Back to Boardom

I’m officially back in the game. With my doctor’s consent, I started running again last week and Monday Jas and I did our first snow boarding of the season.

Being active again after a 4 month hiatus feels unbelievably good and it’s given me the chance to test out my new and improved ankle. Wow! What a difference!

Ankle pain has been my constant companion for nearly a decade now. It has tainted all the activities I enjoy-though it certainly has never stopped me. The first time I went running last week, my first time doing weight-bearing exercise since my surgery, something seemed out of place-unnatural. It took me a bit to realize that it was the pain that was missing.

While my ankle is still achy and stiff, this is insignificant in comparison to the ever-present throbbing I had grown accustomed to. The most remarkable change for my ankle is how it now behaves after I have exercised. It used to hurt for days after I ran or boarded. For an active girl like me that pretty much meant I was in pain all the time. But now I don’t pay for exercising with days of persistent misery. Although my ankle is still healing and protests a bit when it’s getting a workout, once I’m done it feels relatively normal. It still seems so odd to me-being nearly pain free-odd and extraordinary! I didn’t realize just how much pain I had become acclimated to until it was gone.

Now that I can be active again I am finally enjoying the fruits of my surgical misery. Now I can say it was worth it. It WAS worth it. So for any of you out there who are about to have this surgery, or have had it and are suffering through the unbelievable nuisance of crutches and boots, there is a light at the end of the tunnel! You’ll make it through and when you can go back to playing that sport you love-minus the pain-you’ll feel just as giddy as me. Hallelujah! My ankle is back!