The cast is off!

Hooray! Week 14 and the cast FINALLY came off. After my doc tweaked his back and I hadnt seen him for over a month, I go to the doc and we take the cast off. Ooooh scaly skin. I do my push down on his hand thing and he's impressed. So into the walking boot I go! Huzzah! And I have photos of the cast I just need to upload them now. And once I get around to shaving my leg I'll take a photo of my way cool and awesome scar from this mess.

One thing that concerns me though, is behind my heel, there was a huge oozy scab. Not pretty. Very slimy and yellow. Doc said it was "normal" so ok doc if you say big oozy scab 3 months after surgery is normal... ok I believe ya! Something about poor circulation in the area due to being casted for so long. Also he said that explains why I'm STILL swollen. But at least I'm in the walking boot now. Amazing its the same boot I had from before so now I have two identical Aircast grey tall walking boots. Its not a cam walker like I've seen others who have the basic Achilles surgery done and they're in a boot in a few weeks.

The boot is heavier than the cast but at least I can walk around like a normal human being. But in VERY short stints. This hurt. At least the first week hurt a lot to walk longer than 5 minutes. Week two in the walking boot and it hurts a little less to walk, now I'm up to about 20 minutes of weight bearing on it before I start getting owie. Still have the pain behind the heel, but achilles pain is minimal.

I also was a bad girl and picked the big yellow oozy scab off and there's a white spot that looks oozy behind my heel. Not sure if this is good or bad, so will call doc about it after the holiday weekend. I put a bandaid with neosporin on it just to help healing. I figured it couldnt hurt. I can touch the bandaid without being shot through the roof but it is tender so its something I worry about to a degree.

Also I'm scheduled for physical therapy to start next week. Oh much fun and joy there. They almost were unable to schedule me in until march, which I still would have waited for them because this looks like a good physical therapist's office, but I dont know if the doc would have been happy about that for me. But I got the name of my therapist and got some information on her, and her philosophies seem to mesh well with mine, not to mention she's a dancer and I do want to get back to dancing.

Doc said I'm about 1/4 of the way through this whole ordeal and the worst part is over. I'm healed from the surgery and my tendon is in place, now the long hard work of restrengthening myself so that I can be active again begins. Much fun!

Week 10 and 12

Why oh why am I putting these two entries together? Well The night before I had my normal every 2 week appointment, the doctor's office calls. Seems my doc has thrown his back out and cant keep the appointment. Normally this is fine, but the office I go to he only shows up once every two weeks! GAH! My boot hopes are dashed. Plus this was going to be the oppertunity i had to talk to the doc about the swelling I've been having. He keeps trying to see me at his office on the other side of town and thats just not doable for me. So my leg's puffy, I've been elevating it as much as I can stand being on my back so it hasnt been all that horrible.

But this week I made a little milestone for me. I walked. Without crutches. Across the house. Not one step on the full weight, but walked, in the cast with my little cast shoe on. It didnt hurt as much as I had expected really. A little numbness in my heel but I suspect thats because of the bone graft and its just going to have to be something I get used to. Also the screw pain is a LOT less bad. Its not a stabbing pain in my heel anymore which either means I've learned to ignore the pain or it just isnt hurting anymore. After my little walking adventure yep, I swelled up again so did the whole elevation bit.

One thing that is concerning me however that I was told the other day. My leg twitches in my sleep. A LOT. Not just like cat chasing mice leg twitching but violently tremoring. Gotta ask the doc about that. I suspect its just the muscle atrophy. I stood on my one foot yesterday and realized just how weak my right leg has become. Physical terrorist here I come! I guess at my next appointment barring any more doctors backs being thrown out I'll start discussing my physical therapy options with my doc.

Another wonderful WONDERFUL thing about this doctor of mine is... he called me the other day. Just to see how I was doing. That just means so much to me that the doctor took some time out, made a phone call to check up on me. GREAT Doc. Never had a doctor who was so personal... yah I have to ask him all these pointed questions but his personal attention really makes me think this guy cares.

Oh well I guess thats about it on the leg front. 3 weeks in the same cast and BOY am I itchy. I know they say use a cool hair dryer but foo on that! I have a coat hanger... now wait before you get all crazy. I have the coat hanger covered in electrical tape to stop the rough edges. BOY does it work and it doesnt tear me up. But I still will not scratch where my scar is. Last thing I want is to open myself up or cause myself unneeded pain or delay in healing. I want to walk again!!

Week 8. I'm Caught up for now

Ok so more adventures in pain land. Because my foot isnt at the full 90 degree angle I'm kind of walking on my toes. This hurts. So I dont use the shoe, I just hop around on the crutches and about once a day put a little pressure on my foot, and flex my calf muscle to do what I can to prevent atrophy. I'm noticing I'm swelling up pretty bad inside the cast. By the time I went to the doc on Jan 2, I feel like I'm going to burst out of the cast. This is tight.

I see the doc, office was pretty busy and I have the nurse (the same one that did the xrays) take off my cast. She's nice. Keeps asking me if I'm ok. Oh sure I'm fine, just dont slice me. I'm left dangling again. OW. Ok I'm almost screaming its so ow. I should have taken a pill before I went in. Gawds this hurts. I itch myself and pull some more of my shedding skin off. I look like a lizard on one foot. All scaly and flaky and eeeew! Doc comes in and looks at me. Notices the swelling. Says I need to elevate it more. While I was waiting on him I decided to see what the source of my constant pain was. Touched by the achilles. Nope no pain there, can feel tendon. Touched underside of my heel, nope no pain there, just massively scaly skin. Touched along my scar... by the calf.. no pain down down down to the heel.. OW. ok Found out where the pain was from. Its right behind the screw. I can feel the screw. And its poking out slightly. Umm doc, it hurts when I touch there. Doc says screw may need to come out once graft is fully healed. He looks concerned. I dont like when docs look concerned and dont say anything but now I know the source of my constant pain. Its not scabs, its not staples, its the screw. And it hurts.

Doc tells me to pull back on my foot and flex it and such for the next 10 minutes to get my foot to a full 90 degrees. I do so. Doesnt hurt too bad with the exception of the stiffness at my instep from all of the swelling. But I pull and I pull and doc comes back. Says looks good and I'm expecting a boot. Nope, one more cast. With my shoe. And he is going to pad the screw a lot better so it stops hurting me so much. Tells me I really need to start walking on it more. So I say "ok doc whatever you say, I'm going to push myself as much as I can until I can dance again!" New cast comes on, lots of pulling on the foot, slip the shoe on... and I step down Doc gives me more pain meds.

I try a little around the office, not too bad. I go home. Ok, big test for myself. I step down, full weight on the foot. ok... ok. little more..... and.. here we go full weight on one foot. Hrrm this isnt too bad. Ok ow... get off the foot. But I proved to myself I could put my full weight on my foot without issue. Hrrm the padding seems to be doing its job pretty well. Not nearly as much screw pain

So here's to hoping I'll be in a boot on Jan 16!

Week 6 sorry for being so lax

Ok I'm really sorry for being so lax in my postings to this blog. The past month has had its ups and downs. So at week 6, I went back to the doc to go through the cast removal process, again and this time had an xray. Ok dangling my foot HURTS. In the cast, out of the cast, dangling hurts big time. So doc takes the cast off and takes me to get an xray. FUN. Xray tech asks if she can have my pull my foot back, doc says no. So I have to pull my foot back as much as I can tolerate and turn my foot on the side for xrays. Ok being on the xray table doesnt hurt too much. I got to look at my xray. Now for most people, looking at xrays isnt the most earth shattering experience for them. But this is the first xray I've been privy to looking at of mine. Most doctors usually looked at my xray away from me and I never got to see inside myself. All full of mystery and stuff. Well I got to see my foot this time. COOL! Ok there's a big SPIKE through the back of my foot. Ok I know THATS not natural. But I knew I had a screw in my heel it was just strange seeing it. Doc says my graft is healing great. Another doc from the office came in and said "Is this the young lady with the allograft?" Yep thats me. Starts fawning all over the wonderful placement of the screw. Ok whatever you say docs! Still hurts. Having massive trouble sleeping so I asked to go back on the percocets. If I only take it to go to sleep it will help. Vicodins work just not so well. Week 8 explains why.
I'm also told to start putting some weight on my foot. YAY maybe next time I get a boot! But doc was unable to get my foot to a full 90 degree angle. Oh dear. Gives me a little velcro shoe (I promise I'll get some pictures I really promise) to wear. Ok LIGHT weight bearing. OW, ok I havent walked on this thing in 6 weeks Its understandable that its going to hurt a little bit.
I just crutch out of the doc's office. Merry Xmas to me!