Restricted freedom

Tuesday was a banner day.  My cast is now off and my stitches are out.  Hooray for being able to wash my stinky leg that hadn't seen any soap or water for 15 days!  My doctor said the surgery went well and then he flipped open his chart to show me the x-rays that were taken during surgery.  I'm not sure what I was expecting, but knowing you have two screws in your ankle and actually seeing them are two distinctly different things.  For one, I didn't realize the screws were actual screws.  Yet, there they were, two long screws screwed right into the lower part of my fibula. When I looked at the x-ray, my first thought was I have been assembled.  I felt like an IKEA human.  My second thought was one of gratitude for this bit of modern medicine that allows such IKEA-like fortification. 

You know how progress comes in steps?  I'm off crutches now, so that's progress.  But, I will be wearing an aircast for the next four to eight weeks.  I can remove it to shower and to sleep.



I embrace this robotic looking boot that comes with the ability to shower.  And I certainly am happy to be able to move about without crutches.  I'm also grateful for the freedom this boot allows me, because with it came permission to drive.  Something that did not accompany the cast. 

Still, the boot is a four to eight week reminder that I am not allowed to wear these Ralph Lauren lovelies, which were featured in a full spread ad in the Sunday New York Times, and which I discovered when I finished the paper last night.



My heart leapt when I saw them, then sunk with a thud when I remembered the aircast.  And then my toes wiggled with joy at the thought of all the money I'll be saving by not buying shoes in the near future! 

Not everyone needs to break an ankle in order to cease buying shoes, but not everyone has such the habit as mine. There's a silver lining in every situation; you just have to find it.