almost 1 year later..

.. and I can walk, run, jump, etc. (not thrilled about the running part, but oh well!)

My ankle still hurts from time to time, especially when spending excessive amounts of time on it (amusement parks are killer) - but nothing that a tylenol or two and an ice pack can't fix. Also, sometimes it gets stiff sometimes, usually after sitting down (especially after walking for awhile) or being in the car for prolonged periods of time. Once again, tylenol helps. :)

The scars are still.. well, scars. I've been meaning to buy some sort of cream to rub on it to diminish its appearance.. but I have not gotten around to that one. Add that to my list, right?

Thank goodness this all happened LAST summer - I am set to move in about two weeks to begin graduate school, and I could not imagine hobbling around to class on crutches.

I suppose that as time goes by my ankle will get progressively stronger - walking on a more regular basis would probably help that one. Add that one to my list too, lol.

i suck at updating!

well, over a month later..

(i apologize)

i was able to start putting weight on my ankle on july 27th.. that week i could put 25% of my weight on it, followed by 50% - 75% - 100% in the next 3 weeks. before i could but 100% of my weight on that leg i did have to still use my crutches.. which sucked, but was better than hopping around all the time!

i had another doctor's appointment yesterday morning, at which i recieved the best news yet - i am healed! (well, kind of..)

my fractures are healed.. however, the joint is still very stiff. i've been soaking it and doing exercises with a theraband on evenings to help with my ankle's range of motion.. but still, it takes time. also, i was cleared to walk without my walking boot.. and it's awesome to be able to use BOTH of my shoes! granted, i am not walking normally (because of the pain) .. i am still limping slightly. and walking slowly..

but i am working on it. hopefully soon i will be back to 'normal'!

wish me luck... ;)

7 days and counting..

so, it has now been a week since the hard cast came off. a week of ankle exercises (which, i am glad to report, no longer hurt like hell..) and my ankle is moving a little easier. nothing like it was, of course, and unfortunately i still can't make it lay flat. but i'm working on it.. lol

yesterday, as i was laying out at the pool, i had the most wonderful realization - i could go IN the water! the boot was already off, as i'm trying to remedy the most awful tan line in existence (from the hard cast). yes, i had to 'butt-scoot' (i am now the master.. haha) from the pool chair over to the stairs.. and then hop across the pool to the jet section (there's a bench) .. but the water felt soooo good as my left leg glided through it. so.. accomplishment!

i can start 'walking' again in just one mere week.. i'm excited! and i use the term 'walking' because i can only put a slight bit of my weight on my left leg (about 25%) so i will still have to use the crutches. but, instead of swinging myself around like a hurt little monkey (lol), i will be 'walking.'

wow, still can't really believe that i managed to do this to myself?

and, apparently, broken ankles seem to be the 'it' injury of this summer (lol) ... my coworker's boyfriend broke his a couple of weeks ago and an acquaintance from school broke hers as well. of course, i'm offering up advice.. because i know how much it sucks. i've learned to do many things that i never thought i would have to while only using one leg. not fun, but oh well.

live and learn, right?

freedom!

so, great news!

... the hard cast came off today! :)

the doctor's office was insane today.. it was their 1st day in a new office, so nobody knew what was going on. so what should have only taken about an hour actually ended up taking a total of 2 and a half hours.. on top of my appointment being an hour late. so i was there from 10am until almost 2pm, and i didn't even go back until around 11. but oh well. the waiting room was.. fun? tori went with me, so i did get entertained :)

the saw part was kind of creepy. "oh don't worry, this won't cut your skin" .. hmm, ok? so it can cut through a fiberglass cast.. but not skin? eech.. ok, lol.

they gave me a walking boot, even though i can't put any weight on my left leg for another 2 weeks (july 27th!! i'm so excited! LOL) but at least that will protect my ankle as i move about.. but i can take it off when i'm sleeping (sweet!) and showering (yessss! a washed leg! LOL) and it feels incredible to have air hitting my leg now!

so, for the gross stuff.. lol. there was a LOT of dead skin. i scratched my leg (a LOT) at the doctor's office (felt soooo good.. haha) and totally grossed out tori (haha) but most of it came off when i was soaking it tonight after work. i just look down, and see a bunch of stuff floating on top of the water.. gross? yeah..

i have to soak my ankle for 20 min in warm water before i do my 'exercises' twice a day.. basically, my ankle doesn't move right now. i can't flex it, and wearing the walking boot is very uncomfortable because i can't get my ankle to lay flat. it's kind of stuck at a slightly downward angle right now. but i know that's because of the screws that are going across it, so it will just take time i suppose. i have 2 weeks to get it to lay flat, lol, otherwise i can't start walking on the 27th.. =/

and, now for fun pictures! :)





the hard cast, once it had been split open














mmm dry skin much? (after scratching, lol)


















wow.. look at the size difference!















yes, i am a dork who kept a piece of her cast..

small update

so, today will be my 4th day back at work.. all is going well on that front. i can sit in my office chair with my foot propped up on an upside down box (LOL... sara labeled it 'leigh's foot stool' in sharpie so nobody would throw it out) with few problems. if it does get uncomfortable, i just take a couple of tylenol and then i'm good. :)

it's really nice to be back at work, so i'm not just sitting around the house all day long bored out of my skull.. can you believe i actually got sick of tv?? never thought that one would happen.. LOL!

you know, when all of this happened the only thing i could think of was 'SHIT! there goes my summer.. there goes my life for the next 3 or so months...' but maybe this was actually a good thing. i mean, a lot of worse things could have happened to me.. you know? but, in reality, this whole experience has actually turned out to be a good thing. i've had a lot of time to not only think about but actually DO some things that i've wanted to do for over a year now.. which might turn out to be another blog, who knows? plus, my friends have been so awesome with me.. coming to visit, taking me out places, calling to check up on me, etc. of course, if the situation were reversed i'd be doing the same thing for them.. that's what friends are for, right?

oh.. but to all my MD friends, i have some bad news.. =/ so, it turns out i will not be able to come home anytime soon.. i need to concentrate on my physical therapy once i can actually walk again, lol. i'm not willing to do ANYthing that might push it. this includes work (i really don't want to reinjure myself, thank you) and, sadly, driving 9 hours to go home. so, that kind of sucks. i was REALLY looking forward to seeing ally while she was in town, but.. *sigh.. maybe i'll just have to go back to italy next year, right? ;) perhaps i can schedule a trip home later this year.. once my ankle is back to normal. plus, i would feel realllly bad about asking for time off from work for that - after having a month off, LOL!

stupid ankle.. if this hadn't happened i would have already had those days off to go home, but oh well. =/ so, there are of course bad things about this whole leigh-broke-her-ankle deal.. but, like i said, overall it has actually been good :)

next appointment: july 13th! that is 2 weeks from today! so, that means that i might be halfway through the hard cast phase, lol. depending on my x-rays at that point, of course. but, well, here's hoping!

hmm, well i must get ready for work.. but i'll try to update again soon, pending things happening.. LOL!

holy CRAP!

so i received all of the claim info from the insurance company in the mail today..

you know, something needs to be done about the insane costs of medical treatment! what if i didn't have insurance? couldn't afford this? yes, they are legally obligated to still do it.. but still. there goes my credit! so here's the rundown of the claims..

• grand strand regional medical center (including ER and surgery) : $19,907.50 (!!!!!! WTF?)
• anesthesiologist : $500
• radiologist : $30
• pathologist : $12.30
• strand orthopedics: $3700.00
  

seriously.. almost 20 grand???? that is INSANE! i didn't even stay overnight in the hospital!

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

so far the grand total comes out to $24,149.80 .. all from the month of may! that doesn't even count my appointment last week to get the stitches taken out/hard cast put on.. or the appointment next month to get the hard cast off, etc. more xrays will be involved, etc.

this is absolutely crazy.. something needs to be done about astronomical medical costs in this country! well, in my opinion anyways..

back to the grind..

so, on friday, i am going back to work! i had to get a work release faxed in from my doctor, which says i am ok to work until july 13th. once he sees my xrays again he will update that form... depending on how the ankle looks. :)

i'm worried about working once i can start 'walking'.. if i should push it or not....

so we shall see :)