Week 10: Time To Get Rid Of The Boot And Walk!

This past Monday, Jan 27 I had another follow-up appointment with my doctor and was told that I have increased calcification at my fraction site. There wasn't a lot of bone growth but the callous was more prominent this time.

My doctor has now cleared me to work on getting rid of my boot and my last crutch! When I heard the news I was ecstatic. For now I will only be wearing my boot when I'm outside my house. I'm still using my crutch but when I'm in the kitchen I can take little steps unaided. 

My goal is to be walking unaided in about three weeks. I'm hoping that with the aid of my physical therapy I'll be able to walk around Boston again. 

10 Weeks Down. 

Week 9: One Crutch Down, One To Go.

For the past few weeks I have been struggling with getting rid of my second crutch. I  was using only one crutch at home but then would automatically switch to two crutches if I had to leave the house. This week I've finally done it. I feel comfortable enough and strong enough to kick the second crutch for good. YAY!

Today I had physical therapy and was able to lift 4lb ankle weight during my exercises, woot! That is such a huge accomplishment for me especially since the first week where I could barely lift 1lb. 

As for problems, most of them now come from aching at my ankle and screws at the ankle area. I notice this mostly if I've been walking a lot like if I'm out with my fiancee grocery shopping. I'm hoping over time it won't be so achy. My second problem stems from having my knee bent for too long. I noticed that if I didn't straighten my leg every ten minutes that my knee would become very tight and is then painful to straighten. UGH. My last problem are the scars from surgery. Sometimes I have this deep itchy/ stinging sensation that nothing can remedy. After some Googling I learned that the feeling comes from nerves trying to repair themselves and you aren't suppose to scratch yourself. IT IS SO HARD! The only thing that stops me from scratching them is that they are so sensitive that even touching them makes me squirm. So I lotion, ice and try to ignore the itch.

This coming Monday, Jan 27, is my next doctor appointment. Hopefully he has some solutions for the itch and I get good news from him once I get another round of x-rays done too. Can't wait!

9 Weeks Down!

Week 8: The Road To Recovery Is A Long One

 Everyday I am noticing improvements in my mobility and strength, which is great after being unable to do basic things like showers on my own. 

My left leg is significantly smaller then my right leg, especially my calf. But I'm really pleased with my range of motion. Since my last appointment with my doctor two weeks ago I feel that I can bend my knee and flex my ankle way more. Walking with one crutch has become a little easier and I think that is all thanks to the Physical Therapy I've been doing the past two weeks. If it weren't for the strength I've been getting back I don't think I'd be able to let go of that second crutch. 

I've still been feeling some pain at my fracture site as well as aching in my ankle and some sharp pain in my knee, but overall I am feeling leaps and bounds better from day one post surgery. 

I am now even more determined to build up my strength and heal up with my fiancee's family reunion at Disney nine month away.  Hopefully I get good news when I go to the doctors in two weeks. 

8 weeks down.

Week 7: Physical Therapy Begins and I'm Back To Work, Kinda

Therapy Time

Electrotherapy Machine

I started my first round of physical therapy this week. My first session was this past Monday and my next one is today. During my first session my therapist only worked on soft tissue and gave me exercises to do at home. I am really exciting to start working on building muscles back up again. The first thing we did after filling out all the appropriate paperwork was this electrotherapy and ice pack around my calf as well heating pad on my knee. 

After 18 minutes of electrotherapy I got a calf massage and worked on some strengthening exercises then off to home I went. My knee was super sore from the work out but overall I felt really good.

So I'm kinda back to work, starting with just two days a week for about 4 hours. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be it was just really cold with this Winter Vortex thingy the whole country is stuck in. Check out how I stayed warm.


7 weeks down.

It's Really Cold Outside - How To Stay Warm With A Walking Boot

So I know that it's cold everywhere here in the US but after being mostly indoors for the past seven weeks the outdoors seems that much more chilly. So when I was cleared to go back to work the first thing I thought was how will I keep my toes warm. Even with a sock on they are pretty exposed since the boot doesn't cover them. 
After going through my sock drawer I found my rain boot's fleece liners.

So I slipped them on over my socks and leggings to provide extra protection and warmth for the toes on my bad leg. It helped a lot and it doesn't look too shabby if I do say so myself =) Thanks to my Uggs and my fleece rain boot liners I was able to stay warm through this crazy Winter Vortex. 

Showering With A Cast

I was lucky enough to only be in my cast for only a week, but the tips and tricks I learned in the first week still help me to this day since I still can't stand in the shower. 

1. Staging - make sure you have everything you will need near you once you are done with your shower: towels, clothes, etc. 
2. Set Up  - It helps to have someone help you place a stool or chair that won't get damaged by water in your tub/shower. If you have a tub I found it easier to get into the tub if I had another stool the same height right outside. 
3. Covering the Cast - I didn't know how long I was going to be in a cast so I didn't buy a shower cast cover. Instead I used a plastic shopping bag and covered the foot part of my cast with a small towel under my heel. Then I used a trash bag and moving tape to cover my whole cast, using the tape to make sure to seal up anywhere water may drip into. 
4. Migrating to the Shower - First I would sit on my stool outside my tub to undress. Once I was ready I would sit on the side of my tub and place my legs inside the tub. Then I would use my arms to get me onto the stool inside my tub. 
5. Shower Time - I would wash my hair, scrub my body and be done in 15 minutes because showers are pretty uncomfortable. Then I would repeat how I got into the shower to get out and would rest on the stool outside my tub while I got dried off.
6. Remove the Bags - I would remove the plastic bags once I was dried off and voila clean as a whistle. 
7. Dress & Relax