Mar 19 2012
if the nurses tell me my scar looks really good, are they flirting with me? :) (atr+43|op+37)
Just a quick update on the healing of the scar.
Here is what it looked like a week after starting physio, 30 days after the operation:
And here is what it looked like 2 days ago, 5 days later:
The swelling has gone down a lot; I ice it 2-3 times a day still, and it helps a lot to make it feel more comfortable.
During physio, we are still working to get rid of the accumulated blood with electro-therapy and massages, making sure that the muscles will be supple enough when it comes time to get moving again.
Also, I re-read my MRI report, and part of the problem why I’m still having difficulty moving my ankle from side to side is that there are a couple of other injuries in there; I have 2 grade II ruptures as bonuses to the ATR (and here I was complaining that we weren’t getting bonuses at work this year)…:
- peroneus brevis tendon
- anterior talo-fibular ligament
The good news is that the immobilization is also taking care of these, so again it’s a question of being patient and waiting it out.
So, to everyone out there who’s inching along their recovery and reading this, here’s a proper motto :)
Hang in there!
Hey, that first pic looks a lot like my foot! Ha! And, the nurses are flirting with you…..unless it’s unwelcome! ;)
I’m almost 5 weeks post surgery (02/15/2012), and am not into PT yet (another 2 weeks). Stretching 3x/day to get ROM back, and icing every day. Sounds like we’re at about the same stage, but with a bit of different philosophies from our doctors - that’s ok, they’ll both get us there!
BTW - I think your scar looks good, too! BUT, I’m not flirting! hahaha!
Keep up the hard work!
Michel, yes, they’re flirting with you — and this is good. Testimony to your future prospects.
Eric, those across the pond — the Brits and whatnot — seem to start “physio” earlier. I’m on a similar schedule to you: PT prescription given after my week 6 visit. But it’s starting to show signs of progress, so I’ll take it and stick with it.
Best to all.
Michal, The title of your post made me laugh! I just had to show it to all my co workers (I’m a nurse). Did your nurse also drool over your gorgeous veins? I wonder if my patients think the same thing…I usually rave about good looking episiotomies! Uh oh. Good luck on your progress…love the pictures! And yes, you do have beautiful scar, the black eventually goes away and it looks relatively straight.
Hi Eric, Janus - but, but… I’m not from across the pond, just over the border up north :)
And yes I started physio early, but it was a good thing, as I was already taking bad habits, from keeping my foot off the ground all the time and supporting the weight of the cast; my knee was stiff, and my quad wasn’t responding. We fixed that right up within the first session, and I’m keeping at it to make sure I don’t lose what has been gained in the last few weeks. Also we are working a lot on making sure that everything is supple for when I can start working the ankle and tendon a bit harder. Those additional ruptures aren’t helping I think, as lateral movements of the ankle are a bit jerky still…
Good luck on your respective recoveries!!!
Leni: the title was very tongue-in-cheek :P Drooling over veins?!? Are nurses vampires too?!? ;)
My dad was a surgeon for a long long time, and I know nurses work very hard and I’m grateful for all you do for us guys and gals that end up in the hospital. I find it weird though that my scar “looks good” but hasn’t healed more than this after more than a month - hopefully it will pick up the pace now that spring is here - I keep talking to my ankle: “you *DO* want to go cycling this summer, don’t you?!? come on, heal up!!!” :)
Up North, eh? So unlike me you’re not out $15,000 on this. When can I emmigrate? Down South here cost and liability issues influence — or even trump — how the medical science translates into treatment. So medical institutions and practioners need to reduce their risks — and preferrably increase their profits. The insurance companies want to decrease costs and pay as little as possible. And the legal industry is looking to profit / sue over any real or perceived instance of malpractice. What generally emerges is — for the institutions involved — the safest possible compromise in terms of treatment options. That’s not always the same thing as the optimal treatment for the individual patient, to put it mildly.
I’m highly confident that what I’m doing for rehab and recovery will workout just fine. But might it be a step behind — an example of the seemingly uncontroversial “tried and true”? It might be. Norm and all have me wondering.
My best to you, and I owe myself a pilgrimage to home of the Cowboy Junkies.
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