Another Surgery: The Screw is Coming Out

I went back to the surgeon at the end of July and found out what we had expected: my heel has healed so the screw can come out. And my doctor thinks we should take the screw out to eliminate that pain. I will still have pain at the site where the tendon was transferred, he said. That might take another 6 months to heal. But taking out the screw will eliminate the bone pain (which we think is the main problem now) and then if I still have pain, at least the screw will not be the cause of it.

I was of course a little bit wary of having another surgery. And of course the week that I went to the doctor my ankle/heel was feeling better with little pain. I thought maybe it just needed more time to heal. So I spent a few days thinking about it. Ok, agonizing over it. Was it the right thing to do? Why was it feeling better this week? How painful had it really been before? Did I have time in my schedule for it? (Yes, this is a legit concern!) I calculated how much leave I had, determined when was the best time to have it to take the least leave, and got it all approved and scheduled the surgery - and of course the three other appointments that go with it.

So surgery to remove the screw from my heel is scheduled for Thursday, August 30 in the afternoon. I can't walk on it for 7-10 (preferably 10) days after surgery. I won't have to have a cast - I will have a post-op shoe. And I should use crutches (I want my scooter back!!), which of course means I will use my grandmother's walker again, and probably not leave the house unless I really have to. Even after all that time on one leg, I am just not good at getting around on one leg. It's not easy! I will only need "a little bit of sleepy medicine," as my doctor says, which hopefully means I will have less of a reaction to coming out of it. (I don't know if I've ever confessed it on my blog before, but when I woke up from the first surgery I was panicked and crying. I've heard that whatever emotion you're having before you go under gets intensified, and I was really anxious. Surprise, surprise.)

So think of me on August 30th! Hopefully this will finally end my pain and allow me to get back to "normal" and back on track with my life!