Jul 21 2008
Got the boot
I visited my surgeon on the July 15th, had my cast removed, and received my boot. WOOHOO! Positives: I have my cast off and can bathe without my cast cover (big shout of thanks to KKDub!) and can finally scratch the sole of my foot. 
Negatives: Still can’t walk without crutches. My ortho told me to walk with crutches and to leave my boot on 23.75/7 (the quarter of an hour of time off is for showering–which by-the-way, is sublime, having gone without it for most of the time with the cast [(I bathed in the tub, and I don't like baths, but I digress]). His nurse told me that realistically, I would *probably* be able to walk sans crutches by Saturday (July 19th). Well, I was. I walked about 3 inches LOL. I still have swelling in my ankle and heel; there is enough swelling around the back of my leg that the area is hard/very firm to the touch. I am icing it and taking ibuprofen and this is helping.
Today, I am able to walk with 1 crutch and take more than a couple of steps without any. This is a significant milestone, because now I can carry things with my free hand! Yippee!
The rest of my family is away on vacation (again–we all just returned from a family vacation at Lake Michigan last week), and I have a new found respect for people live alone and have this injury. Wow. The ability to walk with one crutch and have a hand free to carry things has been heaven sent.
The photo is of my incision on the day of the appointment. The dried blood has since washed off and now all I have is a nice bit of pinkish scar tissue. So I have that goin’ for me, which is nice.
I’m pretty much in the same boat - er boot, just having gotten mine. Having one hand free is great. I find it interesting that my doc gave me the okay to sleep without the boot in addition to showering without it.
Love the Caddyshack reference BTW.
Chris - I am at the same time period and scared to death to take a step with this boot……any tips to how you did it at first???? Is it all mental?
I really want to sleep without the boot, its been keeping me up big time. I’ll check marcus’ timeline see what week he’s at for not using boot at night.
Great Job Chris! go go go. I just want to carry my own coffee or dishes. Ok, I also want to run.
KK
I got boot a week ago tommorrow and will be 7 wks post-op Wed. At 6 wks when I got the boot, I didn’t get any heel-lifts and find I am unable to get my heel down to the bottom of the boot and am discouraged. I only am putting the boot on for a couple of hours a day….bad, I know, but the incision is very painful in the boot…..still have scabs.
Do you have pain in the boot even if not walking much?
Any advice….I don’t want to be put back in a cast, but the boot is killing me.
I was told I didn’t have to sleep in the boot at 6 wks.
Marianne