“I’m WALKIN’ here!”

“I’m WALKIN’ here!” – Ratso Rizzo (Dustin Hoffman) in the movie Midnight Cowboy, as he’s walking, with a limp by the way, through traffic in New York City.

Well, “I’m walkin’ HERE!”. For the first time in 54 days my left foot is touching ground while I walk. What a novelty! I’m phasing in weight-load on the foot: 25% 2-3 days, 50% 2-3 days, 75% 2-3 days, 100% 2-3 days, using crutches the entire time. At the end of 8-12 days I should be off the crutches and walking freely without aid.

Even though I’m assisted by crutches it is a HUGH relief to be able to use the foot again. I’m doing foot and ankle exercises at home and doing physical therapy at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic once or twice a week. The ankle is VERY stiff so getting full flexibility will take some time.

Friends and family know that all this refers to my ankle fracture of 31 March, outlined in detail (an oxymoron?) here:  

The End of Ski Season

(And what an end to a superb ski season it was.)

Surgery, for a metal plate on the back of the ankle bone, was 13 April.  23 May is the first day “to put my foot down.”  

For those of you that missed the slideshow previewed in theaters everywhere [ 🙂 ] here is an exciting review of the photographic and x-ray imagery of my ankle:

06 April. Dem's da' breaks. Left leg, front view. Narrow bone on right (distal fibula) is offset (broken) from the bulge (ankle) at the bottom (lateral mallelous). Easier done than said.

6 April. Left ankle x-rayed from the inside. Jagged little point in the left background. Nasty.

14 Apr. KaCee the Wonder Dog alert and guarding my ankle one day post-surgery.

Looking at Dad. "Your dog doesn't love you!"-Werner Erhard (private joke)

Hmmm. Metal to the petal! I've had work done. I'm screwed! Good thing Obamacare hasn't taken effect yet. I might have been shot instead!

25 April. Stitches! We don't need no stinkin' stitches!

23 May. Doc says I'm doin' good. No sign of break. Who am I to argue. (Yes, I have heel spurs. Doesn't bother me.)

Unstitched for 4 weeks and healed.

Memo to friends: : Don’t try this at home!

Memo to self:  Don’t… break… any… more… bones!