I had a procedure done yesterday at an out-patient center.

[lastlib]

13. No, my rods are permanent.

I picked a fight with gravity from the back end of a pickup truck--the tailgate was off, and I thought I was stepping off onto the bumper, but missed. The way the bones broke, it looked on the first X-rays as if a machete had whacked through both of them. I had a lot of soft-tissue damage (and I suspect some of it was from EMT's handling me like a sack of potatoes putting me on the ambulance) which has been very slow in healing. I was in a surgical boot for seven months, and still use a crutch to walk, though I'm finally getting away from it for short walks through the house. I hope having the screws out will give me less pain walking--the ones in my knee rubbed my kneecap, and one frequently touched a major nerve, sending a shock through my lower leg that felt like about 500 volts hitting it. If that happened at night, it was sheer hell! The ones in my ankle were seriously restricting my range of motion and balance, in addition to pain. For me, it's well-worth the hassle of taking them out! If you have yours done, you may agree.