2 and 3 week post surgery appointments and disappoinments
2 Week Appointment
Although not really a significant milestone, I was none the less looking forward to my 2 week appointment as it marked another small step in the grand scheme of my recovery.
The cast was removed and my wound was checked to make sure it was healing ok. Thankfully there were no signs of infection so into another cast I went.
It was a bit of a shock to see the size of the wound although the surgeon looked as though he had done a good job of stitching me back up.
3 Week Appointment
This was the day I was looking forward to with a bit of trepidation as I was going to see my foot move for the first time in exactly 4 weeks.
My cast was removed and the specialist began to try and maneuver my foot back towards a more neutral position. The feeling was really really strange and is hard to describe. Tight is an understatement although i’m sure that most of you reading this know the feeling well.
VERY disappointingly, the specialist only managed to move my foot a little bit before deciding to put a cast on it in the new position and leave it another week before trying to go any further.
I reckon it’s only moved maybe an inch or so. Nowhere near the half equinus position we were both hoping for.
I’m gutted as it feels as though I’ve fallen at the first hurdle. It’s clear the emotional side of things is going to be as tough as the physical side.
Ok, I read your blog from bottom up and didn’t realize you were in your second cast and at 3 weeks when I commented earlier.
You said: “I’m gutted as it feels as though I’ve fallen at the first hurdle. It’s clear the emotional side of things is going to be as tough as the physical side.”
YES. This is a journey and I see people who fight it trying to control everything, worry constantly and making it worse than it has to be and I’ve seen those who make the best of it, use it to learn and grow. Sometimes life smacks you upside the head to wake you up to what’s really important.
I think you’re fine in a cast and if you stay in one for 6 weeks or go into a boot in the long run it all works out, truly it does. I’ve never seen anyone not end up in two shoes between 6 - 16 weeks…no one. And we all are pretty much at the exact same place in a year. I personally don’t think it is totally due to whether you go op or non op or have fast or slow protocols…I think we all heal differently and are all individuals. So you can drive yourself nuts trying to control everything or go day by day and do what’s best for you in each given moment.
We’re here for you and we get this.
Best to you!
Thanks Donna. Your comments make a lot of sense :o)
It’s far too easy to get caught up in things and lose perspective.
Hi there,
I really enjoyed reading your blog from the bottom up. My girlfriend keeps giving me a hard time every time she looks and see I’m on another blog and/or reading about ATR. What else can I do when I spend 24 hrs in pain every day. I also had my injury in a simple move playing soccer, I would have never expected ever injuring myself since I used to think I was an Iron Man and nothing could hurt me. I have always been rough at soccer and always get kicked and bruised really bad, who would’ve thought that a simple play of turning while getting the ball was going to put me down like this.
I’m 5 days post op, and every day there is a new ache, a new concern, a new worry , etc., no matter what I’m always concerned about the healing. I concentrate in the now tho, what I’m feeling now. I’m not too concern about the time it takes of rehab and all, since I already know its a long process no matter what. I’m looking forward for the challenge. I broke my femur at 13 and took me about 2 years to get back to normal due to bad surgery, it was so much easier back then, now 30 years laters I have developed more fears and stress in my life, it’s making it really difficult to see positively what is ahead.
I’ll keep reading your blog, hope your recovery is fast and with more ups than downs. We are almost the same time of injury, so hope we can cheer each other up.
Take care,
Ed
Hey Ed…
Try looking at it in small bites with respect to milestones. It is a long recovery but there are a lot of milestones so it can help to just go milestone to milestone (X weeks until cast is off, x weeks until i can shower w/out a trash bag, x weeks until i can weight bear, etc).
Does your Dr have a treatment protocol you can follow along with? That can help with trying to take things milestone by milestone.
Not sure what your GF expects you to do 5 days post op
but I hope that is in jest b/c having someone with you that will help you and be a positive force is important, in my experience.
Thank you @ericm98. When I decided to go the surgery road was because my doc has a very aggressive protocol. I read about it and supposedly this brings better results in the long run. I will be off the cast hopefully 9 days from today and put on the boot with wedges and WBAT. I can’t wait for that milestone in my recovery road. I have always had fear to casts so I think just by having a boot even though still having my leg concealed will be major incentive for me. You are right about having a positive force in your life, in my case my GF is just concern I’m obsessing and worrying too much, she means no harm, if anything I don’t think I could have never gone thru this with out her. Thank you for the encouragement, it means a lot.
Ed