that said a fair bit about the state my joint must have been in at the start of this process. I can post these if anyone is interested.

 

[MissFanny]

That is fantastic news, Annie! Well done! I too plan for summer before I am really active and back to normal. Sounds like a fun celebration! I still haven’t done anything—haven’t even gone up my stairs yet. I am probably on the other end of the spectrum and being overly cautious. I am just so tickled for you! Cheers to healing and getting back to life!

 

[Lindylee]

That’s great news Annie. The foot soon lets us know when it’s had enough doesn’t it? I’ve been surprised by how it seems to be improving daily now. I’m still using crutches outside, haven’t used the boot for about 3 weeks, been keeping to fairly short walks outside but can stand and walk about doing things indoors for about 2 hours before I feel the need to get off it. It’s lovely to start planning things again!

 

[Annie N]

I'm clearly doing too much just walking around at home and visiting folk, it's very sore and swollen a fair bit and I need the crutches to help move. If I don't use the crutches, I limp heavily, so lots of recovery to go still. The wrist is not happy with me again. I find I'm going to bed early - it's the best place to let all this calm down.
Funnily enough I've found the long non-use has given me a very weak knee and until that is stronger I'm going to have to be careful. Boy is it good to be able to use the stairs normally, even if it takes time It's nowhere near so cumbersome as clambering up & down on a knee crutch, and it is so good to get up and do something quickly [relatively] without having to plan and strap on my leg.
I'm really not up to walking any distance outside yet so will make a plan to try this in a few days, we are quite close to the park so maybe a walk around there should be my aim. I've got to get to the theatre 12th Feb, mostly public transport but there will be some walking, I'm going to have to plan and practice this.

 

[Jaycey]

@Annie N great news on your final review but please ease into any new activity. As you say, you still have lots of healing to do. I know it's hard but please continue to take it easy. Build up walking distance very gradually. Do half the distance you think you can do for now. Then build from that point in the following days.

 

[Lindylee]

You’ll wear your boot to the theatre won’t you? After all your surgeries and subsequent recoveries I’m sure you know what to do but please be careful going forward. I’m only really doing short walks outside every other day at present as it soon becomes painful. It’s much happier moving around indoors and I know I can rest it as soon as it starts to become more painful. Take care.

 

[Annie N]

You’ll wear your boot to the theatre won’t you?

Oh yes. Boot & crutches! I've got a seat right on the left edge of the stalls so I can stretch my foot out. We drove to a lunchtime concert today & it wasn't an issue putting my foot down for 2 1/2 hours, but I've spent the rest of the day resting & elevating. I've got a few events on this week, including 2 I'm arranging myself but all of these are with friends & driving so achievable with help, in a limited fashion.
Good news is that I was able to fit into two pairs of my trainers today (first time since November!). I'll keep them on indoors as much as I can to rehabilitate the foot, & control the swelling. The real problem is going to be learning to walk again with this new foot configuration, it's clearly different to before & it's very odd!
Sorry to hear that your walking is still limited but it will improve, I'm just lucky that I drive so can take my time with the walking. How is the aqua physio going?

 

[Lindylee]

That is good news. I’ve been wearing trainers all the time since I came out the boot. Things are improving all the time including the time I’m on my foot. I can even stand on one leg to put my knickers on now I start aquaphysio this Thursday. It was the first appointment I could get.

Enjoy the theatre. What are you going to see?

 

[Annie N]

Enjoy the theatre. What are you going to see?

Off to see Hamnet at the Garrick, it's in its last week so the latest date I could get. Really looking forward to it.
We also have Shakespeare's Fool at Wimbledon theatre on Friday but that's an easy journey with close local parking.

Glad to hear that you're begining to see real improvements. It's wonderful when you've taken a big step like this into the unknown to see it paying off. Good luck with your physio, I'll be interested to hear more about that.

 

[Lindylee]

I’ll be interested to hear what you think. I loved the book and wanted to see it but was put off by someone who I know. I fancied seeing Ian McKellan in Player Kings at Wimbledon but not sure I could sit through a double dose in one night.

 

[Annie N]

Ah I've a ticket for player kings as well!

Saw his one man show a few years back, it was impressive, but his panto on 2022 was just brilliant!

 

[Annie N]

I managed a trip to see the snowdrops in the gardens at Polesden Lacy with my garden visiting group yesterday.
It was wet underfoot, so I went without the boot and used waterproof walking shoes instead and two crutches. We only walked a mile, but that was far enough and quite an achievement. Pleased, if tired and sore today. Funny how it's the ankle, not the foot, that is swelling up.
11 weeks from surgery, glad for some progress.

 

[MissFanny]

Excellent achievement! In my case, it’s the foot that’s swelling for a broken ankle! Although the ankle gets good and puffy, too.

 

[Lindylee]

That’s brilliant Annie. I need to start increasing my walking, just been busy with other things, mainly husband’s medical appointments. I need to go with him as he doesn’t listen or remember what they tell him!

 

[Annie N]

Oh dear went to the theatre by train yesterday, not much walking but my ankle is a swollen beast.
Fortunately I've managed to get an ankle wrap ice pack, excellent tool.

 

[Lindylee]

That’s a shame. Maybe it was too much after the snowdrop visit or too long with the foot down in addition to the journey? I hope it settles soon.

 

[Annie N]

I've become nurse now.
My husband took a cancellation appointment and had his rotator cuff repair revised yesterday. It was a complex op but went well. However he's lost the use of an arm for the next few weeks whilst he's in a sling. It's funny me using a crutch & limping around helping the one armed man!
We will be bionic by the summer.

 

[Jaycey]

@Annie N Hope you and hubby can heal well together!

 

[Lindylee]

@Annie N oh dear, on the bright side you have a working pair of arms and he has the legs but I don’t envy you the next few weeks. I hope you’re both back with full use of both limbs asap. Look after yourself as well as him.

How was Hamnet?

 

[Annie N]

How was Hamnet?

I think I might have bitten off a bit too much, very tiring journey there & really quite done in by the time I got back on the train at Waterloo but the theatre was brilliant & I had loads of space in front of my seat to stretch out the foot. The pedometer said I walked 2 miles that evening, didn't do much yesterday as a result. However it was worth seeing the play & the lead actress was wonderful. I've not read the book but I gathered the story timeline had been simplified to make it easier to portray. Very clever use of actors in multiple parts as well, I enjoyed it. Funny how it joined to Shakespeare's Fool I saw in Wimbledon last week.
Himself had always wanted to fix his shoulder as soon as he could so he started pushing for a cancellation as soon as it was obvious I was recovering, it just arrived slightly sooner than expected! Roll on the summer when this will mostly be behind us.
The foot is very slowly getting a bit better, I'm mostly walking without the boot unless I'm out for long, and can cope better in shoes than last week, walking barefoot though is still pretty impossible without crutches. I've now got a great ankle ice pack that straps on & it's helping a lot with the swelling. It's now 11 weeks, I'm hopeful that another 4 weeks might make a big difference.