Second post-op visit (20 days since surgery)
I’ve officially hit the boot stage of this process. I went in for a checkup and to get the rest of my stitches removed, and my doctor decided I displayed a cautious enough nature to graduate from his horrible, 3-ton plaster casts to a Breg Genesis Walker boot that I can take off occasionally for gentle ROM exercises and showers. (more on boot selection in a moment)
Everything appears to be progressing nicely. I can actually move my foot up and down a bit, so that’s a big change from the immediate post-injury phase when it was just flopping around. The incision site is less swollen and less squeezed and wrinkled up. The only issue was the assistant struggling to cut the remaining stitches out. On the first visit the PA got 6 out in about a minute at most. Today it felt like 10 minutes of picking and pulling and snipping. I guess the doc sewed them up pretty tight.
I’ll go back in 2 weeks, at which point I’ll be at the 5-week post-op point and will most likely move to PWB. After that, PT starts somewhere in the 6-8 week range. That seems to match up with the average times I see around here, or might be on the conservative side a tad, and that suits me just fine.
I’m so happy to be out of the cast. The 9 days since my last visit weren’t bad in terms of pain…it was more mentally challenging due to general cast discomfort. The last one was super heavy and didn’t quite conform to the shape of my ankle and foot like the previous one. By the end of each day it was so uncomfortable that I was seriously considering cutting the damn thing off and showing up at my appointment with nothing. The boot feels like it’s made of feathers in comparison. Now I can loosen the boot straps, adjust the air pressure, or even take the entire boot off if I want. It’s a big, if only temporary, morale boost.
I held off on the Vacoped purchase to see what the doctor came up with. My insurance company gave me mixed information about reimbursement for a purchase I made on my own, while having no issues with approving something a doctor ordered and put on a claim. I have to say I don’t mind the Breg too much. I know it’s early, but it has an air bladder system that’s not bad and the three wedges make it fairly easy on my ankle and tendon. The cost will be fully covered so I’ll give it a go and reevaluate the Vacoped option if necessary.
Now to fill the 2 weeks until my next appointment. I have a list of 3 recommended PT providers so I’m going to try to call or visit them to see how they’d approach rehab. More immediately, I’m going to beg someone to take me out to get a haircut as I’m 4 weeks overdue and going crazy. That was on my schedule the day of the injury but I wound up in the ER instead. The mop must be tamed! My son also has a friend’s birthday party to attend on Saturday so I’m hoping I can impress a bunch of kids with my futuristic bionic leg. 
PJ- you and I are in the same phase of our recovery, and I am happy to see your recovery is going well. My surgery was March 8th. Regarding the vacocast: it is far superior to the boot the doctor gave me, to the point that I am shocked that they give out the other boot. I am walking with ski poles and without, and the level of support is fantastic. I did get some risers for the other foot to even out my gait a bit. Happy to share thoughts and observations as we heal through this.
That’s awesome that you’re walking with the ski poles. Was that something the doc recommended, or did you give it a try on your own? I know I’ll be tempted to do a little weight-bearing in the coming days. Now that I’m in the boot my leg feels better overall. Mostly I still use the iWalk to get stuff done around the house. Good luck in the coming weeks/months!