The Ankle Saga

6:00 AM

blurred for your comfort

Poor Alyssa has had the year from hell as far as her ankle is concerned!

She sprained the heck out of it during a soccer game in July, 2013. She wasn't able to walk on it without support & had to wear one of those big black walking boots for about 3 weeks. After that time, her doctor told her to just "keep walking on it" and it would eventually heal.

After that, she could walk OK, but her ankle never felt stable and she wasn't able to run like she used to. It certainly never returned to normal as her doctor had promised.

Throughout the spring of this year, Alyssa's ankle kept getting worse and worse and she began to have pain in other parts of her foot that weren't affected by the initial sprain. So, she went to a different doctor, who immediately prescribed physical therapy.

The therapist examined her ankle and said "there's no way that therapy is going to fix this." She had Alyssa's doctor order an MRI, which showed her outer ligaments stretched beyond repair.

It was surgery time!

Her procedure was done on Aug. 11. The doctor tightened up the ligaments, reattached them to her ankle bone, and then stitched her back up. She was put in a splint & told to stay off the ankle for 2 weeks.

Those first two weeks were totally miserable. Alyssa had problems with nausea, low appetite, and fatigue, not to mention a sense of total helplessness. She is one who isn't used to relying on other people to do stuff for her and it was making her mad! She would come up with these brilliant solutions to work around her crutches, like sticking a can of soda down her shirt to carry it to her room. I would ask if she wanted help and she'd say "no, I've got it!"


Two weeks after surgery, I took her in to get her splint off, stitches out, and to be fitted for a walking boot. She was then allowed to put weight on her ankle with the intent of being weaned off the crutches. That took her two days. And MAN, does she feel so much better not being reliant on other people.

Alyssa will still be in her boot for another 6 weeks or so. She can now stand for a few minutes unsupported without the boot, which thrills her but scares the crap out of me! Each day is getting a little bit better and better. She's just praying it doesn't snow before she can start wearing shoes again!

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6 comments

  1. Such a long road but hopefully this will be the end after these 6 weeks in the boot. My dd is facing back surgery so I know how ya feel. We use the wheelchairs and scooters often in stores too. Hugs to her!

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  2. Wow, that is a huge ordeal! Glad to hear she is mending well and I hope it continues!

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  3. Oh wow! I was cringing just reading your post! Ouch!!!!
    Glad she's getting better!

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  4. Ugh! Glad she got another opinion and is being treated appropriately now. My hubby had knee surgery earlier this year and was supposed to use crutches for a few weeks He found ways to get things done around the house and didn't want much help!

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  5. Oh my...what an ordeal! Sounds like she's finally on the road to normal. Stay away snow!

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  6. Eeps! That's quite a journey from sprain to surgery. Poor kiddo! Hope recovery is quick and she can enjoy a pedi and open toed shoes before winter kicks in!

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