Today marks the sixth month anniversary of that dark day when I broke my ankle. At the time, six months might as well have been an eternity, but to be honest, it now seems like a lifetime ago that it happened!
So, how have the last sixth months been? The first two weeks were the worst pain of my life, and that includes the recovery period from each of the FIVE c-sections I’ve had. I truly wondered if it would ever feel better, if I would ever be able to stand up without dealing with ridiculous amounts of burning pain ever again, would ever be able to walk like I used to again. Not to mention, would my foot/ankle/leg ever look normal again?!? Seriously, it was gruesome:
Fortunately, all of that is a distant memory. It was really like a flip switched after the first two weeks, and my recovery went pretty quickly after that, and I was even able to think about fashion again! I was out of the CAM boot just before Christmas, started my physical therapy, which thankfully I was able to do at home, and was done with the ankle brace about a month after that. It became clear to me pretty quickly that I was able to walk the long distances I was used to, in about the same amount of time that I previously did, that I could climb things to take photographs, and that I could do my normal housework without any limitations or difficulties.
Today, most of the lingering issues I have are all in my head. I have a moment of terror every time I start walking down a flight of stairs, remembering how my ankle twisted under me and snapped that day six months ago. I am super careful about each step I take, each placement of my feet, especially the left one. I also get a little paranoid every time something touches the left ankle, because I still expect it hurt, even after all this time. I will admit, that I do still have some pain, especially when rain is approaching (which has been pretty much a constant in the St. Louis area this spring), and I wonder sometimes if that’s permanent. If I spend a lot of time on my feet, I still have some residual swelling, too, which I am told is normal. But I was also told when I initially broke the ankle that it could take up to a year for it to return to normal, so hopefully it’s still too soon to tell if any of these inconveniences are my new normal.
It’s funny how traumatic this was when it happened, and how long ago and unimportant it seems now. But, as I look back on the days when I was burdened, first with crutches, then with the knee scooter (there’s no way I would have survived our Christmas trip to Chicago without it!), and CAM boot, I am satisfied with how much I got done, in spite of the pain and the fact that I was moving slow, and how I was able to keep going…and I’m also thankful for the help I had along the way!