Damo’s Digest: Week 8 – The Moon Boot Milestone and the Honey Trap

Looking back at Week 8 of my recovery (late April 2026), I experienced one of the most significant physical and psychological turning points since my 10-hour foot reconstruction on March 5th. This was the week the plaster cast finally came off, but it also introduced a new, sticky challenge in my healing journey.

The X-Ray Reveal and the Moon Boot

At my clinic review, the moment of truth arrived: my cast was removed, and fresh X-rays were taken upon arrival. The images were reviewed by my consultant, Mr. Rashid, and deemed satisfactory. This was a massive victory. It meant that the complex architectural changes—specifically the lateralising calcaneal osteotomy where my heel bone was cut and shifted—were successfully knitting together.

With the bones fusing, I was officially upgraded to a moon boot (walker boot) and given the green light to start weight-bearing as long as it felt comfortable. After nearly two months of the strict "One-Position Standard" and navigating life entirely on one leg, being allowed to gently put my foot to the floor was an incredible feeling.

However, escaping the cast revealed the stark reality of prolonged immobilisation. My calf muscle had visibly atrophied. Because Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease already compromises the nerve signals to my muscles, this rapid disuse atrophy was expected. To combat this, I had to double down on my Phase 2 Nutrition Protocol, specifically relying on my 3 grams of daily HMB and Whey Protein Isolate. This combination is clinically proven to inhibit muscle protein breakdown during periods of bed rest and supply the essential amino acids needed to rebuild lean mass as I slowly introduced mechanical load.

The Curveball: The 50-Pence Heel Crevice

While most of my surgical wounds were dry, scabbed, and healing beautifully, the deepest surgical site threw a curveball. The clinic noted that my lateral heel wound had opened into a deep crevice about the size of a 50-pence piece.

Because new skin cannot grow over non-viable tissue, my specialist practitioner had to debride some of the surrounding dead skin to expose the healthy, vascularised tissue underneath.

The Sweet Solution: Medical-Grade Honey

To treat this stubborn crevice, the clinic turned to a fascinating, advanced wound care intervention: honey. The defect was filled with medical-grade honey and protected with a highly absorbent Allevyn foam dressing.

Honey is a brilliant tool for deep wounds because it aids tissue granulation and possesses natural procoagulant (clot-promoting) properties. Given my history of Pulmonary Embolism and my strict Apixaban blood-thinning regimen, safely sealing a wound without interfering with my systemic anticoagulants was a delicate balance.

The New Daily Discipline

Leaving Week 8, my instructions were clear but demanding. While I could finally take the boot off to rest and sleep, I was under strict orders to keep the foot absolutely dry until the heel wound fully closed.

Furthermore, the gravity tax of standing in the moon boot meant that swelling was inevitable. I was explicitly instructed to regularly elevate my foot to relieve outward fluid pressure on that vulnerable 50-pence crevice.

To fuel this intensive skin repair from the inside out, I had to maintain my daily intake of Vitamin C (500mg) and Zinc, which are biological superstars required to form stable collagen cross-links and permanently close gaping surgical wounds.