The Foot

365 Days ago I had foot surgery.  My left foot was in constant and tremendous pain.  It hurt to stand, it hurt to walk, it hurt to sit.  It hurt all the time.  So after about a year of pain and multiple doctor appointments the date was set for surgery.  It was an extensive surgery that involved a bone graft, a screw, cutting and lengthening a tendon in my leg, cutting my heal bone and realigning it....and lots of other fun and painful stuff! If I had known the pain and rehabilitation involved I would have thought VERY hard before deciding to do this surgery.  I never could have imagined the pain involved in learning to walk again.  I only went about 9 weeks without walking nevertheless my muscles atrophied in that time period more than I could have fathomed.  Two weeks ago, I would have said it was not worth having surgery.  I was still in pain.  It was a different pain but it was still a very real pain.  I was still limited in my activity and had to be very careful when navigating rocky or uneven terrain.  However, two weeks ago I got a cortisone shot, which for me was a game changer, so now I'm beginning to think that yes I would do it again.  Perhaps the pain has been worth it.  I've had about two weeks of minimal to pain-free living.  It has been amazing!  My hope is that the shot is what I needed to get over the final hump of healing.

The first photo was taken just two weeks ago, it was right before my cortisone shot. The next photo was taken about 3 days post cortisone shot.

This is the 3 days post cortisone shot again....and then about 10 days post shot.....

The improvement in my foot feels as dramatic as it looks.....

So in my excitement over feeling better, I decided to start training for a 5K.  Randy was pretty much outraged and thought it may have been one of my worst ideas ever, and I have had some bad ones.

So I reluctantly called my doctor and left a message with the nurse, who called me back within the hour to tell me it was indeed a bad idea.  She talked to the doctor who said running a 5K in March would increase my risk of re-injury and I should not run one before June and encouraged me to wait until September and suggested that I elliptical, swim, walk, or bike for a while first.  So still no running for me!

On another note:

I'm super excited about Christmas!  I feel like I missed it last year.  I was so drugged and out of it.  So I'm ready to celebrate.  I'm really thankful for all the friends that have stood by my side through this last year.  I'm thankful for you inviting me to limp along on all our fun adventures and never being annoyed at me for being so slow.  You guys are the best!  I'm thankful for how well you loved us and fed us and cared for us in the months immediately following surgery!

I'm so blessed!

Merry Christmas!

PS Someone may want to mention my desperate need for a pedicure to Randy as a possible Christmas gift!

Kim