I had my first post-op appointment today, after the ankle fusion. Doc and PA were definitely surprised to hear how quickly I was off pain meds. Incisions are healing nicely, and swelling, though visible, was fairly minimal. The only incision in my ankle was along the outside, but not up the main incision, instead it was along the line of one of the minor incisions from the last surgery. When this is all said and done, I'll have two pretty significant scars running up the outside of my ankle. I did get a new cast, in the same burgundy color I've had before.
Mom took some pics, and I'll get them posted before long.
I did learn a little more about the recovery plans. I'll be in the cast for four weeks, no weight bearing. Assuming that the fusion is going well and the bones are growing together, I'll move from the cast to a rigid boot at the end of four weeks (six weeks after surgery) and will probably be allowed partial weight bearing for the next four weeks (10 weeks after surgery). At that point, I'll probably be allowed to put my full weight on the ankle, but will still be confined to the boot. At some point after that, I'll switch to normal shoes. Full bone fusion will probably take about four months total, if I remember right.
Things continue to go well, and I have very little pain. The biggest issue is just keeping my foot elevated to minimize swelling.
Monday, February 13, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
A quick note about the original fall
Just a quick note to clarify the accident that started all this. Most everyone that learns that I broke my ankles in a climbing accident assumes that I fell to the ground (or "decked out") and broke my ankles on impact. While many climbing injuries certainly do happen that way, that wasn't the case here.
Instead, I slid down an angled slab of rock. I probably slid 20 or 30 feet before the rope brought me to a stop. At that point, I was still 20 or 30 feet off the ground. As I slid, my feet caught (either in a crack, or on a bump, I don't know which). My momentum kept me sliding, even though my feet were stopped, and that's what did such terrible damage to my right ankle.
Nothing much new to report today. Pain level is still pretty low, but I still have to keep my foot quite elevated.
Instead, I slid down an angled slab of rock. I probably slid 20 or 30 feet before the rope brought me to a stop. At that point, I was still 20 or 30 feet off the ground. As I slid, my feet caught (either in a crack, or on a bump, I don't know which). My momentum kept me sliding, even though my feet were stopped, and that's what did such terrible damage to my right ankle.
Nothing much new to report today. Pain level is still pretty low, but I still have to keep my foot quite elevated.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
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).
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).
Monday, January 16, 2012
Getting ready for surgery
Getting ready for more surgery, to fuse the main ankle joint (tib to talus). X-rays this morning show that I am truly bone on bone. Nice, huh? This x-ray illustrated it best:
Compare this with an earlier x-ray, below, and it becomes very clear how much my ankle has deteriorated. (It's not quite the same x-ray view, but it illustrates the difference.)
Compare this with an earlier x-ray, below, and it becomes very clear how much my ankle has deteriorated. (It's not quite the same x-ray view, but it illustrates the difference.)
Sunday, August 21, 2011
After the MRI
I'm afraid that I haven't been very good when it comes to keeping this thing updated. I did have a chance to look at the MRI after I returned from my recent trip to CO/UT/ID (some great hiking and backpacking!) and I learned that my ankle is pretty well toast.
I hardly have any cartilage left in the main ankle joint, and the bone surfaces are showing significant signs of deterioration and bone loss (both tibia and talus) - which I gather is typical of serious arthritis. Even my uneducated eye could see that thing do not look good. The subtalar joint is showing signs of wear, but looks pristine compared to the main ankle joint.
My doc was very surprised at just how well I'm getting around, given what he could see in the MRI. He's advised me to just keep on keepin' on for as long as I can. While surgery is in the future, I'm hoping that I'll be able to put it off for another year or more.
Two weeks ago (actually, the very day I got to see my MRI), I got out rock climbing for the first time since the accident. Since then, I've been out three more times. I've definitely developed a bit of a fear of heights (something I never had before) which has been interesting to work through. But it's been fantastic to be back on the rock.
I hardly have any cartilage left in the main ankle joint, and the bone surfaces are showing significant signs of deterioration and bone loss (both tibia and talus) - which I gather is typical of serious arthritis. Even my uneducated eye could see that thing do not look good. The subtalar joint is showing signs of wear, but looks pristine compared to the main ankle joint.
My doc was very surprised at just how well I'm getting around, given what he could see in the MRI. He's advised me to just keep on keepin' on for as long as I can. While surgery is in the future, I'm hoping that I'll be able to put it off for another year or more.
Two weeks ago (actually, the very day I got to see my MRI), I got out rock climbing for the first time since the accident. Since then, I've been out three more times. I've definitely developed a bit of a fear of heights (something I never had before) which has been interesting to work through. But it's been fantastic to be back on the rock.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Back to the Doc.
So, things had been progressing just fine. I was out of PT and had even gotten backpacking a couple times. I was in the gym late-winter/early-spring, getting in shape for climbing and hiking season... and then my ankle starting giving me more and more problems. Mostly nothing big, just soreness, but occasionally there were days when it was painful enough that it was hard to walk.
So I got myself back into PT, and kept at it. A couple winter backpacking trips on snowshoes (very tame, nothing extreme) aggravated my ankle, so I laid off a bit, but kept stretching and strength training. Still no progress.
Eventually, I got myself back to the Doc, only to learn that I basically have no cartilage left in my main ankle joint, between the talus and heads of the tib/fib. Fusing my ankle is somewhere in my future, and I'm not real pleased about it.
For now, I'm gritting my teeth, taking some ibu, and carrying on. Once the pain gets bad enough, though, I'll be in for more surgery. And then recovery all over again. Have I mentioned that I'm not real pleased about it?
Just had an MRI on Friday, to determine just how much cartilage is left and whether or not I'm doing any damage to the peroneal tendons which (as I understand it) run through a small notch between the talus and the head of the fibula.
More soon.
So I got myself back into PT, and kept at it. A couple winter backpacking trips on snowshoes (very tame, nothing extreme) aggravated my ankle, so I laid off a bit, but kept stretching and strength training. Still no progress.
Eventually, I got myself back to the Doc, only to learn that I basically have no cartilage left in my main ankle joint, between the talus and heads of the tib/fib. Fusing my ankle is somewhere in my future, and I'm not real pleased about it.
For now, I'm gritting my teeth, taking some ibu, and carrying on. Once the pain gets bad enough, though, I'll be in for more surgery. And then recovery all over again. Have I mentioned that I'm not real pleased about it?
Just had an MRI on Friday, to determine just how much cartilage is left and whether or not I'm doing any damage to the peroneal tendons which (as I understand it) run through a small notch between the talus and the head of the fibula.
More soon.
Friday, January 1, 2010
No posts of late...
So once I started walking, and now that I'm back to work, I'm afraid that I've stopped updating this site. Things are progressing: I'm still in PT a couple times a week and my ankle still gets swollen pretty quickly if I don't keep it elevated (walking long distances or working on my feet for long periods of time is not happy), but I'm walking - and mostly without a limp!
My parents were total heroes. My mom ended up spending five (count 'em, five!) months out here, and my dad was out pretty frequently. And we didn't even kill each other.
I'm not sure how much more I'll post here. Thanks for reading!
My parents were total heroes. My mom ended up spending five (count 'em, five!) months out here, and my dad was out pretty frequently. And we didn't even kill each other.
I'm not sure how much more I'll post here. Thanks for reading!
Monday, November 16, 2009
These boots are made for walkin'...
As usual, I've been remiss in updating this blog. For a little over two weeks, I've been walking around in my mountaineering boots, not using my big Darth boot at all!
Today I went in for a minor surgery to remove the syndesmotic screw, the large screw that connected the lower ends of my tibia and fibula together. If you like the big words (fun!), the screw had been put in place to stabilize the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis - the tough fibrous connection that holds the distal ends of the tibia and fibula together.
We had hoped, one, that the screw would come out easily and in one piece and, two, that we wouldn't have to replace it with any other hardware. Neither of these quite worked out. The screw had broken about 3/8 inch from one end and so needed to be pulled out from both sides, meaning small incisions had to be made on both sides of my ankle. In addition, my surgeon decided to replace the screw with a "tightrope" system that holds my fibula in place against (basically) my tibia, but allows the two to move in relation to one another.
Some more info can be found online about Ankle Tighrope Syndesmosis Fixation. I'm not sure if that link describes the exact system used by my doc, but it makes the whole thing pretty clear and will certainly give you a better idea of what was done than I could accomplish here. Of particular interest, check the Rationale and Surgical Technique tabs on the left side.
All in all, I feel okay now, several hours after surgery. Of course, I'm on some pretty good pain drugs which always helps! I was able, though, to hobble in from the car without much trouble. I am, however, and despite the title of this post, back in my Darth boot for the rest of this week. Ugh.
All for now, I'm off to nap. G'nite!
Today I went in for a minor surgery to remove the syndesmotic screw, the large screw that connected the lower ends of my tibia and fibula together. If you like the big words (fun!), the screw had been put in place to stabilize the distal tibiofibular syndesmosis - the tough fibrous connection that holds the distal ends of the tibia and fibula together.
We had hoped, one, that the screw would come out easily and in one piece and, two, that we wouldn't have to replace it with any other hardware. Neither of these quite worked out. The screw had broken about 3/8 inch from one end and so needed to be pulled out from both sides, meaning small incisions had to be made on both sides of my ankle. In addition, my surgeon decided to replace the screw with a "tightrope" system that holds my fibula in place against (basically) my tibia, but allows the two to move in relation to one another.
Some more info can be found online about Ankle Tighrope Syndesmosis Fixation. I'm not sure if that link describes the exact system used by my doc, but it makes the whole thing pretty clear and will certainly give you a better idea of what was done than I could accomplish here. Of particular interest, check the Rationale and Surgical Technique tabs on the left side.
All in all, I feel okay now, several hours after surgery. Of course, I'm on some pretty good pain drugs which always helps! I was able, though, to hobble in from the car without much trouble. I am, however, and despite the title of this post, back in my Darth boot for the rest of this week. Ugh.
All for now, I'm off to nap. G'nite!
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