My foot is free (sort of)

Yesterday was my 6 week appointment with the surgeon. I’d read up on what to expect at the appointment and following. I knew that the odds were good that my cast and I would part company.

When I arrived I had the cast removed before xraying. It was so good!

My leg was like a hairy reptile! Plus it still had the arrow pointing out it was the right leg.

So now I was back on crutches but without the heavy weight of my cast. I had brought my moonboot because I was hoping I would be signed off on light weight bearing.

Once I’d been x-rayed I saw the surgeon. She showed me the x-ray but said at this time it was impossible to really know if it had fused completely and I’d have another x-ray and appointment in six weeks. It was interesting to see my other ankle bones with space between them and my fused ankle sitting flat on with its screws.

She said I would need to wear the moon boot when I was walking but I could take it off when I was sitting down, driving (yay!), showering and bathing and when I was in bed.  That sounded pretty much what I had read but the next thing was not! She said I could weight bear straight away. I could use crutches or a crutch if I wanted or needed to but basically I could walk as per normal. I put the Moon boot on and took a few steps and my calf cramped up big time! And I couldn’t pull my toes back to stop it. I used one crutch to support me a bit and that helped.

I was a happy camper, if somewhat surprised. 

The side view of the withered limb.

Looking at both my legs together is hilarious. I’ve lost so much muscle mass off the right leg. It is 5cm narrower in dimension than my left. I’m going to have to pay in some pretty serious leg work to get  it back to normal.

The difference. Both legs look swollen due to the angle!

The ankle movement is fantastic already, even with the swelling. The only moment I can’t do is what you would use for a side kick in karate and I’m pretty sure I can survive without that .

I was able to go out grocery shopping today, which was good because online shopping always seems to end with me forgetting to order something.

Below is a video of my range of motion. Enjoy!