Tread Lightly
I think this will be the last entry in my "foot saga". At least for a while. I'm tired of writing about it, and I suspect that you're tired of hearing about it. But there were enough questions about the outcome of my visit to Dr. Jackson yesterday that I decided maybe it warranted one more update.
Technology has really changed since I last broke a bone. In the 60s I wore a cast made of gauze and plaster. It was applied the day I broke my bone; it got hot as it dried and hurt like crazy for the first while as the limb would swell inside the cast. Then after about a week or so the cast would loosen up. At about two weeks itching would set in. A little water and the whole thing would get mushy. I never slipped my cast off (mine were always cast above the elbow, so I couldn't get away with it) but I knew a few kids in school who would remove their casts from time to time to scratch their arms or take a bath.
Turns out they were on to something. With my lower leg now firmly screwed together, the doctor says I'm in no danger of having the bone ends move out of place. Everything still needs to heal up, and the bone has to grow together. But apparently my foot will heal better if it's not confined in one of those old-fashioned casts. So I now have two casts. One is a lightweight "air cast" that consists of two form-fitted plastic splints with air cushions inside them; this contraption is strapped on to my lower leg. It weighs only a few ounces and keeps my ankle stabilized laterally. The doctor actually wants me to start gently flexing and extending my ankle again; he says it heals faster & stronger and I won't lose my mobility. The second cast is a sturdier plastic "boot" that wraps the foot and lower leg. It looks like it would make a great snowboarding boot; it has a rigid foot bed and protective sides that wrap most of the way to my knee. The inside of the boot is a soft shell much like the inner lining of a good ski boot. Wide velcro straps cinch the boot snugly to my leg.
So now I can take off my cast and clean my foot, then wrap everything up and strap it all together for an elegant trip to the kitchen. I'm not traveling much beyond our doors without strong reasons; I'm still content to keep the foot up as much as possible.
I was actually shocked at how much my foot is still swollen. Ugly thing, isn't it? I'll have a good Frankenstein scar to go with the story. After getting a good look at my foot Tuesday I decided I'd just keep taking things slow for a bit longer. It definitely doesn't look ready for prime time yet! People ask me how it feels; it feels about how it looks. Things will get better.
The good doctor tells me that I should become good friends with my new steel bone, because (in his words) "You'll take it with you to your casket." So that answers the questions about whether or not I should expect another surgery in a few years to remove the plate. Nope! It's mine to keep. So I'll plan on an extra 15 minutes and a pleasant body search every time I try to get through airport security. Some of us are just lucky!
I'm to keep weight off the foot completely for the next two weeks, but I am supposed to gently flex and move my ankle at least a few times a day. Then I can start doing "touch" work with light weight on the foot. I'll see the doctor again in 4 weeks.
Ever wish your life had a "fast forward" button?
Age doesn't always bring wisdom. Sometimes age comes alone.