Lucky me!

     So Thanksgiving brought with it some really wonderful news this year in that I do not have to have surgery on my broken foot!  I found out just a few days before I left for the holidays and I was elated to say the least.  Everything was going to work out!
     

     I was somewhat surprised as I had been told by no less than three different medical folks that "this bone does not usually heal well and likely will need surgery".  Despite that dire prediction, I beat the odds!  

     I still am shaking my head in disbelief and wonder that I escaped this.  How did this happen?  Not sure but I have some thoughts.  First of all I did not take the word of all of those folks to be gospel.  I decided to call the surgeon who did my foot reconstructions and get his opinion.  It took a few phone calls and signing releases, forwarding X-rays, etc. but it was so worth it!  When I heard back he said in his opinion I would NOT need surgery and that the boot cast and forearm crutch approach would be just fine. Well that was sure welcome news!  But I still was leery of what the 4 week X-rays might show.  My foot looked pretty bad for sometime.

     That said, I was told at the appointment where they did the 4 week X-ray that the extensive bruising, swelling and pain were largely from the tendon/cartilage injury that really was the root cause of the foot breaking.  That made me feel a whole lot better.  I was very careful to follow their suggestions for how to bear weight, etc. and it really paid off.  At 5 weeks my foot is looking almost normal save for some minor bruising still around the lower ankle and at the toes.  I'll take it!

      I have been careful not to overdo which is always a challenge for me but one I have taken to heart since I did not want the holidays to be hampered with crutches and pain. That certainly kept me on the straight and narrow. The frequent reminders from family and friends kept me in line too.  

     I was so thrilled to be able to return to Tai Chi and swimming just 4 weeks into the injury.  I actually believe that being able to engage in both of those activities helped the healing process considerably. I have to mention that doing Tai Chi was in many ways why the injury I sustained was not a lot more serious.  When my foot slipped I was able to regain stability largely because of the Tai Chi principles and practices of weight bearing.  The foot roll and subsequent injury and broken bone were the result of the uneven surface that I encountered when I put my left foot back down.  Not because of lack of balance.  I could have ended up head first over a balcony if not for the Tai Chi!

So I count myself lucky indeed and very thankful that all is well!

Nan