I slept fitfully last night because of my throbbing, swelling ankle. The color of my toes are fine, and they are not swollen so I am hoping that this is to be expected. I am waiting to get a confirmation of this from the physician’s assistant.

The foot is slowly starting to swell up. I spent a good part of yesterday at the desk with my leg raised, but not raised above the level of my heart. I later found out that this was a big no no. I have been good about elevating my ankle from then on.

I also accidentally put weight on my injured ankle while moving around in the kitchen, as well as the accidental twitches of the foot which results in a slight strain on my achilles tendon. I’ve been reading that the first 2-3 weeks is a crucial time for proper healing of the incision as well as the repaired tendon. I’ve decided to stay in bed as much as possible.

I regret that the surgeon didn’t put me in a CAM Walker (boot) instead of the cast. The cast is lighter, but the toes are more exposed so there is a more of a chance for me to strain the achilles tendon. Also, I can’t exactly adjust the cast to take account for the swelling. I am starting to feel more pressure in the cast and it makes me wonder at what point I need to go see the physician.

For the pain, I am taking a generic for Lortab 7.5 500mg one in the morning and one at night. Right after the surgery, I was taking two at a time, but the pain has subsided and I prefer to not be over-medicated. I was also told that pain-killers can cause constipation, and I don’t need that either.