Achilles Update - Day 25 Post Op

It has been a while since I provided a general update on the achilles. To use a lame phrase: "The tendon is mendin'."

Here are some highlights:
1) I can now put weight on the foot while it is securely in the boot.  This allows me to move around (very awkwardly) without crutches.  I refer to it as my "pimp limp."  This is awesome because it allows me to carry things in my hands.  I still require crutches for any type of outdoor walking or other distances but I am now a little less worthless...  so that is a win.  I do not put any weight in any fashion on the foot when it is not in the boot.
2) I have been sleeping without my boot.  Not sure if I should be doing this but I am a pretty carcass-like sleeper and I see it as pretty low risk.  I must add that I sleep with the boot on whenever a certain someone who has starfish-like sleeping habits is around.  Can't risk one of her thrashing tentacles lashing out on my vulnerable tendon.
3) I flew to Louisville last night and am about to fly back to Baltimore in a bit (friggin 4 hour delay).  Didn't want to travel but had some things that I thought were best to do in person.  Though flying is a big no-no due to possible blood clots, the doctor said I should be OK as long as I take baby aspirin to thin the blood a bit.  I also make it a point to keep my foot constantly moving during the flight to keep blood flowing.  I will also be sure to consume a nice T&T on the plane to help the blood thinning process...  Doctor's orders.
4) Tuesday I get to take out another wedge in the boot.  Per the doctor, my goal is to remove a wedge every two weeks so this is right on schedule.  I did a quick check with a wedge out earlier this week to see if I was close and I was almost there.  This is a good sign.  I have been working the ankle out a couple times a day. It is still pretty tight but I think I am right on schedule.
5) When I got my surgery, the surgeon noted that my tear was higher than usual.  Reading online seems to imply that this is a good thing as there is more healing blood flow closer to the muscle.  Not putting much stock into this but hoping that it aids the recovery timeline.
6) Here is a picture of my hairy Kate Moss calf.  It has atrophied even further...  or my left calf is growing larger due to the extra workload.  Regardless, my legs are more asymmetrical than ever.  I feel like a girl who has a D-cup boob and a A-cup boob.  It just doesn't look right.  Gonna take a bit to get my calves back to roughly equivalent sizes I am sure.

A Trophy for Atrophy?

What's that?  You have a fetish for asymmetrical legs?  Or perhaps you want to have the look of a pirate peg leg but don't want to actually be an amputee?  Well, you are in luck.  With my proven method, you too can have that beautiful look in as little as 3 weeks!  How you ask?  Simple.  Tear your achilles tendon.  What?  You don't want the pain, surgery, and otherwise disabled lifestyle that comes with it?  No pain, no gain.

Just look at the results of my patent pending methods:

In all seriousness, the tendon is definitely healing.  I am doing some exercises with it every day but very basic passive motion.  I can tell it is helping.  Otherwise, I leave my foot in the boot for extra protection.  I showered without a cover on the foot for the first time today.  A mini-milestone of sorts.

I continue to work to getting another wedge out of the boot in 1.5 weeks.  I think I should be able to do that as I patiently let the tendon heal.  I have decent movement with my foot and just need time to pass so I can get back to life.

And More Progress

When I was at the doctor's office and getting put back into my CAM boot, the doctor had said that I should be able to remove one of the wedges that comprises the heel of the boot.  As I had attempted to do that, the tendon was a bit too tight so the doctor said to just work into it over the next few days...  well...  today was the day.  I was able to get my foot into my lower heeled boot.  It really feels like the skin is as tight as the tendon. Just got to allow some more time for the wound to heal a bit more then I can hopefully massage the area to attempt to loosen up some of the scar tissue.

Now, the countdown begins so that in two weeks, I can remove yet another wedge.  I must continue to stretch and passively work the ankle to get it to that point.  Soon enough.

Aftermath of the First Post-Op Visit

As expected, I got my stitches out and got put into my CAM walker boot.  I am such a huge wuss when it comes to any type of gore.   I even got a little queasy looking at my own ankle.  Below are the pics from cast through stitch removal.  I should have taken pictures of my calf as it is much smaller already.  I was impressed with how little swelling I had.  In fact, my Mom made a comment of how skinny my ankle was.  That is definitely a positive and is probably why I have had virtually zero pain since the first few days after surgery.

My doctor gave me a very loose, verbal plan.  No weight bearing for another 5 weeks.  I am to passively work the ankle 5 minutes twice a day.  Every two weeks, I am supposed to remove a wedge from my boot as I gradually get more flexibility in the tendon.  I have a follow-up appointment at the 6-week post-op to review progress and start physical therapy.

Being in the boot is a double-edged sword.  My foot is much more exposed but at least now I can do some passive movement which (if the internet forums and blogs are to be believed) accelerates the recovery timeline a little.  Now, I need to get disciplined and focus on making progress without hurting myself.

Milestone: 1st Post-Op Doctor's Appointment

This afternoon I head back to my doctor for my first follow-up.  I am under the impression that I will get the cast off, stitches out, and be put into my CAM boot (which apparently stands for Controlled Ankle Motion).  I am also pretty sure that I will be told that there will be no weight put on the foot until week 6 but I should now be able to do some basic exercises for the ankle.  At week 6, I will start PT.

The big highlight in all this is that I will be able to actually see my foot.  I have no idea what the incision looks like (but I keep praying that the incision was made in the shape of a lightning bolt for extra coolness).  I will be sure to put pictures up and gross out some folks.

I have no pain at all now which is awesome but I continue to take it easy.  The last thing I need is to re-injure myself and have to start this over.  That would totally crush my spirits.  I try not to think about that but it helps me keep focus on being patient and taking things slow.  As I keep telling myself: Soon enough.

Reminder to take it slow

Poor Jason Peters.  After tearing his achilles and getting it fixed...  he falls in the kitchen and tears it again.  This is definitely a sanity check to take it nice and slow.

After 1 week, the ankle feels good and I feel myself getting braver but this is a grim reminder how quickly things can go wrong.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7930474/jason-peters-philadelphia-eagles-ruptured-achilles-again

Its the Freaking Weekend

Under the circumstances, things are progressing quite well.  It is now Day 6 and my pain is down to basically nothing.  The only time the ankle bothers me is at night.  I keep it propped up at night on top of some pillows but I think the ankle gets cranky when it stays in one place for too long.  It woke me up a few times early this morning.  The pain is just a mild throbbing that disappears as soon as I move around a little.

Friday marked the first drinks I have had since the surgery. Glen and I enjoyed some excellent T&T's and pretty soon, I was feeling pretty good.  Not the best thing to do when on crutches but I wasn't moving around too much for it to matter.

Carly came by Friday night and brought some dark chocolate non-pareils and asked the eternal question of what is a pareil and why is it excluded from these delicious confectionary treats?  Regardless, I found it amusing that my family has been eating non-pareils for as long as I can remember and apparently hers has as well.  Must be an Essex thing.

When Carly came over, it really gave me perspective on my current situation.  Here is a 30 year old man at his Mom's house who requires crutches to move around.  Definitely not the type of impression you want to make in an early relationship.  Should provide some extra motivation in physical therapy to get me back to functional.

Saturday was one of the nicest days of the year and I hung outside for most of it.  Mr. Tinker stopped by and brought some tuna fish and cards...  also known as a "Parkville Care Package."  Good man.  We grilled up some burgers and chatted it up out on the deck then played Golf;  A game with just enough skill and luck to be mindless fun.

Sunday was Mother's Day and I once again gave her the best gift a mother could ever want: a handicapped son  to wait on.  Who needs cards or flowers?  We went over to my brother's for a nice cookout.  My niece (4) was rather curious what happened to me and Gavin (13) thought that the crutches were his new toy. I kept giving him random "crutch challenges" to do like "go get 2 bottles of water and bring them back" or "leaving the crutches at my size, go all the way over there and back."  At least he wasn't playing video games.

The follow-up doctor's appointment is on Thursday and I should get the stitches out and get put into my boot again.  That will be my first time to see the wound.  I am pretty sure it will be a nice size cut and I will also be sure to snap some pictures.  I think things are coming along right on schedule but it is just the start of a long road.  I keep reminding myself to be patient and repeating my new mantra: "Soon enough."

My Kryptonite

Being laid up has given me ample time to reflect on things.  For one, I am horribly inflexible in my joints.  I can't help but wonder if that is why when I get hurt, it has something to do with my connective tissue.

My brother even had to poke fun.  When I called him to tell him that I had got hurt, he calmly replied "You know I had heard that children of mothers that smoke during pregnancy often suffer from weak connective tissue..."  For context, I had lived most of my life believing that my mother smoked during my brother's pregnancy (at 18 years old) and not mine (at 27 years old).  It wasn't until I made a joke about at my brother's expense a few years ago that my Mom corrected me...  Burn.

Regardless of its cause, I think I will need to remedy some stretching into my routine more seriously.  Looks like you continue to lose flexibility as you get older and I can't imagine some of my joints getting any more inflexible.

Dropping Like Flies

First T-Sizzle...  Now Bowers...  Maybe it is an epidemic...

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7916547/tampa-bay-buccaneers-de-daquan-bowers-tears-achilles-tendon

Night of Day 1, Day 2 and the start of Day 3

The night of the surgery was a bit uncomfortable.  It was a very restless sleep where I would wake every few hours.  I had set my alarm for 5am to remind me to take my next pain pill.  After that, I would be 24 hours past surgery and I stopped the pain meds entirely.  Without the pain meds, I was able to really get a feeling for what things were like underneath my cast...  for better and worse.

Day 2 was filled with movie watching and I now know why my little sister talks about Hulu.  What a great service.  I watched a bunch of modern family, family guy, and american dad.  Love those shows.  Movie-wise, I watched the new Mission Impossible and Horrible Bosses.  Neither was that good but helped kill the time.  I had watched Green Lantern and Thor the other day.  Thor was much better than I thought it would be and I am a sucker for anything that stars Ryan Reynolds.  If you haven't seen Van Wilder, you are doing yourself a disservice.

The biggest issue has to be my back.  Laying around all day sounds glorious but the mattress I am on is rather squishy.  The mattresses I like are basically the equivalent of carpet covered flooring.  As such, I sink into the mattress and my back is not enjoying this one bit.  I think it is also my body's way of saying "Stop being a lazy jerk."  How do those 600 lb. people do it?

The night of Day 2 was much better.  Still woke up a few times (due to my back) but other than that, slept mostly through the night.  I awoke to Day 3 with much less pain in my ankle.  Actually, when it is elevated, I hardly think about it.  Having read other people's recoveries, many others stay on pain meds for days after surgery.  I am grateful that I only used them for the first 24 hours.

My Mom has been awesome and every day has made me a smoothie along with making sure I have a cooler of food/water next to me.  If there was a Hall of Fame for Moms, I am pretty sure mine would be a first ballot inductee.  I have tried to stay focused on getting my nutrients everyday and helping the body heal. Tonight, we are doing up some of the Omaha Steaks I had ordered in advance.  Just my little way of trying to thank Mom and Glen for their hospitality.  I owe them more than steaks but at least this is a little down payment.

Big achievements will happen on Day 3:
1) I just pooped for the first time since surgery.  I cannot tell you how happy this made me.  The ankle did really well during the whole experience.  It is the little things that matter most during recovery...
2) Shower day.  I haven't showered since the surgery and I need to keep my hygiene up (and use my fancy shower chair and cast cover).  I think that would make me feel better too.
3) Hang out in the living room.  The last 48 hours have basically been spent between the bedroom and the bathroom...  time to venture out to the living room like Uncle Traveling Matt.

T-Sizzle and I get surgery the same day

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/7907348/terrell-suggs-baltimore-ravens-surgery-torn-achilles-tendon

Surgery Day

Woke up this morning around 5:45am and got cleaned up for surgery day.  Dad came by around 6am and picked up Mom and me and we went straight to the doctor's.  I wasn't really nervous but more anxious.  I have mentally been through the scenarios in my head a hundred times.  I just wanted to get this behind me and start heading towards recovery.

We arrived at the doctor's around 6:30...  30 minutes early.  Mom's fear of traffic didn't materialize.  We waited in the waiting room over an hour.  The whole time, Mom, Dad, and I are the only ones talking.  We are yukking it up and I am pretty sure we were annoying all the other folks.  This is one of the few times I get to hang out with both my parents together so I am going to enjoy it no matter what the circumstances.  Though my tendon is separated...  how nice that it brings my parents together...

It wasn't until 7:45 until my name was finally called. The nurse was very nice.  She has been doing this for 30 years and was very eager to complain about her husband of 25 years.  I learned that he works for the government and plays golf 3 times a week.  She made it clear that "working for the government" means playing golf most of the time.  She was quick to also point out that he did not know how to deal with the emotional problems their college age daughter was currently going through and because of that "he is worthless."  All this commentary was quite amusing and I thought would help me take my mind off the fact that she was sticking a large IV needle into the vein in my hand.  As I saw the IV hanging out of my hand...  That was all it took.  I quickly started to get light headed and had what she called a Vasovagal Response or, in laymen's terms, a totally lame-ass, wuss reaction.  I basically fainted.  When I came to, I had a cold rag on my head and oxygen pumping into my nose.  Yup.  I am a huge wuss. "Doctor...  this man has a torn achilles and apparently a huge vagina that we will need to remove..."

At this time, my nurse went and got my parents...  She told them that this is common (in men) and happens a few times a week.  My parents came around the corner with compassion and sympathy on their faces as their baby boy lay there....  oh wait...  That would be what SHOULD happen.  Instead, my parents come around with iPhones poised to capture this glorious moment and then text the pictures out to friends and family.  My shame had gone viral  Ah well - I still love my parents.

After that, the rest was pretty basic.  Dr. Brodie stopped by and gave me the spoiler on the surgery.  He mentioned that I would be in a cast for about 2 weeks and then be moved into the boot once I got my stitches taken out (May 17th I believe).  Physical Therapy and weight bearing will be around 6 weeks.  Between weeks 2 and 6, I would have exercises at home to do.  This was good news in my mind based on what I had read online.  Some folks were in casts for the entire 6 weeks!  So far, so good.

My anesthesiologist came by as well.  He was quite funny and I couldn't help but joke about the fact that he could save a lot of time and effort in knocking me out: just wave a big needle in front of my face and I will probably faint.

I went into surgery around 8:30.  The thing about operating rooms is the smell.  It smells like ionized antiseptic.  I remember it from my ACL surgeries.  The other thing I remembered once I got in the OR is how sneaky anesthesiologists can be...  or should I call them aneSNEAKYologists...  They try to distract you as they slip you a mickey.  This one was no different as he kept asking me benign questions about what I do and where I live.  When he asked me for the second time "What do you do for work?"  I was about to chastise him for asking me the same question twice when I woke up in the recovery room.  Damn sneaky anesthesiologists....

Recovery A.K.A. returning to the land of the living.  The nurses once again were very nice.  I have heard that some folks even get very emotional when recovering from anesthesia, specifically blonde-haired, blue-eyed people (Carly - maybe it is just women...  of all hair and eye colors? :), but that isn't me.  I just feel a little shaky and groggy with a slightly upset stomach.  "I am sorry Mr. and Ms. Ross...  We were able to fix your son's tendon but we could not remove the vagina..."

Dr. Brodie stopped by before I left to give me a quick recap of the surgery.  My surgery went very well.  The tendon had snapped higher than usual, up near the calf.  The gap was roughly 2-3 cms.  The incision is not exactly behind my heel but more towards the inside of my leg.  I appreciated the post game commentary.   Just that little bit of time means so much to a patient and I encourage all current and future doctors to not ignore the pre and post surgery visits with your patients.

As I sipped ginger ale, I assessed my post-op situation.  I had a big cast on my foot going up my calf.  The nurses had put ice on it (as if I would get anything from that through the massive cast...).  The pain in the ankle was subtle like a dull ache...  the kind you get from watching too much CNN.  I can wiggle my toes which I had heard that some people couldn't do for a few days.  Overall, surgery is complete.  Now to step two: beating post surgical pain.

This is me being psyched for recovery...  and supporting Bluegrass Indoor Karting

We got into Dad's SUV and headed back to Mom's.  After the shaky process to get me up the steps and onto the main floor of the house (Thanks Dad for helping stabilize), I went directly to my presidential suite here at Casa de la Debi and got my foot propped up.  It wasn't 30 minutes until I had to pee for the first time.  In summary. the ankle likes to be elevated.  It does not like to be down.  The blood goes straight to it and it throbs.  The pain isn't too bad but the ankle reminds you to go lay down and elevate.

I got myself on a regular pain med schedule.  The meds aren't that bad as far as clouding my mind and I assume are helping the pain.  I am taking 1 every 5 hours.

Carly came by and brightened my day.  She brought a Rita's Chocolate Misto (which is one of my favorite things on this green planet) as well as a little care package filled with crosswords, Sudoku, and comic books (yes - I love comics).  She hung out for a couple hours and chatted with me.  It was thoughtful beyond words.  She might be one of the sweetest and kindest people I have met before.  Seriously.  Thank You.

That concludes Day 0 of surgery.  A bit long winded but catharsis is ignorant of word count.  Looking forward to Day 1...  and Day 180.

New Shower Chair and Improved Transportation

Shower chair came today so I figured I would give it a test run.  Pretty nice actually.  Who would have thought that showering like an 80 year old stroke victim would feel so rewarding?  Beats having to balance on my good leg and make sure i don't slip and fall.  Now, I can relax and focus on getting clean.  Its the little things in life I suppose.

Cast shower cover also came today.  Pretty nice and way better than strapping a garbage bag around my leg.  I think shower-wise I am ready to rock.  Still waiting on my laptop holder...  hope that arrives soon.

I also was able to borrow a wheelchair which will definitely help when leaving the house.  I mean, I should be well into recovery (though not walking) when all the cook outs start.  Would much rather wheel myself around in style than lugging myself around on crutches.  Hopefully by the fourth of July cookouts, I will be walking (read: limping) around.

Other interesting note is that Dad is going to drive Mom and I over to the hospital tomorrow morning.  Though this sounds like a Norman Rockwell picture of Americana, it is a bit interesting as my parents have been divorced for like 25 years.  I am touched to have them both there and transporting back and forth in Dad's big SUV is much more appealing than Mom's smaller car.  This lets me stretch out in the backseat for the ride back to Mom's and once I am up the steps, I should be able to heal with relatively little steps and/or transport for a week.  I am most interested in the first few days and then evaluating from there.

Time to get this surgery behind me and onto the long road to recovery.

Handikart

Costco trip was awesome...  in that I got to use the electric karts.  These things are impressive. They have the best turning radius I have ever seen.  It had plenty of torque and could stop on a dime.  The best part:  On a crowded Sunday, I was parting the crowd like the Red Sea.  I may have to keep a spare CAM boot in the car and really play it up the next time I need to get in and out of Costco.  Here is a lovely demo of these wonderful machines.

I am now stocked up with all the supplies I will need and now at Mom's house.  For those recovering, I highly recommend this place.  Everything is on one floor: bedroom, bathroom, shower, kitchen, living room, and even a walk out deck.  This is the best place to get through the first week of the surgery.

I was getting a little nervous about the surgery until I heard that a friend of mine's brother has to get open heart surgery.  That definitely helps put perspective on my little surgery.  It will suck. It will take some time to recover but I will get better.  Not everyone has the same prognosis for their injuries/surgeries.

Star Wars Day Pics

May the Fourth Be With You

Tick Tock

Just a few more days until surgery.  Date night was a success last night.  Restaurant was very easy to get in and out of.  It is a bit of a role reversal when you are getting picked up by the girl but Carly rocks so it isn't a big deal.  I felt bad about it for like a minute and then just moved on.  Out at dinner, there is a sense of normalcy as you are both sitting and you both forget about the huge boot I am wearing. That feels good...  but then as soon as dinner is over and I am awkwardly grabbing my crutches to leave, it is a quick reminder that things aren't normal.  Just more fuel for me to get this surgery done and get on the path to full recovery.

My biggest fear is being one of those people that just talks about their injury in conversation.  I noticed myself doing it early last night and it bothered me.  As a generally healthy person, I get disappointed when I talk with people and they just talk about what is happening to them health-wise.  If we must talk about health issues, I would much rather talk about what they are doing about what is happening to them.  Talk to me about your upcoming appointment/treatment/medication/etc.  Maybe this is just me but I enjoy conversations much more when talking about things that can change and how we are changing them, rather than simply talking about the current state of things.  Guess it goes along with my utter resentment of the phrase "It is what it is."  I swear Bill Belichick invented that phrase.

Today, a family friend is picking me up and we are heading out to Finksburg to have a little cookout and then play some cards.  Definitely sucks having to get rides from people but I enjoy the company as well as getting out of the house.  Plus, I haven't seen the guy in months so will be good to catch up.

Last big steps in preparation are tomorrow afternoon.  Doing a Costco/shopping run for:

1. Miralax Stool softener (apparently opiates make you constipated...  so trying to be proactive).
2. aleve/advil (pain
3. soup (best to eat light after general anesthesia)
4. vitamin C supplements (remember...  it worked on rats)
5. Smoothie ingredients (got to have my vitamins to heal)
   1. frozen berries (because they are delicious)
   2. kefir (this stuff rocks)
   3. bananas (potassium)
   4. powdered whey protein (protein builds muscles/tendons)
6. coconut water (potassium and vitamin C)
7. bottled water (got to stay hydrated)
8. sports pants with buttons or zippers down the side (got to be able to work around my monster cast)

Cripple Fashion and Date Night

Going out to dinner tonight and the biggest issue I have is that nothing I have that is remotely dressy will fit over my RoboCop boot.  This means no jeans, no khakis, nothing.  My options quickly become athletic warm up pants or shorts.  Shorts win.

Luckily for me, it is 80 degrees out so shorts can work (I can't imagine trying to go out in winter).  The other thing I have going for me is that I have crutches. What?  Is someone going to tell the guy on crutches that he can't eat at the restaurant because he isn't compliant with the dress code?  Yeah right. I wish someone would say something.

The other challenging this is that I actually had to consider which restaurant would be best for me and crutches (without sacrificing atmosphere).  At the moment, steps are my mortal enemy so any restaurant with steps is off the list for me.

Anyway, this sort of feels like a last supper of sorts so going to enjoy it.

Pain Management

Up until now, the torn achilles has not hurt as long as I keep it in the boot and don't do anything with it.  I can sleep.  I can hop around on my good foot.  I can even put some weight on it though it doesn't feel very stable at all.  What I keep reading is that there will be a fair amount of pain post surgery.

From what I am hearing:
1) The nerve block will wear off somewhere from 12-18 hours post surgery.  Up until then, the foot should be relatively numb.
2) Then, it is a race to "stay ahead" of the pain.  With my 2 ACL surgeries, the pain wasn't really that bad from what I remember.  The first operation was more invasive and I woke up hooked to a morphine machine.  I was scared to death of using it though even though the nurses were very assertive that I should or I would be sorry. I didn't use it and was fine.  It wasnt until I got home that there was some pain and I took 1 percocet (crushed up in apple sauce because I was/am a big baby with pills).  After that though, everything progressed as normal.  I am hoping for a similar experience.  I know there will be pain at first but once again, having a plan to deal with it is very empowering.

Here is my doctor's pain management schedule:
Arrive home: NSID (Aleve/Advil)
+6 Hours: Narcotic (Vicodin, percocet, etc.)
+8 Hours: NSID (Aleve/Advil)
+10 Hours: Narcotic (Vicodin, percocet, etc.)
+14 Hours: Narcotic (Vicodin, percocet, etc.)
+16 Hours: NSID (Aleve/Advil)
+18 Hours: Narcotic (Vicodin, percocet, etc.)
+22 Hours: Narcotic (Vicodin, percocet, etc.)
+24 Hours: NSID (Aleve/Advil)

After 24 hours, it is best to wean off the narcotics and manage the pain through the Aleve/Advil and maybe even Tylenol.  He says that Tylenol is already in the narcotic so can't take it at the same time.

Since I don't take any of this stuff but maybe once or twice a year (the regular stuff...  not the pain killers), I am hoping it has a pretty good effect on me.  I also need to make sure I hide the pain killers because I don't want Ryan Leaf or some of my more shady family members walking away with any of it.  Definitely conscious of the addictive nature of these drugs and of my genes which (from looking at some of my extended family) appear to enjoy addiction.

Maybe on the first day, I will watch Trainspotting while I enjoy my first real use of opiates.

Gearing Up

As Joe Gibbs once said: "A winning effort begins with preparation."

With that in mind, I have started preparing the recovery from the surgery by making a list of/ordering the things I will need over the next couple months.  These are things that my grandparents don't even use but for the next few months, I think I am going to give my pride a little vacation.

Here are the things that will make me more handicapable:

1) Shower Chair

       I like being relatively clean (I admit I like to go European on the weekends from time to time) and with my foot, I know it is going to be awkward showering.  Why not relax in comfort on your own shower throne!  I will finally be King of Shower Land! Not to mention, I think my Mom could use this in time as her knees and feet are bothering her.

2) Cast Cover

      If I am going to shower, I got to keep my cast clean.  I would prefer not to look like the Zoolander Derelict fashion line with duct tape and trashbags so I opted to get something a little nicer.

3) Laptop Bed Desk - LapDawg X4

      Laptop: Teacher, Mother, Secret Lover....  What better way to be stuck in bed or in chairs than with an awesome laptop stand so I can lounge like Jabba the Hut and play on the ol' laptop.  You don't even want to know how much time I spent looking at reviews on laptop stands until I picked this one.

Here are things that I am wondering if I really need:

1) Crutch covers - I can handle the crutches without these...  At least I am saying that now.  This site did have the worst splash page marketing video I have ever seen.

2) Knee Scooter - These things are expensive and I think I can motor around on crutches pretty well...  at least I am saying that now.

One more quote... from Vince Lombardi:

"The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender." 

5 Days Post Injury

Here is a current picture of my heel 5 days post injury.