New Year, New Ankle!
Well, Christmas 2011 has come and gone came and now it's time for a new year and a new ankle. Or at least that's what I keep telling people. 2012 will be the year for new ankle (so to speak) to hit the pavement and start running...or something like that.
Anyways, I am feeling good thus far in my recovery. The pain is constant still, but I barely notice it. I am still elevating my ankle everynight, but I have noticed I can go about an hour without elevating it during the day. Also, the swelling is looking a lot better and I am certain that within a few weeks that will be just about gone as well. Honestly, it seems like my recovery has taken forever but really considering what they did to the darn thing, this has been a quick recovery.
Okay, well no New Years parties for me. It's hard to dress up when you are rocking the walking boot.
Smiles and Happy New Year!
Shannon
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Monday, December 19, 2011
It's beginning to look a lot like...week 7
Happy Holidays all!
Well, it's just a few days from Christmas and my dream to walk again is as close as it's going to get. I am walking, but it's certainly not pain free. Of course a lot of the pain is coming from my broken toe that I just keep slamming into walls.
All in all, I'm feeling good. I will tell you if anyone ever gets this procedure done that the pain will increase once you get back on your feet. I had to learn the hard way of course and completely over did it the first couple of days. I would just constantly think of ways to get up and walk, perhaps because I hadn't been able to for so long. Either way, I still got the best Christmas present I could ever ask for and that is to simply....walk.
Cheers,
Shannon
Well, it's just a few days from Christmas and my dream to walk again is as close as it's going to get. I am walking, but it's certainly not pain free. Of course a lot of the pain is coming from my broken toe that I just keep slamming into walls.
All in all, I'm feeling good. I will tell you if anyone ever gets this procedure done that the pain will increase once you get back on your feet. I had to learn the hard way of course and completely over did it the first couple of days. I would just constantly think of ways to get up and walk, perhaps because I hadn't been able to for so long. Either way, I still got the best Christmas present I could ever ask for and that is to simply....walk.
Cheers,
Shannon
Friday, December 16, 2011
Back on my Feet - Week 6
Walk this way!
Well, I'm back on my feet! I had my 6 week follow-up appointment with my doctor and the first thing he said to me was "So, are you ready to start walking or what". And with that I am back on my feet and loving life. I have a whole new appreciation for every step I take even though it's painful and a bit off balance. Walking is great! The doc did say I need to stay in my boot for another 3 weeks and trust me I definitely do need to stay in that thing. Walking without it just seems strange. I will keep you posted on how the next few days goes, but for now I'm just walking and that's the best Christmas present I could ever get.
Shannon
Well, I'm back on my feet! I had my 6 week follow-up appointment with my doctor and the first thing he said to me was "So, are you ready to start walking or what". And with that I am back on my feet and loving life. I have a whole new appreciation for every step I take even though it's painful and a bit off balance. Walking is great! The doc did say I need to stay in my boot for another 3 weeks and trust me I definitely do need to stay in that thing. Walking without it just seems strange. I will keep you posted on how the next few days goes, but for now I'm just walking and that's the best Christmas present I could ever get.
Shannon
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Ouch
I've fallen and can't get up...
After nearly 6 weeks of using crutches I finally had a fall. It's quite funny actually, I mean everyone said it would happen and here I thought "not me", ha! Well, the good news was that this time my dog was not involved and the only one to blame would be me. The end result, a possibly broken pinky toe. And boy does it hurt. Of course, pain these days is fairly often and i'm sort of used to screaming out in agony so when I did scream as usual i was ignored. So, here I am hoping or crawling around because i can barely use my one good foot to steady my step. No one said it would be easy.
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| I don't know if it's broken, but it hurts like a mutha @#$@#% |
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Week 5
Almost to the promise land!
...and by that I mean it is just one more week till the doctor finally lets me partial weight bear (pwb). I'm ready and feeling good about it. In general, the pain has been the same the last 2 weeks. I have my moments where it hurts, its achy and I feel like there is no chance I will be able to put weight on this thing, but then there are times of the exact opposite. All in all, recovery takes time and once I get my feet on the ground I am sure it will be painful, but that's to be expected.
What could make my injury more annoying, well how about the common cold. Yeah, I'm not sure what kind of bug is trying to get me, but it really sucks to be sick when you are already kinda sick. So, I've been doing what I do best, lying in my bed with my feet up and full of drugs.
Random Thoughts
So, I think it's funny how everyone tells me how well I get around on my crutches. I mean is it expected that I fall every time I attempt to crutch. I know i know, people don't really know what to say to someone crutching around so they say "wow, you get around well on those" or "it looks like you are doing good on those crutches". I don't know, I've just heard different variations of this over the last couple of weeks and I wonder what makes people say it. Or maybe I do really get around great on these crutch...haha.
The weeks still young and there is more to come, but for now I'm still fighting the common cold so sleep is calling.
...and by that I mean it is just one more week till the doctor finally lets me partial weight bear (pwb). I'm ready and feeling good about it. In general, the pain has been the same the last 2 weeks. I have my moments where it hurts, its achy and I feel like there is no chance I will be able to put weight on this thing, but then there are times of the exact opposite. All in all, recovery takes time and once I get my feet on the ground I am sure it will be painful, but that's to be expected.
What could make my injury more annoying, well how about the common cold. Yeah, I'm not sure what kind of bug is trying to get me, but it really sucks to be sick when you are already kinda sick. So, I've been doing what I do best, lying in my bed with my feet up and full of drugs.
Random Thoughts
So, I think it's funny how everyone tells me how well I get around on my crutches. I mean is it expected that I fall every time I attempt to crutch. I know i know, people don't really know what to say to someone crutching around so they say "wow, you get around well on those" or "it looks like you are doing good on those crutches". I don't know, I've just heard different variations of this over the last couple of weeks and I wonder what makes people say it. Or maybe I do really get around great on these crutch...haha.
The weeks still young and there is more to come, but for now I'm still fighting the common cold so sleep is calling.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Week 4
Doors never open on their own!
Overall, the week started off good. I have been managing the pain alot better and in fact it's just getting better in general. I've finally found a balance in which I can sleep through the night with out waking up in pain and that is awesome. I've also noticed that I don't seem to need my feet up all the time. I would say in an hour I need my foot up for at least 30 minutes of that time. So, that's a huge improvement. Also, I've noticed my scar is healing and scarring. I've been massaging it and using Cocoa Butter and Vitamin E oil daily so we will see if that helps. Lastly, I decided that after my doctors detailed explanation last week regarding my cartilage issue that I would start taking something to stimulate my joint tissue and cartilage growth, and that would be none other than Glucosamine. I'm taking 3 pills a day, I will let you know if I notice any difference. Just doing all I can to heal, so we will see.
Here's another big recommendation for week 4, get a pedicure. I did and although it was a little scary, the women doing it was very gently and I think did a great job of cleaning my foot up and making it presentable again. Yay pedicure!
Here's another big recommendation for week 4, get a pedicure. I did and although it was a little scary, the women doing it was very gently and I think did a great job of cleaning my foot up and making it presentable again. Yay pedicure!
Well, the week is still young and I will check in with updates on how things are going soon.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Week 3
Are we there yet?
I feel like a kid riding in the back seat of their parents car on a long road trip who just wants to know "are we there yet". In other words, I am ready to walk and be done with this already. Aside from the inability to put two feet on the ground my life has gotten back to normal after surgery...well sort of. I mean I cant go grocery shopping by myself. Heck, i can barely fill my car up with gas, but I do all and everything I can to be as normal as possible. Even still, I feel agitated at times and I really have to work hard to muster up enough patience to make it just a few more weeks.
Overall, the pain has had its moments. Don't think for a second that just because the pain gets better at times that it doesn't come back with a vengeance a some point or another. If anything, I think the pain is always there lingering, but after awhile you learn to manage the pain. I am mostly using over the counter meds and will only take the strong stuff at night when I am awoken in pain.
Big 4 week doctors appointment in a couple of days. I will update you all with how that goes. My goal is to get him to let me start putting weight on it, wish me luck.
Shannon
I feel like a kid riding in the back seat of their parents car on a long road trip who just wants to know "are we there yet". In other words, I am ready to walk and be done with this already. Aside from the inability to put two feet on the ground my life has gotten back to normal after surgery...well sort of. I mean I cant go grocery shopping by myself. Heck, i can barely fill my car up with gas, but I do all and everything I can to be as normal as possible. Even still, I feel agitated at times and I really have to work hard to muster up enough patience to make it just a few more weeks.
Overall, the pain has had its moments. Don't think for a second that just because the pain gets better at times that it doesn't come back with a vengeance a some point or another. If anything, I think the pain is always there lingering, but after awhile you learn to manage the pain. I am mostly using over the counter meds and will only take the strong stuff at night when I am awoken in pain.
Big 4 week doctors appointment in a couple of days. I will update you all with how that goes. My goal is to get him to let me start putting weight on it, wish me luck.
Shannon
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| Swelling is down a lot, it almost looks normal |
And the Doctor Says....
Two more weeks non-weight bearing. Say it aint so. Two more weeks on crutches, hoping around and sleeping in a boot is really unfortunate, but apparently necessary for me to heal correctly. Overall, my doc seems pleased with my progress, and how I am healing. He said the only reason he wants me off my ankles for so long is because of the Osteochondrtis Dissecans (cartilage loose in the joint) treatment in which he removed and shaved down from my fibula. Normally he said patients with sprained ankle injuries will see an OCD injury on their talus bone and that I honestly lucked out to have this on my fibula. He said that if I would have had this sort of cartilage damage on my Talus that their would be a greater chance of arthritis issues later on. Additionally, the Doc gave me some more ROM (Range of Motion) exercises to do, which he said will make me sore, but then I'm already sore so I don't think more sore will be that sore. Anyways, that was the basis of my appointment and I will be back at the doctor in two weeks to hopefully be told that I can walk again...or at least get started walking again.
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| Art work drawn by my doctor of my ankle. He mentioned i did not have any cartilage damage on my talus, but instead on my fibula bone (right of image) and both ligaments connecting the fibula and talus were torn (AFL and CFL) |
Monday, November 21, 2011
Week 2
To Sleep or Not to Sleep
...really there is no question here that I rarely get a good nights sleep. I thought that by getting the cast removed I would be new and improved. Yeah, well I am but the cast was more comfortable to sleep in and the boot is a joke to sleep in. Honestly, I feel like I experience more pain while sleeping with the boot then without. Yeah, I've tried to sleep without it once or twice, but my husband makes me put it back on. I know sleeping with it on is the right thing to do, but a sleepy girl does what she has to do...she tries to get sneaky. It's actually kinda funny, but I am thankful my husband doesn't let me get away with it. So, my solution to the extra pain and discomfort during the night while wearing the boot is to go back to the good stuff and by that I mean pain meds.
Happy Sleeping!
Shannon
Week 3 Slide Show
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| small improvements with each day |
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Saturday, November 19, 2011
Day 16
A new beginning
Let me tell ya what its like to sleep in a walker boot, it sucks. I actually missed my cast last night (ha ha not really), so yeah that's how bad it is. Oh well, I will deal with it some how some way. One night down, 29 more to go. It's gonna be a long month. Overall, pain was minimal last night. I let me ankle air out for a few minutes which felt great. I also notice that as usual it swells during the night and my skin may be experiencing some irritations from sweating while wearing that cast. Yeah, my foot just looks ugly in general. It seems like my skin was stretched during surgery and looks rather leatherish, but a least my pedicure still looks good.
Back to Life, Back to Reality
I was up early the next day and did something I hadn't done in awhile. I put on real pants and not sweat pant or shorts. Not that I have a removable boot, I can put pants on again and that feels good. Another thing I noticed was that my work clothes felt looser which means I must have dropped a couple of pounds. Which is awesome. I attribute this to a good diet while recovering and from not being able to walk up and down the stairs to get to my kitchen. If you can't get to the food, you wont eat...it's as simple as that.
I got a ride to and from the city to facilitate a business meeting and things went great. Being out in the world alone with my disability was indeed different and something that is going to be a challenge for the next month. Of course the building I had my meeting in didn't have handicap doors and I had to rely on strangers to help me get around a bit. It was an eye opening experience and I will certainly consider my limitations before putting myself in difficult situations. So with that I will say this, if you are going to go out on your own then just prepare for difficult situations when navigating to and from locations. For example, does the building I am going into have handicap access, will the public restrooms be accessible, etc. It's funny, you never consider these things when you have two feet to walk on. But, this world wasn't built for the disabled and that was the quick lesson I learned today.
Walk strong!
Shannon
Let me tell ya what its like to sleep in a walker boot, it sucks. I actually missed my cast last night (ha ha not really), so yeah that's how bad it is. Oh well, I will deal with it some how some way. One night down, 29 more to go. It's gonna be a long month. Overall, pain was minimal last night. I let me ankle air out for a few minutes which felt great. I also notice that as usual it swells during the night and my skin may be experiencing some irritations from sweating while wearing that cast. Yeah, my foot just looks ugly in general. It seems like my skin was stretched during surgery and looks rather leatherish, but a least my pedicure still looks good.
Back to Life, Back to Reality
I was up early the next day and did something I hadn't done in awhile. I put on real pants and not sweat pant or shorts. Not that I have a removable boot, I can put pants on again and that feels good. Another thing I noticed was that my work clothes felt looser which means I must have dropped a couple of pounds. Which is awesome. I attribute this to a good diet while recovering and from not being able to walk up and down the stairs to get to my kitchen. If you can't get to the food, you wont eat...it's as simple as that.
I got a ride to and from the city to facilitate a business meeting and things went great. Being out in the world alone with my disability was indeed different and something that is going to be a challenge for the next month. Of course the building I had my meeting in didn't have handicap doors and I had to rely on strangers to help me get around a bit. It was an eye opening experience and I will certainly consider my limitations before putting myself in difficult situations. So with that I will say this, if you are going to go out on your own then just prepare for difficult situations when navigating to and from locations. For example, does the building I am going into have handicap access, will the public restrooms be accessible, etc. It's funny, you never consider these things when you have two feet to walk on. But, this world wasn't built for the disabled and that was the quick lesson I learned today.
Walk strong!
Shannon
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Day 15
D-Day!
Well, today's the big day and I am ready. I spend the morning working from home. I actually have a very important meeting tomorrow in downtown DC that will mark my first official day back at the office (so to speak). Overall, I feel good. The pain today and last night was actually kinda bad, but maybe my ankle senses it's freedom and is just giving me a hard time. I've only had to wear a cast twice in my life. Once when I broke my arm, which was way before I can remember and is also the reason I am left handed. The other time is of course with this injury. Of course this is a splint/cast which allows the ankle to swell, but basically it is what it is and that is....a cast. I've had a lot of time to think about how awful it must be when you are confined to one of these things for longer periods of time. Here I am complaining about a couple of weeks, but hell this thing does weigh about 10 pounds or at least that's how it feels.
Well, my trustee assistant (my mom) arrived to my house in the afternoon and I signed off from work. I will say this about recovering from this sort of injury. You're gonna need help, lots of it and just make sure you have some people who you can count on. I was blessed to have both my mom and my husband to help me throughout my recovery so far and I expect to need them some more as I continue to recover. So a special thank you to them.
2 Week Post-Op Appointment
It was good to see the Doc again. It does help to really like your doctor and I like mine. He's an honest guy who seems invested in getting me back on my feet and living life pain free. So, the time finally arrived for me to kiss my splint/cast goodbye and Dr. Henn did the honor of finally taking that thing off and into the trash it went...where it belonged. And there is was, my ankle. Well, it was nice to see it again and ya know I was really worried about what my ankle would look like after removing the cast, but as you can see from the pictures below, it wasn't that bad. Actually, the swelling looked better now than it did before the surgery.
The first breath of air that my foot felt when the cast was removed is a feeling that is difficult to describe. It kinda felt like what I suspect a baby feels when they enter the world for the first time and go from being in the warm comforts of their mother womb into the brisk fresh air of their new life. It felt great, it felt like a new beginning. So my doctor inspected his handiwork and was very pleased with how things looked. "Suture Removal Kit please", says Dr. Henn. Well its a good thing I popped a couple pain meds before my appointment cause I gotta feeling this is gonna hurt like a mutha@!@$#%.
And it did, it hurt...it hurt real bad. I don't want to scare anyone, but prepare yourself for some pain when getting your stitches removed. In fact, do yourself a favor and take some pain meds before your appointment. You will thank me later.
Free from the Cast!!!!
Well, today's the big day and I am ready. I spend the morning working from home. I actually have a very important meeting tomorrow in downtown DC that will mark my first official day back at the office (so to speak). Overall, I feel good. The pain today and last night was actually kinda bad, but maybe my ankle senses it's freedom and is just giving me a hard time. I've only had to wear a cast twice in my life. Once when I broke my arm, which was way before I can remember and is also the reason I am left handed. The other time is of course with this injury. Of course this is a splint/cast which allows the ankle to swell, but basically it is what it is and that is....a cast. I've had a lot of time to think about how awful it must be when you are confined to one of these things for longer periods of time. Here I am complaining about a couple of weeks, but hell this thing does weigh about 10 pounds or at least that's how it feels.
Well, my trustee assistant (my mom) arrived to my house in the afternoon and I signed off from work. I will say this about recovering from this sort of injury. You're gonna need help, lots of it and just make sure you have some people who you can count on. I was blessed to have both my mom and my husband to help me throughout my recovery so far and I expect to need them some more as I continue to recover. So a special thank you to them.
2 Week Post-Op Appointment
It was good to see the Doc again. It does help to really like your doctor and I like mine. He's an honest guy who seems invested in getting me back on my feet and living life pain free. So, the time finally arrived for me to kiss my splint/cast goodbye and Dr. Henn did the honor of finally taking that thing off and into the trash it went...where it belonged. And there is was, my ankle. Well, it was nice to see it again and ya know I was really worried about what my ankle would look like after removing the cast, but as you can see from the pictures below, it wasn't that bad. Actually, the swelling looked better now than it did before the surgery.
The first breath of air that my foot felt when the cast was removed is a feeling that is difficult to describe. It kinda felt like what I suspect a baby feels when they enter the world for the first time and go from being in the warm comforts of their mother womb into the brisk fresh air of their new life. It felt great, it felt like a new beginning. So my doctor inspected his handiwork and was very pleased with how things looked. "Suture Removal Kit please", says Dr. Henn. Well its a good thing I popped a couple pain meds before my appointment cause I gotta feeling this is gonna hurt like a mutha@!@$#%.
And it did, it hurt...it hurt real bad. I don't want to scare anyone, but prepare yourself for some pain when getting your stitches removed. In fact, do yourself a favor and take some pain meds before your appointment. You will thank me later.
Free from the Cast!!!!
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| Before my Doctors appointment, I am soo ready to get this thing off of my leg |
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| This is where they did my Arthroscopic Chondroplasty (cleaned joint of scarred tissue and removed and shaved cartilage) |
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| This is where they did the Brostrom Procedure (ATFL and CFL ligament repair) |
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| And...it's all wrapped up once again. Notice my mom playing on her iPad in the background |
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| My new friend for the next 6 weeks. |
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| No weight bearing for 3 weeks and I have to sleep in this thing...fun times! |
Goodbye Splint/Cast, Hello Cam Walker Boot
Well, mama's got a brand new shoe...umm sort of. So when my doctor told me he was gonna put me in a boot I was very pleased. Then he told me although it's a walker boot, I will actually not be able to walk on it for another month. Hold on...what did he just say. Man, I guess I thought I would be walking next week or something. Well, the joke is on me. Dr. Henn saw my disappointment and said "it's either this or a cast for another 3 weeks". Ha, say no more Doc...one month no weight bearing sounds great! So, I got fitted for my boot and was told to return in two weeks for another appointment. I was told to only take my boot off twice a day to do some exercises the doc gave me. Which means I will have to sleep in this thing. Also, I got permission to drive, go back to work (in the office) and shower (well, in a couple of days, but soon). Well, I know I wont be walking tomorrow but it feels good to know that I am recovering and things are going good which makes me happy and hopeful.
Shannon
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Day 14
Happy Crankle Day to you !
It's almost like it's Crankles Birthday. It's been Crankle's 2 weeks since surgery and it seems like its been two years (please refer to earlier posts to learn more about crankle). Pain level is steady around 5 and if I move around to much it can get up to 8 out of 10. Actually the pain was so bad last night that I had to Ice under the knee and around the ankle. I also decided Tylenol wasn't doing the trick and did take some pain meds. I felt alot better in the morning and the great news is tomorrow I get my cast and stitches removed.
Stay tuned.
Shannon
Stay tuned.
Shannon
Monday, November 14, 2011
Day 12-13
Get this thing off of me!
...that about sums up the last few days. If you have ever worn a cast then you know what I mean. I just want it off of me, the sooner the better. I am approaching my 2 week mark and it seems like I have had this thing on my leg for a year. Just a couple more days to go and I can't wait.
Overall, the pain has been okay. I officially have gotten myself off the pain meds and have only been taking over the counter stuff. I can't say my sleep has been perfect, but it isn't terrible. Honestly, I feel like my foot needs to breath. It's been in this cast for days and days and most of the pain is from lifting around this awkward cast split. Can you tell I am over it.
Other than that, this week at work has been better. I moved my operations from my bed to my office. Now, it actually feels like I have gone somewhere during the day. After a couple of days of working from my bed, I felt like I never left my bedroom. My work day would end and I would just watch some tv and off to sleep. I rarely got up for anything and cabin fever set in with a vengeance. I started getting moody and I was unable to tolerate the littlest of things. It was definitely time to make a move. And I'm glad I did. It's been great working in my office and has gotten me moving around more during the day which will be good preparation for when I go back to work next week.
...that about sums up the last few days. If you have ever worn a cast then you know what I mean. I just want it off of me, the sooner the better. I am approaching my 2 week mark and it seems like I have had this thing on my leg for a year. Just a couple more days to go and I can't wait.
Overall, the pain has been okay. I officially have gotten myself off the pain meds and have only been taking over the counter stuff. I can't say my sleep has been perfect, but it isn't terrible. Honestly, I feel like my foot needs to breath. It's been in this cast for days and days and most of the pain is from lifting around this awkward cast split. Can you tell I am over it.
Other than that, this week at work has been better. I moved my operations from my bed to my office. Now, it actually feels like I have gone somewhere during the day. After a couple of days of working from my bed, I felt like I never left my bedroom. My work day would end and I would just watch some tv and off to sleep. I rarely got up for anything and cabin fever set in with a vengeance. I started getting moody and I was unable to tolerate the littlest of things. It was definitely time to make a move. And I'm glad I did. It's been great working in my office and has gotten me moving around more during the day which will be good preparation for when I go back to work next week.
Day 10 & 11 (weekend #2)
Crankle vs. Cabin Fever
Well, it's my second weekend since surgery and I'm really starting to feel better. My pain level is stays around 4-5 out of 10 and I rarely feel the need to take any pain meds. Instead I have limited using them and hope to phase out the use of them in the next few days. Generally, I tend to grab the pills at night when I am awaken with any pain. I will try using over the counter meds instead and see how that goes.
Also, my game plan for the weekend was to spend one day elevating my ankle 99% of the time and the next day I would try to be more active by taking a shower and moving around more so then usual. The end result was a lot of soreness from moving around, but I do believe a good combination of rest and activity is very beneficial to my recovery. I guess we will see what the doctor say in a few days.
Not much else to report other than the fact that I have been in my house for almost a week straight and I am fairly certain cabin fever will set in soon if I don't get some fresh air soon. Throughout the weekend I noticed a lot of mood swings in which one day I felt very depressed and just over being disabled and then the next day when I was more active I also felt a lot more positive about my situation. So, some days are easier then others, but the key is to keep yourself going and before you know it you will be on your feet again. Yup, I got 4 weeks to go...and I keep telling myself that isn't soo bad.
Fight the Fever!
Shannon
Well, it's my second weekend since surgery and I'm really starting to feel better. My pain level is stays around 4-5 out of 10 and I rarely feel the need to take any pain meds. Instead I have limited using them and hope to phase out the use of them in the next few days. Generally, I tend to grab the pills at night when I am awaken with any pain. I will try using over the counter meds instead and see how that goes.
Also, my game plan for the weekend was to spend one day elevating my ankle 99% of the time and the next day I would try to be more active by taking a shower and moving around more so then usual. The end result was a lot of soreness from moving around, but I do believe a good combination of rest and activity is very beneficial to my recovery. I guess we will see what the doctor say in a few days.
Not much else to report other than the fact that I have been in my house for almost a week straight and I am fairly certain cabin fever will set in soon if I don't get some fresh air soon. Throughout the weekend I noticed a lot of mood swings in which one day I felt very depressed and just over being disabled and then the next day when I was more active I also felt a lot more positive about my situation. So, some days are easier then others, but the key is to keep yourself going and before you know it you will be on your feet again. Yup, I got 4 weeks to go...and I keep telling myself that isn't soo bad.
Fight the Fever!
Shannon
Friday, November 11, 2011
Day 9
Crankle's Big Easy
It's time for.....How about the pain game!
Well, the pain was a little better last night. I increased my meds enough that I had some of the best sleep I have had in several days. However, I did wake up twice in pain. One of those times I just popped another pill and when back the sleep and the other I just closed my eyes and ignored the pain and was able to go back to sleep. Although, tonight was a lot better I do think I might increase my dose a little and see if that helps. Stay tuned!
Plan for today is to take it easy and since today is also Veterans Day, I do not have to work. I slept in until almost noon and made my only trip downstairs to eat breakfast with my husband. Wait, I did go downstairs to lay on the couch and play my video game for a few hours. Either way, today was a much needed lazy day and I'm hopeful for a better night of sleep as well.
It's time for.....How about the pain game!
Well, the pain was a little better last night. I increased my meds enough that I had some of the best sleep I have had in several days. However, I did wake up twice in pain. One of those times I just popped another pill and when back the sleep and the other I just closed my eyes and ignored the pain and was able to go back to sleep. Although, tonight was a lot better I do think I might increase my dose a little and see if that helps. Stay tuned!
Day 8
Crankle the Vampire
I swear no matter what I do during the day to treat my ankle from swelling and pain, at night this thing just loves to keep me up. Last night was painful as usual and although I've been wanting to get off the pain meds, it seems my pain is telling me the opposite. Pain management is different for everyone, but I will continue to try limiting my use of pain meds to the evenings and keep my days to over the counter stuff. However, I will increase my nightly medications to hopefully reduce some of my pain symptoms which will hopefully help me sleep better. We shall see, stay tuned!
My Thoughts on Pain Medication
I will say that everyone is different when dealing with pain, but it is important that you never endure pain just to get off pain meds. I personally hate being drugged up, but if i'm in pain i'm not gonna sit around in agony, I'm gonna do something about it. It's important not to just take pain meds because they are there, take them because you need them. I've seen a lot of people in recovery from various injuries get hooked on pain meds, especially the opiates (i.e., Oxycontin,etc). One good clear sign that you or a loved one might be getting hooked is if you begin to freak out when your meds supply runs low and get obsessed with getting more. I think this is when you or your caregiver really needs to review your daily pain levels and encourage you to try using over the counter meds instead. I know with me I worried a lot about running out of my meds especially when I was in my worse pain. You start to think, what if I don't have any more pills and my pain comes back. Well, if your pain returns at a high level several weeks into recovery then if it comes back you don't need more pills you need the emergency room.
Today was a bad day!
Well, it was another long workday and overall pain wasn't too bad. My day started off with my pain level being at around 7 out 10, which is a little higher than most days. But, the previous night was painful and I think the pain just hung around through the morning and by afternoon it was down to between 3 to 5. One thing I did notice about today was that I was very clumbsy and must have caught myself from falling 5 or more times. I feel my body getting tired of compensating for my injured leg. My arms are tired, my other leg is beyond tired. My right knee on my good leg is actually starting to ache a lot which worries me a little. I might try to start doing some sort of chair yoga or something to properly stretch my body. I am hoping that will help, but at the same time I need to realize that having this injury is a shock to the rest of my body and perhaps I need to spend a day or two resting more. Meaning a whole day of only getting up when I really need to like only when nature calls. Sounds like tomorrow will be boring...hold on everyday has being boring, so tomorrow will just be more boring which is just awesome (note sarcasm)!
Anyways, by the end of the day I was tired of falling all over the place and then I got tired of being tired which just made me tired. My mood was terrible by the time my husband came home from work and when he asked what was wrong with me, all I could say was "just look at me". Haha, I'm such an a-hole. So yeah, today was a bad day. I eventually told my husband how frustrated I was and that all in all I just wanted to walk again and the realization that I'm only 1 week out of 5 from being on my feet again made me very sad. Can you blame me!
Happy walking!
Shannon
I swear no matter what I do during the day to treat my ankle from swelling and pain, at night this thing just loves to keep me up. Last night was painful as usual and although I've been wanting to get off the pain meds, it seems my pain is telling me the opposite. Pain management is different for everyone, but I will continue to try limiting my use of pain meds to the evenings and keep my days to over the counter stuff. However, I will increase my nightly medications to hopefully reduce some of my pain symptoms which will hopefully help me sleep better. We shall see, stay tuned!
My Thoughts on Pain Medication
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| Drug drugs drugs, it's a love-hate relationship |
Today was a bad day!
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| They support me, but I'm tired of them! |
Anyways, by the end of the day I was tired of falling all over the place and then I got tired of being tired which just made me tired. My mood was terrible by the time my husband came home from work and when he asked what was wrong with me, all I could say was "just look at me". Haha, I'm such an a-hole. So yeah, today was a bad day. I eventually told my husband how frustrated I was and that all in all I just wanted to walk again and the realization that I'm only 1 week out of 5 from being on my feet again made me very sad. Can you blame me!
Happy walking!
Shannon
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
Day 7
Ice Ice Crankle!
Well it's officially been one week since surgery and I feel like I've climbed a mountain of pain and with some pain management I will be down the mountain soon enough. Today, I have decided the best way to fight the swelling which equals pain, is to ice it and ice it alot. So, as I work from home today I will ice it and see if that improves my painful nights.
And if it doesnt work, I just got my prescriptions refilled. Otherwise, it's been a good productive day working from home. Limited pain compared to last night
Well it's officially been one week since surgery and I feel like I've climbed a mountain of pain and with some pain management I will be down the mountain soon enough. Today, I have decided the best way to fight the swelling which equals pain, is to ice it and ice it alot. So, as I work from home today I will ice it and see if that improves my painful nights.
3 ice packs around my ankle and one under my knee
Day 6
Back to work!
Today was my first day back at work..from home of course. Overall, things went well. I was able to get a good office set up in my bed and once I got started working the day flew by. My pain level last night was horrible, i think I popped 3 pills last night and did feel much better in the morning. When I am in pain it seems it has alot to do with swelling. Altough, during the day I stay in position most of the day with my feet elevated. However, I do spend a good portion of the day moving around and getting up for bathroom breaks, etc. As the day wears on the little movments around tend to wear on my ankle and by night time the swelling sets in. It's kinda strange such little activity causes soo much freaking pain.
Another big issue I'm having is that whenever I put my foot down my ankle swells very quickly causing extreme pain. If feels like the blood rushes down to my foot, my foot swells and then the area around the incision hits up against my cast. This leads to me not ever wanting to go to the restroom in fear of horid pain. I'm gonna try to get something to prop my foot up on while in the restroom.which should help my foot from the full effects of gavitys pull on my foot..
Also, I called my dotors assistnat today and he is mailing me some more pain meds and I scheduled my doctor follow-up appointment for next week (thursday- Day 15). I really cannot wait to get this splint cast thing that weights 10lbs off of my foot. You just don't know!
Well, as the work day wore down I definitely felt very tired and lucky for me I was already in bed. Easiest commute home I've ever had. I'm hoping for a better night of sleep and will keep you posted.
Happy Feet!
Shannon
Today was my first day back at work..from home of course. Overall, things went well. I was able to get a good office set up in my bed and once I got started working the day flew by. My pain level last night was horrible, i think I popped 3 pills last night and did feel much better in the morning. When I am in pain it seems it has alot to do with swelling. Altough, during the day I stay in position most of the day with my feet elevated. However, I do spend a good portion of the day moving around and getting up for bathroom breaks, etc. As the day wears on the little movments around tend to wear on my ankle and by night time the swelling sets in. It's kinda strange such little activity causes soo much freaking pain.
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| My office for the next few weeks. |
Another big issue I'm having is that whenever I put my foot down my ankle swells very quickly causing extreme pain. If feels like the blood rushes down to my foot, my foot swells and then the area around the incision hits up against my cast. This leads to me not ever wanting to go to the restroom in fear of horid pain. I'm gonna try to get something to prop my foot up on while in the restroom.which should help my foot from the full effects of gavitys pull on my foot..
Also, I called my dotors assistnat today and he is mailing me some more pain meds and I scheduled my doctor follow-up appointment for next week (thursday- Day 15). I really cannot wait to get this splint cast thing that weights 10lbs off of my foot. You just don't know!
Well, as the work day wore down I definitely felt very tired and lucky for me I was already in bed. Easiest commute home I've ever had. I'm hoping for a better night of sleep and will keep you posted.
Happy Feet!
Shannon
Monday, November 7, 2011
Post Opt - Day 4 & 5 (Weekend #1)
At this point, I really have alot of questions about what I should expect in my recovery and this is where I think my blog will help others going through the same thing get a better idea or some good comparisons. My pain level is at about 5 out of 10 during the day and 8 out of 10 at night. The pain is no longer the steady throbbing/burning sharp paid as with previous days. It has tapered down a bit to sometimes a very low throbbing and then at other times it heightens to a less tolerable level. I think it is dependent on my activity level, but maybe not...who knows. Below is my daily activity summary for day 4 and 5.
Day 4
Well, day 4 was certainly the most active day since surgery. This was also the first day I tried to cut back on the meds a little. I got up early and made my self some cereal which isn't as easy as you would think, but I've learned that it is important to push yourself and although there might be people around to help you, it is also good to do what you can on your own. I've honestly surprised myself by being able to do more than I thought I could. It isn't easy, but practice makes perfect. Other than making my own breakfast I also decided to do some basic range of motion (ROM) exercises to help blood flow throughout my body. I did mostly hip, legs and arms ROMs stuff. I also did some sit-ups and a few sets of arm weight lifting exercises. At the time I felt good doing this and we'll see if I can continue some sort of workouts at least a few times as week as I recover. I also decided to get out of the house today. I went over my parents for dinner and again felt good. Of course there was a little pain here and there, but overall no big issues. It felt good getting out of the house and once I got to my parents, I made my home on their couch and immediately elevated my leg.
What I learned in day 4 was that by challenging myself I realized I could do a lot more than I thought I could. I also learned that a lot of activity wore me out. As soon as I got home I popped some pain meds and went to sleep. I did notice an increase in pain overnight because of all the activity from my busy day and I hope I didn't push myself too much. My goal for day 5 is to rest rest and more rest. We will see how it goes and stay tuned.
Day 5
Honestly, I can't believe it's post-opt day 5 already. I think after I make it to 7 days I will begin updating the blog weekly instead of daily.
Not much to report today. As I promised, I have stayed in bed most of the day. Watched a couple of movies and really just relaxed. I am a little sore from my busy day yesterday, but overall I feel good. The pain last night was rough, I would put it around 8 out of 10. I also notices this morning that the pain is changing to not only throbbing and a little burning, but it also has become very sore and the stiffness has begun to set in as well.
I've been thinking a lot about what my foot looks like now. I definitely need to get something to treat my scars...all three of them. I'm kinda scared to see what they look like but I also excited to see it..I know this is weird. Anyways, I'm gonna continue to rest today and will maybe try to do some ROM and weight lifting exercises tomorrow to keep my body from getting to stiff. Until then it's time to venture downstairs and turn on the play station.
Quick Tips
After a few days there seems to be alot of questions circulating in my head that I want to ask my doctor. I have a post-opt appointment in a few days and I have started to write down all the questions I want to ask my doctor. I think this will be helpful so I don't forget. I will let you know,
Day 4
Well, day 4 was certainly the most active day since surgery. This was also the first day I tried to cut back on the meds a little. I got up early and made my self some cereal which isn't as easy as you would think, but I've learned that it is important to push yourself and although there might be people around to help you, it is also good to do what you can on your own. I've honestly surprised myself by being able to do more than I thought I could. It isn't easy, but practice makes perfect. Other than making my own breakfast I also decided to do some basic range of motion (ROM) exercises to help blood flow throughout my body. I did mostly hip, legs and arms ROMs stuff. I also did some sit-ups and a few sets of arm weight lifting exercises. At the time I felt good doing this and we'll see if I can continue some sort of workouts at least a few times as week as I recover. I also decided to get out of the house today. I went over my parents for dinner and again felt good. Of course there was a little pain here and there, but overall no big issues. It felt good getting out of the house and once I got to my parents, I made my home on their couch and immediately elevated my leg.
What I learned in day 4 was that by challenging myself I realized I could do a lot more than I thought I could. I also learned that a lot of activity wore me out. As soon as I got home I popped some pain meds and went to sleep. I did notice an increase in pain overnight because of all the activity from my busy day and I hope I didn't push myself too much. My goal for day 5 is to rest rest and more rest. We will see how it goes and stay tuned.
Day 5
Honestly, I can't believe it's post-opt day 5 already. I think after I make it to 7 days I will begin updating the blog weekly instead of daily.
Not much to report today. As I promised, I have stayed in bed most of the day. Watched a couple of movies and really just relaxed. I am a little sore from my busy day yesterday, but overall I feel good. The pain last night was rough, I would put it around 8 out of 10. I also notices this morning that the pain is changing to not only throbbing and a little burning, but it also has become very sore and the stiffness has begun to set in as well.
I've been thinking a lot about what my foot looks like now. I definitely need to get something to treat my scars...all three of them. I'm kinda scared to see what they look like but I also excited to see it..I know this is weird. Anyways, I'm gonna continue to rest today and will maybe try to do some ROM and weight lifting exercises tomorrow to keep my body from getting to stiff. Until then it's time to venture downstairs and turn on the play station.
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| It's game time, playing Fallout New Vegas |
After a few days there seems to be alot of questions circulating in my head that I want to ask my doctor. I have a post-opt appointment in a few days and I have started to write down all the questions I want to ask my doctor. I think this will be helpful so I don't forget. I will let you know,
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Post-Opt - Day 2&3
Post Opt - Day 2
The second day post opt was a lot like the 1st day, lots of pain and lots of sleep. I would describe the pain as alot of throbbing followed by more throbbing. Hmm it was kinda like the pain I felt when I sprained my ankle. Except when I sprained my ankle the pain lasted an hour or so at most, but this pain was going steady and approaching hour 30 and counting. If sometimes felt like my leg was being broken, especially when I move it around...ouch! So yeah, that just about sums up the pain those first couple of days.
Now here's something very important that I would suggest folks do who go through a major surgery, track every medication you take. The time you take it and the amount that was taken. This is especially important if you are alone, but also helps when others are helping with your care. This will allow any and everyone to know exactly what meds you have have in your system at any given time.
I also noticed that since the surgery I have had a lack of appetite and it has been important to try to eat when I can so that I can at the least take my medicine. Also it seems as though I am extremely dehydrated so I try to stay as hydrated as possible by keeping water bottles stashed by my bedside.
So, I'm one of those people that never goes more than 1 day without taking a shower. What can I say, I like to keep it fresh and clean. So of course after a couple of days of not showering my main mission today was to get clean. Everyone told me that this could wait a few days, but I smelled of hospital and sweat which I just couldn't handle anymore. After some self encouragement I mustered up all my energy and put on a shower boot (cast protector) and got myself in the shower, cleaned and back in bed within an hour.
Whew, I feel like a new person. I am also feeling the pain after this adventure. Time to pop a few more pain meds and it's off to be i go. My suggestion is don' be stupid like me, either drug yourself up before taking your first shower or wait a few days. Also, make sure you have someone to help you or who is around just in case you need help.
Post Opt - Day 3
All I can say is that pain has never been worse than it was last night. I would put it around 13 out of 10. It was endless pain in which it would wake me up the moment the meds began to wear down. I would eat my saltines and take my meds and let me tell you I did the Lamaze breathing technique to deal with the sharp stabbing throbs and it really didn't help much, but it did help with the screaming. Finally I got back to sleep and was again awakened a couple of hours later in pain again. Damn everything. This time I had to laugh at myself, the funny thing about being awoken this time was that I was having a very vivid dream at the time. And in this dream I had just jumped down off of something and apparently I must have not only moved my foot in the dream, but also in real life. Yeah that was not fun and I highly recommend if possible you should try to avoid this if at all possible because when I jerked my foot in real life it cause so much pain that it felt like I just broke my ankle or something and then I screamed. Of course I awoke hubby and my dog, but after 2 days of me screaming all the time because of pain they both just made sure I was okay and were back to sleep. Meanwhile I sat very still trying to catch my breath (using Lamaze breathing, not that I know what lamaze breathing is) and wait for the pain to subside enough for me to reach for some more pain meds. I took my meds and was off to sleep, man what a night.
So the question is how and what caused the crazy pain, was it normal? Of course I began to over analyze the previous days activities and I thought of a couple of reasons why I had such a painful night. Maybe I aggravating things by taking a shower the day before. Yeah I know, but I honestly did feel soo much better after taking a shower so to me it was soo worth it and I paid the price. Although another reason for the pain could very well be blames on me going off schedule with my meds. Since surgery I have stayed consistent with my meds, following the schedule the doctor outlined for me in my discharge papers. I did experiences a mishap with the medicine on the second day after my surgery that I think came back to haunt me the previous night. So basically, there was some confusion on day 2 after surgery that led to me taking too many in one dose which then led me to fix this by scaling down on another dose aka the night of the extreme pain.
Anyways, lets hope once I get my meds on a more consistent schedule again and get more rest in the day then maybe the pain will calm down for me.
Quick Tip
Also, a couple of tips when caring for or recovering from this sort of injury. I have also being keeping tabs on my temperature level and my mom has been checking my toes daily to make sure blood is still flowing to them. You can do this by gently pushing your finger into the bottom side of a toe and if it goes from pink to white then that's a sign that blood is still flowing and circulating well in the foot.
The second day post opt was a lot like the 1st day, lots of pain and lots of sleep. I would describe the pain as alot of throbbing followed by more throbbing. Hmm it was kinda like the pain I felt when I sprained my ankle. Except when I sprained my ankle the pain lasted an hour or so at most, but this pain was going steady and approaching hour 30 and counting. If sometimes felt like my leg was being broken, especially when I move it around...ouch! So yeah, that just about sums up the pain those first couple of days.
Now here's something very important that I would suggest folks do who go through a major surgery, track every medication you take. The time you take it and the amount that was taken. This is especially important if you are alone, but also helps when others are helping with your care. This will allow any and everyone to know exactly what meds you have have in your system at any given time.
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| My medicine diary |
So, I'm one of those people that never goes more than 1 day without taking a shower. What can I say, I like to keep it fresh and clean. So of course after a couple of days of not showering my main mission today was to get clean. Everyone told me that this could wait a few days, but I smelled of hospital and sweat which I just couldn't handle anymore. After some self encouragement I mustered up all my energy and put on a shower boot (cast protector) and got myself in the shower, cleaned and back in bed within an hour.
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| My new friend the shower chair |
Post Opt - Day 3
All I can say is that pain has never been worse than it was last night. I would put it around 13 out of 10. It was endless pain in which it would wake me up the moment the meds began to wear down. I would eat my saltines and take my meds and let me tell you I did the Lamaze breathing technique to deal with the sharp stabbing throbs and it really didn't help much, but it did help with the screaming. Finally I got back to sleep and was again awakened a couple of hours later in pain again. Damn everything. This time I had to laugh at myself, the funny thing about being awoken this time was that I was having a very vivid dream at the time. And in this dream I had just jumped down off of something and apparently I must have not only moved my foot in the dream, but also in real life. Yeah that was not fun and I highly recommend if possible you should try to avoid this if at all possible because when I jerked my foot in real life it cause so much pain that it felt like I just broke my ankle or something and then I screamed. Of course I awoke hubby and my dog, but after 2 days of me screaming all the time because of pain they both just made sure I was okay and were back to sleep. Meanwhile I sat very still trying to catch my breath (using Lamaze breathing, not that I know what lamaze breathing is) and wait for the pain to subside enough for me to reach for some more pain meds. I took my meds and was off to sleep, man what a night.
So the question is how and what caused the crazy pain, was it normal? Of course I began to over analyze the previous days activities and I thought of a couple of reasons why I had such a painful night. Maybe I aggravating things by taking a shower the day before. Yeah I know, but I honestly did feel soo much better after taking a shower so to me it was soo worth it and I paid the price. Although another reason for the pain could very well be blames on me going off schedule with my meds. Since surgery I have stayed consistent with my meds, following the schedule the doctor outlined for me in my discharge papers. I did experiences a mishap with the medicine on the second day after my surgery that I think came back to haunt me the previous night. So basically, there was some confusion on day 2 after surgery that led to me taking too many in one dose which then led me to fix this by scaling down on another dose aka the night of the extreme pain.
Anyways, lets hope once I get my meds on a more consistent schedule again and get more rest in the day then maybe the pain will calm down for me.
Quick Tip
Also, a couple of tips when caring for or recovering from this sort of injury. I have also being keeping tabs on my temperature level and my mom has been checking my toes daily to make sure blood is still flowing to them. You can do this by gently pushing your finger into the bottom side of a toe and if it goes from pink to white then that's a sign that blood is still flowing and circulating well in the foot.
Post-Opt - Day 1
November 2nd, 2011
Well there is not much I can remember after surgery. The last thing I remembered before going into lala land was telling my doctors to "take care of Crankle", in which everyone in the OR looked at me wondering why I was calling my ankle such a silly name. I of course told them how I came to name my 7 month old injury Crankle and my doctor as well as all the nurses were laughing hysterically and then it all fades to black.
I woke up to very little pain and a very empty recovery room. I think my surgery started around 1:30pm and was just over 3 hours long. I didn't wake up until about 5pm and my family was allowed back to see me around 7pm. My doctor came by a few time after surgery and explained how things went. Basically my AFL (anterior talofibular ligament) was not partially torn, but was actually according to him "shredded" and completely torn. Also, my CFL ( Calcaneofibular Ligament) was also torn and he repaired both. He also had to perform an Arthroscopic Fibular Chondroplasty because some of my cartilage had chipped away from the bone and needed to be shaved down treated by drilling holes into the bone to promote cartilage growth. Fun stuff! Other than that I can remember what else he said and my mom and hubby both say different things so I guess I will have to wait until my follow-up appointment to get more info. All in all it did go well.
Now, back to the pain. Well, as I mentioned previously they did a nerve block on me which basically numbs the entire leg throughout surgery and for up to 12 hours after surgery. The only grey area is timing the start of your meds to kick in just as the nerve block wears off. I was warned this was extremely difficult to do and their suggestion was to just start taking them now to prevent the chance of missing that window. Well damn, how bad could really be. I was felling great so far, man this nerve block is misleading...but i loved it and would highly recommend it to anyone getting a similar surgery.
I was discharged from the hospital by 8pm and was instructed to go straight to a pharmacy to get the meds I needed and since most pharmacies didn't have the drug I needed (then why did they prescribe it to me) then I should go to this one. Whatever, I was doped up and ready for whatever. They put me into the back seat of my car and we were on our way.
It took about 45 minutes to get my prescription filled which was a lot, but I survived and managed to get home, up the stairs to my bed within no time.
November 3rd 2011 - Post Opt Day 1
It was about 4am that next morning when my nerve block wore off. It's a weird feeling actually, I remember feeling a burning sensation in my toes and around my heal. It kinda felt like I had just gotten road burn on my toes and heal, you know that burning feeling after road burn...yup it was just like that. I could only assume this was my nerve block wearing off. Which means my nerve was turning back on. So, I attempted to wiggle my toes and sure enough they moved which they hadn't done since I was injected with this stuff so yeah time to take some meds. Luckily I had already started my medicine regime and had a little something in me by the time the nerve block wore off because the pain got worse and I can only assume it would have been a lot more worse if I hadn't had a little something something already in my system. I remember the nurse telling me that the next day would be my most painful day and so far, she was right. I spent most of the day in terrible pain (12 out of 10), it was like a Mack truck ran over my ankle. The meds did help, but they didn't do enough to stop the pain. It was just hardcore and I just had to deal with it.
I spent most of the day in the bed with my leg elevated and kept it iced just about all day as well. It was indeed a long painful day and its a good thing I spent most of the day sleeping. I could only hope the next day would be better. Cause the pain has to get better right?
Well there is not much I can remember after surgery. The last thing I remembered before going into lala land was telling my doctors to "take care of Crankle", in which everyone in the OR looked at me wondering why I was calling my ankle such a silly name. I of course told them how I came to name my 7 month old injury Crankle and my doctor as well as all the nurses were laughing hysterically and then it all fades to black.
I woke up to very little pain and a very empty recovery room. I think my surgery started around 1:30pm and was just over 3 hours long. I didn't wake up until about 5pm and my family was allowed back to see me around 7pm. My doctor came by a few time after surgery and explained how things went. Basically my AFL (anterior talofibular ligament) was not partially torn, but was actually according to him "shredded" and completely torn. Also, my CFL ( Calcaneofibular Ligament) was also torn and he repaired both. He also had to perform an Arthroscopic Fibular Chondroplasty because some of my cartilage had chipped away from the bone and needed to be shaved down treated by drilling holes into the bone to promote cartilage growth. Fun stuff! Other than that I can remember what else he said and my mom and hubby both say different things so I guess I will have to wait until my follow-up appointment to get more info. All in all it did go well.
Now, back to the pain. Well, as I mentioned previously they did a nerve block on me which basically numbs the entire leg throughout surgery and for up to 12 hours after surgery. The only grey area is timing the start of your meds to kick in just as the nerve block wears off. I was warned this was extremely difficult to do and their suggestion was to just start taking them now to prevent the chance of missing that window. Well damn, how bad could really be. I was felling great so far, man this nerve block is misleading...but i loved it and would highly recommend it to anyone getting a similar surgery.
I was discharged from the hospital by 8pm and was instructed to go straight to a pharmacy to get the meds I needed and since most pharmacies didn't have the drug I needed (then why did they prescribe it to me) then I should go to this one. Whatever, I was doped up and ready for whatever. They put me into the back seat of my car and we were on our way.
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| After surgery waiting in my car for the prescription to be ready. |
It took about 45 minutes to get my prescription filled which was a lot, but I survived and managed to get home, up the stairs to my bed within no time.
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| My office for the next 6 weeks |
It was about 4am that next morning when my nerve block wore off. It's a weird feeling actually, I remember feeling a burning sensation in my toes and around my heal. It kinda felt like I had just gotten road burn on my toes and heal, you know that burning feeling after road burn...yup it was just like that. I could only assume this was my nerve block wearing off. Which means my nerve was turning back on. So, I attempted to wiggle my toes and sure enough they moved which they hadn't done since I was injected with this stuff so yeah time to take some meds. Luckily I had already started my medicine regime and had a little something in me by the time the nerve block wore off because the pain got worse and I can only assume it would have been a lot more worse if I hadn't had a little something something already in my system. I remember the nurse telling me that the next day would be my most painful day and so far, she was right. I spent most of the day in terrible pain (12 out of 10), it was like a Mack truck ran over my ankle. The meds did help, but they didn't do enough to stop the pain. It was just hardcore and I just had to deal with it.
I spent most of the day in the bed with my leg elevated and kept it iced just about all day as well. It was indeed a long painful day and its a good thing I spent most of the day sleeping. I could only hope the next day would be better. Cause the pain has to get better right?
Friday, November 4, 2011
Surgery
November 2nd, 2011
Hospital Check-in: 11am
Surgery: 1pm
Today is the big surgery day and I'm feeling good. I've got everything around the house prepared for my post surgery one foot for 6 weeks self and at this point I'm just ready to get it over with. On the big day, I was up early and was out the door with my hubby and mom by 10am and at the hospital a little before 11am. Walking in the doors it was ironic to think I would not be walking out of these doors on two feet, but It was exciting that I was finally doing something that needed to be done. I've been in pain long enough, so it was all good! No, really I decided to drive to the hospital and on at least one or maybe two occasions I seriously considered turning around. But that was just me being a wimp.
Let me tell you one of the biggest reasons I hate surgeries that start late in the day....you cannot eat or drink after 12 midnight the day before until after the surgery. Yeah that includes water, no water ugh! I was soo damn hungry and thirsty it wasn't even funny. Ok, aside from that I gotta say that I was very impressed with Kernan Hospital in Baltimore. I had never heard of this place before, but apparently they are an orthopedic and rehabilitation facility. All the doctors, nurses and staff there were absolutely wonderful and they all really made the process very easy and convenient for me and my family. In fact, I arrived just before 11am and they had me through admissions and in pre-opt with my IV in by 11:20am, they were not even playing. I thought I would have more time to rethink surgery and run out if needed, but once the IV was in, so was I.
So yeah, it was kinda overwhelming how quickly they had me strip all my clothes and put on a gown and then all the poking and prodding began, fun times. But after about an hour of the same 10 questions beings asked about my medical history, they finally called my mom and my husband to come back and hang with me up until they rolled me into surgery.
After waiting for awhile I got visits from the resident who would be assisting my doctor, the anesthesiologist and of course my doctor came by and explained what he was going to do and he even finalized things by signing my left ankle with a sharpie. So, as I signed off on going forward with surgery so did he...on my ankle to be exact. At least I know that they know which ankle to cut open. Also, the form that my doctor had me sign for the first time identified the procedures that would be done during my surgery. Now had done substantial research prior to surgery and what he indicated on the form as the procedures only confirmed what I had already determined they were going to do. He said that they were to conduct a Modified Brostrom and Arthroscopic debridgement chondroplasty. Awesome, I love google. Well that was it and it was time, I said my goodbyes to the family and was rolling to the Operating Room.
Hospital Check-in: 11am
Surgery: 1pm
Today is the big surgery day and I'm feeling good. I've got everything around the house prepared for my post surgery one foot for 6 weeks self and at this point I'm just ready to get it over with. On the big day, I was up early and was out the door with my hubby and mom by 10am and at the hospital a little before 11am. Walking in the doors it was ironic to think I would not be walking out of these doors on two feet, but It was exciting that I was finally doing something that needed to be done. I've been in pain long enough, so it was all good! No, really I decided to drive to the hospital and on at least one or maybe two occasions I seriously considered turning around. But that was just me being a wimp.
 |
| Crankle on Surgery day! |
Let me tell you one of the biggest reasons I hate surgeries that start late in the day....you cannot eat or drink after 12 midnight the day before until after the surgery. Yeah that includes water, no water ugh! I was soo damn hungry and thirsty it wasn't even funny. Ok, aside from that I gotta say that I was very impressed with Kernan Hospital in Baltimore. I had never heard of this place before, but apparently they are an orthopedic and rehabilitation facility. All the doctors, nurses and staff there were absolutely wonderful and they all really made the process very easy and convenient for me and my family. In fact, I arrived just before 11am and they had me through admissions and in pre-opt with my IV in by 11:20am, they were not even playing. I thought I would have more time to rethink surgery and run out if needed, but once the IV was in, so was I.
So yeah, it was kinda overwhelming how quickly they had me strip all my clothes and put on a gown and then all the poking and prodding began, fun times. But after about an hour of the same 10 questions beings asked about my medical history, they finally called my mom and my husband to come back and hang with me up until they rolled me into surgery.
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| My husband had to get a picture of me, so i smiled! |
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Pre-Opt: 1 day until Surgery
Not much to say, I've just been preparing my life for 6 weeks nwb and then all of the sudden it was 9pm the night before my surgery and I'm not sure where time went.
Well, I've got groceries, a bedside stash of goodies, two laptops, a Netflix subscription, and 20 other things that I still don't think will be enough to survive the next 6 weeks. But, my main concern is the next two weeks and if I can get through that then I'm good to go.
Ok, I've managed to stay on my feet for the last 4 hours so it's time to get some zzzzz's. I will check in when I can.
Shannon
Well, I've got groceries, a bedside stash of goodies, two laptops, a Netflix subscription, and 20 other things that I still don't think will be enough to survive the next 6 weeks. But, my main concern is the next two weeks and if I can get through that then I'm good to go.
Ok, I've managed to stay on my feet for the last 4 hours so it's time to get some zzzzz's. I will check in when I can.
Shannon
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Pre-Op - The Countdown Begins
Well, after my doctors appointment on Oct 21st it seems like it took a day or two before I got the call to schedule surgery and when the nurse said "how about November 2nd" reality came crashing down on me.
Scheduled surgery date: Nov 2nd 2011 at 1pm
It's just under a week until my surgery and with each day I get more and more freaked out. I keep telling people it's like being told someone is going to break your leg next week and it's going hurt really bad. Which makes you over think everything, especially the fact that you will be in pain and wont be able to walk for 6 weeks. Usually when I tell people this, it shuts them up and gets them thinking and puts perspective of what it's like preparing for surgery like this.
So yeah, today I'm feeling scared not about the surgery itself, but more about just being disabled. My husband always asks me why I need to be in control of things and I need to learn how to let go sometimes. Well, this will be letting go, but it doesn't make it any easier.
All day at work today I began making this huge list of things I need to do before I'm disabled...i mean surgery. You see, all i keep thinking about is not being able to stand on two feet for several weeks and it freaks me out. I will deal with it, but yeah I got a long list of things to do in the next five days and the mission is to not stress. Luckily the Internet sells just about anything and I have ordered alot of stuff. I got a memory foam wedge pillow, a OnlyOne Crutch (just google it), a Shower Chair, began creating a bedside stash, and i definitely need to get a pedicure asap!
Scheduled surgery date: Nov 2nd 2011 at 1pm
It's just under a week until my surgery and with each day I get more and more freaked out. I keep telling people it's like being told someone is going to break your leg next week and it's going hurt really bad. Which makes you over think everything, especially the fact that you will be in pain and wont be able to walk for 6 weeks. Usually when I tell people this, it shuts them up and gets them thinking and puts perspective of what it's like preparing for surgery like this.
So yeah, today I'm feeling scared not about the surgery itself, but more about just being disabled. My husband always asks me why I need to be in control of things and I need to learn how to let go sometimes. Well, this will be letting go, but it doesn't make it any easier.
All day at work today I began making this huge list of things I need to do before I'm disabled...i mean surgery. You see, all i keep thinking about is not being able to stand on two feet for several weeks and it freaks me out. I will deal with it, but yeah I got a long list of things to do in the next five days and the mission is to not stress. Luckily the Internet sells just about anything and I have ordered alot of stuff. I got a memory foam wedge pillow, a OnlyOne Crutch (just google it), a Shower Chair, began creating a bedside stash, and i definitely need to get a pedicure asap!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
MRI = Surgery
MRI Report
Initial Injury Date - March 2011
MRI Date - 10/14/11
There is mild intermediate signal intensity in the anterior talofibular (ATF) ligament particularly near the fibular insertion site compatible with a moderate grade partial thickness tear. The calcaneofibular, posterior talofibular, deltoid, syndesmotic and spring ligaments are intact. The is no marrow edema. The subtalar joint and talar are unremarkable. There is a small to moderate sized ankle effusion. The sinus tarsi, tarsal tunnel and planter fascia are unremarkable.
Doctor Says:
My doctor says he noticed some thickness around the calcaneofibular ligament (CFL) which he suspects could be a partial tear. Also, he noticed a possible Osteochondral (OCD) Lesion on the top of the Talus.
Oct 21st 2011- MRI follow-up
After my doctor reviewed my MRI he made an easy decision and that decision was surgery. I will say this, it actually wasn't an easy decision for him. He actually sat down and stared at my MRI images for what seemed like a solid ten minutes and then he examined my ankle again. After all that then he said "I think we have tried everything we could, we did 4 weeks of PT, we did a cortisone shot and after all of this I am just not seeing any improvements. I think it's time we go in there and see what's going on. Your MRI clearly shows your ATF is partially torn and your CFL appears to be thickened as well. I would like to do an Ankle Ligament repair definitely of your ATF, and I will take a look at the CFL when I'm in there and if it also needs repair I will take care of it as well. Also, I noticed on your MRI the appearance of a possible OCD (this is loose cartilage on the talus). With that, I would like to do an Athroscopy procedure in addition to a ligament repair."
And the Answer is - He wants to do an ankle scope and ligament repair surgery. Great, this just gets better and better.
Wow surgery, I should ask questions: I asked the doctor alot of questions about my chances of living without the surgery and it definitely seemed possible. However, it would limit me a lot and could be painful and definitely boring. Yeah so, there is no way I can live like that. I think I was sold on surgery when my doctor did a demonstration of how floppy my left ankle was compared to my right ankle. That was all I needed to see to make the easy decision. Let's do it.
Of course as I walked out of the door with my surgery papers I made tons of phones calls with family and friends to see if this would be the best decision. I actually have a close family friend (Dr. John R. Hawkins III) who is a podiatry surgeon and has been in contact with me throughout this process and has always been there to explain things and just give me his opinion as I dealt with my ankle issues. Actually, he reviewed my MRI and we talked through my issues and his input was extremely helpful in making decisions or just understanding what might be going on with me. Thanks John John for being my great medical consultant :)
In the end, the final decision was mine to make and I signed on the dotted line...ohh boy what have I done.
Back to the Doctor
October 2011
My follow up doctors appointment after PT was exactly what I expected. He wanted to try a Cortisone shot. He had mentioned this as the next option after PT so when he mentioned giving it a go I had already given it some thought and was ready to give it a try.
I will probably never get a Cortisone shot again, it was painful and it made everything worse and created a monster who we shall call....Crankle (see image below)
Swelling, swelling and more swelling. What the efff did they do to me. I mean I had some swelling before, but after the Cortisone shot my ankle had all this fluid in it and would painfully swell whenever I was on my feed for 10 minutes. I would have to soak it in Epsom salt and ice it at night to keep the swelling down enough to wear shoes. What the eff! Ok, i said that already...yup i did.
So, I guess the Cortisone shot didn't work and my doctor did mention the risks of the injection. I considered the risks, but thought that the benefit of a pain free ankle would be worth it. So, after my ankle became Crankle, I quickly made another appointment with the doctor and I already knew this was gonna end up with me on the operating table at some point. Damn everything, I just want to walk without a limp.
The next doctors appointment was quick and to the point. He basically did a few instability test, felt around my ankle a bit and said lets order you an MRI and to prevent any further injury we will get you fitted for an ankle brace. I said, sounds good doc. Of course there was a lot more to it, but why bore you with the basics. So, off to get an MRI.
My follow up doctors appointment after PT was exactly what I expected. He wanted to try a Cortisone shot. He had mentioned this as the next option after PT so when he mentioned giving it a go I had already given it some thought and was ready to give it a try.
I will probably never get a Cortisone shot again, it was painful and it made everything worse and created a monster who we shall call....Crankle (see image below)
 |
| Meet "Crankle" aka my swollen ankle |
Swelling, swelling and more swelling. What the efff did they do to me. I mean I had some swelling before, but after the Cortisone shot my ankle had all this fluid in it and would painfully swell whenever I was on my feed for 10 minutes. I would have to soak it in Epsom salt and ice it at night to keep the swelling down enough to wear shoes. What the eff! Ok, i said that already...yup i did.
So, I guess the Cortisone shot didn't work and my doctor did mention the risks of the injection. I considered the risks, but thought that the benefit of a pain free ankle would be worth it. So, after my ankle became Crankle, I quickly made another appointment with the doctor and I already knew this was gonna end up with me on the operating table at some point. Damn everything, I just want to walk without a limp.
The next doctors appointment was quick and to the point. He basically did a few instability test, felt around my ankle a bit and said lets order you an MRI and to prevent any further injury we will get you fitted for an ankle brace. I said, sounds good doc. Of course there was a lot more to it, but why bore you with the basics. So, off to get an MRI.
PT was not for me
August 2011
After finally deciding it was time to do something about this ankle of mine, I got online and searched for a good sports doctor who knew his way around the ankle. My search led me to a sports orthopedic surgeon who also happened to be a team physician for the Maryland Terrapins. Honestly, he had me at sports doctor, but as a UMD alumnus my doctor being a Terp doctor did make me happy.
How do I explain to the doctor what's wrong with my ankle? You know how when you car is broke, but when you take it to the mechanic you or they can never replicate the problem. Yeah, that's usually how I feel when I walk into a doctors office with pain or some weird symptom. Overall, I just felt uneasy about my doctors visit. I had all these things floating around in my head. Will I like my doctor, will he dismiss my concerns and if he does maybe what i'm experiencing is not that bad.
Doctors Visit #1
Yay, my doctor seem great. When he walked in my exam room I instantly felt at ease. He had a great approach and I could tell he was listening to my concerns and it really seemed as if he cared and not for one minute did he dismiss what I was feeling. He immediately sent me next door to get an x-ray and yeah of course the results showed nothing out of the ordinary. Either way, he recommended 6 weeks of Physical Therapy (PT) and he prescribed some anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxers to help with pain. This was not exactly what I wanted to do, but it was what I knew I needed to do and I was game to do whatever was necessary.
I went to a Physical Therapist recommended by my doctor, and they actually had an office on the first floor of my office building which made getting to 2 appointments a weeks easier to fit into my schedule.
I'm not going to bore you with the details of my PT, instead I will make it simple, I did PT for 4 weeks and it was helpful at managing my pain but it did not reduce my pain and at times my pain actually increased. I had a great physical therapist named Kenny who worked hard to reduce my pain and strengthen my ankle. He used a combination of stability, tens therapy and strengthening exercises in combination with cold and hot treatments. It was after about 10 sessions that Kenny had a talk with me in which he made the recommendation that we should stop PT until I go back to my doctor. I wasn't getting better and he didn't feel like PT was helping. Yup, I agreed with Kenny and in fact I had already made a follow up appointment with my doctor because the pain was getting worse and although I though PT was helpful it just wasn't doing enough.
Back to the doc I go!
After finally deciding it was time to do something about this ankle of mine, I got online and searched for a good sports doctor who knew his way around the ankle. My search led me to a sports orthopedic surgeon who also happened to be a team physician for the Maryland Terrapins. Honestly, he had me at sports doctor, but as a UMD alumnus my doctor being a Terp doctor did make me happy.
How do I explain to the doctor what's wrong with my ankle? You know how when you car is broke, but when you take it to the mechanic you or they can never replicate the problem. Yeah, that's usually how I feel when I walk into a doctors office with pain or some weird symptom. Overall, I just felt uneasy about my doctors visit. I had all these things floating around in my head. Will I like my doctor, will he dismiss my concerns and if he does maybe what i'm experiencing is not that bad.
Doctors Visit #1
Yay, my doctor seem great. When he walked in my exam room I instantly felt at ease. He had a great approach and I could tell he was listening to my concerns and it really seemed as if he cared and not for one minute did he dismiss what I was feeling. He immediately sent me next door to get an x-ray and yeah of course the results showed nothing out of the ordinary. Either way, he recommended 6 weeks of Physical Therapy (PT) and he prescribed some anti-inflammatory and muscle relaxers to help with pain. This was not exactly what I wanted to do, but it was what I knew I needed to do and I was game to do whatever was necessary.
I went to a Physical Therapist recommended by my doctor, and they actually had an office on the first floor of my office building which made getting to 2 appointments a weeks easier to fit into my schedule.
I'm not going to bore you with the details of my PT, instead I will make it simple, I did PT for 4 weeks and it was helpful at managing my pain but it did not reduce my pain and at times my pain actually increased. I had a great physical therapist named Kenny who worked hard to reduce my pain and strengthen my ankle. He used a combination of stability, tens therapy and strengthening exercises in combination with cold and hot treatments. It was after about 10 sessions that Kenny had a talk with me in which he made the recommendation that we should stop PT until I go back to my doctor. I wasn't getting better and he didn't feel like PT was helping. Yup, I agreed with Kenny and in fact I had already made a follow up appointment with my doctor because the pain was getting worse and although I though PT was helpful it just wasn't doing enough.
Back to the doc I go!
How it happened
Well, where do I begin. I guess it's best to start with the fact that I have had a history of very bad sprains to my left ankle. In fact, they have been so bad that I can distinctly remember each sprain.
1) My first time ice skating
2) My first time skiing
3) Randomly fell down the steps running for the phone
4) and of course the last and final sprain happened March of 2011 when I missed the step coming out of my house chasing after my dog.
So yeah, I have had a few sprains to my ankle and if you were to tell me years ago that it could all lead to where I am today then I am sure I would have done things a whole heck of alot different. I digress, so I was chasing my dog and I missed the step. I heard a pop and my ankle bone was kissing the pavement (which is a weird feeling, I do not recommend). Anyways, I initially thought for sure I broke something but after a visit to the ER it was confirmed that it was just a sprain. I was advised to get around by crutches for a few days and do the RICE thing. I did as I was told and within a week I was back on my feet. Now here's where I should have taken notice. Within the first 3 weeks after my injury I rolled my ankle at least once a week. It's funny how with each sprain week after week, the pain was actually not as bad as the first one. I guess my ligament was like a rubber band that has been overstretched and that initial tight pop hurt a whole lot, but after several more pops the laxity was just not there anymore and lord knows what will happen if I keep spraining the thing. Either way, I guess the major damage is done. So, eventually I did stop rolling my ankle after my March 2011 sprain and I seemed to be on the healing path again. The soreness and swelling started to fade, life was good...so I thought.
As time went by I did feel improvement and it was almost like the injury was healing...very slowly. Walking became easier and i even got ahead of myself and signed up for some marathons. I guess things were to good to be true because in what seemed like no time at all everything slowly started to go downhill very quick and very painful. Thinking back I've tried to pinpoint what I did wrong or maybe I was just doomed from the start. Who knows, all I know was that by August of 2011 I was limping again and my ankle throbbed most nights which was not only a bad sign, but was the beginning of many sleepless nights. It was then that I realized things were no longer improving and I needed help. It was time to find a good orthopedic sports doc who could do ankles, yup cause this thing hurts!
1) My first time ice skating
2) My first time skiing
3) Randomly fell down the steps running for the phone
4) and of course the last and final sprain happened March of 2011 when I missed the step coming out of my house chasing after my dog.
 |
| I blame the dog! |
So yeah, I have had a few sprains to my ankle and if you were to tell me years ago that it could all lead to where I am today then I am sure I would have done things a whole heck of alot different. I digress, so I was chasing my dog and I missed the step. I heard a pop and my ankle bone was kissing the pavement (which is a weird feeling, I do not recommend). Anyways, I initially thought for sure I broke something but after a visit to the ER it was confirmed that it was just a sprain. I was advised to get around by crutches for a few days and do the RICE thing. I did as I was told and within a week I was back on my feet. Now here's where I should have taken notice. Within the first 3 weeks after my injury I rolled my ankle at least once a week. It's funny how with each sprain week after week, the pain was actually not as bad as the first one. I guess my ligament was like a rubber band that has been overstretched and that initial tight pop hurt a whole lot, but after several more pops the laxity was just not there anymore and lord knows what will happen if I keep spraining the thing. Either way, I guess the major damage is done. So, eventually I did stop rolling my ankle after my March 2011 sprain and I seemed to be on the healing path again. The soreness and swelling started to fade, life was good...so I thought.
As time went by I did feel improvement and it was almost like the injury was healing...very slowly. Walking became easier and i even got ahead of myself and signed up for some marathons. I guess things were to good to be true because in what seemed like no time at all everything slowly started to go downhill very quick and very painful. Thinking back I've tried to pinpoint what I did wrong or maybe I was just doomed from the start. Who knows, all I know was that by August of 2011 I was limping again and my ankle throbbed most nights which was not only a bad sign, but was the beginning of many sleepless nights. It was then that I realized things were no longer improving and I needed help. It was time to find a good orthopedic sports doc who could do ankles, yup cause this thing hurts!
Intro
Welcome!
So, here's the deal I initially decided to begin this blog for the simple pleasure of wanting to share my experience dealing with an ankle injury. After dealing with ankle problems over the last few months I was annoyed that no one had blogged about their experience. I did find one or two blogs out there and I thought "wow this is great!". I really enjoyed reading about their day to day experiences. It was great, I got to read about the day to day from how the initial injury occurred, doctors visits, physical therapy and eventually surgery. As you know blogs can be addicting and if you can relate to what the person is blogging about I think they can also be very helpful. So, with that it was an easy decision for me to begin my own blog in hopes of helping others who are going through similar experiences. I also thought this would be a good way for me to share the daily updates of my injury with family members who lived out of town and who could appreciate reading something like this to keep up with what was going on. Well, I hope you enjoy and who knows maybe this will morph into something more, but for now its all about my ankle. A friend once told me that if an injury is around long enough then it deserves its own name and my ankle does have a name, but we will let you read on before the big reveal.
Cheers and enjoy!
Shannon (aka Shenanigans)
ps- please disregard spelling and grammatical errors, this was usual due to pain or pain meds. I will try to edit entries when I can, but just know that there might be a lot of errors in entries that I have not edited. Thanks!
So, here's the deal I initially decided to begin this blog for the simple pleasure of wanting to share my experience dealing with an ankle injury. After dealing with ankle problems over the last few months I was annoyed that no one had blogged about their experience. I did find one or two blogs out there and I thought "wow this is great!". I really enjoyed reading about their day to day experiences. It was great, I got to read about the day to day from how the initial injury occurred, doctors visits, physical therapy and eventually surgery. As you know blogs can be addicting and if you can relate to what the person is blogging about I think they can also be very helpful. So, with that it was an easy decision for me to begin my own blog in hopes of helping others who are going through similar experiences. I also thought this would be a good way for me to share the daily updates of my injury with family members who lived out of town and who could appreciate reading something like this to keep up with what was going on. Well, I hope you enjoy and who knows maybe this will morph into something more, but for now its all about my ankle. A friend once told me that if an injury is around long enough then it deserves its own name and my ankle does have a name, but we will let you read on before the big reveal.
Cheers and enjoy!
Shannon (aka Shenanigans)
ps- please disregard spelling and grammatical errors, this was usual due to pain or pain meds. I will try to edit entries when I can, but just know that there might be a lot of errors in entries that I have not edited. Thanks!
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