by Alissa
FINALLY! I’M WALKING WITHOUT MY BOOT!
Technically, I was approved to try walking without my boot last week during my follow up appointment with the surgeon.
However, my foot was still sore while walking in the boot that day, so I waited until my physical therapist appointment this week to try walking without it. The therapist watched me walk and said I should be okay without the boot.
Yay!
I am so relieved that my foot is no longer trapped in that stiff boot. The wound isn’t completely healed so I am still wearing my foot wrap, plus I’m wearing a sock and now I’m wearing an ankle brace too! Even though I bought a pair of shoes a full size bigger for my right foot, with all of those layers, it’s still pretty snug!
Speaking of shoes, I’m wearing some hideous black tennis shoes with Velcro straps because that’s all Walmart had at a reasonable price. I bought a pair that’s a size 8 and another pair that’s a size 9. I’m wearing the 8 on my left foot and the 9 on my right. Yes, this means two shoes are going to waste, but oh well. I wanted to just switch the shoes out in the store instead of buying two pairs. It’s not as though Walmart is going to check (or care). Joe keeps me honest though. My integrity is worth more than the $10 I would have saved. The therapist suggested I wear tennis shoes, so I chose black because black is more discreet. The color and velcro straps make them look super orthopedic!
So how does my foot feel now? It’s weird walking without my boot and my foot still hurts just a little bit, but overall I am way better off than I was. This week, for the first time since the accident, I used the shower normally instead of holding the shower head in my hands. I’m also able to balance on my foot to put my pants on while standing up as opposed to needing to sit down. This makes getting ready in the morning so much easier! It’s the little victories that make me SO HAPPY! There is still a list of things I cannot do like jump, walk up and down stairs normally, drive, run, or dance, but the list of things I CAN do again is growing and I am very thankful for that!
Now that I’ve been given the greenlight to walk in tennis shoes, the next step is to begin walking normally again (as opposed to walking with a serious limp). I’ve been told that doing the foot exercises I’m supposed to be doing every day will help a lot with that. (How’s that for motivation?) Once, I can get a good range of motion in my foot, I should be able to drive again and then it’s time to look for a new car!!!!
Ten weeks is a ridiculously long time. When I went to OU, we were on quarters so I learned entire subjects in college in ten weeks. I guess it’s fair to say I’ve learned an entirely different set of lessons in the past ten weeks dealing with this injury. Most of the lessons I could have done without, but I know that even negative situations can be a positive learning experience if I choose to see them that way.
Today I feel good. I’m still not healed, but I am done with the scooter, walker, crutches and boot…FOREVER!
Praise God for that!
Done with this crap!
Alissa Henry 