Health & Wellness, Part II

On to part II...

And the ankle?  After waiting for weeks, and calling multiple times to see if I could move up my appointment (persistence pays off) I visited a local podiatrist in February.  I had X-rays and an MRI, then I was referred to a surgeon in Columbus.  Apparently my old injury has developed into an Os Trigonum.... sort of a bony protuberance that was grinding between my joint.

(image from lowerextremityreview.com)

I went to see the surgeon this week, and it looks like I'm headed for a surgical repair in April.  You know it's not going to end easily or painlessly when your doctor looks at your X-rays and says "Wow".  Other than removing the Os Trigonum, he plans to drain fluid, remove scar tissue, and tighten up ligaments.

Side note:  I first talked to the Fellow, who chatted me up about the problems I was having.  When he left the room, Husband looked at me and asked what I was doing.

I was puzzled... I was telling the doctor about my ankle.  According to Husband, if I was his patient, he would have been ready to send me home.  Apparently I was minimizing the issues, and making it seem like 'nothing'.  Perception is a funny thing, isn't it?

After thinking about it, I realized I probably was minimizing the problem. To me, if it was bad enough to finally be seeing a doctor, it was very bad.  But that was not what I was saying.  So when the surgeon came in, I was more descriptive and open about the pain and the problems.   On another tangent, I recently listened to a podcast about women's health issues, and apparently it is more common than not for women to brush off signs and symptoms of larger medical issues.... good to know that I am not the only one trying to be a stoic.....

And the procedure is scheduled!

I am completely freaked out, especially when I think of 4 weeks in a cast with crutches, 2 weeks of a walking cast, 2 weeks of a boot, and a final 6 weeks of physical therapy.  Good thing I didn't sign up for that 5K at the beginning of June!

I'm trying not to think of the hours of boredom, the healing, the lack of activity, or the loss of muscle tone, and instead focus on the hope that by my birthday I should be released for full activity.  And that the end of November may bring a 3 mile run without pain.  Plus, I plan to catch up on some of the reading I haven't been doing in the last 6 months.  I spent my morning adding 15 books to my library "want-to-read" list.

I AM looking for suggestions on shows to stream on Netflix, any good books, and yummy freezer meals.  Oh, and if you've got an automatic vehicle I could borrow for 6 weeks, could you give me a call?