8 Month Update

It's been about 8 months now since I had ankle surgery. There are a lot of positives and negatives I've been experiencing.

Overall, my ankle feels okay. It still doesn't have the flexibility and range of motion that my other ankle does. And it actually cracks a lot! That was kind of surprising to me, especially since I'm 8 months out. That seems like a long time to still be experiencing cracking, doesn't it? It mostly cracks when I wake up and start walking in the morning. I do a few stretches, and that's when it cracks.

Running goes pretty well now. I can definitely feel my one leg is just a little weaker than the other. My ankle does hurt a little when I run, but usually it takes about 15-20 minutes before that starts happening. It mostly hurts after a run. I don't limp anymore after I run, but that might be because I stretch it a lot after running, and sometimes apply ice (my ankle still swells up a lot).

There was one weird thing that happened to me the other day. Since I'm a college student, I tend to spend hours at my desk doing homework. It might just be me, but I have a habit of sitting cross-legged (like a "pretzel" as some people say) on my desk chair. After a couple hours, I got up and took a step with my bad ankle. I immediately felt a sharp pain shoot up my leg and my ankle froze in place. It freaked me out so much, I quickly sat on the ground and grabbed my ankle to start massaging it. I have no clue what happened. Maybe circulation got cut off or something? Either way, it really hurt! So remember to move your ankle every now and then, and try not to sit in weird positions!

That's all for now!

P.S I apologize, I keep forgetting to make videos about stretching! Hopefully I'll have time this weekend!

Thank you!

I started this blog thinking it would be a personal blog for myself to keep track of my progress. After these past few months though, and after seeing the page views increase exponentially, it makes me happy to know people are reading my blog and hopefully learning something about this kind of injury, surgery, and healing process.

I'd like to thank those of you who have taken the time to comment and write to me about your own personal stories. When I found out I had to get surgery, I immediately got on the internet (I know, not the best idea...there are some scary stories out there, right?), and had trouble finding personal stories of this kind of surgery. I'm glad this blog has been of help for others or has at least given some basic information about the healing process after ORIF surgery.

I haven't had to live through much pain in my life. I'm only 19 years old and this was my first broken bone. I think the most pain I experienced in my life prior to this was probably when I had to get a tooth pulled when I was a kid. I now have much more sympathy and understanding for people who have to use a wheelchair, crutches, wear a boot or cast for months, and get any kind of surgery like this. It was a scary thing for me to go through, and I'm sure it's scary for others.

So for those of you who are going through this, know that it does get better. Sometimes I might be pessimistic about my injury and healing process, but I think that's a natural part of the healing process--the mental part. Being positive and having positive people around me really helped. Some days are much harder than others, both mentally and physically. It does get better though. Maybe not 100%, but I'm thankful I can walk and run and do everyday activities. Keep your heads up! My thoughts go out to all of you readers who are experiencing this. Feel free to ask any questions, and best of luck!

...6 1/2 months later...

Just another quick update...

I'm a couple weeks away from 7 months post-operation, and I feel as though I've hit a plateau, at least in the sense that I don't feel like my ankle flexibility is improving anymore. I still try to stretch it everyday, both with a resistance band and by stretching against a wall...even so, my ankle doesn't bend like my other ankle and I don't feel like I've made any big improvements in flexibility in the last month or so.

As far as muscle growth, I have made some progress. While living in the wilderness this summer I got the opportunity to run on gravel roads instead of pavement. This wasn't the best idea for the first month or so of the summer when I still didn't feel very stable running. Towards the end of the summer though, I grew accustomed to the gravel roads. I also got practice running up and down hills. Initially this was a big challenge. Going up and down inclines and declines didn't seem to agree with my ankle, so I would have to walk. This was actually better for me since my doctor recommended starting off with walk/runs anyway. After a month or so (around July), I built up more muscle and my flexibility got better so that I could run up and down hills somewhat comfortably. I started to run about 3-5 times a week, sometimes for 15 minutes and sometimes for up to an hour (run/walk if it hurt my ankle). When I left Sawbill just a week ago, I was up to running 3 miles non-stop, or run/walking up to 6 miles, both with mild pain afterwards. Stretching really helped after going for a run. If I didn't stretch, I would limp for a while, so stretching really cut down on that kind of short-term pain after a run. Most days I went for a run though (or did any kind of workout really), my ankle would feel really stiff late at night. Overall, running really helped me build up the muscle I lost from being immobile for so long after the injury, and I think it has aided immensely to the healing process and in regaining some flexibility as well.

On a side note, I've been back home for a few days already and I'll be moving back to college on Sunday. I've done quite a bit of shopping to get some furniture for my house at college, and my ankle hurt a bit more than normal after a long day of walking around the mall. Other than that, things have been good here for the most part! I hope everyone has been enjoying their summer!

5 Months Post-Surgery

Five months sounds like a long time. While it seems like I broke my ankle forever ago, some of the stiffness and everyday pain still exists even five months after breaking it. I've been trying to stretch it everyday, but no matter what, it's still stiff and sore late at night and in the morning when I get out of bed. In fact, I still limp somewhat especially after waking up in the morning and taking my first few steps of the day. It's sore, it hurts, it doesn't feel "normal."

This was one of my main fears after breaking my ankle and getting surgery - that this pain would persist and would never go away. I still have 60 or 70 years of life to go! Is it really going to be this bad for the rest of my life?

I can run. Kind of. I can run small distances, then I limp after running. I cannot sprint without limping. The plate pinches and feels weird when my ankle moves certain directions. Not to be a pessimist, but I hate having metal in my ankle. I hate how big and swollen my ankle is. I hate feeling the metal and screws in my leg. I hate being paranoid of falling and slipping all the time now.

Nonetheless, time goes on and hopefully this injury will improve even more. At least I can walk.

(Almost) 4 Months Post-Surgery! PLUS running for the first time!?

I recently started working on running. Running for the first time felt very weird and unnatural. I almost have all my calf muscle back but I still limp a tiny bit while running, especially at the end of a run. Right now, my physical therapist said it's okay to run but to not overdo it. So I've been doing intervals of about 2 minutes running and two minutes not running. This is really flexible though, and sometimes I will run for longer or walk for longer. Overall it's going okay. I can't sprint or anything. It almost feels like fake running. It definitely doesn't feel like I'm running normally, but that will come with time (I hope)!

My ankle still swells up a lot, especially at the end of the day or at the end of a run. I'm walking a lot everyday for my new job, so my feet get really sore too. I'm still doing stretches, calf raises, and working with the resistance band. I also try to remember to take my calcium and multivitamin pills everyday. My flexibility is still not quite there. Moving my foot up toward the ceiling is getting better, but pointing my foot downwards is still pretty bad. That also might be because of the swelling though.

My limp is completely gone except for a few minutes after I go for a run. And at that point it's just a minor limp that lasts for maybe 30-45 minutes max. Once I stretch, then my ankle is fine again (although very swollen).

The scar is healing nicely. It's pretty noticeable though. I wore capris for the first time the other day (I'm up in Northern Minnesota, so it's still been pretty cold here) and one of my coworkers commented on my scar. He knew I had surgery, but when he saw the scar he said, "Woah, that's a big scar!" The scar doesn't bother me too much I guess. The part that bugs me is that whenever I see it I start thinking about my injury, which I never want to re-live. But I'm proud of how far I've come. It's been a tough road for sure, but things are looking up. I'm so happy to be somewhat running again and working on strength. Overall though I'm just glad I got through those really tough 3 months and I'm able to walk again. There are so many things I take for granted, but the ability to walk and run will never be one of them again.

A photo from my first time running since pre-injury. May 17, 2013. :)

3 months and 1 week Post-Op

My ankle has been doing pretty well now. I only start to limp a little after a long day of walking, but otherwise it's pretty unnoticeable. I also saw a physical therapist in my hometown hospital last Friday and she gave me a bunch of exercises to do. I have a stretchy resistance band to work on my ankle ROM and strength, as well as some stretches using the wall, and basic leg lifts/calf raises. She also measured my range of motion angles and said I'm doing really well.

Right now I'm about 3 1/2 weeks since I last used crutches. I can kind of run. Not really full strength or full length steps, but it's more of a fast walk with slight hopping like a running kind of motion. I haven't tried jumping on my feet yet. I think I still need more strength. Just standing on one leg, I'm very shaky and can't stay balanced for more than 10-15 seconds. The physical therapist said I can try running increments right now just to build up muscle, but no more than a couple minutes at a time. She also said it will probably take a month or so to work back up to a normal jog pace.

Below are some photos (don't mind my hairy legs, I can't really shave over the scar yet). The screw removal surgery was about 1 1/2 or two weeks prior to these photos, so the scar healed over a little bit. They just made a tiny centimeter incision over the old incision, so the bottom part of my scar is in the beginning healing stages while the rest has had over three months to heal.

Post-screw removal scar (about 1 1/2 weeks post-operation)

Scar 1/12 weeks post-operation

Scar post-screw removal

Surgery #2 Follow-up

Today I had a follow-up appointment with my surgeon (post-screw removal surgery). They took the wrapping off my leg and removed the two small stitches (which was a lot less painful than the staples the first time around). This was probably my last appointment at the hospital in my college town since next week is finals and I'll be moving out next Wednesday.

After they removed the stitches, I talked with my surgeon and asked him what kinds of exercises I could do. He just said to keep stretching it, maybe do the bike/elliptical at the gym, etc. He said I can try running (which doesn't seem like good advice...right?) and I'll be back to normal running in 3-4 months...so around July/August?

My leg is feeling really good! The last time I used crutches was Saturday in the morning for breakfast. I had an orchestra concert Saturday night, which I walked to without crutches. Sunday I felt pretty good as well, so I didn't use crutches that day. And finally for the first time since February, I was able to walk to classes without crutches on this Monday! I even walked back to campus from the hospital today after my appointment was done. It's about a 10 minute walk and the weather was great today (in the 70s!) so I thought I'd just walk back to my dorm.

My ankle still feels sore/stiff but my limp is getting less noticeable. I still walk slower than normal but I feel my calf getting stronger and my range of motion is a little better. Right now I just have a sterile strip over my most recent incision (where the stitches were) that will fall off by itself, and I have a big bandaid over that.

So I guess from here on out, I can start working more on flexibility and walking! It's a great feeling to finally see the light at the end of the tunnel (especially now that I'm off crutches FOR GOOD)! I have two physical therapy appointments in my hometown when I get back from college, then I leave for the BWCA on May 14th. This year went by so fast! Let's hope this healing process goes quick too.

3 days post-screw removal surgery

Today is three days post-screw removal surgery, and I'm feeling pretty good! It was only one screw, so I took some advil for the first two days, and I've felt fine since then. The day of the surgery, I came back to my dorm room really tired and exhausted, but after that day things got better. I was completely non-weight bearing using crutches for the first few days after surgery. My surgeon told me I could start bearing weight a few days afterwards. I had gone to the gym yesterday with a friend and after doing the stationary bike for half an hour, I decided to try walking and it felt great! I think exercising it and moving it around more helped. I can still only walk short distances with a limp, but I hope to be off crutches by finals week (which is 9 days away...AH)!

I still put ice over my wrapping. I'm not sure how swollen my ankle looks because I can't take the wrap off until my appointment next Tuesday. I have been getting more muscle back in my calf, which is a good sign! Overall, I'm feeling good about this surgery (and glad it's over). Now that Minnesota finally has spring weather (yesterday was in the 60s, today is in the 70s!), I am getting that urge to go for a run outside...unfortunately that probably won't happen for a few months. I'm still enjoying the weather, but I can't wait for the day when I can finally walk "normal" and get rid of the crutches.

Screw Removal

Today is 11 weeks post-operation, and I had my screw removal surgery. I had 9 screws in my leg, but opted to get one of the screws (the larger one that goes through both the tibia and fibula) removed. Sorry, but this post is going to start with a rant...skip to "Rant over" to skip to information about my surgery.

RANT BEGINS...

Once again, the horrible hospital in my college town outdid themselves today. Last week, I was told I was going to have surgery in the afternoon today. Then I got a call saying they had to reschedule for another time because they didn't check my surgeon's schedule. But they had to wait to call me until Monday. So I got a call this week on Monday saying my surgery would still be today (Wednesday), but they would move it to 7:30am. Later that day they called again to remind me to be there 15 minutes early, at 7:15am. Then on Tuesday, like always, I got an automated voice message reminder for my appointment...but the voice message said to be there at the old schedule time in the afternoon. Later that day I got another call saying that I have to be there at 7:00am to get an antibiotic IV before surgery. This all happened the day before my surgery.

Fast forward to this morning. I woke up at 6:00, ate a banana and drank some water, then called the campus police to drive me to the hospital (which is two minutes from campus). They always drive me to my appointments, but they get mad if I call them too early before I need them. So, like always, I called them 15-20 minutes before I needed a ride (this was at about 6:30am) and the first time they didn't pick up the phone (and campus police is supposed to be a 24-hour service). So I waited 3 minutes and called again. This time they said they were a little busy and that they would try to pick me up in time. They eventually came and got me 5 minutes before my appointment. When he dropped me off he said to remember we have a town shuttle bus I can call...so much for making it feel like campus police is "accessible". Sorry I have a broken leg and can't drive myself to my surgery...I should have taken all this as a sign this day was just going to get worse.

When I got to the hospital I checked in at the front desk and was told to go upstairs a level to the nurses station to get my IV, just like they said on the phone on Tuesday. I went up there, talked to the women at the nurses desk, and was brought to a family conference room where I waited 10 minutes. A doctor later came in (I vaguely remember him from the day I broke my ankle, but he wasn't my surgeon) and told me I didn't need the IV after all and that I should be back downstairs waiting to get X-rays. So I went back downstairs and he told me to wait in the chairs for my x-ray. One of the women at the X-ray desk said hi to me twice, then finally asked me if I registered for x-rays. Usually when I have x-rays, they give me a sheet of paper with information, so I told her that I wasn't sure and the doctor just told me to wait in this waiting area. So I had to sit at her desk and get registered for X-rays. It took her about 5 minutes before she realized I was already registered, then she said "nevermind, you can sit down again." So again, I sat and waited. Later the women at the desk got a call that I was supposed to be getting my IV on the second floor at this time. So the same doctor that told me I didn't need an IV came back down to get me and brought me back upstairs for my IV...more on that later.

I then had my surgery, and asked for an X-ray of my leg post-operation (with the screw taken out). They said sure and I never got it. I then called the town transit because I didn't want to bother the campus police again since they made such a big ordeal about driving me to surgery. I waited 15 minutes for the bus, and when I got on, the driver didn't say hi back to me and it smelled like cow poop. I told him which residence hall I lived in, but he dropped me off on the edge of campus because he had someone else to pick up. At this point, I just got out of surgery, was again NWB on crutches, and in a town of 5,000 people, the driver has someone more important to pick up right at this moment that he doesn't have time to drive one more minute through campus to my residence hall. I'm usually not this crabby about things, but this entire morning was just extremely frustrating and unorganized. It added unneeded stress to my already stressful surgery, and I can't wait to be done with these hospital visits.

RANT OVER!

Today I got the long screw removed from my ankle. My surgery was scheduled for 7:30am, but I got to the hospital at 7:00 for an antibiotic IV so I wouldn't get an infection during the procedure. I'm extremely scared of needles, so I was really nervous for the IV. It took about 10-15 minutes, and they took my blood pressure, temperature, etc. at the same time. I then went to the operation room and put on one of those beautiful hospital gowns.

One of the surgeon's assistants was training in a new nurse, so she was showing her all the tools (this is where I started freaking out just a little, when I saw the screwdrivers). They put some green antibiotic stuff all over my leg and told me to lie on my side. Eventually the surgeon came in and they used a machine to take an x-ray to find where the screw was located. At this point, I got multiple shots of novocain in my leg (which hurt A LOT!) and they started the procedure. It took probably 15-20 minutes total from they sanitized my leg to the end of the procedure where they stitched me up. I couldn't feel any pain when they unscrewed the screw or made the incision. I could kind of feel moving in my bone when they were unscrewing it, but it didn't hurt at all. I could feel the stitches a little more though. They then wrapped me up and told me I probably shouldn't walk on it today, and to keep it covered when I shower. I can't take off this wrap until my next appointment on Tuesday when he removes the stitches, which is kind of a bummer. I was hoping I would be able to walk since I have an ESL banquet on Thursday night, and I will be in the Twin Cities all day Friday with my college orchestra. 

I was given my screw to keep after they sanitized it, but they never gave me a picture of my x-ray. Hopefully I'll be able to see it and get pictures of it next week. I left the hospital around 8:30am and went back to campus. I don't feel much pain right now. I haven't taken advil or any left over pain medications from my first surgery, but my surgeon said I might want to keep those handy today for when my leg un-numbs (de-numbifies?) later today. Right now I'm mostly feeling exhausted, partially from hardly sleeping last night, partially from the pain I experienced today, and partially because of all the things that happened this morning (see "RANT"). 

I'm glad it's over and done with though. Hopefully my road to recovery will continue going well. Here are some photos from today:

My screw. The nurses called it my "keepsake". 

My whole foot was blue after the operation! It's gotten a little better since then.

The nurse wrapped my leg up and put my ankle brace back on.

My hand after IV. I felt like a boxer or like I got into a fight...

Week 11 Post-Op (and SNOW in April!)

This Wednesday will be the day of my 11 weeks post-operation. Right now, I'm bearing as much weight as comfortable while wearing an ankle brace and tennis shoes. My ankle is more stiff when I wake up in the morning, but it gets a little better throughout the day. I can walk short distances fine, but getting to classes is still too far. Plus it's still snowing. Which means, again, I have to be extra careful not to slip (which is how I got in this mess in the first place). Minnesota just isn't giving up on this winter! Although it's Earth Day today, I'm not too appreciative of this weather we have! The good news is my surgery is coming up in two days! I'll finally get the big screw removed, so hopefully that will allow for more range of motion in my ankle. Here are some pictures from today:

This first video is my ankle range of motion, just to record what it was like before the screw removal surgery.

Outside my dorm room. April 22, 2013.

My ankle brace

The scar. It's getting a lot better! The scar itself is flat, but still a little red.

Still a big, swollen ankle...

Walking for the first time! (76 DAYS POST-INJURY)!

I had my doctor's appointment today. They took another x-ray and scheduled my screw removal surgery for next Wednesday, April 24th. I can now put as much weight on my foot as comfortable, and they gave me a soft ankle brace to wear with tennis shoes instead of the boot. I will still be using crutches just to make sure I don't slip (can you believe it...it's snowing in MID-APRIL)! I also still have a lot of muscle to regain in my leg and I walk VERY slow, so I'll need crutches for a while longer. Otherwise, things are going pretty well. I don't have a lot of pain, but I can feel the plate. My leg is still very swollen and tight, but I'm sure that will go down over time.

Here are some videos from today, April, 18th. It has been 76 days since I last walked (without crutches or a boot). At first I wasn't sure if I'd be able to walk without the boot, so the first video is walking with the boot and no crutches. The second video I tried walking without the boot.

Ankle after icing (10 weeks post-op)

Here are some pictures of my ankle ROM and size after icing for an hour. April 17, 2013. (10 weeks post-op)

These last two are videos from my phone from April, 17th showing the range of motion in my ankle.

Swollen ankle (10 Weeks Post-Op)

My doctor's appointment got moved up a week since I decided to get the syndesmotic screw in my ankle removed. My next appointment is tomorrow, April 18th.

Since my last appointment, I've been 50%WB with crutches and a walking boot. I usually ice my ankle once or twice during the day in between classes and at night while I'm sleeping. In the meantime, my ankle gets pretty swollen during the day before I ice it.

Here are some pictures from today, April 17th, 2013. (10 weeks post-op)

Range of motion after walking all day (50%WB) and before icing it.

Range of motion after walking all day (50%WB) and before icing it.

Range of motion

Range of motion

Scar and ROM 2 months, 1 week Post-Operation

Scar and ROM

Here is a picture of my scar (5 days post-cast). Don't mind the red scab to the left of the scar — that's just from itching my leg too much...oops.

Here is a short video taken from my iPhone. The range of motion in my right ankle is still limited, but it has gotten better over the past few days.

X-Rays 7 weeks Post-Op

These X-rays are from my doctor's appointment on March 26th (about 7 weeks post-operation).

ROM Videos (Post-Cast)

Here are some videos I took of the range of motion in my ankle after I got my cast off. This first video was taken the day I got my cast off. I was sitting down for the video.

This second video is two days after I got my cast off, and I was standing up while filming it.

Post-Cast with Walking Boot

March 26, 2013: Almost 8 weeks since the break, almost 7 weeks post-operation, and a little over 5 weeks with the cast. I went to the doctor and got X-rays again. The fracture is all healed up, but the torn ligament takes 10 weeks to heal. That means about four more weeks until walking is an option.

I had the cast taken off and was given a walking boot (the same boot I was given the first day I went in after breaking my ankle). I am still using crutches, but can apply 50% of my weight to my injured leg. I sleep with the boot off. I have very limited range of motion (ROM) right now, but was able to go to the gym and use the stationary bike without pain. I did the bike for 30 minutes, then did some arm and ab exercises. I am going back to see the doctor in four weeks. 

At that point, I have to decide whether I want a "minor" procedure done to take the big screw out of my ankle. If I don't get it taken out now, it will eventually break inside my bone and can never come out. According to my doctor, this is not a big deal and should not affect me. I'm still trying to decide whether or not to get it taken out. Recovery is minimal; the doctor said I could walk the next day with minor pain/discomfort.

My right leg is significantly smaller than my left leg. I lost a lot of muscle.

The doctor said to leave on the strips over the incision until they fall off. 

I can feel the metal plate on my ankle... it's a lot firmer than my other leg.

I went to the gym around 9:30pm, so I had been walking a lot that day. My ankle got a little more swollen throughout the day. Walking on it with the boot on initially felt like needles on the bottom of my foot. I still fit into my tennis shoe though! :)

Two Weeks Post-Op with Cast

I stayed at home from February 7th (the day after my operation) to February 17th. I had a doctors appointment on the 18th (about two weeks post-operation) to get the splint off and a hard cast on. They removed the staples from my leg and bent my leg at a 90 degree angle to put the cast on (which was a little painful). At this point, I was still completely NWB with crutches and the cast until further notice. I attended college classes the next day and caught up with school work.

After the splint was removed, my leg was still swollen and sore. The nurse cut the staples out.

A cast was applied and I was NWB with crutches until further notice. 

My toes went back down to their normal size. Yay!

NWB with crutches. :(