Much better now

For the last week I ditched my old shoes in favor of my clogs.
My pain decreased by 50%.

I do need to stretch more but am walking without much of a limp.

Patience Grasshopper, patience

All the best laid plans, I put out all my clothes night before.
Hit the road as usual and met up with Team at the training.
At getting up I was a bit tight and gimpy.
But I figured it would work itself out as soon as I started walking.

Not!

Roadblock #1, the TEAM was going to walk a part of the trail that is all gravel and sand.
I'm having issues with regular roads as it is so that part of the trail was out.

Roadblock #2, my heel lifts were taken out, I lost the left one too, and the odd degree my foot was in really threw me out of whack.

Roadblock#3, as soon as I started limping there was no way to control it. I can't say I did try really hard enough though so it was somewhat of an "operator error" on my part.

The day was glorious, tiny bit chilly somewhat overcast. Perfect going for a walk weather.
But not for me, I ended up at the water stop and timing people.
Feeling very frustrated and having my own private pity party.

Maybe I need to develop more patience, start biking instead.

Right now however, pretty bummed at myself.

Several things happened;

I got a new job which required more on the feet time than I had anticipated 
My kids are back in school and activities 
My Team in Training season kicked off on February 1st. 


Under the ADA  guidelines (Americans with Disability Act) my employer is obligated to provide me with modifications at work.
I needed to get back to work, I still teach one class and have a volunteer to help me out.
But I went down in hours so I was offered a job in the reception area of my company.
I like the work but in the end I was standing a bit more than I should.
I've been able to sit more and to walk less.


I'm enjoying the contact with people other than in my program a lot, I was told I bring a lot of maturity to the reception.
That had me cracking up for a bit, but come to think of it the majority of the staff there is under 25.
Whole new set of rules, need to wear nicer clothes. It's like going back to my retail days in a way.


On the healing front, it's been a lot of "two steps forward. one step back".
On my PT days I'm wiped out afterwards and even though I'm not in a lot of pain there is a fair amount of discomfort from the scar.
The fact that I just can't find a pair of shoes that adhere to the strict rules of Dr. B. and the inability in me to wear running shoes during the day are not helping in easing my foot issues..
I just can't get past that look.




Today marks 5 and a half months since surgery and I do feel improvement every day, I may have been a bit in a hurry to get healed faster but lately have resigned myself to the fact it will take a bit.
I'm not training actively, being support for TEAM has been my goal.


Yesterday I had my 4 week re-check and Dr. B was pleased and displeased at the same time.
The amount of scar tissue internally on the achilles is very pronounced, something Igor does not address enough according to Dr. B.
Back I go now, once a week for stretching, massage and scar work.
I had my first session yesterday and learned 2 new words; functional pain.


Part of the good news is that I do not need heel lifts, I can go back to wearing my regular shoes.
But as with every new development I need to ease into it.
My brand new bought right before surgery clogs fit and even though it feels weird to be out of the ugly "good" shoes it's a step towards normal again.








I'm all for normal!

Excuse me, pain now?

Since Thursday I've been in pain.
Serious OH MY pain.

I don't know why but it hurts, a lot.

Monday is my appointment with Dr B. Hoping it's "normal" healing pain.

Week 17, not feeling the love.

It's been a bit of a mixed bag week for me.

Monday Igor got my foot to 5.5 degrees, up from 4 degrees!
I also walked barefoot, very gingerly, for a few feet.
So far it feels weird but no pain.

Little Man fell ill on Monday, at first I thought it was his asthma but by Tuesday it was pretty clear it was something else.
Wednesday and day 2 of a coughing feverish kid and we were at the pediatrician.
Verdict, maybe H1N1.
Home with inhalers and no school.

Wednesday was also my 6 week check-up.

As gimpy as I am I always make ample time to get to my appointments on time so I was there 15 minutes early.

15 minutes past my time I was still not seen. In saunters a guy, he tells receptionist he is late (30 minutes to be exact) 

They told him to take a seat and 15 minutes later they call him in. So here I am 30 minutes past my visit time.

Now I'm a nice girl but the fact I was there waiting for 45 minutes by now got me a bit ticked off so I go and talk to the receptionist.

They call Dr B's nurse and she comes out.

Long story short, I would have to wait another 25 minutes and then would only have 10 minutes to talk to my DR.

Seeing as that there are some real concerns I have about my foot and the stiffness as well as the increased pain on the inside of my foot 10 minutes are not going to cut it.

Besides a 30 minute visit just turned into a 1.5 hour visit.

In the end we rescheduled for next week.

Thursday was kick-off for Team in Training and a bit of bittersweet feelings because I'm still not cleared to train.

It was great to see the rest of the 'staff' and meet new TEAM members.

I'm so excited to be an Honoree Captain this season!

Friday did bring better walking for me. 

It also meant day 4 of no school for Little Man and a diagnosis of 75% possible H1N1 or the Bacon Flu as we call it here.

Tomorrow is another day.

Pour yourself a drink (or some tea) this is going to be a long post.

Last I blogged I had my first full day of work behind me and was driving for the first week.

What happened in the last 3 weeks?

I had to go to a new PT place because Igor went to visit family far-far-away for 3 weeks and  I needed to be tortured  treated more.
Dr B. sent me to a new place and there I was put in the small but capable hands of Ninja J.
At maybe 5 foot 4 and weighing maybe less than one of my dogs he seemed kind and gentle.
NOT!
The amount of work surpassed Igor's.
First there was stretching the calf by hand, then ultrasound, massage and the exercises.
Things that seemed effortless months ago were not so right now.
Balance on one foot? I can do 30 seconds on the left (good) foot, 3 seconds on the right foot.
Walking backwards slowly, lots of stumbling.
I got to bike for 5 minutes and felt drained.
But after 4 visits and 2 weeks things were looking a little bit stronger and better.

Wednesday I biked for 10 minutes at the gym and did my exercises and stretches.
Friday I went to PT and to work.
Saturday California experienced "winter"
I had a training about 40 minutes away which involved driving in the pouring rain.
I parked in the handicapped slot, walked out and almost fell because the tiles were slippery, however I do have balance and I did not meet with the ground and test gravity.
Sunday was work and a birthday party to host.
Resident Teen was drafted to help but after 3 hours on my feet I was done.

The beginning of the 16th week also meant a lot of rain.
I drove to work on Monday and it wasn't pretty.
The drive was pretty ugly and it took a lot of concentration to drive 6 miles.
I returned to the PT place of Igor because the Ninja place was just too far to drive.

Tuesday the heavens opened and the rain started for real.
By chance my remote connection to work decided to grant me email so I made the decision to stay home and work on the backlog that I had acquired.

Wednesday wasn't any drier but I had made the commitment to go to an info meeting for TEAM so I braved the elements for it.
It was nice to reconnect with the TNT people and to share my experiences with new people.
I'm looking forward to the new season, even it might mean little or no training.
This season I'm Honoree Captain and looking forward to it.

Thursday I worked in the afternoon and was blessed with the help of a volunteer ( got to love the Americans with Disability laws) I figured out that my running shoes work the best on the concrete floors.

Friday was 16 weeks since surgery and some awesome news.
My foot fully flexed was at 0%, not good, but now it's at 4%.
The Dr. wants 5%, Igor is sure we'll get there by next week.

Week 13 behind me, wheels and work

Time flies when you are having fun, right?

This last week has me driving and going back to work.

After a long search and test driving a few cars, scary thought looking back by the way, we bought a Kia Sportage for me.
It's been a dream to drive so far and I feel pretty safe in it.

I've been so blessed with friends driving me places but being able to go anywhere when I want to is quite powerful!

Having the wheels meant I could go back to work.

Today I worked for 4 hours and was exhausted when I went home.

My foot swelled up to twice it size and I'm tired.

I'm going to have to take it slow I guess.

Almost 13 weeks, really?

I just can't believe I reached the 3 month mark on my recovery.
It seems like only a few weeks ago that I packed up my desk and worried myself so much about surgery.
Yet by looking at the calendar Friday will be 13 weeks since surgery.

I'm trying to create a time-line type of thing currently but my technical skills are lacking.
Stay tuned on that one!

Wheels!

After the successful ride around the parking lot of the car dealership last Sunday it was time to put the show on the road again.

The opportunity to drive by myself presented itself on Wednesday.

Husband drove me to the clinic and it occurred to me I could have driven there myself as he had the day off.

I saw the surgeon and he was happy with my progress but a bit guarded at the same time. He is having shoulder surgery so I'm chalking his lack of enthusiasm up to that.

My foot still swells up to the point of uncomfortable times 10000 and I'm going to get a very sexy sock for that next week.

Right after the clinic it was time for another round of Fun with Igor aka Physical Therapy.

And my first time to drive in almost 11 weeks!

See proof!

This session of PT was a long one. Stretching, massage, ultrasound and to top it off....exercise.

I did leg presses without getting faint this time. Getting better at standing on the balance board too.

Least favorite was 20 toe raises I had to do on the leg press machine. Igor's assistant promised me that a month from now I'll be doing them on land. Little moment of light headedness passed fast luckily.

The driving was fine, a bit odd but the fact that everyone and their brother was shopping for Christmas made the road almost empty.

Another goal done, moving right along.

Footloose and fancy free, sort of...

For the past 2 or 3 days getting up in the morning has almost been like before.
I was in the habit of putting on shoes right when I swung my legs out of bed. Walking barefoot was terrible pain and stiffness.
Those first steps were excruciating sometimes.
No matter how much PT I had with Igor before surgery, I was in pain when I slept, had a heel strap or fresh getting up in the morning.
It's a little too early probably to say but I think major improvement was made with the surgery.
The amount of bone taken off was substantial and there is more range of motion, Igor told me I was at 2% whereas I was at 0% all last year during treatment.
I have no pain when I'm resting my foot on the bed, no pain when getting up on bare feet (yes I've tried that)
And, most important, only scar pain from the strap on my shoes!

Friday marked week 11 and looking back things are moving along.
I ditched the boot over a week ago and am starting to trust my right foot more.
One of the things I must concentrate on in the week ahead is walking as 'normal' as possible.
Accept the fact I'm slow and not be afraid to move with small steps and use the whole foot.
It's tight but that is to be expected.

Friends have taken me shopping for gifts, we did decide to keep it simple this year for the kids and ourselves.
With no income from me for almost 3 months and my immobility that proved to be not a hard thing.
If I don't have it to spend and can't drive there we're set!

This weekend we'll tackle getting the tree set up, decorations put out and the car situation sorted out.
I'm still not driving but want to do that this weekend, I was advised to go to an empty parking lot and slowly drive around and practice.
It will be like old times when I first learned to drive.

We have started car shopping too, one car in the New Year is not going to work.
So far the car I had my eyes on sold right before we got to the dealership. They are looking to get me the same in red and I'm hoping it will be there today.

I'm well on my way to wheels and working feet!

Look Mom, no hands!

Friday, Saturday and Sunday were a lot of walking days. In 2 shoes.
Monday was Pt with Igor who put me in my place.
The good news is that I was at 0% flexibility before surgery and now am at 2%!
I had a lot of PT for almost 9 months and never got over 0%.
The bad news, I need to stop being afraid of injury and walk!
So I ditched the cane and walked around a lot since Monday.

The swelling of the foot and the exhaustion got me beat at the end of the day.

Doing the Shuffle

I decided today to just laugh at my speed of walking and the motion I can generate.
No sense to get frustrated just yet.

Husband and I took kids to various schools and he dropped me off at the PT place.

I was a bit early so I decided to go to the bank, CLEAR across the parking lot, to get some cash for lunch.
Easy for the old me with 2 'normal' feet, even though before surgery I was having issues walking painless.
The new and recovering me forgot that this was day two in shoes and that the ankle didn't bend as before.
I almost got stranded in the parking lot as I had neither speed or a fluid motion.

It took me 15 minutes to make it back to Igor and my PT appointment.

I had the PT works, stretching, massage, exercises and electrodes.
My friend picked me up and we went to hang out at Starbucks for 2 hours.
I should have stopped doing anything after that but I had made a 'date' with another friend to go Christmas shopping for my kids.
So it was go-go-go for me as we tackled Target where I deflated after 40 minutes and my leg in no uncertain terms told me it was DONE!
She took me to my favorite yarn store where I was hit with a wave of extreme exhaustion despite the fact I was sitting down and knitting.

Home again and early to bed for me.

Physical Therapy week two

Saturday I decided to just buy a pair of shoes a size bigger and forgo walking around in my running shoes.
Sunday was the first day I wore shoes and walked on 2 feet in 9 weeks.
As with every transition into something new I was very apprehensive and terribly careful.
I spent an hour in the shoes and then went back to the boot and later at night back into the shoes for almost 5 hours.
Without the heavy boot my right leg does not function as before, it's odd to not have the extra weight when I move the foot.
At first I could only walk around the couch, holding on to it!
But then it got better.
Can't say it is painless but that is part of the process after all.

Monday was work and PT.
We have this terrible slate covered hallway and I can tell you that slays me, big time.Most of my work today was trekking back and forth from my new desk to the old desk place.
I worked 1.5 hours, got my ride to PT.

Igor decided it was safe to up the ante and I was manually stretched a bit more than last time.
No pain, so that was good.
I had a calf massage,got new exercises, did a leg press and then it was time to hobble to the bus stop.

Now lights here are timed at 30 seconds.When I was still a fast walker with 2 normal feet I could get across with at least 10 seconds remaining. Now I'm at -4 seconds left.
There is no way you can hoof it up in a boot.
Here I am, 5 time Half marathoner trying to beat a 30 second crossing light.

Nuts!

More shoe later in the day, working on a 100% shoe day tomorrow.

Next week maybe driving?

I haz two feet!

Same feet, treadling on a spinning wheel. Just what the PT ordered.

Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

That should have hurt, no?

Monday bright and early the alarm went off at 7 am.
I was up and dressed by 7:45 while husband took Little Man to school.
Resident Teen had late start and we headed out at 8:30.
This meant my first day back at work started at 9 am, with no desk to sit at as 2 days before my surgery I had to pack up my desk to make place for someone else.
If you only work 10 hours a week you tend to be low on the totem pole where I work.

I got to work and was greeted a lot and asked many times over what happened to me.
Most of my 2.5 hours at work was spent explaining to people coming in, in detail, the surgery and the complications (or lack thereof )
Took me awhile to get hold of the building manager to get my desk reinstallation moving.
As loose as the office/workplace atmosphere is at work if you want anything done, you need to go through the building manager who also happens to be the guy who makes sure stuff is safe.
I guess it's called Risk Management?
Well he loves this part of the job and he was taking getting me a desk in my program area very seriously.
As I would be sharing the room with an active Mommy and Me program we needed to make sure both the kids and I had "privacy" and it was a safe set-up.
He left to ponder options and it became clear to me that set-up would not be on Monday so with my ride ready to go we left.

I had a delightful lunch with my friend Laura, she possesses this love for food I find very recognizable. In a healthy way, of-course.
And she is one bad @ss knitter!

As Physical Therapy was next door she offered to wait for me and give me a ride home.

Oh. Yeah. did I mention PT started on Monday?

Dr's orders: Twice a week, get range of motion back and in shoes in 2 weeks.
That alone put fear in my heart.
What if it hurt? I've broken out in a sweat just trying to get the boot on, now I was going to be seen by Igor the Terrible?
And he was going to have free reign on my foot?
Did I mention he has BIG hands and is pretty good at tweaking?

We went through the motions of measuring, interview and then he got to work.
As I was on my stomach I did not see any of the action happening to my foot.
Only once did I have a twinge, he stretched and moved the foot, "hey...where is the pain" was all I could think.
Because there was none, heck it even felt good!
The other therapist she who gives great massages, we'll call her SWGGM was next with 15 minutes of calf massage, again painless.
I was starting to feel a bit...slighted...shouldn't I feel something? Anything?
Believe me they were not gentle or super tough on me, still I was pretty happy at the lack of pain.
Consensus is that before I had a stiff foot with a lot of pain, now I'll have a stiff foot without pain.
I'll take it.

And Laura? She knitted almost half a hat while waiting for me.
Told you she is bad @ss!

4 Roller Coaster Ride days

Thursday was Thanksgiving and the first day of 100% boot.
The day was so glorious and Resident Teen and I went for a walk.
A 3/4 mile walk, in the boot.
There was a lot of stopping, admiring flowers and plain stalling.
We made it to the coffee shop, got coffee and turned around to go home.

As for the dinner,traditionally we have hosted the dinner at our house but 8 weeks ago I wasn't too sure about my abilities to cook and entertain.
Our friends offered their house.
We had a delightful dinner and no cleanup for me!

Friday was a mixed bag of hanging out at my favorite yarn store and shopping.
Yes, Black Friday got a hold of my daughter and we ended up at the mall.
Terrible idea, my brain was still post operation and willing to go-go-go! But my body, my leg mostly of-course, was no-no-NO!
In the end I swallowed my pride and we borrowed a wheelchair from the mall and I got wheeled around.

Saturday was a bit calmer, we went and saw the Nut Cracker and celebrated Resident Teen's 16th birthday by having her take her friends out to dinner and a movie.
We, parental units and brother, were in the same restaurant but way different area's.
The girls saw New Moon while we went to Planet 51.

Sunday we took my friends daughter to a Christmas display.
I walked a lot and needed a few slow-downs to catch up.

Tomorrow is my first Physical Therapy, I've done a few exercises daily so I'm hoping to not be in too much trouble.

Oh, and I go back to work on Monday. For 3.5 hours.
Still not driving so for now Monday might be my only day at work as I have a ride back home that day but no rides any other days.
It will be weird to be at work again, but the day will go by much faster!

Get on your feet!

7 weeks and 4 days have passed since surgery and today was a post-op visit.
Last week Dr. B. had told me to start walking in the boot without crutches.
Man what a work-out that is!

I thought I would get only kudo's from him and I was part right.
However on top of the praise he admonished me for not doing my range of motion exercises enough. I have to admit I've been a bit scared to do so, it brings on discomfort.
So today he told me I was showing signs of disuse and atrophy in the foot. And I was put on notice. Big time.
Whole new set of rules, do your exercises, alternating hot and cold baths and no more night splint as of Monday.
Physical Therapy starts Monday.
The progression as ordered will be no more boot in 2 weeks, shoes with heel lifts then.
See you in 4 weeks.

I'm counting down my final days as a lady of leisure, I go back to work on Monday for 3 hours.
Driving won't happen just yet, I'm aiming for it by Christmas as I need to go back to my part-time work for real in January

Up, up and away!

Week 7 and I'm getting used to walking in the boot.
Since this weekend my progress has been with big leaps and bounds.

Wednesday I ditched the scooter and relied solely on the crutches. I did take a few steps but not very well or gracefully.
Thursday I actually walked more without the crutches, I lost count how many steps I took. Very liberating but a bit painful for the back.
There is no pain in the foot besides a bruised feeling which might very well be the result of having a few inches of bone taken off.

I'm slogging along, week 8 is ahead and a visit with Dr. B. on Wednesday.

Progress, continued.

All of a sudden it seems my recovery is going with leaps and bounds.

Saturday was my first escape  outing since going to Ikea with a friend a week before.

 It was a 100% crutches experience and it at first was quite the chore. A newly renovated store had opened in town, just about the only proper retail store in our neighborhood.

The crowds were insane and the social graces matched that of the shoppers.
I don't know what is invisible about a 5'6 person on crutches with a few pounds of black boot but there I was, un-seen. Dude, that $3 towel trumps my foot?, get off it!

Sunday my cousin was in town again and we went shopping. 

This is the day I felt such a great progression had happened. I walked (thunk thunk thunk, here comes Mari) a few steps without crutches, deemed the 'exercise' too laboring and used the crutches all day.

I was less tired at night as well.

Monday I had a massage and my friend took care of my poor lower back that has not been agreeing with the lopsided gimping.

Today is Tuesday, I had given up the 'bed-rest' last week and today took care of myself and was mobile  before 8:15am.

I baked a cake, am pondering my 3rd cup of coffee and.....I got word I can ditch one crutch and start working to walking in the boot this week!

I'm having no pain, just a bit of tightness and the calf muscle is really non-existent.

It is a bit awkward to walk around like this (more thunk thunk thunk) but I can wean myself off the scooter this way.

It has served it's purpose and is going back Thursday.

Progress, I like it.

Week 6 since surgery.

Man, time flies when you are doing not much!
Six weeks have passed and the theme this week has been "one step at a time".
I still use the scooter but needed to get used to the crutches and partial weight bearing (PWB) because the scooter goes back on the 19th.
I detest the crutches, it's hot, it's awkward and downright hard!
After my meltdown Tuesday a week ago I have made progression though.
I'm moving more with the crutches, doing the heel-toe thing as directed.
Over the weekend I started 'standing' on two feet, at first all balanced to the left but gradually I've gotten to the point where I can almost stand on two feet equally.
Before surgery I would use the wii balance board and my center of gravity has always been a little to the left.
Over the last few days since I have made it a point to get up from the couch or bed using my two feet with the good foot leading.
It's been very satisfying to do so.

Friday was week six since surgery and the longest time I've spent in my boot.
The thing is heavy, hot and ungainly but it works.
Bolstered by a no pain wake-up I walked 4 steps in it with one crutch and later in the day pushing my scooter I made it across 6 feet towards the laundry room.
I feel so clutzy but it's a huge step forward.

  

Lovely, isn't it?