Week Twenty-Six

Wednesday, March 30th, was twenty-six weeks post-surgery. That day my ankle felt fine and that evening I used the elliptical for 20 minutes without any pain afterward. I still iced my ankle though, as recommended by my physical therapist. I was so happy to be able to use my elliptical and not have any pain or discomfort!

On Thursday, my therapist told me to come in just once the following week and then we'd see what we'd do after that. I would go to the gym that Saturday and then again on Monday to supplement the physical therapy visits. I knew if I kept up with my strength-training and stretching that I would be able to get my ankle stronger and more flexible over time. I started a routine of stretching each morning and stretching each evening, knowing that little by little I would be able to hold the stretches longer.

On Saturday, I volunteered at the animal shelter and then went to the gym. My ankle was sore but held up great! I put ice on it after both outings.

On Sunday, I ran several errands for most of the day and again, my ankle held up just fine. I iced and elevated it after returning home. There were times I wished I had no pain at all and it became a little discouraging, but I had to remind myself that my ankle was still healing and even the discomfort I was feeling now was 100 times better than the pain I was feeling before the surgery. The discomfort was something I could live with and I knew it would subside as my ankle became stronger and healed.

One thing I noticed that I had started to gain a little weight; this was probably due to not eating the right things and not exercising enough. That definitely had to change! I planned to change my diet for the better and use my elliptical for 20-30 minutes in between physical therapy and gym visits. Also, once my physical therapy was over I decided I would supplement that third visit with swimming. I needed to make sure I didn't gain weight and put too much stress on my new ankle!