Cast is gone - boot is on
Today marks the four week, 1 day anniversary of my ATR. Wednesday will be four weeks since my surgery.
This morning, I got my cast off and was put into a boot.
My observations are this:
1.) My foot and ankle are much more swollen and bruised than I though that they would be. Doctor said that they would be like this for another six months. I had not expected that.
2.) The boot is much larger, heavier and hotter than the cast. I almost miss it.
3.) I did not know that strips of skin would come off with the steri-strips that were covering my incision. (These were put on three weeks ago when they took out my staples and put on the second cast).
4.) My incision is not completely closed. I just assumed that four weeks would be time for the skin to knit, but I guess when it is enclosed in a moist, airless environment, it just doesn’t heal.
5.) Tomorrow’s shower will include apricot pit exfoliating scrub to get rid of all of the dead skin on my leg and foot (ewww). Although I am not going near my incision.
Physical therapy starts next Monday (two to three times a week). My PT is only five blocks from my house. That is within walking distance - that is IF I could walk, of course.
Doctor did not say whether or not I should keep my foot in the boot at all times (although he did say that I need to sleep with it on). But, my foot feels extremely weak and vulnerable. And twitchy - very, very twitchy - so I don’t think I will be without the boot very often.
However, right now, I am sitting on the couch with my leg naked on a pillow. The heat index here is 106 degrees and even though I am sucking up the air conditioning, the thought of putting my leg in that hot, heavy boot right now makes my foot sweat. Besides, how is my incision ever going to heal if it isn’t exposed to the air?
Joan
on June 18th, 2012 at 4:24 pm
Congrats on getting out of the cast, Joan! I take my foot out of the boot every morning while I have my coffee and a few other times a day when I’m sitting still and elevating. I didn’t go out much when I first got the boot because the heat made it swell painfully. I finally learned to ice when coming in and that helped a lot. Hubby and kids massaged (gently) my leg and foot and that also helped a lot with the pain and swelling. Using a scrubby puff thing in the shower is also helpful each day as it seems to help blood flow. It only gets easier and better from this point on. Hang in there!
on June 19th, 2012 at 12:44 am
Hi Joan
I was reading your recent comments, I’m also at week four since my injury & surgery. I’m probably lucky we are in winter in Australia so don’t have the problem of heat and the boot and I’ve had the boot since week 2.. I am also lucky because I had disolveable stitches so no need for removal I was so scared there might be staples as I don’t cope we’ll with things like that ( pretty silly with the extent of the injury and pain associated with the surgery etc). Doc said that boot should be one at all times including sleeping with the only exception being if I’m sitting in front of the TV with my leg up but if I get up the boot must be on. I don’t really take it off to much as I have a 4 year old so I’m up and down all the time. Do you still get pain from the incision area I find mine to be very tight at times especially when stretching or extending my leg out. Good luck on your recovery hopefully we will be both walking again soon. Was your injury a full rupture?
on June 19th, 2012 at 8:14 am
Congrats on getting to the boot phase, Joan! In the end, I’m glad I ruptured mine in February, so I was in the boot phase in the winter. It’s in the 90s, here this week, and I think I’d hate to be in a cast or boot right now! But, it sounds like you have the right idea - take the boot off to air out the leg once in a while. Ice the swollen area throughout the day, too! Keep the leg elevated above your heart as much as you possibly can. That will help.
@ Laura - yes, I felt tightness in the incision area, and especially in the bottom of my foot. Now that you’re moving the foot/ankle around a bit, you’ll feel all kinds of weird things - tingling like pins and needles, some sharp pains, spasms. It’s all good - it just means that your muscles and nerves are waking up and getting used to being used again! It will pass.
You’re on your way! Good luck with your rehab!
on June 19th, 2012 at 12:45 pm
Laura, yes it was a full rupture. And yes, I have found that my incision site is very tight; not really sore though. I can also feel hard tissue underneath the skin higher up from my ankle (I am assuming that this is the scar tissue forming over the stitching).
It is hard to believe right now that it will ever be loose and pliable again. When I press on the area around my inside ankle bone, it there is no give at all. It feels like a hard flat surface. The whole area is just smooth and flat - no bone or vein definition at all.
I know that part of PT is to break up the adhesions and restore flexibility, but it appears that my therapist and I are going to have a lot of work to do. (I’m sure it is not as bad as I think - it is just so different than my other foot right now).
I have the needles and tingles and am glad that the nerves are coming back online. That ‘dead stump’ feeling is kind of creepy.