I got rid of the boot, sort of. When I went to the doctor last week, I could imagine myself throwing the boot out the door if I got permission to do so. At the very least, I was not going to wear that cumbersome, uncomfortable thing to bed with me any longer, but the reality turned out to be very different.
The doctor shared the welcome news that I could switch to wearing a shoe now. He also threw in the fact that he didn’t guarantee that nothing could go wrong with my foot, but that the X-ray looked good.
He had to cover himself, I suppose, but that put a little fear and doubt in my mind, also. I shouldn’t have felt that way, because I had, in fact, had to stand on a platform to X-ray my foot. I was a little uncertain about the process, but it all worked out fine.
I also got permission to drive again. When I drove myself to Shawano to see the physical therapist the next morning, I felt uncertain again. However, now with several days of exercise of the foot and ankle, I am gaining confidence.
However, the night of the doctor appointment was strange. It felt great to go to bed without the boot. I left the Ace bandage wrapping on the foot and ankle, and it felt so good to stretch out. Soon, twinges began in my ankle, my foot, and within an hour I was up in disgust and putting on my boot once again. Then I went back to bed and fell right asleep.
It has been six nights since that time, and I am still sleeping in the boot. I have a feeling it won’t be too much longer. The physical therapist told me to try to wear my shoe for one hour the first day, then two hours the next, and onward until I can get a full day in.
I wore it a full six hours today, and while my foot seemed swollen and painful when I first put it on, it wasn’t long before it was feeling much better. I considered wearing the shoe longer today, but at the end of the six hours, it was back to hurting again.
I am still using a rolling walker mainly for balance, but that is mainly when I am walking to the mailbox. I am using it less and less in the house, so there might be an end in sight where I won’t have to completely change my plans according to my foot.
Sept. 2 marked the 12-week journey of my surgery. At this point, there still is some pain and swelling. It lets me know if I have been on it too much. I sometimes wonder if I had known what these 12 weeks would hold, would I have had the surgery? It is then that I think about what the next months will hold. Only time will tell how much less pain I will have and how full my recovery.
I am hoping to go back to the Shawano County Fair on Monday to pick up my photography exhibits, but that will depend on how my foot is doing.
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