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

(8 weeks post break / 7 weeks post ORIF) At this point, I was very accustomed to my routine, and feeling fairly independent at home. I even felt very self-assured away from home, and felt confident in my ability to manage myself in public. I was feeling no pain, and minimal discomfort- and was more than ready to move on to the next phase in my ankle recovery. TWO MORE WEEKS! Excited that this was the last cast that I would wear before the boot- I didn’t mind being stuck in it for 2 final weeks. The end of this phase was getting closer and closer- and I simply could not contain my excitement! I was so excited about my orange cast, that I even bought an orange/coral dress to match for an upcoming wedding! Haha! If I was going to be in a leg cast, I was certainly going to make it part of an amazing outfit! In addition, since I didn’t get out much these days- I put on way too much makeup, all my favorite jewelry, and took about 50 selfies throughout the day. If I w...

[7 weeks post break / 6 weeks post ORIF] By this point, I was feeling like things were starting to get back to normal. Or at least as normal as they could be for a life on wheels, a peg-leg and crutches. It's okay to be in awe of how I can  accessorize with my peg leg! Feeling stronger every day, I was itching to do more and more. My biggest hindrance, as expected, was the inability to drive with my right leg in the cast. And that was not going to change for a few weeks- which was too long a time for me to continue to put every aspect of life on hold. I became more motivated to go outside, get back to doing the things that I enjoyed. And stop my steady decline deeper and deeper into my couch… There would be bursts of energy, where I would feel like I could do anything: I would go to estate sales, flea markets, antique stores: strapped into my Pegleg- and maneuvering around crowded buildings, rickety stairs, and uneven floors (pegging around for 2-3 hours at a tim...

It had now been 6 weeks since I broke my ankle, and 5 weeks since the surgical repair. I had not been on my own two feet in 6 weeks, and this really started to take a toll on me. Every single day that I needed to remain in the cast seemed to be a day too long. I was so ready to get on with my life. But alas, it would be 3 more weeks (to complete my 8 week sentence in the fiberglass cast). Go-Go Gadget... Meanwhile, due to muscle atrophy, my legs looked wimpy and pathetic. I especially hated the fact that, in addition to looking this way, I also felt the way I looked… As I’ve mentioned before, the process of recovering from something is a complicated one, which everyone undergoes in different ways. For me, some of the toughest obstacles that came along with this process were the psychological ones. Of course, the physical challenges were obvious, and they were abundant. But that did not bother me too much, since pain seemed to be a tangible concept- and had a simp...

After a few days of getting used to all of my assorted contraptions, I started to get more and more efficient. Ankle Surgery Survival Kit: Including the cutting edge new beverage carrying apparatus (AKA duct tape, and plastic cups) I’m not sure if it was the fact that I had just over 2 weeks left, or the fact that I felt much more independent at home. Making myself a sandwich was no longer my arch nemesis now. I could shower BY MY SELF. Being able to do something as trivial as that allowed me to feel human again. This made me want to interact with other humans. Testing out my scooter on an off-road adventure (AKA Outdoor Flea Market) And best of all: I did not fear leaving my 2 nd floor apartment because my iWalk made climbing and descending stairs so much easier. No longer would I have to do those dreaded single legged jump squats to get up and down the stairs. I started to have more confidence in myself, and the fact that I could think of something other...

My post-op appointment was something that I had been looking forward to very much. Having been in my own head about the period of recovery after surgery had my thoughts spinning in every direction.  How much hardware had they put inside my ankle? When could I begin weight bearing? When would the cast come off? What did my leg look like underneath the bulky pink monstrosity? Was the tattoo on the inside of my ankle ok? Let's crack open this treasure chest! But mostly, I was excited to see the gnarly scars and the x-rays of my new bionic hardware. I used my knee scooter (the most amazing thing I could have ever dreamed of) to wheel myself into the appointment, hopped onto the bench, and was able to see and learn about all of the things that I had been wondering for the past couple of weeks. Removing Stitches (Still have my Chaco tan!) My weather station (I mean, ankle) I had a 5 inch plate secured onto my fibula with 7 screws. In addition, I had a Synde...