There’s a light at the end of the tunnel!
It’s been a while since I’ve written, which is I guess what happens when you’re not confined to a couch for hours on end. It’s been almost 5 months since my surgery, and I honestly cannot believe it. Since I got my cast taken off in October, the amount of progress I’ve made is absolutely unbelievable. I started physical therapy the week I got my cast off, going 3 times a week for 2 hours each time. The first time I went, I could barely walk without my crutch. They had me doing simple ankle exercises and things to strengthen my stick of a leg. As the weeks went on I graduated to more difficult things such as riding a stationary bike, walking backwards and forwards on the treadmill, and even leg strengthening machines. Going on the machines was so scary because even though my physical therapist told me I would be okay, I was terrified of having to go through this whole process again when I had already come so far. But I did them anyway, and was surprised at how good I felt after doing them.
After a couple of weeks I returned to the doctor who took a look at my ankle and was happy with the progress I made. I was cut down to 2 times a week at PT for only an hour. My walking had gotten a lot better, but I still had a bit of a limp. The PT said that I was hyperextending my knee as I tried to walk because I had gotten used to walking that way in my walking cast. I’m still working on walking normally and it really only happens if I am SERIOUSLY thinking about it. I’m finally allowed to go to the gym, but I can only really do the elliptical for 25 minutes before I am hurting. Although it’s nothing like the gym workouts I had before my injury, it’s definitely a start.
This journey has been a long one, and I know that there’s still so much ahead of me…but honestly I can’t believe how far I’ve come from the depressive, injured self that I was only a few months ago. I can walk up stairs without any problems…(although walking down stairs is still a bit of a task.) I still can’t run, but my walking has improved, and I can almost walk on my toes without pain, but it definitely still freaks me out. Before winter break started I went to Islands Of Adventure with my boyfriend and made it around the park for a couple of hours before my leg got tired and started to really hurt, but it’s so much more than I could ask for. I see the doctor again at the end of the month and I hope he’s happy with the progress I’ve made. Maybe he can even clear me to wear….SANDALS! Doubtful, but it’s wishful thinking. At least Florida has been somewhat cold so I can get away with wearing boots! =). Now it’s time to focus on walking normally, maybe that’s what I should be doing instead of updating my blog!
