6 1/2 weeks later: leg comparison (also: that time I became a drug addict)

6 1/2 weeks later: leg comparison (also: that time I became a drug addict)

One has a calf muscle and an ankle. One has neither of those things. Or, rather, a swollen ankle and significantly atrophied muscles from still not being able to put any weight on that leg a month and a half later, so that they're basically the same size.

This picture actually makes it look like there's still more muscle than there really is, but that teensy little bump is just my flesh getting squished since it's lying flat on the bench, haha.

Also, my right leg is not actually as sickly yellow and pale as it looks. It's just that the purple and red discoloration of my left leg makes it look more tan and my other one look pasty.

The final ankle update is that it turns out I'm a drug addict. Or, I guess, recovering drug addict now?

Don't break your leg three ways at once. Because when the doctor gives you percocet and the prescription says you can take 1-2 pills every 4-6 hours, that will translate to maximum dose of 2 pills every 4 hours (or, spaced out better as 1 pill every 2 hours). And you will make sure to take one right before you go to bed and one when you wake up at night to go to the bathroom, and you will also set an alarm 1-2 hours before you need to get up to take a pill so that you can function and get ready for work in the morning when your alarm goes off for reals instead of just lying in agony.

And then a month later, when you get a boot and get out of an insanely uncomfortable and painful cast that put your ankle in a bad position and you drop your dosage from 10 pills a day to 4, you will go through withdrawals that make you feel ABSOLUTELY HORRIBLE and kind of like you're dying.

And then a couple weeks later, when your leg is continuing to do even better and you try to drop your dose to 1 or no pills a day, you will get withdrawals like I did this weekend that are so bad that you can't sleep at all and just lie in bed wide awake until 5 am literally rocking and shaking and squirming until you finally give in and take something.

I think I'm finally out of the weeds, since my last dose was a half pill just over 24 hours ago and I'm not currently shaking.

Don't do drugs kids. For reals.

Also, just to make it EXTRA clear in case anyone thinks I'm for reals a drug addict: I was taking all these drugs within the prescribed allowance and decreasing because I didn't feel I needed them anymore even though I still had them prescribed by the doctor, so I'M NOT REALLY A DRUG ADDICT DON'T REPORT ME PLS. If I were a drug addict I wouldn't have horror stories of withdrawal symptoms to share.

Next week I get X-rays, and if all goes well, I'll be allowed to start putting 25% weight on my left leg. Which I'm hoping doesn't mean I'll start being in a lot more pain again and need more drugs. :/