The infection has cleared up well with the wet to dry dressings. On Sunday we set out toward Chicago to settle into the hotel and get my CT scan done. The night relaxing in the hotel I soaked in a nice Epsom salt bath and left my ankle uncovered for a bit to let the air get to it. My incision was looking really good and so I covered it with dry gauze and tried to get some sleep.
The next morning at the doctors office, I was so happy to hear that the CT scan and x-rays showed my bones were healing really well and the PA and doctor thought the incision was looking good. Immediately they had me remove both my shoes and stand up on both my feet and even take a few steps. My ankle turned several shades of pink, to red, to purple and looked almost bruised with all the blood rushing down into it. The doctor remarked that this was normal and would happen a lot for the following year, but also felt that my ankle coloring was actually really good compared to most. My biggest surprise was how easy it was and there was no "bone" pain. The only concern I had was how stiff and tight it felt. They told me I could walk, but only in the boot, and I could stand and do standing stretches now on my new ankle.
The following days I was careful and kept my boot walking to just a few steps here and there. With each day I increased my steps and before I knew it I was walking like a pro and with no pain. I started to get more ambitious and began cleaning and doing more chores, which I soon learned my limitations with. There was no pain for me when I would be doing things, but with the more I tried to do, by evening I would be wiped out and the next morning I would still feel a bit wiped out. Now my focus is learning to pace myself and gradually work on improving my endurance.
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