Cast On… Cast Off!  December 3, 2024

December 3, 2024

There’s a movie I remember watching in my 20’s entitled “The Karate Kid”. As in most memorable movies, there are a few lines that are especially quote worthy. “The Karate Kid” has a special one: “Wax On!” with the right-hand rotating in a clockwise direction… “Wax Off” with the left had rotating in a counterclockwise direction. If you have a spare couple of hours, give the movie a watch… I can best describe this movie as predictable but cute.

Somehow that famous line got stuck in my head when I attended today’s cast removal appointment.

Cast On… CAST OFF!

I was eagerly awaiting this appointment ever since my cast was applied. If you’ve read one of my previous BLOG posts entitled “Wishing My Life Away”, you know I had this date circled on the calendar from the moment it was scheduled. (Reviewing… Splint removed/Cast applied: Thursday, November 14^th. Scheduled to have the cast on for just 2 weeks… unfortunately 2-weeks out was Thanksgiving Day and they wouldn’t let me have the cast off 1 day early. So the first availability after Thanksgiving was Tuesday, December 3^rd.)

Arriving at the Ortho-clinic, I was promptly brought back at my scheduled appointment time and soon taken to the cast removal room. My technician- Michael- has done this procedure more than a ‘few’ times and did an outstanding job today.

For the first time in about 5 weeks, I viewed my full lower leg from the knee down. I was expecting to see a very white and somewhat smaller version of my healthy left leg.

Instead, I saw a slightly puffy right foot with most of the bruising gone. While the right leg was a bit smaller, it certainly wasn’t by much.

Next step… back to the exam room for the PA to review and check on my progress.

A quick ask to lay on my stomach so he could test the muscle and confirm good contact/movement. Squeezing my right lower leg muscle, I could feel my foot moving up and down.

“That’s Good!… That’s VERY GOOD!” my PA exclaimed. 

My heart skipped a beat knowing 1 major post-surgery hurdle had been achieved.

Returning to the sitting position, my PA was extremely positive. “Everything is looking very good!” he said with a definite skip in his voice. He explained to both my wife and me the next steps, what to expect, and when to start Physical Therapy. Questions were asked and answered.

Next appointment: 4 – 5 weeks follow-up with the surgeon.

Shuffled back to the cast room where my technician applied a walking BOOT with a heel/wedge insert. (This was to keep my foot at an obtuse angle and keep pressure off the newly surgically corrected tendon.)

I was also fitted with an overnight splint. Since I was instructed to wear the walking BOOT at all times except in bed, this overnight split was designed not to bear weight but to simply keep my foot at the same obtuse angle while I slept.

I carefully listened to all instructions… with the highlight in my mind being the ability to finally take a shower standing up. (Sorry if TMI… but I must say it felt great this AM.)

More normal feels great. And although I have 4 weeks until my next doctor appointment, my physical therapy starts THIS week, and I can now AVOID using my crutches for most of my movement. 

I can take my dog for a short walk… albeit slow… but it’s a walk!

I can ‘sort of’ walk up and down the stairs with much more ease than I did just the day before.

More mobility = more ‘freedom’ and more ‘normal’.

And yes, more “NORMAL” is good. 

Really good!

Let’s Talk! Contact me at RupturedRunner@gmail.com.