Shoe wear ahead ....

Happy Wednesday! Not a lot of change has happened in the past two days – more waiting! I am looking forward to returning to JA on Friday. It will be good to see everyone, after being gone for the past four weeks. Next week will be really busy with summer camp – 80 kids from 9:00-3:00 each day.

My big accomplishment for the day is that I figured out how to carry a drink in a cup, while using crutches! Hard to explain in writing, but I did it!

The egg shaped area in the picture above is where we transplanted the skin from the arm. The old yucky incision is totally gone - amazing! The blue "line mark" shows where the artery was connected at the ankle. The stitches are all removed now. (Click on the picture to make it larger)

I confirmed with my STL surgeon this morning as to what I should bring to his office next Wednesday (8:40am appt.) for shoe wear. He said any loose fitting shoe will be fine … suggested a Croc style. He also said that beginning aggressive therapy on the toes next Friday would be okay. Still a long haul ahead with therapy, but we’ll work hard at it and will see how much motion/mobility we can gain. This may be the first time that we can make bigger progress with therapy, given now that there should be plenty of flexibility that IS possible (has not always been the case in the past). My therapist is really good & I haven’t seen him since November so four surgeries later, we have to catch up!

I sent a thank-you card and two pictures today to the medical team at the TX hospital. On the day that we left many of the “usual staff” were off, so the majority of them did not get to see what the foot looked like. I felt bad because they had checked the foot every hour for a week and then when the bandages were removed, none of them were there – bummer. In thinking about it, I had such great medical care. I miss the cranberry juice cocktail and vanilla pudding that were my afternoon treats.

Today I ordered a fun pair of black summer sandals with rhinestone buckles this morning on the Internet. The straps are adjustable so with any luck, they will work. It is probably a long shot, but you don’t know unless you try. If they are okay, I’ll order them in another color.

This morning I was thinking about how it is such human nature to always want something that you don’t have & how hard it is to be content. In the hospital, I just wanted to use the crutches … now I want to to put weight on the foot, wear a shoe, be at home …. next week I will want to drive …. three weeks from now, I will be wishing that therapy was over. It is never ending. Part of it is simply going through a long health journey, but it is hard to just relax, chill out, and not get ahead of yourself. The closer you get to possible “finality,” the more you want it to happen now. Patience, I know … easier said than done .... have to be happy and thankful for what you have.