Just to recap:
April 2014: Open Reduction and Internal Fixation (ORIF)
December 2014: ORIF revision
February 2015: ORIF revision
December 2015: Ankle Arthrodesis (fusion)
September 2016: Ankle Arthrodesis revision following non-union
And then all was well. I was walking by December 2016. I spent all of 2017 living it up. I hit the gym a couple times a week, I got into cycling, I went rock climbing and camping and I felt unstoppable
January 2018 I started to feel a little bit of pain here and there. I blamed it on the cold. Then winter ended and my pain was getting worse. April 2018 I started getting such sharp pains that my ankle would give out and I would fall. I couldn't run anymore. I couldn't bike. Some days I could hardly walk. In May I sucked it up and gave Dr. Steeves a call.
July 2018 was the soonest he could see me. He ordered x-rays and a CT. What they showed was significant deterioration of my subtalar joint (the one between the heel and the ankle, between the calcaneus and talus).
September 2018: Subtalar Arthrodesis
That was 5 months ago. Now I'm struggling to walk and have to use a cane if I'm going out. My latests x-rays show the bones have all fused properly, but the tight tendons and muscle atrophy in my lower leg limit my endurance. Every day is painful.
I guess I should be sad or angry or something, but instead I just feel apathetic. It hurts all the time, what else is new. This is my normal. Of course I wish it was all better. Logic tells me that to be the happiest I can't dwell on things I don't have.
I'm going to try and get some physiotherapy. I stopped being on my parents insurance years ago. Disability benefits only cover 4-5 appointments a year and I would use that up in just 2 weeks. My parents paid out of pocket for an assessment and the thing is: this can get better! It's just too expensive for me to access on my own.
So I'm starting a Go Fund Me campaign to try and raise the money. It's the only chance I've got...
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