Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Weight Bearing, Walking, Swimming

On Friday, February 11, 2011 I took my first steps (in my walking cast / boot thing)! I tried first thing in the morning but it hurt a lot so I waited until I was at physio therapy and started walking there ... still using my crutches for support. I was advised to go heel, toe as I walk with my boot on. I was also told I could start using just a cane the next day (Saturday, 12th) which I did! It went fast from there and now I can walk short distances without the cane and go for 20-30 min walks with the cane. It still hurts for the first few steps but then gets better and then eventually gets bad again. At the start, the most pain is the very bottom of my heel then that subsides and the pain that comes later is at the back of my heel. After consulting with my physio therapist, I've learned that this pain is actually in my achilles tendon right where it attaches to the heel bone. I have some tendonitis there which apparently is normal when one starts weight bearing. I have to keep doing my stretching, massage it, and ice it.

We spent the Family Day weekend in Florida visiting my parents and it was there that I really started walking well. We went for walks on the board walk, the beach, at the Daytona 500 raceway ... and sometimes for 30 minutes. I learned that I can go longer if I pump air into my cast. It seems to take some pressure of the achilles tendon.

I went swimming for the first time on Sunday, February 13 and the Gators were very good to me!! I used a pull buoy for most of the swim but did some one-leg kicking and dolphin kicking from the hips. I swam 2000 metres which was a good start. I also swam Tuesday, February 15 with the Gators. In Florida, I swam every day either treading water in the deep end with the kids or doing lengths with my new friends, Maureen, Beryl, and Hazel. Swimming is very good for my foot. The swelling goes down and it feels much less tight afterwards. The only pain I feel swimming is on the damaged nerve area where just having water flow past it feels sore. In Florida, I even walked barefoot on the bottom of the pool as normally as possible in the deeper water.

One down side to flying to Florida was that I had to inject Fragmin in my stomach before and after the flight each way to prevent blood clots. I was apprehensive but it wasn't difficult at all and didn't even hurt (except a slight stinging for a few minutes after). Only one of the four injection sites bruised.

But, we had a great time visiting with my parents and celebrating Family Day with them. It was an excellent trip recovery-wise because my ankle got lots of exercise in the water and on land. I can't wait for the snow to melt on the sidewalks so I can go for a walk outside in Toronto.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

My Human Foot

I want to try to express in words the evolution of feelings I've experienced about my foot.

For a few days after my surgery, in my mind and in my dreams, my foot was normal (well, as normal as my pre-surgery foot was!) I remember wondering when I would start dreaming "on crutches". It didn't take long. Soon (within days), in my dreams and imaginations, I was on crutches and soon after that (within about 3-4 weeks), I was unable to even imagine myself walking on my foot. In fact, if I closed my eyes and tried to imagine standing on the side of the pool (or on the starting blocks) and diving in, I couldn't. I couldn't even imagine starting to swim from within the pool.

I've been doing physio for almost 3 weeks now and soon I can start putting weight on my foot (2 days ... but who's counting?!) The process of physio and my three-times daily exercises has been gradually turning my foot back into a human foot! I can feel it. For about a week now I can imagine stepping on it! Sometimes when I have my sock off, I put my foot on the floor to feel the floor (well most of it ... heel is still numb). I also like to put my bare foot on the cold wall in my bedroom or the cold tile in the bathroom. Or when I'm lying on the couch I bend both knees and put both feet on the couch underneath my knees. Sometimes when I'm sitting down about to stand up, I almost accidentally put my right foot down! It's like my brain is getting ready to accept my foot as working again. This isn't something I've done consciously or even worked at doing. I've just noticed it taking place almost as if it's happening behind my back!!

Next step, standing (on both feet), walking, and swimming (not necessarily in that order) ... how I long to be in the pool!

Monday, February 7, 2011

Physio Update

I had physio therapy today and it was really good! I asked about weight-bearing and if I should be getting ready for that. He said that I can just start on Friday when I feel comfortable and in my house to start where it is safe. He also said that he expects I won't have a lot of difficulty because the swelling is minimal and the range of motion is good! This was great news for me because it is hard to tell when it is your own foot! I also got a red thera-band so I can start doing my exercises with some resistance. He also suggested I put a towel on the floor and a book on the towel and use my foot to move the towel toward me and to the inside. I have also been picking up marbles with my toes (it's pretty easy!). I am excited to have more exercises to do. I finished my physio with a bike ride: 15 minutes on level 5! Pretty exciting! Four days to putting my foot down!! Six days to getting into the pool!!!

Friday, February 4, 2011

52 days post-op: Picture comparison

I have been doing physio for 2 weeks and I'm 52 days post-op but still non-weight-bearing. I won't really know if things are working until I start weight-bearing.

I wanted to compare the progress because I feel like my foot is getting less straight and less arched. Here are two pictures from the back. In the first one I'm standing and in the second one I'm sitting with my feet on the ground (since I can't stand yet). Picture 1 from the day before the surgery. Picture 2 at 52 days post-op (7.5 weeks). There is still a lot of swelling it seems. Trying to stay positive ...