Good news.
Cast is off (while it was a lovely red cast, I’m glad to be rid of it). Ankle is looking good, incisions healing well, and I’ve graduated to an aircast. Even more remarkably, in 2 days – Wednesday – I’ll be able to start weight bearing, with no restrictions apart from pain.
This report is better than I’d hoped for. I figured I’d be non- or only partially-weight bearing for quite a while. Curiously, the doctor doesn’t want me to go into physiotherapy, at least yet. Main physio will be walking, and am I looking forward to that! That being said, my ankle is butt ugly.
There’s another reason to be thankful for my expedited recovery – during today’s hospital visit, my two caretakers (Don and his friend John) managed to lose my crutches. My father would frequently say (supposedly quoting HIS father) that a boy was a boy, two boys were a half a boy, and three boys were no boy at all. I got the half-a-boy part today. Don pushed my wheelchair across the street, John following carrying a bag and my crutches. We got to the car, and apparently John rested my crutches on the car next to his. They got busy getting me into the back seat, got wheelchair folded and in trunk, and about 60 kilometers later – when we stopped for a bite to eat – realized that the crutches were neither in the trunk nor in the back seat. They must be still resting on the neighbor car. Hopefully, we’ll be able to recover them.
In the meantime, we stopped on the way home at the handy Canadian Legion, which also serves as a medical equipment lending facility, and borrowed a walker. The walker will probably be more help in my baby steps starting Wednesday anyway.
Now, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for! Here’s an x-ray taken today. You’ll see the plate & a couple of pins on both sides of the ankle – those are from my original accident, 11 Oct 2005. The artificial ankle, I believe, is rather self evident. You can also see the surgical staples (now removed), both in the front and at the side (from the heel cord lengthening).