Rankled by the Ankle

At the three month mark, I was still trudging very slowly in recovery.  I was wearing odd shoes, icing a ton, and seeing small, incremental improvements.  Some days it hurt like hell; others it felt decent. At just after 3 months (maybe 3 months and a week) I decided I would essentially kick the heel's ass and see what happened.  The first week I tried to go on some walks.  It was a little tough.  It seemed easier with open back sandals on, but the hills were still rough. The next week, I upped it even more.  I'm trying to commit to 10,000 steps per day again and also trying a 30 minute walk every day.  As I write this, I've had three consecutive 10k days.  I'm also trying to lose weight.  I have a trip coming up in July and a lot to lose! The ankle is responding fairly well.  It still hurts.  A bit of a dull pain throughout the day.  I still have a limp, as well.  It is a bit less pronounced.  In fact, some peo...

Mid-March now; about 2 1/2 months post-op.  How are things going at this point? I'm in semi-regular shoes.  Meaning I'm in Hoka tennis shoes and "semi-dress" shoes all the time, except at night.  I still have a limp.  Over the last couple of weeks, the limp has lessened, but at an extremely slow rate.  It is very hard to tell much of a difference from day to day.   I'm definitely not back to normal or "100%," probably more like 80%.  I tried one morning to go to an event in regular dress shoes with heel lifts in them.  It didn't take long at all before the heel was very mad at me!  One day I also wondered what it would feel like if I pushed off as if I was going to break into a job.  Um, no.  Immediate stress and pain in the Achilles. I don't feel like I'm regressing at all, but some days are bad enough that I wonder if I'm still progressing.  Then I'll have a decent day and think that I am.  I just can't stress enoug...

The days have been pretty similar as of late.  I'm still wearing Hokas everywhere, but the boot hasn't returned.  Each day the limp seems just slightly less pronounced. I returned to the doc at about two months post op.  He gave it a once over, said I could do some physical therapy if I wanted, but it was up to me.  He said as long as I kept progressing I would be good to go, but if things turn for the worse to let him know.  He told me to finish off the Meloxicam and let him know if I needed one more round of it.  I asked if I could exercise, and he said light bike or elliptical would be okay, but don't stress it too much.  He said that the sign that I would be okay to start building up more strenuous exercise would be when the limp disappeared.  It hasn't quite disappeared yet. The progress with this is very slow.  There aren't really miraculous days where things change in an instant.  You just make slow changes here and there, and...

At the end of the long weekend, the ankle was feeling a little worn and I had trouble sleeping.  It wasn't all ankle; plenty of stuff on my mind.  But it had me questioning whether or not to go back to the boot for a bit of the day to ease into the transition more. I felt pretty good Tuesday morning, so I decide to go bootless.  Unfortunately, my first meeting out of the gate was in a large convention center, and I logged nearly 4000 steps by 9am!  Yes, the foot felt swollen afterward, but nothing I couldn't handle. When I got home I found some Hoka sandals that I had ordered were delivered.  These mirror the shoes as far as padding goes.  They fit the bill pretty well for walking around the house.  They are called "recovery sandals," more for running than my type of recovery, but whatever works! I iced up Tuesday night.  My machine doesn't seem to be keeping the pad as cold as it used to.  Not sure what gives. Wednesday and Thursday ...

Three day, President's Day Weekend to try no boot. Saturday we hit the town and went to a local casino.  We had fun (lost, though).  I put the foot to the test a bit.  After a while it was pretty swollen and uncomfortable, despite the fact that we were sitting most of the time.  It was a long walk from the car to the casino and throughout (long by standards these days, anyway).  We were there for about five hours.  This included a nice dinner, so we weren't gambling the entire time.  Sure, we're degenerates, but not that bad!  I was relieved to head home, though, take to the couch, and fire up the ice machine. The next morning, Sunday, and the foot felt kind of rough.  General pain throughout.  We did some grocery shopping, but other than that had a pretty lazy day.  Getting around the store was even a bit of a pain.  The limp was heavier than it had been Friday or Saturday. I even had some thoughts about going back to th...

Monday and back to work.  I started off the morning with about 7 minutes on the recumbent bike.  Just a little movement, and trying to increase it a bit every day.  I booted around well all day long.  At one point at the end of the day I pivoted on the bad foot and it twinged a bit, right on Mr. Achilles.  The pain lasted for about 5 minutes before fading.  Later in the evening after resting and icing, my curiosity drove me to grab a left shoe.  The doc had said a week or two in the boot and then a transition to shoes.  It has been a week. I got my left Hoka Clifton and put a Tuli's heel lift in it.  By the way, I just started wearing these Tuli's a week ago, and so far I like them a lot.  I sat down on a chair, put the left shoe on, and carefully stood.  I took a cautious, short step, and it was...very weird.  It has been so long since I've taken a step on this foot with a shoe on.  I took another step, and then a third...

The crutches are still in convenient places, but they are no longer being used.  I'm boot only now and getting around fairly well. Saturday was a lazy day.  It was beautiful outside but I didn't do much; no reason why.  I iced a bit, watched TV, and ended up at 1500 steps or so.  A bonus recovery day. Sunday I helped the wife clean the house a bit.  She's been shouldering a lot of that since the surgery.  We then decided to go to our local gym.  I selected machines that didn't impact the foot; mostly upper body stuff, but did some leg extensions, too.  I then did a recumbent bike for just a few minutes.  It felt good to do a little physical activity.  It wasn't much, but it was something.   The rest of the day was icing, walking around a bit to do this and that, more icing, more walking, etc.  By the end of the day I had over 2300 steps and the ankle felt...not bad!  Is it the Meloxicam? Is it a bit of extra act...

After a lot of pain Monday night (and a pain pill), Tuesday morning felt better.  I was able to do some non-crutch walking today, as well and some one crutch walking (all with the boot, of course).  It felt pretty good until the evening, but more movement today than previous days (over 1800 steps).  Ice, ice, and more ice! I ditched the crutches Wednesday morning.  I decided I'd go for it and went to work with them in my car, but they stayed there.  No crutches the entire day.  It is an awkward walk, and it certainly isn't pain free.  But it also isn't excruciating and I can handle it.  I'd say it is a constant 3-4 on the 10 scale while I'm moving about.  The first few steps are always awkward.  To counter this, when I stand up I do a bit of back and forth rocking on the natural curve of the boot, trying to "fire" the muscles and tendons a bit.  This helps.  By the end of the day, the foot felt a little raw and tired, but not...

Back to work Monday after a heck of a Super Bowl. I decided to one-cruth it to/at work today.  The stroll in was a little harder than expected; the backpack weight was noticeable.  I made it through the day pretty well.  There was a problem with a meeting in a far part of the building, though, that I had to hustle over to.  Once I got there, several people wanted to engage me in long conversations.  Standing there talking, both feet started to yell at me.  It was a little difficult to get out of there! Doctor's appointment day.  I gave the doc an update that I had only been on one crutch/no crutch for a few days, but the pain was better.  He did an exam.  The scab is still there, but close to coming off.  Range of motion is improving.  He advised me to continue range of motion work as much as I could.  He said that once I was boot-only, to do that for a week or two and then begin the slow transition to shoes.  The tran...

The wife's birthday is coming up, so this is the weekend that we celebrate a bit.  We had an event planned for Saturday night, plus dinner out, so I spent the morning stretching, icing, and repeating. Also, my next doctor's appointment is coming up after the weekend on Monday. Early Saturday I focused upon getting into a rhythm of icing, stretching, and moving.  I tried to use one crutch and it worked out fairly well.  The first few steps are always shaky, but once I get moving and into a flow it feels okay.  I then picked up the single crutch and walked boot-only.  This worked out pretty well. When we went out for the evening, I took both crutches, though.  Not quite ready for public prime time, so I wanted a safety net.  By the end of the evening the foot was unhappy and tired. Sunday was a day with nothing on the calendar except a night of Super Bowl watching.  the foot always feels better in the morning.  I continued to work with ...

Back to work Monday, with the goal of a full week this week. I took one of the old ice bags to work Monday to try and focus upon icing more (can't take Mr. Ice Machine there).  It is tough to do in that environment!  I did more than the past, anyway. Moving at work was an increase from the weekend.  The foot was a little more yelpy in the evening so the ice machine went to work.  I gave the foot a little inspection halfway through the evening and noticed an obvious increase in swelling from the weekend.  Just another reminder that the pace is going to be slow. Your mind plays tricks on you when you read about things like this.  I remember reading posts on Achillesblog prior to surgery that hinted about being up and running in three months or similar time periods.  I went back last night and re-read those, and found that they were people who were "guessing" or thinking that they'd be doing that; not many who actually did.  In fact, most that ...

Continuing with aggressive icing with the ice machine.  It really seems like it is helping, or perhaps the steroid, or maybe both.  I haven't really tested the ankle out much, as I'm still using two crutches.  But it feels better. Saturday night I attempted sleep without a pain pill; without anything (except Medrol), in fact.  It worked!  Took a bit to find a comfortable position, but once I did I was out like a light.  Sounds like nothing special, but this really was a big step. Sunday I iced in the morning, and then we went to the movies.  I didn't want to see the same movie as the wife and step-daughter, so I went to a different one.  I had booked a seat next to the disabled seating, and someone was in my seat!  After they watched me crutch around for a few minutes, the person finally got up and told me she wanted to sit next to her husband and asked if I would mind switching seats.  Not a problem, but it would have been nice to a...

One month?  Wow!  It has been quite some time.  I honestly thought I'd be a bit further along by this point.  What do I know? Some significant changes on Wednesday.  My progress, as stated previously, has been awfully slow.  So I decided to call the doctor's office.  I expected to get a call back saying just keep pressing forward; it hurts but you're on the right path.  Instead, they said to slow down. I was instructed to: a) go back to two crutches with partial weight bearing, b) ice, a lot, even at work, c) continue the stretches (flexion), d) take methylpredisolone (a steroid that I took prior to surgery to see if it would alleviate the problem), e) take diclofenac after the steroid was done (an anti-inflammatory, also taken prior to surgery), f) take it easy.  All this in order to repair damage and reduce inflammation.  I got the idea that the pain from efforts to walk crutchless should not be as bad as it is.  I was a littl...

Back to work.  I move a lot more during work days, getting almost 900 steps according to my Garmin.  Note: The crutches throw the numbers off, but my movement is definitely low.  I was a 10,000 step per day person prior to surgery (until the ankle & heel slowed me down), so I know 900 is paltry.  But I've been getting about 300-400 at home, so (while inaccurate) it almost doubled at work. I am getting around very well on two crutches with the left foot partial weight bearing.  Tried more one crutching in the evening.  It is better, but still pretty pathetic. Again, my entire body hurts from the efforts (back, arms, wrists, hips, legs).  Sloooow going. Tuesday is somewhat the same.  Getting around with two crutches is no problem.  Does that mean painless?  Absolutely not.  I would say that it is about a level 2-3.  After work, I tried some laps around the house with one crutch.  I'm doing decent with about 6 inch ...

I always feel alright in the morning after a good night's sleep.  Saturday I seem to be moving around well on the crutches, partial weight bearing.  Again making an effort to put weight on the bad foot, and also trying to have a normal "heel to toe" movement as I push along.  The hips are really feeling it, but it does feel better. Also trying a bit from the videos posted on the Three Week Post Op post. By the end of the night, I was wiped out.  The heel is in significant pain.  The worst part is the outside of the heel, which is odd (never hurt there before). Sunday is pretty much the same.  I sleep like a rock anymore; until 10:30!  I haven't slept in this late for years.  I feel great early, but after pushing the foot, leg, and rest of the body, I'm shot.  Exhausted by the end of the day.  The foot hurts.  Today, even my toes hurt!  Practiced one crutch walking and put pressure on areas that weren't used to it, I suppo...

Three weeks are in the rear-view mirror.  This was a long day, even though I went into work late due to an evening meeting.  I ended up working about 9 1/2 hours. The normal hobbling around, putting a bit of additional pressure.  It didn't feel too awful bad until I got home, and man was it throbbing!  More use = more pain at the end of the day, but hopefully more progress. I took the following day off due to a clean calendar, and perhaps just to catch my breath a bit from a tough return week.  The movement simply takes a toll on the entire body.  Crutching around with the boot hurts the back, arms, hips, and of course the foot.  The right leg is starting to hurt from doing all the work.  I think it is mad at the left leg. I found some YouTube videos that describe the transition from crutches to no crutches.  I've been a little concerned about this.  It seems like I'm a long way from making this transition, so I'm wondering how the...

Groundhog day from  Day 19, really.  Crutches are a pain. Seems like I'm developing a pattern of once per day putting full weight on the bad foot.  Today it was a missed stair (stairs with crutches are not fun).  I caught myself with the bad foot, and more shooting pain.  It goes away, but isn't fun while it occurs. I'm not too far away from when I am supposed to try to ditch the crutches.  I think it is a bit of a mental struggle on top of the physical limitations.  It has now been almost three weeks since I walked normally on the foot.  I've avoided it so much that I'm concerned about trying it, even in a boot.  However, I'm improving every day. After hobbling around a bit today at work, I removed the boot and sock and was kind of surprised to see how swollen the ankle was!  Normally I can see the interior bone on the ankle (the end of the tibia, I believe).  It was lost in the mass of swelling today. After I got home,...

Nineteen days out already?  Wow... Back to work today.  I can drive and crutch around, so off I go. I made a big mistake.  My backpack that I carry was far too heavy.  When I made it to work, I was crutching in when one side slipped down.  I grabbed the backpack like I normally would to straighten it back up, and landed on my bad foot with all my weight (plus the heavy backpack).  Again, everything activated in the foot and sent shivers up my left side.  Ouch!  I stood there, in the middle of the parking lot breathing heavy and regaining my composure.  I got things situated and returned on my journey (and it was a journey!).  I don't think anyone saw me?  I hope not.  It was pathetic.  I got situated after I got into the building and made it to my desk, where I'd stay for the day. The foot did feel a lot more tender for the rest of the day.  I lightened the backpack for the journey back to the car to go home. ...

Three day weekend due to the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday, providing me an extra day to prepare for my return to work. The wife hit me up about going to a movie with some friends.  I insisted that it be a theater with reclining seats, thinking that it would be much different than home.  I thought getting out and about might help me move toward where I need to be with the foot. She drove, and I loosened up the obnoxious boot on the way.  I crutched it into the theater and made it just fine.  It only grew painful once for about 5-10 minutes during the movie and I just waited it out. Throughout the weekend I continued to try to crutch and place weight on it.  On Monday, a crutch hit water and slipped, driving all my weight onto the bad foot.  It hurt like hell.  I writhed in pain for about 15 minutes, but eventually it subsided.  No permanent damage (from what I can tell?), so maybe it was good for it.  The second it hit the floor I...

Sleeping the in regular bed went fine.  The dog seems to know I have a wounded paw, so she leaves some distance or sleeps on her own bed on the floor. I can crawl up the stairs, dragging my crutches, just fine, but carrying stuff is problematic.  This morning I used an old backpack from a conference and stuffed it up.  It works great as a papoose. Did quite a bit of movement and flexion exercise today.  I'm trying to push it a little bit more each day in preparation for my return to work.  Yesterday I said I felt a little improvement in range.  Today I compared the bad (left) heel's range with the good (right) one.  Huge difference.  I'd say I have about 1/5th the range of motion.  Better than before, believe it or not, but still far from normal. I also put a sock on today.  I still have a bandaid over the stitched area.  It looks like I was shot in the heel and it was stitched up.  Socks seem to work pretty well, althoug...

Hobbling around partial weight bearing on my crutches.  I've found that the heel usually doesn't seat into the boot without a little pressure.  It doesn't feel all that bad while I'm doing it, although I tend to pay for it later. I'm doing the flexion exercises as directed by the doc; a few times a day.  I do feel ever so small gains in flexibility.  I've also started using a "foot gym" apparatus to see if that helps. I'm giving up on the blow up bed.  I'm tired of chasing the leaks in it, so I'm going to crawl into my regular bed to sleep tonight.  My biggest fear is how the dog always wants to saddle up on my left side and press against me (warmth?).  We'll see how that goes. How does it feel? There is always some discomfort, although I wouldn't say pain.  It is always at about a 2.  But there are times when it shoots up there to a 6 or a 7 for a while; maybe a 20 minute period?  It usually passes so I don't take a pain ...

Felt fairly decent this morning, so after some work from home I decided I'd drive to get lunch.  I crutched out to the car and didn't have much of a problem driving, except for the fact that my boot is sooooo uncomfortable.  It irritates all the wrong places on the foot.  Got to the drive thru and home with no issues. This afternoon my new boot arrived.  I opened it up and found a heavily padded model with one more strap than that first one.  It came with five extra foam pads to use if needed.  It also has an air pump to increase the hold on the arch and ankle.  It is 100% better than the one provided me coming out of surgery recovery.  A real game changer.  I couldn't wait to get the old one off.  This one isn't without a bit of discomfort, but I definitely think I can keep it on and walk in it better.  I did a bit of movement with it and the crutches and even sat outside on this unseasonably warm day for a few minutes.  Her...

Working on putting a bit more upon the left foot.  Some stretching and standing today, which drove up the need for some pain meds today.  I'm not sleeping a lot at night; not necessarily related to the foot, though.  I was taking a bit of a nap when there was a "pop" out of my ankle and some quick pain.  It woke me up!  I asked my wife "did you hear that?"  She did.  The pain went away quickly.  Maybe stuff is just going back into place. You can certainly feel it when I stand on the foot (while booted and in crutches).  It is not pain, necessarily; more discomfort.  I'm working on not using the knee scooter as much in order to put the foot to a bit of use.   I've forgotten to mention that I've been battling my air mattress.  It has ripped twice, and the patches I have tried aren't working well.  I like the bed, but not when it keeps deflating.  Argh.   An updated pic of the damage: Stitches are...

The doctor's office called and wanted to bring me in earlier due to some conflicts on the doc's schedule.  Monday it is! The doc said everything is going well.  My range of motion is definitely better and less painful.  He advised me to sort of do "light weightbearing."  This means using the crutches, but occasionally bringing some weight down on the bad foot.  He even said to occasionally rest the foot down while standing (all of this in the boot, of course).  Doc said driving would be okay with the boot (it is my left foot).  He said two weeks of this, and then transition to weightbearing, in the boot, while walking for two weeks.  Then our next appointment would come about.  The ACE bandage stays on for keeping the swelling down.  He took the stitches out and said I could keep a band aid on for a few days, but it would be okay to wash the foot, too. All good news and I'm on the right path! One thing: this boot is no good.  ...

The days are getting pretty similar.  The one difference is that the pain continues to decrease.  Essentially, there is no need for a pain pill until later in the day.  And each day, it is a little bit later.  So I would say that it is just an accumulation of pain from use throughout the day. In order to do more stretching, I acquired a yoga strap to put on the end of my foot near my toes.  I then flex back and forth, holding it at a max position for each for a few seconds.  Usually about a half hour after I do this it tends to yell at me a bit.  The strap works great!  Here it is: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01G98QL40/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 We're still not weight bearing yet.  Just slowly progressing.

Pretty good day as far as pain goes.  No need for a pain pill until later in the night after a bit of an adventure (more later).  The wife was able to have a bonus day at home due to a snow day. Not much to report early in the day.  I did a bit of the flexion stretch and yes, it hurt, but not bad enough to need a pill. After dinner, we decided to try to take a trip upstairs to use a real, live shower.  The wife took the scooter and a crutch up there ahead of me.  I then did the butt scoot and a one leg push up method to get up the stairs.  It was tougher than I thought it might be.  Took a lot out of me and I didn't expect that! Once we got there, I used the scooter to get to the shower.  We had bought a shower chair (yes, on Amazon) and she set it up in the shower.  It was a bit of gymnastics to move into the shower, declothe, and take a seat.  We put a waterproof bandaid (actually a couple of them) to cover the stitch after we re...

Loving the use of the knee scooter!  It really helps me jet around. I've been icing a lot per instructions.  We were using gallon ziploc bags.  They work well, but only once.  When we stick them in the freezer and bring them out, we have to bust up the ice so they wrap the ankle well.  The best way to do this is to drop them on the ground or the counter.  However, this tends to tear the ziplocs.  So back to Amazon I went and purchased some fabric type bags with plastic screw tops.  They are a lot tougher, still wrap well, and tend to keep the ice colder longer.  The one con is that they are a little more difficult to fill, but not bad.  Here they are: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AADOZCU/ref=cm_sw_r_taa_l2YByb23D2M9Q The smallest one is too small for the ankle, but I could end up using it later. I've started doing the flexion exercises.  They don't immediately hurt, but about 10 minutes after I'm done the heel catches fi...

A more significant day today!  The first post-op trip to the doc.  This was also my first time out of the house since surgery. The car ride was a little uncomfortable.  I couldn't quite get comfortable with the boot, and I felt every bump.  We arrived, though; a short drive.  I crutched in and was led to the xray room.  This was a little tough, too, as they bent my foot to fit the different angles needed.  Didn't take long, though, and we were back to the exam room. The doc removed the Ace bandage and some bloody gauze (yuck).  I thought he was going to remove the stitches, but he didn't.  He felt around for tenderness (which was there, of course) and looked at the xrays.  He showed them to us; a before and after.  You could see the nice titanium screw clearly.  The extra bone appeared to be gone.  He said all looked to be on the right path to healing. Still no weight bearing though.  Not much changed.  He ...

Day Four wasn't much different than Day Three, with the exception that I can sort of stretch out the pain pills a bit.  I can go five hours at times instead of four, but I still need them.  I've counted out and I have enough left to get to the follow up appointment if I take one every four hours. The pain is becoming more of occasionally hard twangs that will cause me to shout a bit.  There is a constant dull pain, but it is lower.  The meds take care of both types. Tomorrow is the follow up appointment.  Day Four was just more of the same, but I think things are improving.

Fell a bit behind with blogging because I spilled an entire cup of diet root beer on my laptop.  Another casualty in this affair! Each day seems to get a little bit better, although I'm still on a pain pill every four hours on Day Three.  New Years day is more of the same, really.  I'm looking forward to a few things: new crutches, knee scooter, and the follow up doctor appointment. Sleeping is still tough, but it hasn't been too bad.  When the pain wakes me up, it is usually time for a pill. Not much new on Day Three.  Cleaning off several recorded shows from the DVR.

I would say that day two was a repeat of day one, but on a good note, the pain was a little less.  I dropped to one pill every four hours throughout the day.  I had to hit four hours, though; as the time passed, my need for a pill increased.  I also found that the best position for my foot was almost flat on its outside (the left side, since it is my left foot). I've given up on the crutches and ordered some on Amazon.  The higher quality ones I have are too tall, and the shorter ones are not of good quality.  Pay attention to the hand and armpit pads; they make a big difference.  Also, the shorter pads have feet that tend to slip on my wood floor.  This created a couple of scary moments today.  I'll let you know if my replacements are good and what brand they are.   I also ordered a knee scooter.  I think that will make NWB not as bad. Washed my hair in the kitchen sink.  Not too hard to do with the counter height barst...

The theme of the first full day after surgery: pain management.  The ankle was screaming throughout the day.  I was told to use the first couple of days to allow for recovery, limiting my movement. We found a different set of shorter crutches.  We transferred the pads, but I found that these were of a much lower quality than the "too tall" crutches.  We'll continue to use them to see if they'll work. It was a "two pill every four hours" kind of day.  The meds would bring the pain down significantly an hour after I took them, then three hours past the pain would ramp up again.  Yikes!  It is a burning kind of pain. Sleeping is difficult due to the pain.  I'm elevating and icing to help out.  What a bummer. Lots of in and out of sleep and watching mundane television.  Lots of recommendations for binge watching, but it is tough to pay attention for a long time so I can't really get into anything too complicated.  "Dumb tv" is the...