Moving forward...

I'll be happy when time is no longer measured in weeks since injury/surgery. Today marks 8 weeks from injury and yesterday marked 7 weeks since surgery. I had my 6-week follow-up with the doc last Tuesday and was cleared to start weight-bearing as tolerated. The bone has healed and no longer shows a fracture line. The joint is also stable. Other than no running for another month or so, all restrictions were removed. Great news, but it didn't turn out to be the big day that I was hoping because the doc wouldn't let me try weight-bearing until I saw my PT. Meaning that I wasn't able to walk out of his office as I had been hoping for and had a few more days on the crutches until I could get in to see my PT on Friday. And, that's when the magic happened.

I feel very fortunate that I had already been working with Cole for 3 sessions by this point. We ran through my daily exercises to start so he could evaluate my current state. He was satisfied that I was ready to move forward. I started on the stationary bike for 10 minutes which highlighted how little strength I have in my foot (to push the pedal around). Then, it was on to the leg press (with no weight obviously) which highlighted how much my quads have deteriorated. Then, it was time for the main event. I tried standing with my weight distributed on both legs and tolerated that without any problems. I didn't have any fear at that point and was eager to try walking. Ah, not so fast grasshopper. It wasn't quite as easy as I had hoped.

I left the session frustrated and disappointed with instructions to walk around the house using both, one, or no crutches with the boot based on whatever I could manage. I spent the weekend struggling with trying to figure out whether the issue was physical (my muscles just aren't strong enough to support me yet) or psychological (the big FEAR that I've been trying to wrangle). K suggested that it's likely a combination of both, and I agreed. I broke through the fear yesterday and took a few unsupported steps. It's really more of a lurch than a walk at this point, but I'll take it. I'm doing a lot better with just one crutch so that's how I've been getting around the house for the most part for the past two days. That has been wonderful because it has freed up one hand to carry things from place to place. The other exciting news is that I ditched the boot when I'm sleeping, so for the first time in nearly two months I have been able to sleep on my stomach. Oh, how glorious that has been! I have PT again tomorrow and I'm eager to keep moving forward. Each step brings me closer to getting my life back.

And, what a life it is! We closed on our new house about a week and a half ago, and we've been busy choosing paint colors, buying furniture, and moving. K has really been impressive in terms of managing the move by himself. It will be another busy week ahead as we get closer to officially living in the 'burbs.