Week Ten

Wednesday, December 8th, was ten weeks post-surgery. I had been back at work, part-time, for a full week and things were going well. That night I used my Wii Fit for the first time in over a year! I did some balance games and although I had to drop myself back down to the "beginner level" on each one, I was very happy with how well I did. I also used my elliptical machine for the first time in over a year, for five minutes.

Over the next few days I continued my home exercises and used the Wii Fit and elliptical, and by Saturday morning my therapist said I was making excellent progress. My ankle was definitely getting stronger and I was still unsure about going swimming at my local YMCA. My therapist thought I was walking well enough to make it from the locker room to the pool; he said walking in the pool would be good for me and of course the swimming would be great exercise as well. I still wasn't sure about my foot holding out so I decided to wait a little while longer and begin swimming again after the holidays. In the meantime, I also considered going for short walks in my neighborhood, just as far as I could manage. That particular Saturday I didn't go because I'd had physical therapy in the morning and didn't want to push my ankle, which was already sore.

Sunday was a cold, rainy day so I spent the day inside, putting out holiday decorations, helping with laundry and cleaning the house. It had been a very long time since I was able to clean the entire house in one afternoon and afterward my ankle was not sore at all. I had worn my air cast to help with support, and I noticed that my heel was hurting. This was because most of my weight was on my heel whenever I wore the air cast; that's the way it was designed. That was fine by me because I was so happy that the ankle itself didn't hurt! Before the surgery I would not have lasted that long cleaning and being on my feet. That evening I used my elliptical and played my favorite balance game on the Wii Fit, and then did my regular strengthening exercises. After all that my ankle was sore but it was a good sore. As I sat with ice I felt so good... it was the first truly productive day I'd had in a long time. The benefits of having had this surgery were definitely (and gradually) becoming clearer.

On Monday I used the elliptical machine for 10 minutes at physical therapy. My ankle was becoming stronger and more flexible. I realized that the more progress I made, the more determined I was to go further, to push myself to the next level. Every week there seemed to be a new achievement and I was feeling very good!