All good after surgery

Surgery to fuse the ankle took place last Wedensday, Feb 1. All apparently went quite well. The surgery took considerably less time than anticipated, partly because I had no cartilage left that the doc needed to clean out.

My surgeon reported that the bone surfaces at the joint were badly deteriorated, but that the surrounding bone was healthy, strong and hard.

What he did in a nutshell was: carve out a place at the bottom of my tibia, shave down my talus (the small bone that sits beneath the tib and fib) and fit the two of them together. Then he pulled bone marrow from the top of my tibia (near my knee) and used it like grout to pack the joint (this apparently speeds the growing/fusing process). Finally, he bolted the tib and talus together with giant (6.5mm, I think) screws.

I ended up in the hospital overnight, but for less than 24 hours. Once again, the staff at Overlake hospital up in Bellevue were quite good.

Pain has been very minimal, and I haven't needed heavy duty painkillers since Saturday morning. I do have to keep my ankle elevated above my heart or it gets swollen (and the pain ratchets up) very quickly. This means lots and lots (and lots) of time sitting in a recliner or bed with my feet propped up high on pillows. Comfortable for a short time, not so much for days on end. Today is the first time I've been able to manage without quite so many pillows. A small, but nice, change.

Things could definitely be worse.

My folks have, again, been heroes, and are out here for the long haul. They're planning to stay until I can drive again (6 - 10 weeks) which is fantastic. I definitely credit my speedy healing in the past to the care they provide. If I had to spend more time on my feet cooking, doing dishes, washing clothes, etc., my foot would be much more swollen, I would be in a great deal more pain, and I don't think the healing would happen nearly as quickly.

I'm still a little confused about the recovery time line, but definitely no weight bearing for 6 to 10 weeks. And then several months before totally healed. I go back next Monday for a follow-up appointment to take out stitches, check healing, take x-rays, etc., and I should know more then.

For now, I'm going to hobble out to the porch on my crutches and sit in the sun and enjoy this marvelous fall day (never mind the fact that it's February).