Good first pt session ....

Our first pt session went well this afternoon. We spent an hour just "evaluating the situation" and then another hour w/the therapist manually working on the foot. It is a little sore tonight, but not bad. He agreed that we finally have more to work with this time and there should be a much greater success possibility. My co-pay is now huge this year, so we're only going to meet twice a week for the next 4-6 weeks. There is still some edema in the foot (operative side is 1 1/2" bigger), so we need to get that fluid out - everything will then function even better.

Forgot to share two other good things that I learned at the Chicago appt. last Friday ...

1. The possibility of something called "Foot Drop" was a big risk with the last surgery. Essentially the foot gets overcorrected and the foot drags on the ground. It is not really correctable and a big hassle. I don't have it and won't get it! If it was going to happen, I'd have already seen signs of it by now & there are no indications that it will occur later - yippee!

2. There was a possibility that I'd need to purchase this nerve/walking device that I'd wear around my calf & it would "tell" the foot when/how to function. My cost was going to be $5,000! It appears that my brain signals and foot signals are working together well and the timing for the correct muscle to fire at the right time has just happened naturally. Esentially the foot and brain have figured out how to work together and it somehwhat "self-corrected" with the right signals and the right time.

I don't have students until January 15th, which will give me over another week to keep gaining strength and stamina. I am able to wear a shoe all day now fairly comfortably, so that is huge improvement. I'm sure it has easily been well over two years since that has occured.

I was looking at old foot pictures from last spring over the weekend and was again reminded at how far we have come and the substantial progress we've made .... most pics are too graphic for the blog, but just having the foot healed (no wound issues) and seeing it stay flat to the ground are big praises to begin the new year! Everyday I now encounter someone that I've known for 3-4 years and this is the first time that they have seen me wearing two shoes ..... am guessing that will go on for quite a while!

Hugs,
jenny