@tweet I felt my hardware all the time. I am a person who needed it later removed. My surgeon said about 20% of his patients have their hardware removed. That is your normal and mine too. I know my body does not like foreign materials and metals. My hardware hurt all the time. It got worse in time and I was feeling like I was getting kicked all the time. The skin over the plates started getting more pigmentation. 6 months after the injury, I had chronic hives that came up anywhere on my body. I had to stay on antihistamines all the time because it was so itchy I wanted to scratch my skin off. My doctor didn’t accept the connection, but after the hardware was out, it stopped and I don’t have to keep taking antihistamines now. So yes, I think your experience is normal. We’re all a bit different in how our bodies function, so listen to your body. Recovery after hardware removal was easy compared to the first surgery.

I wasn’t always this brave, but breaking my ankle was a big test of my new found strength. I used to be terrified of surgery. I really worked through that and deprogrammed all my fears when I had spine surgery 4 years before the ankle fracture. What I learned was that believing in yourself and your recovery will help you get there. At the beginning, it is hard and strange and the reality of disability really hits you. Don’t give up. You may want to keep a journal and when you start feeling stuck, look back to see how you have progressed. Keep the faith!