March 11th - D+22 The Audacity of Hope

‘The journey of a thousand miles must begin with just one step’. Lao Tzu clearly had reconstructive ankle surgery at some point in his life. I saw the specialist yesterday (3 weeks post-op) and I am now tentatively taking my own steps on my emaciated ankle.

I guess the next six months will be about small victories and yesterday was rich in them. Whilst waiting for my appointment, an elderly lady on the sofa next to me, leaned over, pointed at my Aircast clad foot and said “Oooh, is that the ‘Beckham Boot’?”. I puffed out my chest, spread myself a little wider across the sofa and replied nonchalantly “Yes, I guess it is...” So this is what it’s come to – attempting to claim some reflected glory in the fact that I have the same widely available medical appliance as one once worn by a famous footballer (and one that I dislike too). A miniscule victory.

The news from the follow-up was promising though – the joint looks to have recovered well and by the middle of next week, I should be fully weight bearing (FWB) although still with two crutches. In 3 weeks time, I can take the Aircast boot off at night and in 5 weeks time I can take it off all together. Most importantly, I specifically asked the specialist about my likely mobility for my brother’s stag trip to Puerto Banus – he estimated that I could be walking in the boot by then so it should not cause any problems. He went on to say: “You will want to keep the boot on at all times though. You know, stag dos ... a few drinks, high jinks and all that...” I suppressed a smile as he hastily added “Not that I’m suggesting anything of course!” We understood each other perfectly.

My first visit to my physiotherapist is scheduled for tomorrow, with a detailed referral from the surgeon. Apparently, for the next two weeks, the therapy must be ‘passive’ on my part – which means I’m not allowed to actively move my ankle. Instead my foot will have to be manipulated by the hands of my physio while I lie back in comfort. It’s a shame I don’t have a foot fetish. NB: I’ve just re-read the last couple of sentences and it’s clear that I’ve spent too much time indoors and on my own recently.

I am now back in London, safely ensconced in my own home again which is pleasant. I’ve devised an ‘ankle safe’ dumbbell workout to take the edge off the small paunch I’ve acquired; this morning, I managed to burn 950 calories... which I guess is about half of the enormous supper I had last night. Small victory. A daily to-do list keeps me occupied. I’m an obsessive list maker and in my current predicament I find it provides a reassuring structure and purpose to my day which enables to me to tick off important personal errands such as: ‘order new curtains’, ‘paint bannisters’ and ‘buy wedding presents’. All small victories.

Stats & highlights:
Days until brother’s stag do: 21
Days until Dave & Laura’s wedding: 29
Current reading: Anyone Can Do It
Music: Walking Away (The Egg)
New films watched: 1 (Zodiac)