How Did I Get Here?

My journey to a bionic ankle began 35 years ago as I stood at the top of the stairs of my townhouse with my 3-month old daughter in my arms. It was probably one of the first times we were going out for dinner after her birth. The memory is cloudy, but I think my then-husband, Paul, and 4-year old son were waiting for us downstairs. Somehow I lost my footing, and my mother instinct (rather than my survival instinct) clicked in, and I failed to stop my fall, although I succeeded in keeping baby Rachel safe.

Foolishly, Paul got me into the back of the car while my neighbors took the two children. When we got to the hospital, the ER staff said we should have called an ambulance because they couldn't get me out! Finally, with everyone pulling and pushing, I was extracted from the back seat and wheeled into the ER where x-rays revealed I had broken my ankle in three places. The doctors recommended surgery with pins, but I cried that my daughter wouldn't take a bottle, and after injecting novocaine and manipulating my ankle and giving me a full leg cast, I was sent home.

This picture is the only one I can find right now.

Wendy Weisbard (nee Gottlieb) would come over

and bring food for a picnic on the bed. This is

her son Jason, now a dad himself. You can see

my casted foot behind him on the left!

Six weeks in a full cast and six weeks in a walking cast later, I was freed from the plaster and was healed, at least for about 30 years with the exception of knowing when it might rain. In 2010 I left formal education and became a tour guide, which would eventually lead to the demise of my ankle.

Diagnosed with post-traumatic stress arthritis, I eventually had to give up tour directing. As a DC guide, I would walk seven to nine miles a day, causing more stress on the ankle than it could take. My doctors at Kaiser in the DC metro area suggested an ankle replacement or ankle fusion, but I chose to wait.

My move to a 55+ adult resort community -- CreekSide at BethPage -- has been life-changing in many ways. I found a very well-respected orthopedic surgeon at Duke Medical, and he prescribed cortisone shots and daily Advil. I was great for almost 10 months, when, seemingly out of nowhere, the pain started to persist rather than come and go with long walks. The last cortisone shot didn't work, and Dr. Nunley said the only option left was an ankle replacement, and it was scheduled for June. However, it continued to worsen to the point that after one long walk with Zora or a day of shopping, I couldn't walk any more, and the surgery date was moved up to the earliest day available -- March 30, the first night of Passover.

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Physical Therapy: It Comes with a Crush

The first couple of times I asked my surgeon about physical therapy, he said it wasn't necessary. He was quite definitive: "You don't need physical therapy." At my three month follow-up, after telling him I was frustrated with my inability to walk correctly, he finally gave me a prescription for PT in order to improve my gait. My first appointment was today, and by the first five minutes I developed a crush on my therapist. It isn't a romantic crush (although he is very cute): it is a crush on someone who listened to me and responded to my concerns, hopes, and questions. Here he is in an introductory video on YouTube. ( Click on the name below the photo. ) Stephen Mills, PT, DPT After brief introductions, it was clear that he read my chart. He asked me if I walked my daughter down the aisle at her wedding (one of my goals before surgery). He told me how great it is that I travel. He was talking to me face-to-face without a comp...

Three-Month Follow-Up: My Big Toe Works!

I was going to begin this post with a cliche such as "I can't believe it's already been three months," but that isn't exactly true. In some ways it seems like the ankle replacement was so long ago that I am surprised it has only been three months. I've been complaining about my lack of progress, but my doctor and his teaching fellow both said that "I've come a long way, baby!" The appointment started with x-rays in a variety of stances, including the one above that shows the ankle replacement as well as the arthroplasty or fusion of the heel. When the fellow (I regret that I do not remember her name; she was also present at the operation, but I slept through our introductions) listened to my concern about my progress, she was the first to tell me that the fusion would prolong the recovery time. The swelling of the ankle is evident in the x-ray, but she also said that the inflammation was as expected, and, in fact, it was relative...

Three Steps Backwards and Five Steps Forward

I haven't posted in three weeks, even though a great deal has happened since I started physical therapy. Having taken a turn for the worse and being back on my recliner, I started to write a travel memoir and writing two pieces seemed overwhelming. Also, and even more importantly, I was in so much pain that I didn't want to put down my thoughts until I knew my recovery took a turn for the better. My physical therapist, Stephen, gave me four exercises to do that were not challenging. He observed that I was walking with my right foot out, so he suggested that I concentrate on keeping it straight. I was given the green light for water aerobics, and was walking Zora twice a day. I was very happy. Walking was not without pain, but I was walking and the last time I did water aerobics I actually was able to walk and push off of the wall rather than doing the dog paddle, like I did the first few times. Then it all went bad. The pain came suddenly...

My Bionic Ankle

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