New Year, New Ankle, and More

2010 arrived without a lot of fanfare, but, as so many others are saying, could 2009 have been any more the pits? Among other things: the world lost a lot of cool people (Michael Jackson and Patrick Swayze among others), people close to me lost loved ones, the economy sucked, two good friends and co-workers of mine got laid off and, oh yes, let's not forget that I ruptured my achilles tendon, had surgery in September, didn't drive until nearly mid-December and was out on a three month leave from work! So, 2010 is quite welcome here.

I do believe I have turned a corner where my recovery from my surgery is concerned. It's still pretty weak when I do any pushing off (e.g., going up stairs) and I can't walk at a regular pace yet, but there is starting to be more fluidity and a feeling of progress without any of the former "1 step forward, 2 steps back" mentality. At my last PT appointment, I was told I am ready to start wrapping up, so I'll have only one appointment this coming week and then the following week and I will be DONE! As Mr. PT guy said this to me, I was feeling rather winded and tired from having a 10 lb pulley weight on me and doing lunges front to back and then side to side, so I was kind of not believing I was really all that ready to fly the coop, but I have trusted his assessments all along and won't stop now!

So, all I can do now is just keep trucking on, try more and more not to favor my right leg and ankle and finally give my poor overworked left leg and ankle some relief. I look forward to when I can take an actual walk again, one where I can actually get my heart rate up and feel some therapeutic benefit. From what I have been told, I'm probably only a couple of months away from that, so Spring should be a time to celebrate!

I think it's time to call an end to this Dealing with My Healing blog and move on to something more generic, as I do have other challenges to conquer (like my ever present quest to lose at least 35 pounds!) So stay tuned, you never know what I might be cooking up next. And, whatever you do, let me serve as a warning to anyone middle aged, somewhat overweight and not very attentive to how they walk: this CAN happen to you if you aren't more in touch with yourself, the pain your body sends your way to let you know something is up (in my case, a bone spur that I agonized with for 8 months before I took my fall in September) and if you don't care enough to put your health first for awhile. My next step truly is to care better for myself and not let this whole ordeal go by without learning from it to the max.

Progressing "Ahead of Schedule"

When my physical therapist told me last Thursday that, after just three sessions, he saw me as "progressing ahead of schedule", I felt like an elementary school kid who just got a gold star! Having never really made peace with my body for as long as I have been an adult, it felt nice to have a near-total stranger say that it/I had done something not only right, but "ahead of schedule". It's interesting how something a medical professional may say to dozens of people of week stands out to someone like me.

The countdown is on for when I am due to see my surgeon again (December 9th) and, if all goes well, be cleared to start working again, probably the following week. I am taking brief and careful steps around the house without the CAM boot on, but always with a crutch supporting me and it has been going just fine. Most of the time, of course, I play it straight and wear the boot whenever I am in motion and I still do wear it to bed which is always tempting to "forget" to do. What a mess it makes the covers after a night of flopping from side to side with the RoboCop Megaboot catching on everything!

Anyway, as the start of "back to my real life" gets closer, I find myself especially treasuring the time I have now to myself, to rest, to get things done I would usually put off for months, reconnect with people often and really enjoy these eight lovable creatures in my house: Angie, Jazzy, Little Girl, Winston (the lone male in the group), Gracie, Josephine, Catherine and Abby. They have all, in their own way, made this whole thing bearable and frequently let me know I am not alone. I have been so fortunate to have family and friends who keep tabs on me and a partner who puts up with idiosyncracies I let few people see. So, as we move ahead to the next chapter of walking without an assistive device and also without pain or a limp, getting back to driving again, working full-time, etc., I think I can honestly say there was a lot of good that has come out of something initially devastating. If only that could be true for everyone who goes through such an ordeal!