Hearing your doctor say you need surgery is like a blow to the head (no joke). It doesn’t matter if you totally saw it coming, it still makes you sick to think about it. When my doctor told me I had shredded my tendon and needed surgery I had no clue what I was up against! I tried my best to research what I should/shouldn’t do in regards to my surgery but some things I had to learn the hard way (sigh). Hopefully, these 10 tips to survive ankle surgery will help you avoid some of my personal epic fail moments and help you have a smooth ankle surgery recovery.

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1. Have LOTS of Pillows

You will be spending MASSIVE amounts of time sitting and laying down as you keep your foot immobile. If you have an excess amount of pillows you will be able to shove them under/behind you to make yourself more comfortable. Also, to help with swelling the doctor said that my foot had to be elevated even with my nose! This meant that I had to use like three pillows just under my leg. Another use for pillows is when you are sleeping at night. The leg cast is extremely rough and will scratch your other leg while you sleep. This happened to me and it felt like I had carpet burn all down my leg (not what you want to wake up to). The way to combat this is to use a pillow between your legs to project your uninjured leg.

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2. Test Out Your Surroundings

Don’t wait to buy your crutches or your knee scooter! Make sure to purchase these items with plenty of time before your surgery to test them out around the house. Ride/use your walking aid around where you normally go in the house. Make sure all cords are out of the way and that you can maneuver around the furniture. Test out everywhere! I mean absolutely everywhere, even outside. What seems like just a little bump in your driveway is a BIG deal when you hit it with your walking aid. I know that I almost tipped over more than once on the one spot in our walkway where the brick is a little titled (bad memories right there).

One place that I didn’t really think about “testing out” was the bathroom. It wasn’t until I had to use the bathroom right after my surgery that I got a major surprise. Yep that’s right, I quickly realized that there was nowhere in the bathroom for me to grab to help me get up from the… well you know! The moral of the story? Check everywhere for handicap accessibility! You’ll be grateful you did.

3. Strengthen Your Abs

I know this one sounds bizarre but this really was the best thing I did to prepare myself for ankle surgery. You don’t realize it when you have working body parts how much you depend on all of your body to do certain functions. After my ankle surgery I had to sit up, get out of bed, roll over in bed, and so many other things without the use of my right leg. There is only so much your elbows can handle with “helping out” while you’re injured so if your abs are strong then it makes getting up way easier!

4. Buy A Bath Chair

Unless your bath tub/shower is already equipped with a seat then buying a bath chair is a necessity. Obviously, you are going to want to shower during the time that you are not able to bear weight on your injured leg (at least I hope so). I know some people just use an ordinary chair for this but I highly recommend an actual bath chair because it’s specifically designed to be put in the tub/shower. You don’t want to use anything that could slip as you get in or out and injure yourself further.

5. Ask For Help

Honesty time! This was by far the hardest part of the surgery for me! I can deal with pain, discomfort, and even the boredom but I have the hardest time asking for help. If you haven’t noticed I’m extremely independent and I’m used to just doing anything that I need to do! So when the doctor told me to not get out of bed except to use the restroom for an entire week I thought I would lose my mind. Throughout the recovery process I had a hard time asking for what I wanted/needed and of course insisted that I could do things that I probably shouldn’t have. Unfortunately, this lead to me have many “near misses” until I FINALLY admitted I needed help! If you are blessed with caring family and friends then LET THEM HELP! They want to help you and you need help so both parties win!

6. Buy Body Butter

You will definitely thank me for this tip! Once your cast comes off your leg is going to be gross, like really gross! My leg was so dry and caked up with dead skin that I couldn’t get it all off for weeks! I tell you this disgusting fact to explain why it’s absolutely necessary to USE BODY BUTTER! By applying liberal amounts of body butter I finally got my leg hydrated and not looking like a freak of nature. A side note when you do get your cast off don’t go crazy scrubbing all the dead skin off. I know it’s tempting (yep, I did it) but your skin is extremely sensitive because under all that dead skin is baby skin that hasn’t been exposed to the elements.

7. Take Extra Time Off From Work

This is a hard one for most of us. I know how precious your vacation days are and that you would rather not use them on being lame. With that being said it will be totally worth it! My doctor said that he recommended me to stay away from work for three months and I freaked out! Instead of listening to him I only took a week and half off then went back. That was one of the worst decisions I have ever made in my life! The exhaustion that I experienced was almost worse than the pain in my ankle. My advice? Listen to your doctor!

8. Ask For Handicap Parking

This is something that is a definite must! Ask your doctor to write a prescription for a temporary handicap placard before you have ankle surgery so you can park in handicap parking spots. I can’t stress enough how much this helped me and my sister (aka my driver) after my surgery. It was only by the grace of God that I even thought to ask about this right before my surgery because the doctor’s office never once brought it up! I’m sure not every state is like the great state of Texas but all I needed was my prescription from the doctor, my driver’s license, and five dollars to get my placard that lasted for 6 months. It was WELL worth the five bucks for all of the convenience of having close parking!

9. Exercise After Surgery

What? Don’t you realize I just had ankle surgery? Yes, I do! But, this doesn’t mean you should just lie around and do nothing. I’m not talking bench pressing a hundred pounds or anything crazy but just doing light exercises. Even while you are on bed rest the first week do sit ups, lift light weights, and do leg lifts on the uninjured leg. One thing that really helped me was a thigh master (don’t judge) because you can do it while laying down. I was determined to gain NO weight from the day of my surgery until the day that I could walk again and I’m proud to say that I didn’t gain any! So, no weight gain and all I did was simple exercises just a few times a day. I think it was totally worth it!

10. Buy A Bed Table/Tray

This tip infuriates me! Why, you ask? Because I didn’t think about a bed table until AFTER I was recovered (shakes head). After you have your surgery you are going to want to be in your bed…..A LOT! This means that you will probably be taking your meals in bed or playing on your laptop. A bed table makes all the things that you need to do so much easier!

Surgery is scary and it’s not just a physical experience but also a mental and emotional one. I know how hard it is to undergo something like this and know that depression is usually right outside your door at any given moment waiting for his opportune moment to be let in. BE STRONG! Try to keep motivated and know that even though you are going through the storm you are moving towards healing and every day will be easier than the day before. So, leave depression in the cold and don’t invite him in! I have faith in you and know you can overcome this!

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