Getting Rid of the Frankenboot

Yep. I threw it out.

Okay, no, I didn't. I took it off. Therein lies the beauty of these horrible boot things they make you wear when you break an ankle. The boot is adjustable and removable. You can't say the same is true with casts. I did have a cast after my visit to the County. I guess if I had my druthers, I'd choose the boot over a cast no matter what the situation was.

So, at this point, I'm a little over a month removed from surgery. I take the boot off several times a day to move the foot up and down, which is what the doctor directed me to do. What I've started doing on my own is try to leave the boot off for an hour or so. Then, I sit wiggling my toes, trying to help the circulation in the foot (which is a bit swollen and stiff—yeah, that's what he said!!!). As for the ankle movement, it seems minute to me. I'm told, however, that it's gotten better each day.

I'm not sure that I'll be back in the water six weeks after surgery. The doctor was shooting for that. I don't think my joints are ready; I've lost too much muscle tone at this point. I need to rebuild the muscle that protects the bionic knee and the muscle that helps to stabilize the ankle. I'm not completely certain this can all be done by a few weeks from now. Then again, it's always nice to have a goal.

The ankle is feeling good at this point. It's stiff and there is pain if it moves the wrong way. I nonetheless feel like things are going well and I'll be back in the water before summer.