Tara's Ankle Countdown

[aygltd2]

Yay! :D

[dani]

Way to go Tara!! My ankle is still swollen by the end of the day, but I am skating. I hope to work on my waltz jump and 1/2 toe walley and 1/2 lutz starting Sunday. I went nuts with a week off, so my heart goes out to you!

Hugs!!

[TaraNJ]

OK everyone! [color=red:b0f6500643]FOUR more days[/color:b0f6500643] until I can walk!

Only I have heard from others at mybrokenleg.com (yes there is such a place) that the first days and even weeks of walking require crutches. And only partial weight on the injured foot. And only a few minutes of walking at a time.

But, it's still WALKING! :lol:

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend. I'm hoping maybe I can waddle over to our pool that opens this weekend and have a little fun in the sun. 8)

[Figureskates]

Way to go Tara!!

Just partial weight please...besides the weaken ankle, there is also some muscle shrinkage due to inactivity....

It will be August before you know it!!!

[Yazmeen]

Good for you, Tara. Now take its easy at first...baby steps!!!!! :lol:

Hugs,

Beth

[melanieuk]

I think a progress report is in order, as for anyone with an injury at present?
So that we all know what to expect if we hurt ourselves?
:D

[db]

Thanks for the good news, Tara, keep it coming!

[Elsy2]

I think tomorrow is the big day......Tara gets to walk? Let us know how it goes! Easy does it....

[Chico]

Best wishes Tara. Tip, I've been there remember, bring comfortable shoes. Even though the swelling is less, getting shoes on is a trick at first. Go slow at first! Like you'll have a choice........but like you said it will be walking.

Chico

Warning. (Just remembered.) Your leg may shake something wicked for a few minutes at a time when you do first start exercising it. It's like having panic attacks in your leg. Massage will help this. Also, I remember being afraid to walk for a day or two. Felt scarey and unsure. It will improve in a day or two. I walked slowly and held my husbands hand big time for a few days.

[TaraNJ]

Thanks for all the great messages, guys.

Well, it's been a while since I posted, huh?

Last Tuesday I went to the doctor, got my xrays taken, and bam! He says, "Looks beautiful; you can walk!" Since it was a busy day at his office, I barely had enough time for this message to sink in before he was out the door. He did say I did not need to put down partial weight...I did not need crutches although he expected I would use them for a day or two...and he didn't expect me to jog out of the office. I asked if I needed to wear my old stress fracture moonboot and he said it was unnecessary. My aircast and sneaker would do.

I was amazed I was given my walking papers, since others with whom I had chatted said they were partial weight bearing at first. But doc said OK, so I listened to him.

That Tuesday was a little rough. Walking with both crutches was slow and painful. I went to the PT office and a technician there thought I had taken two steps backward in my progress just because I was wincing so much. I told him...FIRST DAY WALKING!

My PT worked with me...massaged my foot and helped me with exercises...and then she showed me how to walk with one crutch. She said I should walk with one for a few days, just to be safe and to get used to the walking sensation.

On Wednesday I spent most of the day in bed, recovering from the previous day's action. On Thursday I was manuevering around the house, but minimally. I continued to do my stretching exercises as ordered but other than that, I didn't walk much.

By Friday, I had had enough of my bed AND the crutch. I said SCREW THE CRUTCH and left it by my bedside. That night my husband came home and I showed him that I was now walking around the house without a crutch. And I showed him that I could shower, too! LOL

He wasn't too certain about my new found independence, but we went for a walk around the neighborhood after dinner and he was impressed. The further we walked, the warmer my foot would get, flexing to allow me a smoother motion. I still look like Frankenstein fumbling around, but each day it gets somewhat better.

PT is now three times a week, and I just returned from this evening's appoinment, terribly sore from pushing it a little harder than I should. Instead of 1 set of 30 flexes on a machine, I did 2 sets. When my PT asked for 2 sets of 15 rotating my foot on the machine, I did 4 sets. OK, so NOW I'm feeling it! I'm icing and elevating right now, writing on my laptop from the comfort of my bed.

I went to my skating club's annual banquet last night and everyone was really impressed with how much I was up and walking around. (Side note: they awarded me a lovely plaque for my Sectionals win and Nationals participation.) I wore these very very very low heel black strapless sandals (with my aircast) that allowed me to walk smoother than in my sneakers because my achilles did not have to flex as much. I had a very small limp instead of a big lumbering one. I got all dressed up...blew my hair dry and styled it, put on full makeup, wore my best pearl and diamond earrings, and donned a classic black shift...I felt like a real person again.

Many of my friends are saying that I am doing a lot better than they every imagined. My PT is also happy with my progress, and she says my scar looks very good considering I'm just 7 weeks post-op. Things ARE getting better.

Some difficult news is that it looks as though I'll have to get some screws removed, as they are showing underneath the skin. I doubt I'll be able to skate without having them removed, but only time will tell. I'll have to wait and see. My first goal is to walk smoothly and to start lifting weights to get my legs back in shape. My PT said I can probably ride a stationary bike on Thursday and start weights next week.

ONE STEP AT A TIME!

Thanks for all the support, and I hope everyone else is well!

[TaraNJ]

Oh, I meant to post one more thing.

My doctor said that I have rather thin bones for my height and frame, which could explain all the injuries I've been having. However, this shoots to h e l l my theory that I am not five pounds overweight but rather a "big boned" kind of girl! :wink:

[Mrs Redboots]

Glad to hear you're doing so well. Don't push yourself too far, though - you will heal in time, and you do, alas, have to allow things to take their time. :frus:

[Chico]

Tara,

Glad all seems well. I walked out of my office visit too but without crutches. I went from moon boot to sneakers. My first goal was just to walk around my familyroom more than once before sitting. I don't recall how long you were in your moon boot but I was in mine, well plaster cast and moon boot, for four months. Going from boot to sneakers was a huge step. Take care and best wishes.

Chico

It will get easier.

[kar5162]

That's great Tara!

[Mrs Redboots]

On this topic, I was interested to read somewhere (sorry, can't post a link as I have read 9 newspapers and 4 magazines today for work, and can't remember what was where) that it is thought that some of the new generation of NSAIDS can actually hinder bone healing. Even good old Ibuprofen can delay it a bit - they say the only one that doesn't is aspirin.

[db]

It's great to hear such good news! I also read about NSAIDs adversly affecting fracture healing. I'm sure you can find it online somewhere.
[quote:0914daa3b8]My doctor said that I have rather thin bones for my height and frame, which could explain all the injuries I've been having. [/quote:0914daa3b8]
Has your orthopod said anything about a bone density scan? I'm just wondering if that would be worthwhile for you at your age. I'm 55 and was planning to have one anyway before I broke my wrist. One drawback is that the imaging is not very accurate for the narrower bones like the wrists. Don't know if that applies to ankles also.

[Figureskates]

Tara, that is such great news about your ankle...it sounds like you are making steady progress. Keep up the good work but do not overdo..okay?

I rad the same information about NSAIDS. Also I read that drinking carbonated drinks that have a coca-cola base are also bad...they leach the bones. I read this is a local paper...can anyone verify this story elsewhere??

Finally, I had the scare of the week when I woke up Monday morning early with excruiating pain in my right knee...the good one. It hurt so bad that I teared where I tried to move it. By about 8am the pain had subsided and I got up and just hung around the house. The pain finally subsided and went away by Tuesday morning (I had a lesson on Tuesday and it was fine). Some people at work complained about their joints hurting a for a couple days, so I figured I had some vicious virus...But it gave me a start since that would have put the figure skating on hold if it had been a problem, and my wife said that I would then become a very cranky camper!!

[db]

[quote:f799f13ab5="Figureskates"]
Finally, I had the scare of the week when I woke up Monday morning early with excruiating pain in my right knee...the good one. It hurt so bad that I teared where I tried to move it. By about 8am the pain had subsided and I got up and just hung around the house[/quote:f799f13ab5]

I've had something similar happen after lying in bed still for a while. It has happened to both my knees, but only one at a time. It always feels to me as if something in my knee has shifted into the wrong place. Knees are just tricky.

[kar5162]

[quote:41f571f6f4="Figureskates"]I rad the same information about NSAIDS. Also I read that drinking carbonated drinks that have a coca-cola base are also bad...they leach the bones. I read this is a local paper...can anyone verify this story elsewhere??[/quote:41f571f6f4]

I have read this in multiple places. IIRC, it's that caffiene removes calcium from your body (or doesn't let it be absorbed maybe?), so over time you'll weaken your bones. It's not just cola products like coke or pepsi though, it's coffee, tea (caffienated), root beer, and the new "energy" drinks/caffienated water, etc.

So, especially for women, people who had/have eating disorders, people with lower bone density, etc, it's imporant to limit the amount of caffienated drinks consumed as well as to ensure you're consuming enough calcium, preferably through easily absorbed sources like fruits and vegetables.

Kim

[flippet]

[quote:3529652b05="kar5162"][quote:3529652b05="Figureskates"]I rad the same information about NSAIDS. Also I read that drinking carbonated drinks that have a coca-cola base are also bad...they leach the bones. I read this is a local paper...can anyone verify this story elsewhere??[/quote:3529652b05]

I have read this in multiple places. IIRC, it's that caffiene removes calcium from your body (or doesn't let it be absorbed maybe?), so over time you'll weaken your bones. It's not just cola products like coke or pepsi though, it's coffee, tea (caffienated), root beer, and the new "energy" drinks/caffienated water, etc.
[/quote:3529652b05]

I had thought that it had to do with the phosphoric acid in soda, not the caffeine....perhaps I'm wrong though. It interferes with calcium (either absorption or it sucks it out...or both maybe, I don't quite remember either).

I hadn't heard about the NSAIDS thing though...

[Figureskates]

Flippet, that is what I remembered...it had to do with the phosphoric acid. The article went on to say that things like Mountain Dew were okay and boy is that stuff loaded with caffiene!!!