My new hot pink cast!

Friday I went to the doctor to get the surgical cast removed, my staples removed, and a new cast put on.  The last twelve days had been frustrating and painful, as I have tried to be patient, uncomplaining, self-sufficient.  All those things I can normally be when things are normal.

I was looking forward to the trip to the doctor, yet dreading it.  I was looking forward to staples being out, getting a smaller cast, and potentially being told I could have some weight-bearing.  I was dreading it because it still hurt in there, and pain on my tibia felt like someone was grinding their knuckles against it.  I had nightmares about the ankle becoming suddenly unstable after being confined in the cast for such a short time.  I tried to let my positive hopes outweigh my fear as best I could.

So, the Perfect Child took off a half-day off work on Friday to take me, since her car is the only one I can get into without a lot of hassle.  Our other cars are compact sedans, and fairly low to the ground.  So her car is my designated taxi at the moment.  We got to the medical building on time, located a wheelchair pretty quickly, and waited in line to check in.  Apparently there were an awful lot of broken legs; as we waited in the waiting room for more than an hour, we saw every manner of crutches, wheelchairs, and walkers on people from young to old.

Finally, in an exam room, a tech very carefully, layer by layer, cut off the ace bandage holding together the plaster pieces that were making up my cast.  She told me that my ankle would not fall apart, that everything had been repaired and that it would be okay.  The cast was finally cleared and and I held my foot still, not even wanting to flex it while she removed the surgical bandaging to get to the staples.

Suffice it to say there was quite a bit of that Frankenstein look – there were 13 staples down the right side (outside) of my ankle, and 8 down the left side (inside) of my ankle.  The bruising looked like a massive thunderstorm and circled and streaked around my ankle and foot, including massive bruising on the bottom of my foot (I couldn’t see it, The Perfect Child reported it to me).  And my ankle is easily twice it’s normal size.  There are also the healing fracture blisters, which I think looked absolutely dreadful.  (There is a page with pictures, but don’t click this link if you are squeamish…)

The tech removed the staples, placed some steri strips, and cleaned up her mess.  The doctor came in next.  This was an orthopedist, but not the surgeon who worked on me.  She had a wonderful sense of humor and said that my blisters looked absolutely perfect.  She said the surgical records indicated a single plat plus an unknown number of screws on the outside of my ankle, and only two on the inside.    I was to receive a smaller, lighter cast, was to continue to be non-weight-bearing, and she gave me paperwork for a temporary disabled parking tag, and approved me for a knee walker.

I do have some nerve damage.  The outside of the ankle has plenty of feeling, but the inside, where one break occurred and the dislocation happened, has no feeling along the skin.  That weird knuckle-against-bone feeling in there?  My nerves gone crazy.  There’s nothing hard touching it at all, and even with the cast completely off, it still felt the same.  It comes and goes somewhat, but I can ignore it a little better knowing that it is phantom pain.  The doctor said it might get better, it might not.  It was more than seven hours between my break and when it was able to be set, and this may be irreversible.  But realistically?  If I can walk again, and bike again, I will be happy.

The cast tech came in and proceeded to torture me somewhat. He had to get my ankle at a 90 degree angle, but it was more like a 120 degree angle in the surgical cast.  It wasn’t painful to let him bend it into place, it was just very very stiff.  Amazing how much atrophy can occur in just twelve days.  He then slid a stocking on, padded up the front of my leg and around the ankle, and used rolls of fiberglass to cast me up.  It was a fascinating process, and took very little time.  I am now dressed in hot pink for the next 12 days, when I go back in to have it removed, the dressings on the blisters changed, and a new cast put on.  They offered me casting in an entire rainbow of colors, including pink or purple glitter.  I may just go for glitter next time.

I asked if I would ever bike and walk and hike again.  I was told if I did everything I was directed, stayed non-weight-bearing for as long as the doctor said, did my physical therapy when I was able to, that I would be good as new.  I had a break in the same leg (an avulsion fracture of the fibula) in 1996 or 97, and I was told the same thing then.  And I was able to do everything normally once I healed from that.  Of course, I was 15 years younger.  But I’m giving this my best shot.  I need to be back on my bike, need to be back walking.  I am not willing to give that part of my life up.

After the long doctor visit, I did get a haircut, which I desperately needed.  And today (Saturday) I got a knee walker, which is way more mobile than the regular walker I’ve been hopping around my house with, and a manicure and pedicure.  With the cast on I cannot reach my toes, and the turquoise nail polish is what my girls put on my toes after I came home from the hospital.  Today my toes are hot pink to match my cast.  I’ve been letting anyone who wants write on my cast.  I’ll get a brand new palette in a little more than a week, anyway!

I am on the road to recovery, trying to keep a positive attitude, and looking forward to my next outing out of the house.  I’m able to work 5-6 hours a day from my dining room table, which is wonderful and makes me feel worthwhile and normal.  I can wash my own hair in the sink and give myself a pan-bath as needed.  I cannot stand and cook, yet, but with the new walker I just might be able to, for something simple.  Life is assuming a new normal, if temporarily so, and I’m dealing.  There’s not much more I can do, right?

At least I get all the close parking spaces now.  That helps.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 12th, 2013 at 8:53 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.