OK...once I started walking I neglected this blog. It's been nearly 11 months since surgery and have had my final ortho follow up. My xrays show the screw in my heel to be intact. There is and should never be any movement as the surgeon did a great job countersinking it into the bone. I feel no lumps, bumps or anything in there.
My 4 inch scar is still numb and it has been determined that I will never regain nerve sensation on the side of my foot. From time to time I feel as if I am standing in a cold puddle of liquid...when the floor is in fact dry. Even though my sural nerve was never cut, it was moved around and stretched during surgery to render it useless. I don't mind the lack of feeling on my foot....it just bothers me that I can no longer move my pinky toe. I never will....I have tried...I still try...even using the force will not prompt my pinky to to abduct. The force is obviously not strong with this one.
So...overall...am I happy I had this surgery? Well...yes. I can no longer roll my ankle out. There are few times when I have walked on an uneven surface and my ankle has turned, but not enough to do any damage. Plus I have been rather diligent with proprioception exercises that I am really quick to correct my foot/ankle. The ridiculous pain from the peroneal tendons is gone. I can operate a clutch on my jeep or on a bike with no worries or discomfort. I am pleased with that. The only downside of this entire ordeal is the fact that my calf muscle was compromised in the two years prior to surgery. I had torn my calf in three different places but my Achilles was intact. Still...being casted and non weight bearing caused enough atrophy that I am still working on this leg. My Achilles is extremely tight so not only do I work on calf raises regularly...but I have to stretch often!!!! My doctor did suggest going in there and doing a release...but we're gonna wait on that. Love him dearly...but I am not trying to be cut open anytime soon.
Well....I'm not playing hopscotch....and I'm not jumping rope...and I'm not playing softball yet...but I can walk... Soon...with some more hard work on my part I will be able to resume those activities. I cannot wait.
