Step by Step - Every Journey Starts by Walking

Okay, its been approximately 11 weeks since the accident (wow, that long?) and I can safely say it's well in the past now. I am walking (well, more like limping, but progress is progress nonetheless) and I'd like to share my painful journey to get to where I am, because it wasn't easy.

I stopped sleeping with the boot (sounds strange, doesn't it?) Christmas night, and then I first put pressure on my right foot on New Year's Day. It seems like all my milestones occur on grand occasions (did I mention I broke my ankle on Remembrance Day?)
I used the boot to "walk" and honestly, I didn't know what I was doing. I had crutches as well, and it was just too painful so I gave that up until our appointment on the the 7th of January, where the doctor told me I could start walking now. Easier said than done. 
I also got an X-Ray, which looks a little like this:

Completely healed - can you spot the scar between the second and third screw from the bottom?

That's the scar of where it broke

Here is the original X-Ray of when I broke it - pretty gruesome, eh?

There's this thing called "muscle waste" which was what I have for my right calf - the muscle's completely gone. It's all jelly, so I'll have to build that up again. Also, my foot was covered in dead skin for a while, so I had to constantly moisturize it. My whole right leg was flaking off like an eraser, not to mention it got hairier, due to the cast.


You know the funny thing? Using the exercise bike was easier than walking. I wore the boot at first, then progressed to shoes, then bare feet, on the bike. I found that must of the pain was in the front part of my foot, the ball as it is referred to, and my heel was less painful to press down on.
Going out in a boot and crutches was daunting, and tiring, because crutches are such a workout! I realized that the more I put pressure on my foot slowly, the less painful it got day by day. So I upgraded to one crutch and a boot the next time we went out, and the more I walked on the boot, the more my foot hurt, but I found when I got home that I could walk without crutches! Well, kinda.

When walking again after two months, limping is inevitable. So I practiced walking around in the backyard, at first with the boot, and then gradually I realized I could wear my runners which had good support and sort of hobble around. I completely ditched the crutches last week I think and since then I've gotten better at walking. I've also gone back to working out, and testing my limits of what I can do. "Dancing" is doable, but no fancy tricks, of course. I can shower standing again, though I found it comfortable to sit on the shower stool LOL, I guess I'm lazy like that.

It was a personal journey, I didn't have official rehab sessions, it was just me and my foot, working it out together. I take a step, "Ow" another step, "Ow" and it went like that for a while until the "Ow"s decreased and turned into winces, because I admit, it still hurts to walk now. 

It looks so weird from this angle LOL

My foot's circulation is back to normal, it's still a little swollen but not as bad as initially, and the bruises have disappeared mostly. My stitches healed up and it feels smoother to the touch. Veins are beginning to show through my skin of the top, probably because of all the walking I'm doing now. I find that in runners it's easier to walk with less of a limp and that barefoot it's harder. Also, I can put all my weight on my right foot for a few seconds, but of course my left leg is the strongest side.

Scar is healing

I don't know if I'll be completely ready for school - but that's in five days, and a lot can happen in those days. I have to work on getting stronger, and even if it still hurts to walk, I'll have to put up with the pain. I found I have high tolerance of pain, and I like to push myself to the limit. Apparently I should've cried when I broke my ankle, but I didn't! 
That didn't mean I didn't cry - of course, at times, I couldn't believe this was my life, back when I couldn't walk, I was a little depressed about it, but now that I can, that seemed so far away I can't imagine not walking. Strange how we take things for granted, like walking. But now that I know how it feels not to walk, I will never be ungrateful for it. 
So the lesson here is to be grateful for what you have, even if it's just your legs, or your arms. There are people unluckier than me with amputated limbs or who will never walk again, so be thankful. We are so lucky, and we don't even realize it until we lose it, so let's not lose ourselves before we realize it. :)