On April 21, I had an appointment with my surgeon. That is 18 weeks and 2 days after the surgery. He said I'm getting some "power" in my foot. He also said the tendon they replaced is much bigger than the tendon they replaced it with as are the corresponding muscles so that I have to work harder to build the strength. He showed me how pushing down with my 4 small toes lifts my arch and suggested that I work on training myself to stand and walk like that (he said, "mind over matter") then laughed that he's never suggested that before to someone. He also said that the pain I feel in the very back of my heel is likely the screws and he recommends that I get them taken out. We tentatively said mid December (when my teaching is done for the term). Apparently, it's a simple surgery with no need for crutches after and a fast recovery. My next appointment with him is August 25 and we'll book the surgery then. I find the pain in the back of my heel seems worse when the weather is bad but I'm not sure if that's just a coincidence or not.
I also finally saw (in the x-ray) the tiny screw that was used to attach the Flexor Digitorum tendon on to my big toe area. I wasn't 100% sure that was there but I saw it very clearly in the x-ray. According to the surgeon, that one will never have to come out, it's embedded deep in the bone.
My rehab is going well. I am able (just as of this week) to lift myself up onto my toes. This is big for me as I was a little concerned I'd never be able to do it. According to the journal article I read about this surgery, in some cases, patients can not do this after the surgery. It still hurts to do it but it is now possible which is excellent. I feel my strength coming back for sure but it's almost been 5 months!
I swam in the All Out Swim Meet on April 16 and was able to complete all my races with pretty good times. The worst part was walking around the deck in birkenstocks (not running shoes) and getting onto the blocks safely. The timers at my lane would help me up and the starts were quick so there wasn't a lot of time to get wobbly! Swimming has been the best therapy for me through this entire recovery.
