It's 10 weeks and 2 days since my ankle replacement, and, although the original prognosis was that I would still be in a boot and not driving, being in a shoe and driving short distances doesn't make me any more patient. My daughter's wedding is a week from today, and, although I am ready with my glammed-up pink Converse sneakers, I bemoan the fact that I cannot dance at her wedding and that simply walking her down the aisle will be a bit difficult. I practice every day, concentrating on putting equal weight on each foot as I walk. No longer relying on other people to walk Zora, I primarily let her do her business in the backyard, perhaps getting one or two short walks a day. I can make it about two blocks or halfway down the mulch trail before we have to turn back.
I also wasn't supposed to travel for three months, but for several reasons it was important for me to go as the group leader with the CreekSide Travelers on our first trip to Charleston. Since AAA was not sending a tour host, someone had to take the responsibility of making sure the trip went smoothly. Most of my friends were going on the trip, and I also didn't want to miss it, so a little over a year after retiring from tour directing, I went back on the road.
The first challenge was being comfortable and staying in my sneakers since my right foot is still quite swollen. I often found myself taking off my shoe, sometimes at appropriate times such as a long bus ride, but also in restaurants and shows. Not expecting to stop at a new statue of Philip Simmons, a master blacksmith I had met on my first Gullah tour, I didn't have time to put my shoe back on when our guide, Al, asked if anyone wanted to get off the bus to take a photo. It's probably not the best situation to walk shoeless, let alone on uneven ground, but I wasn't going to miss this opportunity, and I wasn't going to waste more time trying to stuff a swollen foot into a too-small shoe. As an aside, the exterior of the National Museum of African-American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. was influenced by the work of Philip Simmons, master blacksmith. Simmons died in 2009, just a few years after we met him on tour.
The day after we got home from Charleston one of the first things I did was purchase new sneakers a size too large, and that has made a difference.
You can make out the main scar in the photo, although it continues to fade. I have three scars -- one on the right side of the foot, a very small one on the heel which is almost gone since the skin there peels, and the primary one that moves up the ankle, the only one that can be seen. I'll be wearing stockings to the wedding, not only for comfort but also to hide the scar along with numerous mosquito bites!
I got a small boost from a friend when I received an email from her after she met someone a little further along in the recovery stage. Her new neighbor in our community had an ankle replacement in November 2017 with the same team of doctors. He's walking relatively well, and, although he still has some swelling, he is happy with his recovery. I look forward to having the opportunity to talk with him. My doctor said that full recovery is a year, so perhaps being impatient at 72 days, less than a quarter through, doesn't make a lot of sense.
About three times a day I wrap two packages of frozen vegetables around my ankle; it feels great and reduces some of the swelling. I read that cyrotherapy causes some imbalance after 20 minutes, so it takes a little while to regain strength. Every once in awhile I also take a bath with Epsom salts, and, although infrequently, I take some Tylenol to reduce the discomfort. The bath doesn't seem to help with pain or walking, but it sure feels good when I am in the water. In fact, I plan on starting water aerobics on Wednesday, enjoying the buoyancy of the water and doing as much as I can. If I can't walk, I can certainly make belief I am on a bicycle in the pool.
I still have a lot of nerve pain, especially in my big toe as well as some continuing numbness in the same toe as well as on top of the foot. Dr. Nunley explained that a major nerve is cut during the ankle replacement and that I may or may not get the feeling back, something that was not explained to me prior to the procedure. In the mean time, massaging the foot also makes it feel better. I hope to get a spa pedicure this week before the wedding. My toes won't be showing in my Converse sneakers, but it will make me feel good, and I need as much good feeling as I can get.
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