The invasive surgery on my ankle is a memory. It has been six months since I came off crutches, the pain and discomfort is retreating, but I still have to be careful. The stiffness is still there in the mornings when I get up and after sitting for long periods of time. Thunder storms and cold bring their own brand of agony. The time requiring no weight bearing is long and drawn out and the period of enforced inactivity is numbing. I went from one TV series to the next, from one book to the next. The consequence of this is an alarming weight gain. Never before in the history of the Universe has there ever been so much of me in it!!

This is where, I believe the real work begins. I officially tipped the scale at over 100 kilograms. Worse, I am unfit and have become weak and lazy. Fine for a surviving Christmas turkey, but a has-been athlete with an ankle replacement? – not so much.

I started a walking regime, slowly, modestly at first, and by mid-December I could cover three to five kilometres without too much discomfort. Over the Christmas holidays I was away on the Transkei Wild Coast and did some walking on the beach. Difficult, to be sure, but it did stretch the ankle a little. I was too ambitious and pushed the distance limits a bit too far. Two six kilometre journeys over punishing hills left me painful and very sorry for myself.

But now it is a New Year, there are resolutions to be made and an ankle to fix. The investment in an ankle replacement is huge. Therefore, it is my resolve to get the very best from it. Speaking of investment – it is as much a financial consideration as it is a physical, mental and emotional one. The payoff is getting the very best from this trying time.

Firstly, I have to get my weight under control. To do this I am cutting out all sugars and junk foods. When I stopped drinking (766 days ago as I write this) I replaced one addiction with another. Chocolate was my drug of choice and my weight ballooned. So – only proper foods and no sugars and crap for the time being. Secondly, I need to get some regular exercise – here a daily walk of between two to four kilometres is all I can comfortably manage.

I contacted a personal trainer who specialises in rehabilitation work and he puts me through my paces once a week. I found after 30 years of compensating for my injury, the body adapted to a host of bad habits. I have to learn to walk all over again. I am trying to regain my body alignment. Before the replacement my injured leg was two centimetres shorter than the other. Strength, then, and balance is what I work on when I meet with Mornay. Add a weekly class of Tai Chi for balance and stretching.

One thing I intuitively know, the healing process is heavily dependent on my attitude and my approach. It may take another year, even more. What is true is the real work has only just begun.