Category: ankle

We’re home, I have a big splint/bandage combination on my leg, and I’m high… high as a kite.\
Dr. Wilson says everything went well, but I forgot to ask him if I could keep the bone. Stupid oxycontin.\
I don’t expect to do much for the next couple weeks except watch movies, take a lot of pain pills followed by lots of naps and try not to get bored. I don’t have a lot of experience writing code while on painkillers, but I might try it…\
Oh, and this was announced today on the microformats list if you’re into that sort of thing. It was a lot of fun coming up with it, and I can’t tell you what product we’re building that drove its creation, but it may be the coolest thing I’ve ever worked on at AOL.\
More details when I’m less high.

I have a second opinion that’s just like the first. I’ve spent three months in either a boot or a cast, which haven’t make the pain stop.\
I get my ankle opened up, and the pesky extra bone removed, next Friday at high noon. I would say I’m looking forward to it, but I’m really not. It means at least 3 weeks on crutches, possibly longer, and a very long recovery (“it’s worse than an ACL”, says Dr. Wilson).\
The one small consolation is that we stuck with the conservative option until it was clear it wouldn’t work. My doctor comes highly recommended (even by the guy who gave the second opinion).\
My other source of comfort is that my wife is awesome. She’s handled my various horrific injuries with grace, support and love. She’s just the best.

I told you how it happened a while ago. Now, I’ll tell you what I did. I just found this great explanation of what an accessory navicular is. I’ve got one of those, and my little stumble in India moved mine around where it’s not supposed to be. I’ve got illustrations for you too:

A Normal Accessory Navicular:

My Accessory Navicular:

If you’re not sure what you’re looking at. The toes are right above the picture. The left side is the instep. What this all means is that I’m in a good deal of pain because this little “extra” bone is now screwing up the whole rest of my foot by moving the large tendon that controls the arch. That’s causing the arch to collapse, which is making other bones go where they don’t belong.\
We’ve been trying the “rest” bit of the treatment plan for a while now (three months and counting), and I’m just about done (finished, finito, finis, kaput) with it. This cast sucks. And, if I have surgery (wait, not if, when…), I’ll be in a cast for six more weeks. Merry fother-mucking Christmas.

I’ve done this before with my right knee (twice) and my left ankle (left). I’m not sure why this time is worse. It just is. It’s probably worse because it was such a stupid nothing injury. It’s worse because I didn’t think it was anything when I did it, and it’s turned out to be something.

Six Weeks in a Cast

At least it’s blue. If this doesn’t work, it’s surgery. I’m hoping the blue cast does the job.

That’s probably true of a lot of things. In this case, I’m talking about the sad, sad, saga of my ankle (first post, second post). I went to the doctor this morning, and the news isn’t good. It’s not as bad as it could have been, but it’s bad enough that I’m not happy.\
There’s nothing wrong with my foot (that the MRI showed) other than the nickel sized piece of bone. But, since the boot hasn’t been helping, Doctor Sam isn’t confident that surgery is going to help. So, my options boil down to the following:

1. Do nothing, ever, and just live with the pain.
2. Wear the boot 24 hours a day for four weeks and see if the pain’s better. If it is, then we can be reasonably confident that the surgery will work.
3. Have a “more serious” surgery that involves fusing the bones in my foot. This means nothing more physical than walking for the rest of my life.\
   We’re going with number 2. Four more weeks in the boot, and now I have to sleep in it. Walking around in it is bad enough. I need ice cream, and right now. Oh wait, I have to lose weight too (as if I didn’t know).\
   It’s been a really shitty summer… that looks like it’s going to carry over into a blustery crappy fall. Sorry, everybody!