1st Ride After Breaking My Ankle

[Grits]

I want to be ambidextrous too! I am having to learn to take off without pushing off with my right foot. I think I learned to start that way to protect my left knee, which gives me problems off and on. (Sucks getting old, but beats the alternative.)

Good suggestion about the massage. I've done ice packs, but the bath would be more effective.

I've been surprised about what doctors don't tell you during this process. I feel compelled now to tell anyone with a non-weight bearing lower limb injury about the knee scooter (had to find that on my own, and what a huge difference that made), how much easier it is to shower with a shower chair (duh.), and for goodness sakes, how to get up and down steps on crutches. That would certainly have been useful to know from day one. A friend finally told me the mantra "up with the good (leg) and down with the bad." Most useful thing anyone told me.

Glad you are healing so well and back on the bike! Thanks for your suggestions.

[Artista]

I've been surprised about what doctors don't tell you during this process.

Don't even get me started about how frustrated I am by the few instructions I received. I can almost forgive them for not telling about the scooter but they left out vital care and warning info following my repair surgery, too. My biggest frustration, though, is with the orthopedist's response when I asked him about physical therapy while I was in the boot. He told me that PT would be worthless until I could put weight on my ankle. Now I'm finding out how wrong he was. At least 50% of the problems I'm currently working to overcome have nothing to do with my ankle but everything to do with being non weight bearing for so long. Most of these problems could have been avoided had I participated in PT as soon as I got into the boot. My doctor was way too willing to unnecessarily sacrifice the rest of my body for the sake of healing one small part. I can't wait to get this ankle fully healed and disengage from our conventional medical system again.

[Nick]

So sorry to hear that you had to go through all this, Artista, but glad to hear you are back on the bike and on the road to full recovery.

[Artista]

Thanks for the positive comments everyone. The bottom line is that the human body is a thing of wonder. Today is my 2 month anniversary of my ankle break. I couldn't even step onto my bathroom scale and was still scooting up the stairs on my rear-end when I got out of the boot 2 1/2 weeks ago. Today I can walk across a room without a limp, (but not much further without a limp...yet), walk up stairs normally without holding onto the handrail, and ride my bike for an hour at a time. Here's to the amazing, self healing, human body!