I didn't go into much detail about my then-solid purple cast on my ankle. I fractured my ankle in at least 3 places. Before reconstructive surgery, my foot was a limp noodle. My fibula snapped, breaking into several pieces and a portion of the medial malleolus broke off, the latter being the part of the tibia. I also tore a major ligament, which is never a pleasant feeling.
Because of this break, from my 10 minute break (har har har), the bulge of my ankle was on the opposite side, meaning more medial than lateral. Due to this fact, my foot looked like this:
I could wiggle my toes, a very good sign. But we can definitely say that it was not the most comfortable experience. That is, until the Dilaudid. What a miracle drug. My hospital stay was a bit hazy but that means I felt less pain. Woo hoo! At any rate, I had the surgery the next day. My surgeon, very skilled, put in a grand total of 9 screws, 1 pin, and a metal plate. The pin supplies blood flow to the ligament so it can grow, the screws hold the bone together, as does the metal plate. I know I showed you kids the X-ray before, but here it is again for your viewing pleasure!
Now here is where it gets gross. In order to put this hardware in, there were two incisions made on either side of my ankle. One is big, one is small. Before I could have a cast, they put on a plastered splint to hold everything in place, with much added gauze to help stop the bleeding. So, who's excited to see them?! Me! I am!
Now I am in my cocoon, transforming into a beautiful butterfly. Or, in my case with all this hardware, a robot. Don't worry, one day I will learn how to love.
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