Surgery day

Two weeks after the fall, it was finally time for surgery. I had spent the wait mostly in the recliner with my leg propped, and with an extra pillow under it.

Before the operation

The pre-op process was mostly paperwork and waiting - confirming which ankle is the good one and which was the bad one (given how often they asked this question, I wondered how often people wake up with the wrong ankle having been cut open). I was taken to a bed in a large room with the sheets drawn between all of them. I couldn’t see anyone else but it seemed like they had an assembly line of people to operate on.

During surgery

I have no idea what happened - I was completely knocked out. I think they said it took maybe an hour and half.

After surgery

I woke up feeling like I had just had the best, most deep sleep, that I had ever had. It was wonderful coming out of that daze. One of the first things I saw when I woke up was a fresh cast around my leg (I hear them refer to it as a splint? Is there a difference?). I was told to keep it elevated, no weight on it, take some meds if I felt pain (I didn’t really), and scheduled a followup visit to get stitches removed. Overall a good experience. Those drugs that put you under are just top notch.

No trouble sleeping or anything - it was just like the days leading up to surgery - just having to stay on my back. Any pain I felt was so minimal I don’t think I took anything stronger than a Tylenol

A second surgery

One thing my doctor said is that he expected me to come back in a few weeks and get a couple of those screws removed. I didn’t quite follow why it’s done this way. When I searched online, it sounds like some docs do this, and some don’t. I can’t tell if it’s situational, surgeon’s preference, or both. Who am I to challenge the guy? All that to say, I did go back for a much less invasive surgery a few weeks after this initial one. I got to experience that lovely deep sleep again.

Stitches removed.

A couple of weeks after that first surgery, I went back to the office and they removed the cast, removed the stitches, and that’s when they issued me the boot.