Why is the air cast/boot so heavy and uncomfortable?

Hi! I am almost 6 weeks post-op for a very large bone cyst found inside my talus. It was a 5+ hour surgery in which my tibia (medial malleolus) was cut and removed to access my talus and clear out the cyst, and fill the hole in my bone, with an autograft using bone/marrow from my iliac crest (hip). Then they reattached my tibia (medial malleolus) with 3 screws. I only had mild intermittent pain once or twice a year for several years and finally decided to get it checked out and the MRI revealed the large bone cyst. Luckily the cyst ended up being benign.

The subject of my post is about the boot -- and why in the world is it so heavy and uncomfortable? I have had a boot on since one week after my surgery. I was originally supposed to stay in a cast for 2-4 weeks but I had some sort of reaction to the cast and broke out in a terrible rash all around my knee and all inside the cast. They said they've never seen anything like that and they were afraid to put me in another cast so they put me in the boot.

Well, that was unfortunate because I feel like the boot is causing more pain and is so much heavier than the cast. I have had nothing but problems since they put the boot on. Every time I lift my foot it hurts my shin, knee, groin area, hip, and shifts things around in my ankle, and cuts off the circulation. Not to mention it constantly rubs on my incision and the new screws. Plus, I have NOT been able to sleep at all. I am lucky if I sleep for one hour a night. It has been total torture.

Is anyone else having issues with the boot? I can't believe there are no lighter more comfortable (supportive) options. I have even ordered several other boots on Amazon and none of them are much better.

Ugh. I'm just so frustrated and hope this pain starts to get better. I still have a long way to go before I will be full weight bearing. I see my surgeon on Tues, May 18. Hopefully my bones have healed enough for partial weight bearing.

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