Update and Thought for Today

The first pic is the hole in my ankle. The second is what my ankle looks like after we pack it. Basically, Jake or the nurse shoves in about 6 inches of this gauze stuff and leave a little end to pull out. Most of the hole is beyond the opening. You can kinda see the area around the hole is puffy. My thought for today. I am stronger than I know.

30 Reasons Why I Wish This Never Happened to Me.

Today I thought I would share some stuff about how my ankle injury has impacted my life. First let me say that the injury itself is pretty overwhelming. Then there are the numerous complications and limitations that stem from the original accident.
<-- This is the reason I keep on going and try to stay positive. My sweet daughter Kelsea and my loving husband Jake. :)

30 Reasons Why I Wish This Never Happen to Me

1. I am scared and angry. Let me repeat that "I am scared and angry".
   
2. I am in constant pain (can't remember what it is like to not have pain).
3. I have been unable to return to work & constantly worry about my job.
4. I am unable to enjoy doing things with family .
   
5. I pretty much spend my days on the couch with my leg propped up or in bed. This is the only way I can be somewhat comfortable.
   
6. I am not getting a full paycheck and had to file a WC claim. This is very stressful and money is not just tight, but non-existing.
7. My ankle is controlling my life right now.
8. My family is feeling my stress.
9. I don't know if I will have a job, when all this is said and done.
10. I had to hire a lawyer to help us with this confusing mess.
11. I have my first staph infection and it is no fun.
    
12. I have to have my wound packed everyday, and it hurts like nobodies business.
13. I have gain weight just sitting around.
14. I can't get in the pool to swim, until my infection clears up.
    
15. I am missing all the cool stuff my daughter is doing, and get to only see it on video or by digital photos my hubby takes.
16. Taking a shower is a major effort.
17. Walking with anything in my hands is difficult at best. I either spill, drop or I am shaking too much.
    
18. I have 2 huge scars and a tree trunk for an ankle.
19. I miss walking and driving.
    
20. I realized that even if I wanted to go out to a store, that all the electric carts will either be gone, the batteries will be dead or they don't have them.
21. I have more ice packs in my freezer than I do frozen food.
22. I get my pain meds in quantities of 80
23. I don't cook, clean or enjoy being home anymore.
24. We need to get better cable TV. We only get the local channels to save money.
25. My laptop is a good distraction from the pain.
26. I miss going to church.
27. My dog and 2 cats want to be near me all the time now. They say that pets know when something is wrong.
28. I hate answering my cell phone and get overwhelmed when it rings. I haven't figured out why yet?
    
29. I live in my PJs and sweats and very rarely put on a bra, unless I have an appointment or have to go out.
30. I am trying really hard to put this all in God's hands. Faith is a b*tch!
    

Well, I thought I would give an update. It has been a long week. I went to the doctors on Wednesday and was told that my wound will be a very slow healing process. Taking weeks and weeks...at least 1 month and my wound would slowly heal from the inside out. I am so devastated by this. The pain is intense and I am home bound. I was also having heart palpitations and ended-up finding out that my pulse and blood pressure is high. I had an EKG done...Thank God it was OK. I am now taking a beta blocker. The doctor thinks it is due to the pain level. This week has not been good.
The visiting nurse finally came on Tuesday along with a Worker's Comp rep. She basically treated me like I was 100 years old and kept putting words in my mouth. It was kinda creepy. She told me how to get out of my house in an emergency, to keep a flashlight next to me, hold on to things when I walk. I know they are obligated to do that, but it was a little annoying. She was also suppose to bring everything with her (to pack my wound) and of course she wasn't prepared. I also think she was more concerned with "her" getting contaminated than keeping my wound sterile. She put her gloves on and then picked up her pen, touched stuff other than my wound care things. She also hardly packed anything into the wound and acted like she had never done it before. Even the Worker Comp lady seemed concerned. I called her later and told her we would pack and care for my wound. She said that they would still have to come out a couple times a week to check it. So the nurse is coming in a few. No new pics today. The wound looks pretty much the same. I am out of work again which is a whole other subject. Happy V Day!

Jake had to pack my ankle again - No Nurse Today :(

Jake had to pack my ankle again today. We can't get a hold of the "visiting nurse". Hopefully tomorrow hubby will be released from his job. Here are a few pics of what we have to do and what my wound looks like after we clean it out. Not for the squeamish!

Newest Update ...Bad News

Well, I have an infection in my ankle. The spot that would not heal is now infected. Yuck! This is how I found out. I was told my my therapist to massage my ankle to get the swelling down and to help loosen the scar tissue. So, I started to massage my ankle and all of a sudden it just exploded like a volcano. A whole lot of fluid came shooting out literally. It was gross. Sorry for being so graphic. I went to work the next day and instead of just the little leakage from my incision, it keep soaking the gauze pad and it was very painful. I called the doctor and they told me to come right in. They tested the drainage, said I had an infection and packed my wound. This was very painful! Basically they take a long piece of gauze (1/4 wide) and a long q-tip thingy and just poke this stuff in the wound. It is suppose to wick out the bad stuff and debrided (sp?) the wound. I just know it hurts like he**. Then they tell me no therapy, keep it elevated, take antibiotics (Kefex) and...that I need to repack the wound once a day! The doctor also told me to make sure I take the pain meds 1/2 before we repack it. So, the first day, my loving husband Jake tried to pack it. I unbandaged my ankle and the first thing he said was "Oh, I can't do this." I said "You have to". So, he put on the gloves on and removed the old packing and tried to repack it. He kept pulling out what he packed in by mistake, so I don't think we did it as well as we should have. It was so much harder than it looked, and you have to be so careful not to contamiate the gauze. We have done it twice, but I have decided to have a visting nurse come out to do it once a day. Hopefully she will come tomorrow, so Jake wouldn't have to do it again. :)

Update 1st Week Back to Work

I went back to work on Monday. By the time Friday came around I was wiped out. It was really hard to get past having so much pain during the day. I had hubby bring my wheelchair in, so I could keep my leg elevated. I also kept an ice pack in the freezer at work, which I used towards the end of the work day. I ended up working through my lunch, so I could leave early everyday. My ankle was swollen and painful by the time I got home, so I am icing and keeping it up as much as possible. I also started therapy on Wednesday. I did some stretching exercises, electric stimulation and the ice boot. I am still in the boot until I can get a little more range side to side and get my ankle stronger. I will post a new pic in a few days.

Ankle Update

My ankle still hurts along the back and at the top of my incision. I still have quite a bit of swelling and I am trying to be extra careful not to make my Achilles tendon issue worse. I am still taking pain meds (Percocet) at night and sometimes towards the end of the day. I am still in the Cam Walker when I am up and about. Here is what my ankle looks like today.



I thought I would blog about what I found to be very helpful during this ordeal. Let me say I have no invested interest in any of the products or companies I have listed below. I only listed this information if I knew the product might be hard to find otherwise.

First take a quick peek at this YouTube video. It really made me smile. Tendon Surgery

Here is the "Must Have List"
Cam Walking Boot (currently using)


One thing I did do was add mole skin inside where my stitches and tender spots were. This helped with the rubbing and friction. They sell this at any drug store and Wally World. I recommend getting the Molefoam.


Waterproof Leg Protector (a must have) www.drycorp.com

I used this when I had my cast and during my second surgery when I was still wrapped in bandage and I couldn't get my stitches wet. Here is a video Dry Pro Video




This slips over your cast or leg and you just pump the bulb until all the air is out and you can swim, bath, shower without worry. When you are done you just put your hand the top and it breaks the seal. I have bathed and swam in this.


Foam Contour Pillow - This is a head pillow, but I use it for my leg. It is the perfect fit and it is soft. If your ankle is painful in places this is perfect. They sell them everywhere.
Cryopak Flexible Ice Blanket - I found these at Rite Aid. Not sure if anyone else sell them. They are very thin, flexible and can be cut to size. I used them when I had my cast on. I slid them down in my cast (I know this is a no-no!). You will not be able to get them down to the ankle, but it feels so good on the lower leg. I used a very thin hand towel around it. They only stay cold for so long and it is not a intense cold, just a nice cold.







Shower Chair - This was another must have. I tried balancing on one foot, sitting on the edge of the tub and pretty much any other way to shower. My seat came with a back, which I removed. I also invested in a hand shower.

I hope this was helpful to someone.

On another note, I am going to attempt to return to work on Monday. My only concern is the pain factor and trying to keep my leg elevated. Keep me in your thoughts and prayers.