Still cast bound.....

On May 22nd, I was put into an air cast by my orthopaedic surgeon as a result of a nasty Achilles tendon injury. I was warned at the time that I could well spend many months having to wear my cast, and it seems that this prognostication has come true. I am still wearing it 24/7 and will be at least until I see the doctor again on September 16th, at which time I will be evaluated for possible surgery to lengthen my tendon, which is too tight, according to the doctor. I don't know if I will have to have surgery or not, but in the meantime, this means that I will have spent the entire summer in a cast - not exactly what I had in mind, but I have come to a calm acceptance of this whole affair and I've come not to mind it so much. Since there's nothing I can do about it anyway, I really don't think it would do me much good to sit and feel sorry for myself over it. I was given fair warning and I figured then that what the doctor told me was in earnest and that I would spend the entire summer cast-bound. At least I can remove it to drive and bathe, but other than that, it has to stay on the rest of the time. Sure, it's hot, especially because I wear a heavy wool sock inside my cast (yes, even on those 90+ degree days!), but that keeps the cast from chafing my skin and since it's wool, it breathes. I started out wearing a fleece sock inside my cast, but found that too hot because it's polyester and doesn't breathe well, so I switched to wool instead. It does a nice job of cushioning inside and it's not as uncomfortable as people might think. If I have surgery, I will be wearing this cast for yet another two months, meaning that I will have spent the better part of the latter half of the year in a cast. In fact, I've gotten so used to wearing it now that I am wondering what it's going to be like when it finally comes off and I can wear normal shoes again. It's going to feel mighty weird, I can imagine. I'm prepared for the possibility of surgery and another two months in the cast, but if that doesn't end up happening, I will be out of the cast in September and back to wearing both of my shoes again and spending the rest of my days doing a physical therapy regimen that I must follow for the rest of my life. It's all stuff I can do at home, some simple stretches that I can do by myself several times a day, but the doctor says I absolutely have to do this for the rest of my life, period, no ands, ifs or buts about it. Having two legs of different lengths necessitates this PT regimen that I must follow, so it's yet another complication of a long ago accident that has reared its ugly head in my middle age. I keep wondering how many other complications of said accident are going to occur as I age. Already I've had numerous knee problems that have sent me to PT and now this Achilles problem has appeared and not only sent me to PT for 6 weeks, but put me in a cast for the entire summer and beyond. But as I said, the only way to face this is a calm acceptance of it and I have been there almost from Day One. I'm alright with it because I know that it's helping my tendon to rest and heal and if surgery keeps me in it until well into the autumn months, so be it. I can live with that fact. Hopefully, that won't come to pass, but if it does, I'm prepared for it.