My long anticipated appointment at OrthoCarolina in Charlotte. was for 1:30 on Monday, March 23. I was battling a cold and terrible allergies, and Susan-Elizabeth and crew stayed with me over the weekend. I woke up Monday morning feeling terrible, but nothing was going to stop me from making my appointment in Charlotte. I met my mom, Kate, in Columbia, and rode with her to Charlotte. I left my insurance card, of course, but other than that, the visit went off without a hitch. Dr. Hodges Davis met with me and watched me walk, and examined my ankle, testing the range of motion and the strength, and asking me questions. Dr. Davis pulled up MRI and showed us the one slide that showed a tear in my Flexor Hallucis Longus Tendon, and that the tear would not have been visible during my previous surgery because of the location and the surgical approach. Dr. Davis said that tendons tear like a rope frays, and that once it gets frayed, it will get stuck in the tendon sheath and not move correctly. Dr. Davis said that when my big toe seemed to get stuck, and when my ankle seemed to be stuck in a certain position, that it was actually the tendon tear getting stuck in the tendon sheath.
Dr. Davis said that he could fix the tear with arthroscopy, and that I would be in a boot for three weeks, and then I would be able to go back to my regular activities, with maybe a couple weeks of physical therapy. This sounded too good to be true, but I was happy to have a doctor who was confident in what was wrong with me and in their ability to fix the problem.
I drove home from Charlotte pleased with the result of the visit, but generally not feeling very well. When I got home, I had a fever of 102.2. I spent the next three days in bed. My surgery was scheduled for April 16.
the thin line between optimism and delusion... 
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