5 Months (August 23)

Had a 5 month checkup with my surgeon today.  Was the exact same as the last visit.  X-rays and then 5 minutes with the doc saying everything looks fine.  Had me stand and face the wall so he could look at my alignment but that's it.  Didn't manipulate my leg or anything.  Really think these guys are just interested in the surgery and then passing the buck.  I told him I was still having quite a bit of pain if I walk long distances or am on it a lot.  His response was to offer me a few samples of a pain killing patch (called the Flector patch which I apply directly where it hurts).  He suggested that I see my internist for pain medicine as he will not see me again for a few months.  I did mention that I feel as if my recovery has stalled and he said it's perfectly normal.  Said there will be ups and downs for the next 6 months.  He asked if I still felt the osteotomy was not necessary and I told him yes.  He still feels it was the right thing to do as it will help my ankle and comfort levels years down the road.  He said if I continue to have problems in a few months or so, we may want to consider taking out the screws.  Sweet.  Lastly, I mentioned that I am still having quite a bit of pain along the entire lateral side of my foot.  He asked if it is still partially numb and it is.  He said the pain/numbness is due to the nerve regenerating/settling and will slowly return to normal.  The one positive thing he said is that I have made tremendous progress since the last time I saw him 6 or 8 weeks ago.  I guess I need to remind myself to be patient.

I did do quite a bit of travelling the last few weeks.  At one point I was on a very rocky beach and I wore some water shoes so I could swim.  It was definitely challenging but my leg handled it well.  I was sore the next day but not too bad.  On a different day where I drove for 6 hours, my foot did swell but within reason.  I did spend all day Saturday walking around the city.  My leg swelled up a bit but nothing too severe.

It's been a while since I've posted pics.  Here you can see how my leg looks after 5 months.  This is as good as it gets.  I usually have a fair amount of swelling around my achilles.  The colors of my scars are constantly changing as well.  One thing I do want to mention is that when I was uploading the below pics, I did look at my old pics from before.  It was a definitely a good reminder of the progress I've made!

First pic is the lateral side of my foot.  You can see the scar from the modified brostrom repair on top and the scar from where he went in to do the osteotomy on the bottom.  The second pic shows the scar from where he put in the screws.  The last pic shows the dent in the back of my calf muscle and the scar from the gastroc recession on the front.

  

4 Months+ (August 14)

Some positive news to report.  I went to the beach over the weekend and was able to walk around without any major issues.  The last time I tried, my foot was too sensitive and it was painful to step on anything.  I even had to walk across a 10 foot path of rocks & shells to get fully into the water.  It didn't feel great on my foot and far from normal but I was able to do it.  Every now and then I'm able to do something that reminds me of how far I've come.  Just have to keep that in mind.

4 Months+ (August 8)

My recovery has really seemed to have stalled.  The pain in my achilles area seems to be getting worse and the ankle joint is very sore when walking.  The fascia on the bottom of my foot is hurting quite a bit.  My big toe is incredibly weak and the whole bottom of my foot plus my ankle hurts when I try to flex it with any resistance.  Getting very frustrated again.

I did go boating over the weekend and suffered from the usual daytime swelling but it went down over night.  I did step onto a boat cushion that must have had a latch or screw underneath and it really hurt my heel.  It wouldn't have felt great on my good foot either but my repaired heel is still extra sensitive.  Had that horrible burning feeling....

4 Months+ (August 4)

Did a lot of walking while in California and am still paying for it.  Walks would range from 1 to 2 hours and be up to 5 miles long.  My achilles has been very sore as well as the plantar fascia.  In fact, the whole ankle is sore.  It got to the point that I would have to take a pain pill in order to do the long walk.  I must still be limping a bit as I have developed a pretty bad pain in my lower back.  I will be seeing my therapist today and will ask her.  I also noticed that on long walks, I can feel the screws in my foot and it's pretty irritating.  Thinking that they may need to come out.  Very frustrating.

I did fly back yesterday with the compression sock and my foot swelled this time.  Must have to do with how upset the ankle is on the day of flying.  Had swelling on the medial side as well as lateral.  Most of the swelling on the lateral side went away overnight but the medial side is still pretty bad.

4 Months+ (July 28)

Another travel update.  Had a much longer flight (1 hour + 1.5 hour layover + 4 hours) last weekend.  Wore my compression sock and took aspirin.  Ankle and foot didn't swell at all.  Was very impressed.  However, I did have another interview on Tuesday.  1+ hour drive, 6 hour interview, and 1+ hour drive home.  By the end of the day, it was sausage foot again.  Very frustrating.  I didn't wear my compression sock as it would have looked odd.  On a positive note, swelling was down the following morning.  I am still pretty sore though.

Through experimenting, I have been able to narrow down what upsets the ankle a bit.  The biggest culprit is the lack of support.  If I wear my tennis shoes, I can walk for hours without swelling issues.  If I wear sandals though, my foot balloons within a few hours.  I am trying something new today and wrapped my foot/ankle with an ace bandage and wearing flip-flops.  Will see how it goes.  Really hope it helps as wearing shoes during the summer is torture.

I still have a dent in my calf muscle from the gastroc recession.  The scar is on the front but the dent is in the back.  I am slowly rebuilding the muscle in my lower calf and can almost go up on my toes using just that leg.  Almost.  My pain is mostly on the lateral side of my foot underneath that ankle bone.  Therapist said it's the tendons getting irritated.  Burns pretty bad after I work my leg.  Other than that, I get pain at the very base of my achilles.

Will try to upload pic of calf later.

4 Months (June 18)

Almost 4 months out from surgery.

Had my first trip since going under the knife.  Wasn't sure how my ankle/foot would handle it.  I wore a compression sock on the flight and took aspirin just in case.  I was very careful to keep my foot moving every 20 minutes or so while in the air and rested it on my bag while waiting at the gate.  My flights were 45 minutes and then 2 hours (~6 hours total travel time).  Was very pleased when I took off the compression sock and my foot was not really swollen at all!  Just a bit around the toes.

The bad news is that I had an interview the following day and was sitting for 8+ hours with my leg down.  My foot exploded.  Was huge.  I didn't wear the compression sock but was still shocked that it swelled so much.  I attribute some of it to having a few beers after the interview as the swelling always seems worse after having a few.  Anyway, I elevated it that night and most of the swelling was gone by the morning.

I did go on a walking tour and was cruising around the city for about 6 hours.  I wore tennis shoes but no compression sock.  Strangely, my foot didn't swell very much.  Very odd.  Once again, I'm beginning to see some correlation between alcohol and the swelling.

Flying back today and will report anything interesting.  Still very upset that I had this surgery.  Not worth the ramifications (in my case).

Day 101 (June 30)

Worked my leg too hard on Tuesday night and am paying for it.  I've irritated my plantar fascia and need to take a few days off of working out.  Started getting a shooting pain in the bottom of my foot yesterday morning.  It got worse as the day went on.  Seems to be settling a bit now and hope it's gone tomorrow so I can resume my workout.  I was really pleased with how far I was able to walk Tuesday night and went up an down a steep part of the golf course a few too many times.  My therapist says it should calm down on its own and has taped my foot to provide additional support.  She also told me to make sure I keep stretching my toes, especially the big one.  Also had quite  bit of pain on the medial side of my heel.  That was new.  Has calmed down as well.