Broken Ankle Questions

Asked on Metafilter:

Should I have the rod and screws removed now that my leg is healed?

Here's the problem-- If I keep my foot down (like sitting at my desk) for more 

than about 20 minutes the blood starts to pool in my foot. Nasty. ...... So, 

hive mind, especially those with medical knowledge and/or prior experience 

with broken legs, help! Keep my foot from being swollen and numb!

How to make life on crutches easier?

Incision

Seven weeks after my fall and subsequent ankle surgery, things are slowly
healing. I have another scar just like this one on the other side.

After six weeks of being "non-weight bearing", I have slowly begun
putting a little weight on my injured foot, while wearing "the Boot", my
removable cast.  It's a slow process, and very awkward, but it feels good
to be making progress.

Hop, Skip and a Jump

My words for 2011 are : Hop, skip and a jump.

Originally, I considered this phrase literally - I’ve been hopping about on one ankle for five 

weeks now and hope to heal to the point where I am skipping and jumping later in the year. 

I am determined not to take the use of both legs for granted ever again.

But a hop, skip and a jump also resonates for me figuratively. (For my foreign friends - The 

phrase originated in the 1700s from a game using these movements, but came to mean a 

short distance. For example “It’s just a hop, skip and a jump from my house to Main Street”.)

I’m hoping that it is just a hop, skip and a jump from my current position (unemployed, broken 

ankle) to my new and improved position (employed in a job I love, mobile). The thought of 

positive changes being just a hop, skip and a jump away makes me very happy.

Tune: Bonnie Mulligan, performed here by the Sharon Shannon Band.

Photos: Most were found in The Commons, a few are by the great photographer Philippe Halsman

Word for the New Year

My friend Susannah Conway has a lovely tradition of choosing a word 

for the New Year, rather than a resolution.

Last year, I chose three:  Movement (both physical movement and movement 

from the stuck places in my life),  Comradery and Pulchritude (hence the 

photo above).

A few friends have already chosen their words: Grow, Love, Nurture.

I haven’t chosen my word or words for 2011 yet.  I want to think about it 

a little more. But when I do I will post it here.