Oct
8
Walking Boot, Two Shoes, and a Whole Lot of Progress
October 8, 2014 | |
Per doctor’s instructions after the walking boot was installed, I was to gradually work my way from two crutches down to one crutch down to zero crutches over the next four weeks. Because of the discomfort when I put weight on my left leg, I stayed at two crutches for about one week. The walking boot was heavy, so I would take it off and put it back on a few times a day. When off, I would do some stretching exercises that the doctor recommended. It didn’t take long to notice an increase in the range of motion of my ankle as stretching continued. At first, it was extremely tight. It didn’t feel right to try and stretch back and forth. But, as I did that three or four times a day, I saw a lot of progress. Also, I had to come to the realization that putting pressure on my leg while wearing the boot wasn’t going to feel great. After all, this leg hadn’t been used for nearly two months and my heal and ankle were still very weak. In order to lose a crutch and eventually lose both, I had to take a leap of faith of sorts and just make it happen. Once I got this mindset, I started to walk very comfortably. I also started working in the office and in the field again. I was able to maneuver myself in and out of job sites reasonably well and my conscience wasn’t going to let me stay at home any longer. At the end of a work day, I was very sore. I would ice my leg and relax in the evenings when I could, but I also wanted to take on more responsibility around the house and with my son. It still wasn’t easy by any means, but my wife and I made it work. She was such an inspiration. She emptied herself every day so that we would be taken care of.
Four weeks after I received the walking boot, I had a final appointment with my surgeon to have my leg examined. He verified that the progress was good and I could wear a shoe now instead of the boot. He put a small foam insert in my shoe so that my heel would still be elevated slightly. I put the shoe on (it took some work because of the swelling in the Achilles area) and I was on my way. Part of the hospital was under construction at this time, so the walk to my car was much longer than anticipated. I was just over 2 months post-op at this point, and it definitely hurt to walk this distance without the boot. In addition to the pain/discomfort, it was nerve-wracking to walk without any support (the foam insert wasn’t really supporting anything). But, similar to the other stages of progress, I just needed to adjust and get over the mental obstacle of walking. From that point, there was only one major obstacle in the way of a full recovery - physical therapy. The surgeon wanted me to start the next week and make 2-3 appointments per week for about a month, and then go 1 or 2 times a week for a couple more months. There was one thing the surgeon didn’t take into account, though. Cash money.
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I really enjoy reading your blog and hang on every word! I’m now 5 1/2 weeks post-op and am going next Wed to have my cast removed and will hopefully upgrade to a walking boot and PWB. Your words about it being a major mental struggle to start PWB and to fight through the pain is inspiring. I’m so tired of dealing with this injury and am fighting feeling depressed, useless and such a burden on my husband….who is doing EVERYTHING and never complains. Thanks for sharing what you went through.