Cargo Shorts

And then the happy drugs wore off...

Oh my gosh. I figured going into this surgery that with 4 major knee surgeries behind me that I would be prepared for anything that was thrown my way. Not the case at all. This ankle surgery has been by FAR the most painful one I have ever had. Granted, they did the most work inside my ankle of all the surgeries I have had thus far.

The worst of the pain came on the first night after surgery at the hotel. At about 3am I woke up with my entire foot numb and shooting pain from my toes all the way up my leg. My surgeon was trying to conserve materials and had hoped to use the aircast walking boot that I used before surgery. However, between the swelling and the bandages, there was not enough room in the brace and that was causing all the pain.

So before my mom and I left for home yesterday we went to my surgeons office to get the brace thing straightened out. My surgeon ended up giving me a different brace which has made all the difference.

My mom and I have gotten a good laugh out of my surgeon, Dr. Manoli. This guy knows his stuff when it comes to ankles and feet. I even learned that he has done surgery for a former National Gymnastics Champion. So anyhow, on Monday after my surgery my mom saw him walking around the hospital in Cargo Shorts and a tee-shirt. At his office on Tuesday he was wearing baggy jeans and a large button down shirt. He is totally casual about stuff like that. My mom and I find it humerous.

So its now day two after the surgery. The pain is horrible, all the time, and worse than any surgery I have ever had. This ankle has been an issue for over 10 years and so its good to finally have it fixed. I do know that pain is something that is passing and will get better as time goes on. I see Dr Manoli on October 15th to take the stitches out and see how things are going. After that I can start Physical Therapy. I am wearing this giant boot for about 8 weeks total.

There is a finish line in sight with all of this...its just kind of far away at this point.