What's normal after ankle surgery? Please help ease my anxiety ;)

[Jessie LaBeff]

Sooo I'm new here, saw this might be a good group to get some support post-ankle surgery...

Broke my ankle in two places and had to have it surgically repaired. There's a metal plate on the outside of my left ankle, and three screws in place on the inside... I'm feeling so many weird pains and sensations and not sure what is normal... very anxious about the idea of the hardware shifting/moving/breaking.

I'm not a small person. LOL :P

Non-weight bearing for another three weeks but anxious about what will happen when I try to walk on it.

Also... I can feel the hardware under my skin, it feels irritating and like... I should be able to shift my foot away from the irritant and get relief, but of course I can't since it's fused to my bones. :P

Is this a normal sensation? Does it ever go away, or do I just need to adjust to it?

I'm three weeks post-surgery and having a lot of anxiety and uncertainty... anyone have any advice information from their own experiences?

Much appreciated!!!! <3 <3 <3

[DENNIS HULL]

i know i does feel weird. It will get better. This takes time, no quick heal here. The anxiety is normal. Try to have a positive attitude, it will help. I had triple fusion surgery in my foot. It took me 2 years to finally have little to no pain. Good Luck, praying for your recovery! Do you have a knee walker? they help you to get around.

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[Deborah Bilafer]

Hi Jessie,  

Yes this is a good place to support you, I’m sure you have read some really horrific stories about ankle surgeries, but mine is not one of those.  

I had a fusion two years ago I was 68, I had a previous surgery at 17 that left a rod, over time my left ankle joint was gone, so much pain finally decided on the fusion since most replacements don’t last forever and did not want another surgery in my 80’s.

They added a plate inside and 9 screws!  6 weeks non weight bearing, and yes little weird nerve feelings and numbness in different places. 

Patience, it is a process, I no longer have any of that, when it’s time to walk in the boot, you will obviously be cautious, but I walked right out of the Dr’s office with it, holding on to the scooter for a bit and then my husbands arm.  Finally on my own with the boot I wore a compression sock inside of it for support and to reduce the swelling! Wore it for 6 weeks!  Then got the Hoka tennis shoes, and paid for custom inserts , all very pricey but worth it!  Now I can wear flip flops with arch support and yesterday I turned 70 and wore  some knee high boots !  Like I said a process.

It’s suprizing but there is a minimal amount of movement in because the foot bones move , so good shoes to support your foot joints is going to be very important!

Hope this helps!

Deborah

Sent from my iPad

On Mar 22, 2022, at 10:44 PM, Jessie LaBeff <altoan...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[vonda cowling]

Good morning Jessie.  I hope you are a little better today than you were yesterday.    I had my surgery 3 years ago the end of August.  I was 65.  It was a long recovery but I was primarily pain free and never had to use narcotics for pain relief.   I have 3 screws in place after my triple athrodesis and also felt like I could feel them while I still had the hard cast on.  I don't anymore and I am very happy that I had the surgery.  I had pain with every step previous to the surgery.  

You should speak to your surgeon regarding the sensation and just take one day at a time.  I think it's normal to feel some anxiety after surgery because you are analyzing every little tinge and ache and pain and praying that the surgery was successful.  

You will be fine and will be so glad that you had the surgery after you fully recover.   

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