Broken Ankle Week 14

Physical Therapy: I do a limited version of some of these (holding onto table, not squatting deeply because ankle range of motion is limited). I ride stationary bike quite slowly and the motion feels awkward and new.

After I was released from CAM boot, I was wearing Birkenstocks until I had time to get to shoe store to buy wider running shoes to accommodate swollen foot and ankle. Of all of my shoes, only my Birkenstocks fit. It was tricky to walk in Birkenstocks and crutches. As soon as I got some Hoka Gaviotas it became easier to walk with crutches.

Aches & discomforts

• There are still bruises around the incisions and a lot of socks and fabrics irritate the skin. I have a huge roll of black cotton stockinette and I cut off pieces to wear while I sleep. Around the house I leave the skin free to breathe.
• While I was sleeping, one of our cats stepped right on my fibula where it broke and it didn’t hurt! It does hurt when cat steps on tibia where it broke.
• Tibia has sharp pain, for a few seconds, every once in a while, and feels like the middle of the bone is adjusting to new hardware. Shrug. It’s bearable.
• Ankle and foot are almost always swollen and red by evening and better, not red and less swollen, by morning.
• I wish my ankle would move more. I know it takes months, plus patience and persistence, to regain mobility. Sometimes it frustrates me because I used to be a much more active person.

Progress & Improvements

• I can walk up the wood stairs to our loft (holding onto both rails, one step at a time) and sleep in a real bed again! That feels amazing (I had been sleeping on a sleeper bed for past 3ish months).
• Until this past week I’d been sitting on a stool in our bathtub taking a bucket bath (too scared to try to stand up and balance). This week I figured out the logistics of how to navigate into tub, using stool for balance when needed, and damn it feels good to take a real shower after all this time.
• I have all of my jeans and long pants back (I’d put them away after the accident) and packed away the “broken ankle clothes:” short pants and long socks for CAM boot. It feels great to wear jeans again.
• Even after cast came off, I couldn’t wear leggings because they irritated the incisions. I can wear leggings now and I know that means eventually socks will be easier to wear.
• Most of my socks either don’t fit over swollen foot and ankle or they irritate the incisions. The quarter height socks from Bombas feel best.
• On a whim, I tried on my Birkenstock Stalon boots, not expecting them to fit, and they do! While I put away all sort of shoes and boots that don’t fit, at least I have 1 pair of boots, 1 pair of sandals, and now 2 pair of Hoka Gaviotas (different colors) to have some variety while managing this marathon of a recovery.
• Going to physical therapy 2 times a week, and doing the stretches and exercises 2 times a day, and I can feel and see more range of motion. Slooowwwwww progress.