Haven’t posted a full post in a while. Part of me didn’t want to jinx my recovery. I am getting close to wrapping up my therapy at occupational rehab, three weeks left and then I will go to pool therapy. They have a program where you go to a few pool therapy appointments and then get to go to the YMCA for a month. I’m ready to get back in the gym, on the elliptical and treadmill. Get my cardio back up!
I always start PT with 5-10 minutes on the sit down leg press and the past two weeks I have been doing the elliptical or the treadmill. The treadmill was something I could not do before my surgery and usually hurt, never did it feel normal. I was able to do 10 minutes on the treadmill and I reached 6 minutes on the elliptical yesterday!
We started a new exercise with me sitting down with a chair in front of me and then i try to stand up on my right leg only. It is extremely challenging for me to stand up on my right leg. I am able to focus on pushing through my core and my gate and trying to teach my but muscles to actively engage again without me having to remind them! I really need a day to lay in bed and recover in between each appointment.
The main focus is to balance and stand on my right leg. I think about it in my mind but my brain does not believe I can balance. We are intensely doing new exercises to build up the muscles from my glutes,hip, thigh all the way down to the foot. We don’t really think about what goes into walking until the ability is hindered or taken away completely. Just sitting and relaxing naturally is work for me.
The most progress I have made that stands out to me is not wearing the walking boot for the past 17 days which is the first time I have been able to go more than two days in a row without the boot. The biggest reason I was not able to go without the boot after wearing sneakers was the swelling. Since I am missing two of the three main arteries in my leg the blood does not flow properly and it causes the swelling to form around my ankle of above the sneaker. It has taken almost 8 months for the blood flow to improve as it got greedy being elevated all the time during the recovery. The doctors said it would take a while and it sure has but it is really nice to see improvement happen!
The surgery made my ankle better but can’t repair what I am missing and over the years so much of my natural ability to walk has been diminished so I will be working to repair that for the rest of my life.
ON an even more positive note my family and I went to Cedar Point Resort Park Labor day weekend and it was a testament to how successful the surgery was. I will post all the pics and accomplishments that i was able to reach at the park, things that I have not been able to enjoy and do at amusement/water parks since before the accident!
Although, there was one thing I realized while I was at PT the other day. That there are so many out there going through a struggle, the age range of patients at Occupational Therapy working so hard to feel and walk or use their arms as normal as possible makes me feel like, eh I don’t have it so bad.
For those that don’t struggle every physically day be forever grateful, I know we are have emotional struggles but when you add those with physical it makes the everyday life troubles not so important when walking or standing is your goal.
Just passed 8 months since surgery September 18th, my main goal right now is getting my toes to work again and be able to handle my weight when walking and standing. I have been focusing really hard on them and I feel improvement already since last week.
I just keep reminding myself that I am walking without an ankle brace which was my big goal which has been accomplished!!!! 11 years later! So very grateful!!
Kimberly Hill (Reeb) 