This will be a pretty long update since it has been over seven months since my last ankle post. The bad news is that I still cannot walk without medical devices, either using crutches, a wheelchair, or my new walking boot. I only had six weeks in 2024 where I was walking with both feet in shoes.
After the May meeting with my surgeon, I was provided with a full coverage cast, which caused all sorts of anxiety. So, the next time I visited, the surgeon let me go back to using an open-toed cast. I continued to use the bone stimulation machine, even to this day. I am still unsure if the thing works as advertised.
The left photo is when I removed the full coverage cast. You can see that the cast pushed my big to to the right. Since I was experiencing cast anxiety, it was replaced by an open-toed cast. The right photo is when the second cast was removed. I cannot remember if I got another cast, or the surgeon let me use the airboot from before.
Around this time, I was told that x-rays did not show any improvements, and I should reconsider another surgery or jump straight to amputation. Since my work insurance (now COBRA) provided a second opinion service through 2nd.MD, I thought it was worthwhile to check with their specialist. After speaking to another orthopedic surgeon from USC/Keck, it was suggested that I try using a Charcot Restraint Orthotic Walker (CROW) boot first. My surgeon had told me about the boot, but he did not think it would improve my situation.
This is a comparison between September 3 and October 21 x-rays. At the September appointment, my surgeon wrote a prescription for the CROW boot. It is custom fitted to each patient’s leg/ankle/foot, and it costs $3,000 before insurance. I paid about $300 copay. I received the boot in early October and there seems to be a very slight improvement in the ankle fracture area. I was told to keep wearing the boot for three more months to see if there is additional healing in the ankle. The next appointment is in two weeks.
I have been wearing this boot for almost three months. The boot is too large to drive comfortablly so I am still using my left foot to drive. Fortunately, Tesla offered another one-month free trial of their full self-drive system, which greatly reduces the need to use the accelerator or brake pedals. I can walk short distances with the boot, but my ankle gets sore when I walk far. The boot is not too heave but gets really hot internally. I usually wear a thin compression sock or my lower leg will sweat all over the foam insert. It is definitely clumsy but manageable, and much better than using crutches.
My ankle also feels fine. No sharp pain nor are there any metal parts sticking out of my foot. My hope is that the ankle bones have been healing well, and that I can walk without the boot. If so, I plan to make small road trips in the next few months. My niece is planning her senior (high school) trip to Asia for this June, and I want to go too.
Life with chronic diseases 