Feb 11 2010
Real Progress - on a few fronts…Week 3 post surgery
This is my first post on my own personal blog!!
So here I am at 3 weeks and 1 day since ATR surgery and I am actually beginning to feel true progress. I’m now PWB and getting more
confident to place more and more weight on the foot each day. I’ve shifted from two crutches to one for much of the day. My foot still is very sensitive and goes from hot to cold, changes colors, etc but nothing that I’m overly worried about at this point. Still have the pins and needles when I put weight on it, but that too lessens each day.
Being patient has been a true challenge. Like most of us on this site, we are active and sporting people that want to get back in the action. I’ve had to cancel 5 business trips too. Being in sales, that’s not easy. I’ve been working at home all this time and have not yet returned to the office. Just trying to focus on healing right now. Hoping to get in a few days the week of 2/22 if all goes well in the next 2 weeks.
March 7 will be my first flight - at about 6 weeks from surgery. I’ll be travelling with my friend the boot, and hopefully with no crutches, but we’ll see. Anyone walking without crutches in the boot at 6 weeks? Anyone have hints about getting around at the airport, handling luggage, etc?
Also eager to start PT, but Dr said not until after my next visit on 2/24. I’ll need to drive first to be able to get there, and since this is my right leg, that’s more challenging. I plan to practice this weekend on the automatic and see how it goes. Fun times, that’s for sure. This is certainly a tough injury.
I am at six weeks, doctor gave me a boot and I only use it outside. At home, I wear slippers with no crutches. You will be able to walk with boot no crutches at six weeks, however, I would not fly if I were you.
Did you check with the Doc on flying? I missed a few business trips because of this injury. My Doc is pretty open to my ideas on recovery but he was pretty set against me flying for the first 8 weeks. You should be fine walking in the boot at 6 weeks but you might want to have one crutch or a cane…not so much for support but for security around the crowds in the airport and such…people tend to be a bit more careful around you with these visual reminders that you have been injured.
I have been “walking” in the boot since 2 weeks post-op FWB. I put “walking” in quotations, though, because you just can’t move that fast, since the boot really prevents you from rolling over the ankle and getting into any kind of real, repeatable or decent length stride. At almost 4 weeks now, I know I could make it through an airport, but it would take a lot longer than normal. I think I might be a little more comfortable were I able to do what some on this site have done - that is, to augment the other shoe so that it is the same height as the boot. Bottom line, I doubt you will need crutches at week 6, but I would do some extra preparation for your trip and leave plenty of time to get through the airport.
Thanks everyone for your comments. I’ve asked the dr repeatedly about when I could fly. At my second follow up appt last week, I asked him if I would be able to fly at the 6.5 week mark. He said, as long as you are walking on it, you are ok. I guess it has to do with blood flow and once you are walking FWB with minimal support of a cane/crutch, the blood clot issue is no longer a factor. I’m cautious and will make the call as that week in March approaches. I’ve read on this site some folks who have flown long flights after the 2nd week. I think that’s aggressive.
Alright, Things sound great for you and your recovery.
Just remember…
“Slow and Steady wins THIS race”.
My experience with boots vs. shoes is different than the folks above. Once I became FWB, I started walking faster in the boot than many of my friends walk in their shoes. But take me out of the boot, and I walk MUCH slower! Shorter steps, no push-off, much more fear, etc.
Unless the flight is really long, presenting its own risks of deep-vein thrombosis (which can also happen from an ATR, and especially from ATR surgery), I wouldn’t worry about the flight any more than any other kind of equivalent walking and sitting.
At around 7 weeks, I switched from a rigid AirCast boot to a hinged “Donjoy MC Walker” boot that I already owned, from my FIRST ATR(!), and my walking got even better (and faster). If you can find one of those used, or if you can afford one new, I like ‘em a lot.