Clumsy Hiker- My Broken Ankle, and Journey Back to the Trails

(12 weeks post break / 11 weeks post ORIF) Whatever good luck that a Unicorn Physical Therapist could provide, needed to kick in pretty fast. I would be flying to Denver in 4 days, and to say that I was absolutely terrified to my core would be an understatement. Two feet, firmly planted, on the cold and hard ground. At this point, even though the discomfort in my ankle joint was not as bad as anticipated, I felt about as strong as a wet noodle. Each morning, as I would take my first steps out of bed, my ankle was extremely stiff, and fairly unsteady. As the day progressed, the steps became steadier, but the discomfort remained constant. Near the end of the day, the discomfort would cross over to the threshold of pain (but nothing that some ibuprofen, ice, and elevation couldn’t control). The sole of my foot seemed to have the worst of it. I hadn’t realized how many muscles there were in your feet, until I found out the hard way that I had lost just about every single o...

(12 weeks post break / 11 weeks post ORIF) The hard cast came off this week- and this time it was staying off! The PA and nurse at the clinic were just as surprised to see the fact that I had been put in the hard cast (as I was 2 weeks ago after my screw removal surgery). But alas, I didn’t care anymore- that was done and over with and the last cast was sawed off, leaving behind a trail of fiberglass dust, dead skin, and happiness.  Holy Atrophy, Batman! I also got to take a look at the screw removal incision, which was so thoughtfully placed right along the same incision that had almost fully healed from 10 weeks ago. I guess I was pleased that my ankle would not look like a carved pumpkin, although it was Halloween tomorrow, and I could have used that to my advantage. 3 month old pedicure, on point! Alas, the layers of crusted and Betadine-stained orange dead skin around my entire foot would have to suffice as my scary Halloween-themed post-surgical keepsake. An...

(11 weeks post break / 10 weeks post ORIF) This was it! The last week I would be in a leg cast! Next week, I would be upgraded (downgraded?) to an air-cast/boot! I was excited about the prospect of being able to walk. I was excited about being able to take off the boot to shower, to sleep, to DRIVE!!  11.5 weeks, 6 casts, and 2 surgeries later: And all I got are these stinky canvases! I couldn’t wait to not be a 3-ring circus everywhere I went! I just wanted to be a normal person, going about my daily activities: without people following me around to hold doors, offer to carry things, give me pitying stares and half-hearted offers of assistance. I couldn’t wait to be far from the prying eyes and judgmental stares of colleagues and friends who were not aware of the whole situation. No, I had not been on vacation for nearly 3 months. Far from it! Not only did I have to work full-time (at home and in the office), but I also had to work twice as hard to portray some ...

(10 weeks post break / 9 weeks post ORIF) A couple of days after the procedure, I came to terms with the fact that I was stuck in a cast again. I think the fall colors really compliment my cast... But then again... ...what doesn't go with HOT PINK!? Instead of wondering why, I just focused my energy on complaining about it. I stared at my doc’s signature on my leg, and channeled my anger into action. And by action, I meant planning my recovery goals. I wanted to be able to walk out of the doctor’s office in my air-cast in a week. I wanted to get the official 'go-ahead' to be able to drive myself around! I wanted to begin physical therapy the week I would get the cast removed. I wanted to impress everyone with my Range of Motion (ROM), even after nearly 3 months of immobilization in a hard cast. I was looking forward to being back at the gym and my boot-camp  classes within a month after the cast removal (scheduled to be October 30 th ). I wanted to g...