9 months

Its been 9 months since my operation. My posts have become less frequent but thats because not much changes from month to month as it has in the past. Not sure what I posted last time and too lazy (for lack of a better word) to go back and check.

Heres the latest:

I walk a couple miles each day in total as a result of walking part of the way to work and walking home from the bus stop. Most places I go involves a good amount of walking and there is no longer the need for down time associated with those walks. There are times when I may walk slower than others but the fact that there is no pain makes me think about how blessed I was to be able to get this procedure done!!!!!!

The other night I went out and wore heels for the first time in about a year. I have flat feet so any shoes (flat or otherwise) hurt my feet within ten minutes of wear. I was wearing a short dress,though,and *needed*,lol,to wear those shoes. I figured id rest my feet here and there and see how the night progressed. I wore them on and off with rests in between for about 5 hours. There was NO ankle pain to speak of and the next day before getting out of bed I was a little concerned about how it would feel to walk and after a few steps,I was good and felt perfectly fine the next day.

If youre contemplating this-DO IT. whatever inconveniences,pain,or irritation you currently feel will only get worse with time if in fact you do have this same bone deformity.
I would say, "let me know how your procedure went" but Ive asked that before to no avail...
whats up with you people?!?!?!?
:-P

progress

Im back to where I was before I hit my toe on the couch...

walking well

no pain to speak of...

only wearing my Merrell sandals which i LOVE.

I recommend them or Privos as they are both excellent shoes to wear and well worth the money!!!!

and this is coming from someone who has problems with most shoes.

HOW ARE YOU HEALING?!

setback

Its been awhile. I was doing very well.Walking normally most of the time...no more meds...Occasionally Id lose footing and would feel it for awhile. But last week I hit my foot on the edge of the couch and it HURT. Ever since then Ive gone back to a slight limp,some days using my cane. Back to taking meds on some days. I have started taking my chondroiton/glucosamine. Its good for joint health,read good reviews. I bought it before the operation but havent taken it. Nows the time I think.

If youre recovering,about to have surgery,good luck with everything! I hope your journey will be as easy as mine has been. Also,leave comments here or on youtube.People are just like you-they want to know the good,bad, and the ugly!

week 22

Im walking normally for shorts periods during some days. At other times I have a small limp, and at other times I use a cane to take the pressure off.

I wear flip flops, sketcher rocker shoes, or sneakers.

At times I get a sharp twinge in my foot that lasts a few mins at the most.

My ankle is bigger than the other foot. On the top of my foot it is also a bit bigger and looks swollen although the foot is hard and it doesnt hurt like a swollen foot does. I dont know if this will go away or not.

In a weeks time, I may take pain meds once.

I am able to comfortably get pedicures and my skin looks normal pretty much aside from peeling (and that may be bc Im in the desert,lol), and the scar on the outside of my foot is raised. The others have flattened out. Because my foot is bigger, the raised scar is slightly above the incision scar (if that makes sense) and it is flat. Its kind of like where the incision and staples were is where the scar should be but swelling has caused them to separate,idk.

The other day I didnt want to pay for a cab bc I was low on funds. I was able to SLOWLY walk from the mall and that was about 20 mins of walking after having been inside the mall. Although its doable, Id much prefer a bike.

From the beginning, I added "tarsal coalition" to my gmail messages so I get notified when it comes up in searches,etc. Ive been able to answer quite a few questions from people who are contemplating their options regarding the condition. I am happy to be of service to others who have no info on this. If you are in forums, please pass on my url to others. There is nothing worse than me reading someone who knows nothing about it to tell someone to get orthotics or to just do stretches.

Take care and happy healing!

ALMOST week 18

Its NOVEMBER!

Ive been doing a LOT of walking. Its been a pain trying to find sneakers that are comfortable. I start off pretty good in the morning and as the day progresses I start to limp more and more. I dont take pain meds daily. Some days I only have to take it once. For the most part, Im good. Even when it does hurt, like at this moment, its not a deep pain. Im resting with my feet up. May soak them for awhile. I go without my boot but if I feel I need a bit more support Ill wear it.
Today, my toes were tingling a little. Actually, just the big one. The irritating part is that they dont have motorized vehicles for handicapped people in stores. Add to that the fact that you have to leave your license with them to "check it out". Its a pain!!
But, at the end of the day I dont complain because this pain is manageable, its temporary, and I know that in time all will be well. Well, kind of. I still have flat feet! lol

walking

I would just like to say that although I continue to walk slow and sometimes have a limp, I can walk UP the stairs fairly normal and there are times when I am walking and I have a prettymuch normal gate. I LOVE IT and I appreciate those times. Its good . . .great that I was able to complete this procedure and that everything worked out.

All things work together for his greater good and he (God) takes care of me :-).

The previous entry tells how many weeks its been. Im not expecting to be back to normal at this point but I am definitely grateful for where I am!!!!!

17 weeks

shy by a few days.

I was supposed to take the boot off the other day. I continued to wear it. Even as I was going to school I heard a scripture-"Take up your bed and walk". Still, I wore it a few more days.
Yesterday, I took it off as soon as I got home. I went and got a pedi/mani. Although my foot is still sensitive, it felt fine and wasnt a problem. She did use a wand to scrub but it wasnt a harsh one.

I shouldve gotten my toes painted a color :-(

Anyway, I ended up walking a couple blocks last night. SHWAY SHWAY mind you but I did it,lol. No pain once home and I didnt take pain meds yesterday. Today I didnt wear the boot to school and although I felt discomfort here and there it was in the foot, not the bone. For some reason I feel I keep stressing that. To me, this shows me what I feel is from the operation and that the original problem is solved.

There is NO WAY I wouldve been able to walk as much as I have been otherwise. Now, a soak after walking too much pretty much does the job. Before there was NO WAY that wouldve worked.

I AM EVER SO THANKFUL TO GOD, THE DR's, AND FOR NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS. Without them, it wouldnt have been possible.

I think of those who arent able to lay around and rest up from July to October. All I can say is that (1) I was able to leave and get around without being tired by around Sept but I wouldnt have been able to work if it had entailed standing. (2) regardless of your job buy or purchase (based on price) a knee roller. YOU WILL NEED IT and you wont have to depend on others. Made my life much easier! Also, If you have a choice between a big one that has a pivoting/turning front wheel axis and basket OR a smaller one that doesnt pivot.  .  .GET THE SMALLER ONE even if it doesnt pivot. It was much easier for me to handle the latter and I did have experience with both. The smaller one folding with one click and was easy to take around. The first one was a hassle to take anywhere so I didnt and that kind of defeats the purpose.