Broken Ankle Week 16

Maisy, the dog at the physical therapy office, while she tries to fit on a small ottoman

Experiments with no crutches, 1 crutch, both crutches:

• Inside of my house I don’t use crutches and I go up and down stairs
• To physical therapy I used 1 crutch and also used a yoga mat on the floor (I can get up and down without assistance now!)
• At the botanical gardens, walking through park and through crowds, I used 2 crutches.
• I feel more balanced with 2 crutches because my calf muscle still feels a little shaky. It’s getting stronger and stronger than it was a month ago.

Discomforts:

• All around my ankle is more swollen at the end of day, particularly if I’ve done a lot of walking. The cold therapy machine really helps reduce swelling.
• Incisions are really sensitive and today shoes were irritating where they hit against one of the incisions. Shoes. Seriously. Shoes. I need to be able to wear shoes!
• It’s difficult to find socks that fit and don’t irritate incisions. I’ve tried 7 types of socks and think I’ve found a couple that work. However, with this injury, I know that works right now might not work in a couple weeks, so I’m trying to keep calm and focused on progress.

Improvements:

• I love wearing long pants. It’s been a few weeks since I was given the all clear to give the boot to the boot. I’m still loving the feeling of long pants.
• All of my knee length pants have been put in a box!
• Proprioception is getting better and I can balance better now than a few weeks ago. Hoping to lose the crutches and use a cane soon.
• I can do calf raises on both legs! Not as high or as many as I used to do but I can do it!
• Working on getting used to how my ankle looks. There isn’t much symmetry between my two ankles anymore. I’ve lived in this body for a half century and it’s taking a minute to get used to looking at my ankles being so different.