PhaZes

My first upcoming brostrom-gould procedure
Hi there,

I just found this sight in search of more information about my upcoming procedure. I've already found it quite helpful in reading other postings. I'm technically having "lateral ankle stabilization, Bronstrom-Gould procedure, ankle arthroscopy, and OCD and ligament repair. This is all due to a MVA I had in Jan of 2010 that went un-detected for just over 2 years. They thought it was just soft tissue problems and one day I went to the clinic I'd been going to, there was a different doctor on duty that looked at my chart and was shocked that I was still not healed after 2 years. He sent me for an x-ray and subsequently an MRI that showed that I actually had significant damage to the outside of my R ankle. I was also referred to an ortho who upon reviewing my results, said I definitely needed surgery. Now I'm just 13 sleeps away from my surgery date (oct 5th) and am trying to get all the info I can so I'm ready as I can be. I've found one video on the brostrom-gould procedure and found it quite interesting. I've also seen an arthroscopy procedure and would like to see if I can find more videos of what is going to be done but it seems difficult to find.

I'm told I'll be needing a cast soon after the surgery and this makes me a bit nervous because I had a different surgery on the same foot and got a cast and my foot sweat so much that it had to be cut off within 24 hours, it was literally melting my skin. I don't want to go through that again so I'm hoping my surgeon takes that into consideration when the time comes.

The doc also told me I'm only required to have crutches with me post op, but after reading some posts on here, I'm going to look into purchasing a used knee walker so I can be a bit more mobile and independent, even tho my fiance will be around for the most part of my recovery. I'm quite nervous tho for when he goes on his hunting trip a few wks after my surgery. We have 2 dogs and are planning on putting them in a kennel while he's away. I'm just hoping that I'm able to manage my pain and take care of any needs while he's gone. I plan on having some meals prepared so I don't have to cook so much while I'm on my own and as suggested on a post I saw, to have "stations" set up both in the bedroom and in the living room to make things easier.

Would love to hear from some of you on your experiences and anything you'd have to share. I've had surgeries before, but nothing this "sensitive" as my ortho told me that this one would be. It's estimated I'll be off work for about 3 months, depending how I recovery. I don't want to rush things, after reading some posts and have to go through this again so slow and steady.

We're also moving into a new place too this weekend so I'm hoping I can get as much un-packed and set up as possible before my surgery. The pressure is on and time is ticking. Let the fun begin. :-)

The count down continues.