Quick update- I had my podiatry appointment this morning and got my new ankle brace  https://dereferer.me/?https://imgur.com/a/5Dxreum .It seemed so big when I first put it on- not in how it fit, but how it looked. I was hoping it would be a little lower profile than my previous ankle brace, but that is not the case. I put the brace on then went to put my foot in my shoe. I wasn’t sure it was going to fit. I got new shoes when I finally got out of my boot, and ended up getting men’s shoes for the extra width. Imagine what was going through my head when I could barely get my foot with the AFO on into my shoe. I don’t think I will have very many footwear choices going forward. Once I did get it in and my shoe laced up, I could immediately feel the extra support. My ankle does still roll out ever so slightly and I brought this up to my doctor. He saw my concern and acknowledged that down the road it might be an issue. The only real option moving forward is to have a brace that doesn’t have a hinge like the Arizona AFO, and he doesn’t want to limit me any more than absolutely necessary. I was given that type of brace 16 years ago by the VA when my first ankle reconstruction failed. It was miserable to not have any range of motion, and not something I want again anytime soon.
After agreeing this was the right brace for where I am in this very long journey, the go ahead was given to get the mold of my left foot and ankle to have the same brace made. I thought you might like to see how it’s done, so I documented the step by step process here: https://dereferer.me/?https://imgur.com/a/NmwhQpX after everything was cleaned up and I put my shoe back on with the Richey brace, the difference in support that the new brace provides was amazingly clear. The small amount of eversion that I still have is really minimal in comparison. The only downside is that I have to put my new ankle brace on before putting on my shoe. I’ve been spoiled by being able to keep my braces in my shoes up until now. First world problems, right? Let me know if you like seeing the mold making process, and If you have any questions, I’ll try to answer them.
Next time I’ll update on getting spacers.

Yes! I would say it has more resin permeated into the sock than casting tape. Also, it comes in a sealed foil wrapper and the sock was rolled up like casting tape.

Yes! I would say it has more resin permeated into the sock than casting tape. Also, it comes in a sealed foil wrapper and the sock was rolled up like casting tape.

Thanks for the info and best wishes.

That is great news! It is sort of crazy that it still fits after one (two?) ankle reconstruction(s). Are you going to ask your doctor to make your new brace something similar to this, or are you going to still go with your previous plan?

Yeah, I think keeping as many ligaments and tendons intact as possible is a good idea. They’re kind of important things.

Has anything cleared up on the orthodontic side of things? I know your back is going good in the grand scheme of things, your ankle is… going…, and you are getting a new appliance, but how are the braces going? From what I understand, you are getting a tongue crib to replace the spurs, and you also have braces and bite blocks which are there to stay for a while?

You are for sure a fighter.

Does the old brace have a hinge? It looks very fixed to me.

And all the best for you for the coming tongue crib, I am sure you will get adjusted to it. It may take some time, but you will make it, because there is so much you allready have mastered. 

You are for sure a fighter.

Does the old brace have a hinge? It looks very fixed to me.

And all the best for you for the coming tongue crib, I am sure you will get adjusted to it. It may take some time, but you will make it, because there is so much you allready have mastered. 

Yes, the old brace has a hinge. It’s the same hinge as my new brace, just not covered by leather. It is very different from the Ritchie brace hinge in that the hinge connects the foot and ankle portion, but the two portions don’t overlap to create extra thickness or rubbing.  https://dereferer.me/?https://imgur.com/a/PyxApRF  It’s very different from a traditional hinge. It’s more like a flexible piece of metal or wire that has a thick coating of rubber around it.

OK all, I’m freaking out a little right now. I just got off the phone after being asked to speak at a Memorial Day event as the theme of the event is recognizing women’s service in the military. They had interviewed several female veterans, but were not impressed with them and my name came up. This person has heard me speak at a veteran event previously and reached out to me. (I have only ever spoken publicly on two occasions. While being nervous as all get out, my outward appearance remains calm and undeterred.) How can I say no even though there is a pit in my stomach knowing I will have my tongue crib then? Sorry I can’t speak because I don’t know if I’ll be able to speak then? I did not see this coming. I should have 2 months to practice speaking by then. Do you think my orthodontist would consider taking it out for a long weekend? What am I thinking!??? What do I do?