Ankle Surgery Update: Day 19 Post-Op

It's hard to believe Tuesday will be 3 weeks, or 21 days exactly, from my ankle surgery. All in all, I seem to be recuperating more rapidly than I thought I would, which I'm thrilled about!

My incision looks a lot better; most of the scabbed over areas are gone along with a top layer of epididymis. It peeled like sunburned or blistered skin...not sure why.

I returned the knee roller to OrthoCarolina on Thursday of last week, instead using the walking cast with or without crutches, much to my wife's consternation. The PA at OrthoCarolina, Mike, told us that he didn't want me to put more than 50% of my normal weight on the leg for about 3 weeks - that was about 12 days ago.

So, to recap, I'm able to walk fairly normally with just a walking cast - but my left leg gets tired after an hour or two of being upright. Elevating it with the cast off for a few minutes helps a lot - I guess the pressure of the cast still interferes with the blood flow and causes soreness.

Confidentially, today I tried some careful walking...a few feet in the bedroom...without the cast. I don't think I'm ready to attempt any normal walking yet...maybe by next weekend. Caroline and I are going to Charleston with friends so I'm sure there'll be a lot of walking there!

Also, this past week I found a site that explains my procedure in great detail. http://www.footsurgeryatlas.com/lib/foot/hindfoot/tendon-hindfoot/tibialis-posterior-tendon-debridement/operation/1
My doctor explained that I needed both a debridement and FDL tendon transfer.  The surgical pictures are from a right leg whereas mine was on my left leg. Still very helpful to my understanding of just what was done and what I can expect on recovery.

Posterior Tibial Tendon Surgery, 10 days post-op, removal of the surgical dressings

My ankle surgery was on a Tuesday (October 18th) and the dressings were removed on the following Friday. Here are the (gruesome) photos for your enjoyment :)

Stapled me shut with about 25 of them!

Lots of bruising and swelling!

Looks pretty awful from this angle! My arch is all swollen and I have pooled blood near my heel. 

Ankle Surgery Post Op: Day 2

The surgery was Tuesday morning and it is now Thursday morning so it's technically Day 2, but it feels like Day 3. Probably because Day 1 was so long and troublesome. I now know that I can't tolerate Percocet very well at all!

I slept from midnight until 4 am, when I woke to use the bathroom, get a drink, and take two more Tramadol. I read about the 3rd, and final, Presidential debate, then dozed off again at 4:30 until 6:30 am.

My leg aches inside, near the incision, which I haven't actually seen yet. Now that the nerve block has completely worn off, I have to be more careful of movement, to avoid sharp pains - I don't want to risk pulling my sutures at all.

10:30 took my first shower. That was an adventure...a little taste of what life as an 80 year will be like, should I be so lucky.

Ankle Surgery: Post Op Day 1

6:55 am. It feels like electricity in my toes when my wife touches them. This different from yesterday when I couldn't really feel anything.

7:30 vomited into bucket at bedside.

8:55 am. I just realized I'm able to move my toes again.

12pm Ate a few spoonfuls of homemade chicken noodle soup.

2pm Took Tums for stomach gas.

4pm Ate a piece of toast and took 1 Percocet.

7:00 pm vomited again immediately after .

8:00 pm Elizabeth called the doctor's office and told them of my intolerance for Percocet. The doctor said it was quite common and recommended a switch to Tramadol. She picked up the prescription and I popped two tablets around 9 pm. I waited a few hours for the nausea and reflux to set in again but was pleased when it didn't.

We watched a good movie, The Imitation Game, just she and I for the first time in months. Then retired at about 11:30. I tried to read for a few minutes then dozed off.

Aric Almirola leads Richard Petty Motorsports 24 Hours of Booty Team

Aric Almirola was looking for ways to give more back to the local community. A longtime recreational cyclist, he decided to form a fundraising team at Richard Petty Motorsports for the 24Hours Of Booty charity bike ride.                     Aric is also an endorser of Advocare fitness products, who sponsor the Number 6 car of driver Trevor Bayne. As a long time cyclist myself, I can attest that Advocare's products can help your endurance and power on the bike. 

My favorite products for cycling are: 

• O2Gold - for increased oxygen capacity. They call this the "3rd lung."
• Post-Workout Recovery - taken within 30 minutes of a ride, it gets my legs ready for the next day. 
• Arginine Extreme - for increased blood flow during strenuous activity. Works like beet juice by proving nitric oxide to your muscles. 

See all of the Performance Elite Products here: http://www.advocare.com/products/performance_elite.aspx

Getting back on the health & fitness track after losing motivation, at age 49

It's not easy to start a fitness regimen at any age. And it's not easy to re-start a regimen once you have lost motivation. In my experience, you don't HAVE to hit rock bottom, where you're completely disgusted with yourself...but wherever you are, the important thing is to DECIDE that you're going to change.

I fell off the exercise wagon because of stress. Which is ironic because giving up exercise is giving in to stress. I know from experience that exercise is medicine, or therapy. It is a fact that exercise produces endorphins which are natural mood boosters.  

But I let my stressors, mainly centered around job loss and the resulting severe financial pressure, get the best of me. I wanted to spend every waking moment focused on fixing my situation, sending out resumes, reaching out to everyone for advice, and searching for a solution to my problems. I felt that exercise was frivolous and self-indulgent, though I knew deep inside that it was not. My depression only grew worse as I blew off workout after workout. 

I still struggle with the depression. Every day is a roller coaster ride of emotions as new doors open and then close in my face. It is so hard not to take every rejection, every unreturned email or phone call personally. I've also started to get angry at my friends for not recognizing how miserable I am and not offering to help. You read about suicides every day and everyone always says afterward..."If only I knew what he was going through." (Note: I don't think I'm suicidal, but if you think you are, please call a professional immediately!)

The point is, that today, I made the DECISION to not let my situation get any worse. I went on a run...and it was hard after a 2 week layoff. But I didn't stop until I'd run two miles...then I walked a 3rd. It was a struggle to get through the first mile, and I lost form during the second mile, but I felt reborn at the end.

Maybe getting back on my exercise routine will do more than band-aid my symptoms. Perhaps it will be the basis of my resurgence, and the foundation of my mental recovery. I hope so. 

Apple Macbook Pro Message App hanging

Recently, the messages app on my Macbook pro started hanging. I had no idea what caused it and thought it was related to a recent software upgrade (to El Capitan.)

The app would open, then go into the "spinning wheel" mode where nothing happened at all. It seemed to last forever and my only option was to do a "force quit." I had to rely on my phone to send/receive messages.

After several days of searching, I finally found the thread with the answer:
https://discussions.apple.com/thread/7408309?start=0&tstart=0

It turns out the problem is due to the Contacts app. I had contacts enabled for both my icloud and gmail accounts. When I turned off icloud (as I have over 1500 in gmail) then restarted Messages, the problem was no more.

Ralph, I don't know you but God bless you!