Sunday, October 13, 2013

A reason to celebrate


I am celebrating today!  

Ever since I had lisfranc surgery  my mantra has been, 
"I am just a middle class housewife who wants to be able to walk down her driveway and get her mail."

This dream doesn't sound unattainable until you realize our driveway is not a short driveway with a mailbox at the end.  Nope.   Our mailbox is located exactly 1/10 of a mile from our garage door and our house is perched on top of an immensely steep hill, which makes it perfect for sledding in the winter. 

walking a hill after lisfranc surgery


My physical therapist and I discussed the possibility that I may be ready to take on "the driveway challenge" and he ultimately gave me permission to try walking up our driveway and see how that goes, before trying the harder challenge of walking down the driveway.
Walking up a hill during lisfranc recovery


So, after coming home from church today, I had my husband drop me off at our mailbox so that I could make my first attempt at my driveway dream.  I knew that if I ran into trouble, my husband would come down and pick me up.  My taxi ride may be on his John Deere instead of in a car, but at least I knew I had a ride if need be.


Pain free while climbing a hill 22 weeks after lisfranc surgery


I was apprehensive, wondering if my foot was physically able to make the climb, and I was also curious if scaling the hill would cause pain.

22 weeks post lisfranc surgery and walking up a hill

After managing the steepest part of the journey, I knew I was going to make it all the way to the top AND I made it 
PAIN FREE!!!

Next challenge---walking down my driveway!



15 comments:

  1. I am so excited that you finally tackled the uphill half of getting the mail! I'm rooting for you on the downhill climb!

    I stumbled upon your blog today and just read every single one of your posts. I am a college swimmer and this is my 7th week after my lisfranc surgery. I wanted to thank you for blogging every week to give me some hope for what's in the future. I am not blessed with the physical therapists and caring doctors that you have so it's nice to get some honest testimonies.

    I find it funny... I too have acquired a weird foot fetish!

    Good luck with the rest of your recovery! I'm right behind ya (or 15 weeks behind you :)

    -Kara

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    Replies
    1. Kara. WOW! Thank you so much for taking the time to read all of my lisfranc posts! Blogging is a lot like talking to a wall, so it is nice to know that documenting my journey may have helped you cope with your own struggle to recover.
      I am almost twice your age, so rest assured that your age will be a HUGE factor to aid in a quicker recovery.
      I am interested in how you sustained a lisfranc injury and am assuming it had nothing to do with swimming? Have you started partial weight bearing yet?
      I know, that as an athlete, you have the work ethic it will take to have a positive outcome! I wish you all my best as the weeks march on!

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  2. Well, I definitely swim for a reason... I fell just walking normal, I think with my toes down. I should stick to the water from now on!

    I just started weight bearing and getting back into swimming. I've noticed that my ankle hurts pretty bad during any activity and I'm wondering whether its just sore/weak or if I may have caused an injury to it as well.

    I really liked when you blinged out your boot. I wish I could show you mine. Its completely filled with sparkles :)

    Please keep blogging! I absolutely love them and love knowing what ahead for me! Thank you!

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    Replies
    1. I find it interesting that you said your ankle hurts with activity. Mine used to as well! At my 12 week surgical follow up, I specifically told my surgeon about my own ankle pain, and he took another look at my x-rays and told me my ankle was "normal." My PT told me it was the ankle ligaments that were inflamed from sitting inactive so long during my non-weight bearing period. This may be true for you too? You might want to ask the question at your next appointment......

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    2. I would love to see your boot!

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  3. I wish I knew how to attach pictures :(

    Another question for you... did/do you use arch support inserts in your boot or in your shoes? I feel like this might be a good thing to invest in.

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    Replies
    1. I have had plantars fascitis so I have orthodics for my sneakers. (Arch supports.) My PT had me wearing my orthodic in my sneaker of my good foot while I was wearing my boot on my recovering foot without an arch support. When I graduated to wearing two sneakers, my PT didn't want me wearing any arch supports. I have my 24 week surgical follow up appointment next week and plan to ask my surgeon if he thinks I should be wearing arch supports. I think the reason my PT didn't want me wearing them now is because my foot is still healing. So you might want to ask your doctor, or PT before investing in arch supports....... Does this make sense?

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  4. Yes! Thank you! Since I've been walking more with my boot I've noticed that my arch gets incredibly sore, almost feels like it's flattening. I'msure that's not the case, but that's just the feeling I get. Ill ask next time I go!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Kara
      I had my 24 week surgical follow up today and asked my surgeon if he thought I should be using my old orthodics or if I should be getting new ones. He wants to wait until he removes the hardware in my foot before deciding if I need orthodics at all. So waiting until you talk to your doctor sounds like a good idea before investing in orthodics for your recovering foot.

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  5. Thank you so much for this blog. I am at the beginning of this journey (been to ER, family doc, just got referral to podiatrist )& I know this is what I have. Fell down stairs, can't bear weight, bruising on bottom of foot, etc. I'm 4 weeks in with no diagnosis. My foot is still swollen & looking deformed in the midsection. I am grateful for you sharing this & will refer to it often. My next apt is Nov. 15.

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    Replies
    1. I am glad you are finding my blog helpful. I have been wondering how your appointment went on Nov 15th? Did you get a firm diagnosis yet? I am really glad you are making sure to get to the bottom of your injury. It will serve you well for a better outcome. Keep me posted on your journey and I wish you nothing but the best.

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  6. I have just been diagnosed with a Lisfranc avulsion fracture (2nd metatarsal) and injuries to 3rd and 4th metatarsals. Surgery has yet to be scheduled. I have a medical background and pretty much had diagnosed myself before I even saw my podiatrist (skipped ER and urgent care). I told him what I thought my dx was. X ray really didn't reveal anything but MRI sure did. So I was right, not that I wanted to be. I had even started researching surgery before I went to see my doc.

    I appreciate your blog! I especially like your bejewelled boot! Mine is black, leftover from a prior injury so should do well with fake rhinestones and gemstones. I think I'll make it as tacky as can be! Why not? Teehee!

    Again, thanks, and if I have questions along the way, I hope you don't mind me asking. If you can think of something I should know now, rather than later, please share!

    Again, thanks!!

    Ann

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  7. Hello,
    I'm not sure if you even check or maintain this blog anymore, but I thought I would take the chance anyway. I broke my foot last December 11th (2015), had surgery to correct it on Christmas Eve, and now, just over a week ago (September 15th 2016, I had the hardware removed. I had a few questions, as from reading your blogs it looks like we had the same injury. I am still waiting to get the stitches taken out. Anyway, I was wondering, now that it has been a few years for you, had your foot shrunken back down to your normal size (can you wear the same size shoe you wore before sustaining your injury)? If so, how long did it take before you could? I've been having to get shoes a few sizes bigger or wear flipflops, or shoes that lace up due to how large the hardware made my foot as well as swelling. I was also wondering how the scarring was? As I saw from your blog, the scar healed up nicely after the initial surgery, in fact, it's barely noticeable. Did cutting through the scar tissue for the second surgery make this worse? Are you left with any residual pain, stiffness, numb feelings, etc this far out from surgery? Thank you for any advice or tips. Also, even if you don't maintain this blog anymore, I'd just like to thank you anyway, as seeing your progress made me feel so much better.

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  8. Great progress after the surgery! The signs are totally removed which occurs due to surgery. Great improvement! Thank you for sharing your experience.

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