Some Really Good News

I sprained my ankle earlier this year.  Because I landed on my knee when I fell, and my knee swelled up like a balloon, we paid more attention to the knee instead of my ankle.

The result of this was that I fell many, many, many times over this past year.  I believe the original fall was into the ice in a drainage ditch, followed by a fall in front of the Relay for Life offices a month later.  The post describing those falls is here.

A month after the fall at the Relay for Life office, I fell once again, but this one was a scary fall that landed me in the Emergency Room and on crutches for over a month.  

A month after that, I was standing on the steps coming down out of the kitchen and BOOM!  The next thing I knew, I was laying down in the recycling bins.  No clue how I got there, but this time, nothing was swollen or broken.

That seemed to be the end of the falls.  I felt very unsteady on my feet, and I began working on building my strength back up, walking longer and longer distances.

And then, we delivered daughter to college in September.  I fell, once again in traffic, and I banged the daylights out of my knee and ankle.  One trip to the doctor and a specialist later, I was told that I had a high sprain on my ankle, and that it had not healed correctly the first time - the muscles had not interconnected back together when they healed.  The specialist told me that these injuries rarely healed on their own, and wanted to schedule surgery.  I pushed for Physical Therapy.  He grudgingly approved it, telling me that I was just putting off the inevitable.

I began 4 weeks of physical therapy, where I had all kinds of fun, doing great stuff!  I stood on one foot (the weak one), did toe raises, worked with an ankle strap and resistance bands, and did whatever crazy exercise the Therapists told me to do.  I was diligent, too.  I did my exercises at home every single night.  Every exercise or stretch we did in therapy, I did at home.

Friday was my last PT session.  I have improved -  A LOT.  The PT said he didn't think I'd be back again, unless if the specialist decided to go ahead and operate.

Yesterday was the appointment with the specialist.

I took off my socks and shoes, and he began manipulating my ankle.

You have to understand, the last time I saw him, my right ankle was loosey goosey.  It rolled every which way, with no resistance whatsoever from my muscles.  I had torn the ligament that is to the ankle as the ACL is to the knee.

He started moving my ankle, and then he looked back at my chart.  Back at the ankle, back at the chart.  He went back and forth for a few minutes and then said "This NEVER happens.  Scar tissue has formed over the tear, and it has grown through all of the layers of the muscle.  This ankle isn't rolling at all.  I am getting resistance from all angles.  Somebody up there likes you!'  We talked for a couple more minutes about my wonderful Physical Therapist, and I gave him the PT's business card.

Then, I heard the words I longed to hear:  "Get out of here!  Go away!  I hope we never meet again!"

Me too, sir.  Me, too.