Wounded (7 weeks post ankle)

I'm a nurse who can handle seeing the most gory of gory situations and not toss my cookies. I can handle most smells and clean up some of the grossest things most people can think about. I keep my cool and always have my "nurse face" on. That all changed when I saw a wound on my ankle.

The increase in pain may indeed have been neuropathic, but I also have a large open wound on my lateral ankle incision. Likely it began forming when I had the increase in pain 2 weeks ago. The smell and sight of the wound as the bandages and steri strips were removed nearly made me retch. I sat in the cast room with 2 other patients across the room from me, trying hard not to cry and freak out in front of them, although I told them I was about ready to lose it.

The MA removing the cast gently told me I would not be going back into a cast as planned due to a wound. Once she had everything open to air, she summoned my surgeon. He took a look and cleaned some of the tissue with a qtip to see how deep the wound went (serious pain!) and suggested dry dressing changes daily. I was to be fitted into a post op Cam Walker boot but treat it like a cast and remain non weight bearing. I also had to start a course of strong antibiotics and was given the go ahead to stop the lovenox shots. I will follow up with the surgeon August 8th to recheck xrays (he isn't too concerned with the bone's lack of healing at this time) and to check on the wound healing.

My calf looks sickly. Like I haven't used it in years. I am really anxious to start walking on it to get a feel for the new alignment. The surgeon had me stand lightly on my foot to check the alignment and he was pleased. Everything felt weird then, that's for sure. I was given the ok to start gentle flexion exercises to help loosen my ankle. When I asked about PT though, he said it was too soon. 

This appointment left me feeling overwhelmed and afraid. I was not expecting a wound with daily dressing changes. I expected to be able to move through recovery as quickly as I did with the hips. Speaking of the hips, my right hip really hurts again. My injection wore off and there isn't a lot I can do to help it. I'm sure that the leg is weak and that is not helping my hip structure at all.

Today, when my wound was redressed, it looked 10 times better than yesterday and already shows signs of healing! Now I'm hopeful that it won't be so bad.

One thing I can say is I'll never be getting steri strips or a cast again if I can help it!

6 weeks

My ankle and foot pain increased over the last 2 weeks and got to the point of needing intervention. I went to the after hours ortho urgent care center and was examined and xrayed. I was hoping they would cut the cast off and either give me a new one (better fit) or a soft cast. Unfortunately it didn't go my way. The PA said the bone cut from the osteotomy has not even started any form of healing yet, no callous formation, nothing. Good news is, my hardware is still where it should be, nothing broken or shifted. I keep feeling a pinching, shifty clicking in the front of my ankle so I'm a bit concerned. The PA thinks I'm dealing mostly with "out of control" neuropathic pain, and he prescribed me a higher dose of neurontin. So now I'm on 1200 mg per day. However, due to the severity of my symptoms, he thinks it's best to move my Aug 8th appt up and get me in to see my surgeon next week. So I will know more after next week. At this point in time, I'm to lay low and take it easy. Elevation and ice and pain meds for pain control is key right now.

Currently at 6 weeks post op:

I'm still on lovenox shots for blood clots (2 more weeks of these) and I am still dealing with a blood clot in my hand from my IV (thrombophlebitis). 2nd one I've dealt with

I'm likely going to be in the fiberglass cast and on crutches longer than the original 8 weeks d/t delayed union.

I'm back to working a full 8 hour day at work.

I am able to drive left footed from home to work (have been driving since 3 weeks post op).

I am afraid of how long it's going to take my incisions to heal. I can see the top of the one from my big toe and it's still very scabbed over.

Toes and foot turn same color purple as my cast when it's down. My cap refill is 3 seconds, so it's nothing to be worried about.

Neurontin is causing amusing memory lapses...have gone commando to work, forgot deoderant, sentences end with funny words, and I have terrible recall. But it's really helping with the neuropathy in my foot and ankle so it's worth the funny business.

At this point I'm most anxious to hear what my surgeon has to say about the increase in pain and whether I'll be able to be walking unassisted by the time my September vacation comes up (California bound!).

5 weeks and counting!

Having a cast sucks. Having a cast in summer really sucks. I'm counting down the days til this thing comes off...24 more days...just over 3 weeks left. August 8th is when I have my next follow up and I was told that would be the day the cast ceremoniously will be sawed off and disposed of! Then I get to wear the cam walker boot and continue weight bearing restrictions until further notice. Fun stuff, this reconstruction business is. 

I really missed out on some fun stuff over the last few weeks because of the cast. A lot of it had to do with a lot of walking to get to beautiful sites in Michigan and others to do with swimming in the Great Lakes. But, tubing is one thing I have been able to do with a lot of resources and help. A good ol' float down the river will cure almost anything!

I started gabapentin recently because of nerve pain in my foot. I was having lightening shocks and burning that was really intense with sharp stabs of pain. My toes changed color when my foot started having an "attack". So the gaba has helped and no more lightening shocks, and the burning has minimized to just around the outer edge of my right toe at the ball of my foot. I do have this funny sensation of "tickling" or like when you get goose bumps from a chill around my incision where I had the ligament repair. There is a lot of pain at the bottom of my foot and heel. Always has been and never relieved by anything. Hopefully getting the cast off will help. Plus it doesn't feel like the cast fits my foot correctly anymore. I almost feel like my leg or ankle has shifted a bit, which I highly doubt. I have super itchy skin and of course didn't listen to the nurse when she told me not to stick anything down my cast to scratch the itch. With the aid of my back scratcher, benadryl, and zyrtec I only can alleviate so much itching. Again, removal of the cast is key. My balance is another issue. Without being able to toe touch like with my hip surgeries, I'm really having a tough time staying upright when I'm not balanced on my crutches. Said cast must come off. Casts suck.