Life After Lis
Who the hell is Lisfranc? I tell you who she is. She's a bitch, an evil bitch. Stay away from her; or maybe just stay off a skateboard. Actually, after scouring the internet post-injury, I realized these injuries are so bizarre. You could suffer a lisfranc fracture from something as simple as missing a step.
365 days seems like a long time, and there were many, many moments during those days I thought I'd never get through all of them. That's the timeframe I was given for a "full recovery" from my Lisfranc fracture. I couldn't tell you how it happened, because it happened so fast, but there's one specific moment that will be engrained in my brain forever: watching my foot literally break in half. The doctors at the ER had a hunch it could be Lisfranc, but recommended I see an orthpaedic surgeon to be sure. And that's exactly what it was. Fucking Lis. She easily ruined my first six months in California. The last six have been better by leaps and bounds, but I still have to put up with her for the rest of my life.
Even though I'm technically recovered, I still have issues. This one injury has thrown my body out of whack, and I'm still trying to regain strength and flexibility in certain areas. I get discouraged during yoga because I can't do poses that I used to have no problems with. I walk with a limp after sitting for long periods. My foot still swells, especially when flying. And have I mentioned those six screws and a metal plate are permanent? Yeah, that's right...they're in there permanently.
Oh, and I almost forgot about the thing that will plague me in years to come. As excited and happy as I was to be running again, my doctor quickly dampened my mood with one word: arthritis. Basically, the more I use my foot, the worse I'm making my future. Seriously? How can I NOT use my foot? I'm now trying to swim more than run...I still gotta burn calories somehow.
To "celebrate" my lis-versary, I decided to pull out my longboard for old time's sake. My heart pounded with anxiety as I cautiously stepped on the board. I have mentioned before that the mental recovery from such an injury is probably harder than the physical healing.
So for my fellow Lis-lifers...I feel your pain. Trust me, I do. But keep focused on the end-goal and stay strong. 365 days is just a year.
