@lioness Progress is slow, and my incisions will not be happy until his cast is off, but if I think back to how this felt when it started, I am a lot better. I started with lots of pain around the clock and using medication that nauseated me, and I slept a lot. I have been off pain meds since the 2nd week after surgery, except for when I have swelling causing pain that keeps me awake now and then. I am getting away with sitting up without my leg elevated all the time, but not all day, as it will start throbbing. Since there are 7 incisions, it's hard to not have something affected no matter which way I turn my leg. Last night, I had some stabbing pain in my little toes until I rotated my leg 180 degrees to the other side and it stopped. 2 incisions are pretty large with one vertical on the inside of my shin, and the one from the first emergency surgery that is transverse going around the outside of the ankle through the area where the bone broke through the skin... that hurts the most. My Mayo surgeon said he would have done that as a vertical and it was a bit in his way since his incision could not cross that one. I'm wondering if it will hit that and hurt when I finally get to wear shoes With each step it gets a little better. I was glad to get the fixator cage off, then I had a splint cast after the 2nd surgery and the stitches rubbed inside which hurt and drove me crazy. When those stitches came out and I got this cast, it was better, but the first couple days were hard because of swelling from removing stitches and being in a cast that solidly restricts everything, and I just lived on my back with my foot elevated and had to take pain meds. Now, it doesn't hurt most of the time. This has been painful for a long time, and more painful than my spine surgery was. Progress is progress. I don't get much done at home, but I am starting to work on some things as I can tolerate sitting up. I am about ready to do a little bit of painting, and when I come back to Mayo, I'm going to paint some studies of the stone barns that were on Dr. Charlie Mayo's farm. I'm pretty excited about having permission for that and it gives me a goal. I might have to sit with my foot elevated for that, but I'm going to try.