Beyond Bootleg

I had a follow up appointment with my surgeon Dr. Douoguih yesterday and finally got to see post-surgery X-rays of my ankle...

[Click on photos to enlarge.]

For a man who gets paid so much money (after all is said and done, the surgery and follow up will total out around $19K), you would think he'd have more to say. Nope. After about three minutes in the room, Douoguih left me with an ankle brace (much smaller and less heavy than the boot -- photo below), and some short, simple words of advice that I think go beyond a healing ankle...

"Do what you want until it hurts."

(My new ankle brace and my view yesterday sitting on the steps of Cardozo High School overlooking the city.)

Overdue and Overdone

I'm overdue for a blog entry, so here's a recap on the past few days...

Dr. Douoguih said that two weeks after my surgery I could start putting weight on my right leg. Well two weeks have come and gone, and I've finally started limping around with the boot and no crutches.

So when the nurse took my stitches out at my appointment yesterday, I thought my down time was coming to an end. I also thought from there on out I would be able to hobble around DC, to and from work [and play], and slowly get back to my normal life. Nope.

I can't say the doctor was thrilled to see me in his office without my crutches: "I said you could start putting 'a little weight' on it, not all 123 pounds." (<-- yep that's my weight.) Not to mention, Dr. Douoguih said I have no muscle in my lower right leg and that I'm going to end up getting hurt [again]. How lovely.

And after hobbling from my appointment, to the metro, into my office, then to the bus stop to head home, I realized he was right -- I overdid myself.

[Feeling like the metal pins are rubbing marks in my ankle bone.]

...I was asleep by 8PM last night, and I'm pretty sure I could have kept hitting 'snooze' when my 6:40 alarm went off this morning.

But to make my morning sound even more charming than an alarm clock...

I left my house early, so I would have enough time to 'one-crutch-it' to the bus stop to get to my office by 8:30.

Let's just say the bus was overdue, as well... and it stopped at --every--single--stop--along--the--way. Such a long ride, and in the end, and as much as I'm an advocate of being environmentally friendly, I hate public transportation sometimes.

Can I please start riding my bike to work already?!?

You have a what?!

...A Cankle.

When I woke this morning, my foot was more swollen than the previous night, and as I got out of bed, it took very [very] little time to determine that walking would not be my best option.

***If you’re wondering, Urban Dictionary defines the cankle as: "The absence of a defined ankle on a person (a sight common among the morbidly obese) - whereby the calf of the leg merges directly into the foot, creating a sense of union between the two. Thus "cankle" comes from the fusion of calf and ankle.” (See photo, my cankle, above.)***

After several unsuccessful calls to orthopedic doctors in the area, I ended up at National Orthopedics at Washington Hospital Center. And after about three hours of waiting, I got x-rays and the unexpected news…

My doctor, Dr. Douoguih (pronounced: do-woah-gee... I think), informed me that my right ankle is basically shattered. I ripped and tore all the ligaments in my ankle; therefore, the tibia and fibula bones in my lower leg are pushing outward.

The “fix” -- Surgery. Two pins and a metal plate to secure the bones and ligaments back in place.

I went to the doctor’s office thinking I would walk out with crutches, a boot and some pain medication. Not at all did I expect surgery... and not at all did I expect it would be scheduled two days away – Not looking forward to Wednesday...