Monday 7 October 2013

LIFE/INJURY UPDATE


So, as you all know, I've been a bit cooped up in the house lately following my injury, and I wanted to update you all on how that's going, since I've had some lovely messages asking after me.

It's been a pretty long 3 weeks since it all happened, and I've had lots of doctors appointments and hospital visits and different pieces of equipment to help me get around.

First, I started out in a makeshift cast, a "back slab" of plaster, bound up with bandages. I couldn't walk on that at all, and needed both a wheelchair and crutches to get around. The picture here on the left is how my foot looked when we took the plaster off. The swelling and bruising had subsided considerably, but it still looked quite a mess.

After my first hospital visit with the Orthopedic surgeon, I was fitted with a moon boot and told to remain non weight bearing for 2 weeks. That was a loooong 2 weeks. The boot is heavy and not the most comfortable thing in the world, but at least I can take a shower and sleep in comfort because I can remove it pretty much whenever I need to.

A few days before my 2 weeks of non weight bearing was up, I started physiotherapy. My therapist, Caitlin is amazing, and she tries to be as gentle as possible, whilst also getting the best results we're able to. She informed me that I'll be doing physio for at least 2 months, and gave me exercises to do every day, which I'm trying to make sure I do enough of. One of my main concerns is that the injured leg has lost quite a bit of muscle mass, and I know that's to be expected, but it's still quite shocking to look at. We'll be slowly rehabilitating my leg and getting me to a point where I am fully functioning again. That time cannot come fast enough for me.

Right now, I've been weight bearing, hobbling around on the moonboot for about 5 days, and it's getting easier. The ankle aches at the end of the day, but I think that's pretty normal. I'm weight bearing in the boot for 2 more weeks, then the boot comes off and I learn how to use the joint properly again without the support of the boot. I believe it will be braced for a little while, just with a basic ankle brace that I can get at the chemist. Here's what it looks like now. It almost looks like a proper ankle again, not a big swollen bruised up mess.

I'm looking forward to getting on with my fitness goals, and have set myself some new achievements to unlock. I'll be walking a marathon at some point next year, after I'm fully healed and I've worked my stamina back up to a point where I'm happy to push myself again.

I'll do another update in a couple of weeks when I'm out of the boot and on the road to proper recovery. Thank you all, those of you who have been concerned and asked about it. It means a lot to know you all care.



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