Not knowing your exact injury I may be completely off but the screws are what hold my wife's plate to the leg bone. Even gave her a letter with a pic of the xray of the area for snoopy TSArs :-)
She also had an aircast, not a hard cast. Easier to deal with and to clean the leg - especially in the summer.
Make sure you get a prescription for a wheelchair. Stay off the leg with those darn crutches.
Good luck! You seem to be doing quite well. My wife was literally drugged-up the day and a half before her surgery. She couldn't stay awake longer than an hour without crying.
Then I guess I will be having screws put in as well...because come to think of it, something has to hold the plate to the bone...what was I thinking?
LOL on the cleaning the leg.......one of the instructions on the pre-op instruction paper (no eating/drinking after midnight, etc) is to take a warm soapy shower and thoroughly clean the surgical area........I sure as heck wish I had read that while I was still in the doctor's office.
I understand your point about the wheelchair, but considering it won't do me a bit of good in the house I don't really see the point in one. In the house I use my desk chair as much as possible, but even it doesn't fit through many door opennings, there is no way a wheelchair could.
They gave me vicodin in the ER, 500mg every 4 hours, which I did on Saturday. I had only taken 2 all day yesterday until I lost my balance last night and so took a third. I'm about to take my 4th since 6 this morning. They don't really put me to sleep - but they sure as heck make me space cadet of the year!!!!!