The the link to the video below kind of shows what my scar and what the underlying tissue looks like when I move my ankle. Towards the end of the video I kind of zoom in so you can hear what my ankle sounds like. It sounds pretty crunchy. That stuff doesn’t hurt but it sure sounds bad.

Video: https://youtu.be/jWGFqshxMxA

Currently I have no joint space (its bone on bone) throughout 85% of the tibiotalar joint. The joint collapsed at about 1 year post surgery. My surgeon said that is typical. The time it takes for the damaged “chondrocytes” to die takes about a year. About 15%of my chondrocyres survived the accident. And somehow miraculously that little bit of cartilage gives me the ability to walk around. (if I limit my range of motion to just that area).

Here is my recent CT side view. https://goo.gl/photos/jb7izRNTi5tkskro9

Emotionally I’m feeling very good. I have not thought about my ankle injury more than 5 times a day for the last 6 months. That’s an all time record. I have not needed to take ibuprofen or other painkillers in a year. I take careful & cautious steps everywhere I go and I don’t abuse it. When I abused it it aches deep inside and that is not cool. But I I’m riding a bicycle century next month in Mammoth Lakes. And in October I have a mountain bike race that will be 60 miles and 8000 ft of climbing. I’ve been training for that and have had no pain because of my ankle braces that I’ve made. A couple weekends ago I rode a 5-hour 40 mile mountain bike ride on my hardtail single speed through the Soquel demo Forest which is extremely rough and choppy. That was 6000 ft of climbing for the day and no noticeable pain the next day. I I’m truly blown away by this. I had no hope at year 1…… Zero.

I wish everybody the very very best! We have no knowing what is to come, and so we must dig deep to stay happy.

Here’s me Mountain biking this week.