Good morning! I have missed you all so much!

I'm finally feeling relatively alert and able to concentrate enough to give an update.

The surgery ended up being even more extensive than we expected. We had hoped for a tendon repair but the damage was too severe and it ended up being a tendon transfer. Here's what they did as per the handout given to me by the doctor:

An incision approximately 12 to 14 centimeters long is made down the side of your ankle down onto your foot, along the length of your posterior tibial tendon.

Torn and damaged tissue is cut out from your posterior tibial tendon.

An appropriately-sized portion of your FDL tendon, located next to the torn posterior tibial tendon, is cut and transferred over to where the posterior tibial tendon used to insert in the navicular bone.

The portion of your FDL tendon is sewn in to replace the function of your posterior tibial tendon.

Another incision is made on the outside of your foot so surgeons can gain access to your heel bone.

A portion of your heel bone is cut along an angle.

Surgeons slide the heel bone piece medially, toward the inside (big toe side) of your foot.

The heel bone piece is fixed in place with screws.

This new heel bone alignment slightly inverts your ankle. Your reconstructed tendon has to pull less on your foot bones to maintain your arch height, and your Achilles tendon also becomes a partial ankle inverter.

Both incisions are closed with stitches and your ankle is put into a splint to immobilize it.

I'm so thankful to have had a wonderful surgeon who performed this procedure. He was very pleased with the outcome and a few hours after surgery, I was discharged and went home.

That was another bit of excitement - I live in a downstairs apartment and it is reached by a generally adorable paving stone pathway. Unfortunately, maneuvering on such a pathway with crutches is difficult - it's quite a walk - and it's impossible with a knee scooter. My landlady let me enter through her place and take the stairs, so I bumped down on my bum from top to bottom. It was all quite dignified as you can imagine. Of course, when I rented my apartment, I had no idea I was to become completely immobile, and this was a rather valuable lesson in accessibility as we get older.

The aftermath was a haze until the nerve block wore off on the second day and boy, do I remember every bit of that. Even the narcotic pain medication prescribed could not keep up with the pain I felt then.

For the first few days, I kept bumping my opposite foot and ankle with the knee scooter but because of the pain meds, I didn't notice until my daughter pointed out the vivid bruises blooming on that side. It took a while to adapt to getting on and off the knee scooter, using the bathroom, and doing small, essential tasks. Every excursion left me drenched in sweat from the effort and the pain. Who knew that getting to the bathroom in a teeny tiny apartment would feel like running a marathon?

Family members came and drove me to the hospital. My landlady was a dream come true. My oldest daughter checked in daily (she lives quite far away and has just started a new job.) But my youngest daughter is the real hero of this story. I truly would not have survived without her. She stayed with me day and night for the first week and took care of everything. She monitored medication and made sure my temp remained normal. She has been an absolute rock, and words cannot express how much her help has meant to me. Her kindness, diligence, and love bring tears to my eyes when I think about what she did for me, and what an incredible woman she has grown up to be.

Five days after the surgery was my first medical check-up. Back through the landlady's home (she is a saint, truly), into a vehicle, into the clinic. They did xrays, changed the dressing, and were very pleased with how things looked. As for me, I was shocked when I saw how absolutely gruesome the main incision looked. I'll send that photo under a different email following this one with a warning. You can look if you want, but trust me - it's gnarly looking.

The trip to the doctor really took it out of me and rocketed the pain levels back up to a ten. It was such a bummer because that had been the first day I woke up feeling a little bit better.

After a few days, the pain settled down to a far more bearable 5-6, and that's with only taking ibuprofen. On a prepper note, I was able to stash away some of the heavy-duty painkillers for my apocalypse medical kit, which always makes me happy. I have another week in bed with my foot higher than my heart, and then, assuming all goes well with my next check-up, I'll be able to sit up more and not be quite as confined to the bed. I'll be transitioning from a huge splint and dressings to a huge cam boot to keep things aligned and protected. But at least I'll be able to remove that on occasion, and I truly look forward to getting some air to the uncomfortably sweaty area under all those bandages. Nobody ever really warns you about some of the gross aspects of post-surgery.

I'll be starting back to work this week, but please bear with me, as I may not be able to return to publishing daily right away. Please consider checking out our many products on SelfRelianceandSurvival.com if you would like to further support me and The OP. Your purchases are extremely helpful.

Thank you for your patience with my absence. I've really missed interacting with you all over the past couple of weeks, and I look forward to being back in touch.

Lots of love,
Daisy