I would have preferred to have my ankle fixed before the Masters, but that did not happen. The Masters is a week where no one is allowed to complain, and I wore my giant CAM boot the entire week. The CAM boot kept my ankle from hurting, but it threw off my gait just enough and weighed enough to make the rest of my body hurt. I found muscles I never knew existed while climbing the hills at the Augusta National in my boot. I was also surprised to see how many other people were at the tournament in boots, and scooters, and wheel chairs. The random comments of strangers was entertaining. A lot of people told me they were “proud” of me. I found this to be the most amusing comment.
I returned to Charleston on Monday, only to leave again on Wednesday afternoon. Robyn was sweet enough to drive me to Charlotte, and to let Kate and me stay at her house in Charlotte. Although Dr. Davis told me that I would be able to weight bear immediately, the post-surgical people at OrthoCarolina called me on Wednesday and told me that the doctor had ordered a knee scooter for me for three weeks. This freaked me out, but I was able to contact Dr. Davis’s nurse, who re-assured me I would not be non-weight bearing, and that I did not need a knee scooter. When I mentioned this freak out to several close friends, they all responded with something along the lines of, “It would be terrible if you had to be non-weight bearing, but it would be awesome and hilarious if you had a knee scooter.”
Thursday morning, Kate and I got in the car, and drove to the wrong OrthoCarolina surgical center. I was vaguely horrified by the traffic in Charlotte. Once we found the right surgical center, around 9 am, thirty minutes late, everything was exceedingly pleasant and easy, with the exception of the ankle fellowship resident who came in and told me that I would be non-weight bearing for at least three weeks following surgery. I had another freak out, and I told him that Dr. Davis told me I would be able to walk on my foot immediately, and the resident said he was under the impression I would be non-weight bearing. I hate that I kept having mini panic attacks about this, but my house is not in the least bit cripple friendly, and I was only planning on being incapacitated in Augusta for a week. Also, why is everyone telling me something different?
Eventually Dr. Davis came in and told me that I would be able to walk on my foot immediately and that he wanted me to move it as much as possible after surgery. He said that I would be in a surgical shoe for a week, with my foot in a bandage, and that after a week I would be able to take the bandage off and wear regular shoes, and that I would not have to wear the boot again. After my last surgery, I had to sleep in a boot for a week, so not having to wear the boot at all is blissful.
The surgery took about 45 minutes, and I woke up from anesthesia feeling like a bazillion dollars. Dr. Davis said that my FHL tendon was torn, and that he cleaned up the tear and removed all of the scar tissue, and that the tendon would grow back on its own and that it wouldn’t bother me anymore.
Kate took me back Robyn’s house, where I was piled up on the couch with pillows and ice and percocet. Robyn had to go back to Charleston, but Kate and I spent a lovely evening watching television with Whole Foods lasagna and salad. I was able to walk in the surgical shoe by Thursday afternoon, and I slept like a professional sleeper Thursday night. Friday, we returned to Augusta, and I’ve been happily recovering all weekend, and the dogs are taking good care of me. I’ve been able to taper down the narcotics, and increase my activity. Fingers crossed the worst is over, and that I will be able to return to the regular scheduled programming soon. Dr. Davis said I would be able to play tennis three months from now, but I have to admit that I don’t actually believe him, and that I’m going to take things slow. I would never play tennis again if it kept me from having this problem ever again. I’m going to try to trust his professional opinion. I’m so excited about being able to run, hike, swim, ride bikes, and go to yoga. I am also looking forward to being back in Charleston in a routine and being a normal person again. I will keep y’all posted on my progress!
the thin line between optimism and delusion... 
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