Ankle Woes

I'm now 7 weeks post injury. The first few after my sprain, my ankle was non-weight bearing. Frank was an angel and rented a knee scooter for me to use once he saw how bruised I was from using crutches for only two days. It was heaven sent, and worth every penny. I'd use the scooter outside the home, and crutches in the apartment. I somehow managed to tweak my elbow the first week using crutches. A tinge of pain would travel up and down my arm in certain positions, which made sleep a difficult task. I could rarely find comfort for my neck/shoulders, elbow and ankle. It grew old quickly. My elbow is improving, it is far less often I aggravate it. As for the ankle, I've been out of the boot since Thursday. Now, I waddle in my lace up brace. I'm anxious to get back to normal, but in order to do so, I'm going to need surgery to repair my ligaments. Otherwise, I'm stuck with a loose ankle, and it will be a matter of time for re-injury.

I was hopeful that I could opt for surgery right after the injury, but my Ortho quickly nixed that plan. He informed me that I'd need to wait for swelling and bruising to reduce, and scar tissue to form to prevent him from being overly aggressive during surgery. At five weeks, I had an MRI. It showed evidence of grade 2 sprain at the ATL and calcaneofibular ligaments, which are most commonly injured, and I also tore the LCL at the calcaneocuboid joint. I can proceed with surgery as soon as I'm ready. The soonest I can schedule it is mid-July. The last month in the boot has been roasty toasty in triple digits. I'm opting to postpone for an additional 4-6 weeks to avoid the summer heat. I'll be in a cast after surgery. A sweaty confined foot in 105+ sounds like a bad combination, not to mention a haven for bacteria. So, I'd rather limit the risk for infection, avoid stinking to the highest of heavens and get it done in September. The ortho doesn't have issue with me waiting, only negative I can see is the delay in rehab since I'll be starting from square one. I think the pros outweigh the cons so I plan to enjoy my summer and reboot - literally, this fall.