We had a relaxing and joyful Christmas … it was great! Christmas Eve dinner was at my house and then we headed to church at 9pm. On the way home we dropped off gifts to a needy family that we’ve been helping. Christmas day was celebrated at mom & dad’s house … much fun! On Saturday, we traveled to central IL to celebrate with the Eickhorst clan. It snowed all day on Saturday and through the night and we woke up to 5-6” of snow on Sunday morning. I wore my boots to church … yeah! (Not really snow boots, but they worked) I was so grateful to not have crutches in the snow or open toes last weekend.
I am off work this week and am enjoying some time at home. All is still well with the foot. There was some pain a few days before Christmas, but I am confident that it was from overuse. Taking a break from pt this week and will resume with a few other pt sessions starting next week. I continue to be grateful for the little “life things” that I can do each day.
Hope you had a blessed Christmas, too!
Jenny
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Holiday Happenings Week ....
I am doing okay and have been busy, busy with holiday things. It seems that I’ve had something nearly every night, which is more than I’d like …. all fun things, but night after night is a lot. No kiddos at work this week, so that will be a nice break. I only work M-W this week and then am off until January 4, 2010.
I took last Friday off, which was the first non-surgery vacation day off in 2+ years. It was marvelous! I got so much shopping and baking done … I loved it!
The pt seems to be helping my toes to be more flexible. I am getting closer to being able to spread the toes apart, but not quite there yet. You can see the toes trying, but I guess they are still thinking about performing their best. Today I whizzed through the grocery store with a cart and I moved noticeable faster than normal. The last two times I have wore my boots in the evening, I’ve had a lot of pain in the big toe (swelling). Tonight I was at a Christmas party and I couldn’t really take them off ….. it can feel fine one minute and the next minute feel awful. The bad thing is that to just look at it you wouldn’t say it is swollen. I may e-mail my Chicago dr. after the holidays and ask her if there is anything else to help w/the swelling, but I am fairly sure that the forefoot compression stocking it the “semi-cure.” Just a minor “deal with it” thing, after all I’ve been through.
As I went to bed last night I was thinking that I’ve had a cast the past two Decembers and I love the fact that there are no chilly toes shivering this month. I’m continuing to be overly cautious about slick sidewalks, streets, parking lots, etc.
Stay warm this week!
je
I took last Friday off, which was the first non-surgery vacation day off in 2+ years. It was marvelous! I got so much shopping and baking done … I loved it!
The pt seems to be helping my toes to be more flexible. I am getting closer to being able to spread the toes apart, but not quite there yet. You can see the toes trying, but I guess they are still thinking about performing their best. Today I whizzed through the grocery store with a cart and I moved noticeable faster than normal. The last two times I have wore my boots in the evening, I’ve had a lot of pain in the big toe (swelling). Tonight I was at a Christmas party and I couldn’t really take them off ….. it can feel fine one minute and the next minute feel awful. The bad thing is that to just look at it you wouldn’t say it is swollen. I may e-mail my Chicago dr. after the holidays and ask her if there is anything else to help w/the swelling, but I am fairly sure that the forefoot compression stocking it the “semi-cure.” Just a minor “deal with it” thing, after all I’ve been through.
As I went to bed last night I was thinking that I’ve had a cast the past two Decembers and I love the fact that there are no chilly toes shivering this month. I’m continuing to be overly cautious about slick sidewalks, streets, parking lots, etc.
Stay warm this week!
je
Monday, December 14, 2009
Pt is helping .... yippee!!
I am doing well and apologize for the lack of updates recently! Lots of holiday events happening and more things to do than usual this time of year . . . We took ROM measurements last week and things are slowly improving. Nothing earth shattering, but a few degrees of improvement in various areas. The hip strength was better as well, which was super weak when we started.
We tried this new exercise where I stand on a round ball (flat on the bottom) and do these squats. It was challenging, but it was the first time that my toes actually curved around the ball and somewhat “attached” to it. The more the toes are able to curve, bend, and become flexible, the easier it will be for me to slip into a shoe. As it is now, I can get some shoes on, but it takes some effort and I have to be sitting down to do it. I wore the forefoot compression sock to church on Sunday (under tights) and then it became too tight, so I was itching to get out of the service for the entire hour – long hour for me!
I am still learning what shoes work and what don’t ….. sometimes a pair of shoes might be good one day and then not work (for some reason) the following day. It can be frustrating, but I am learning that it just might be that way. My job is one that requires mega walking, yet I speak to a large group of people (parents/volunteers/business individuals) on a daily basis. Finding shoes that are comfy and yet professional looking is sometimes a challenge, but I am making it work. Actually, I should patent a line of fashionable, mega-comfort, non-orthopedic looking shoes.
I was reading some old notes and journal entries from long ago that I never posted and am still in awe at how far we have come. Some of the pictures that I have when things were bad are just unbelievable …. can’t wait for you to see my Christmas card picture …. sending them out this week. It has been my year to experience God’s blessings.
Today I had something interesting happen and it was likely a "God thing." Part of my job at JA entails finding needy organizations that will take new Build-A-Bears that the kids make each day in the Build-A-Bear shop (as part of BizTown). Kids make 25-30 per day, so last week I had about 100 bears that I needed to find a home for as they were piling up. This morning I piled them in my car and had planned to stop by a home that I thought was an orphanage for children. As it turned out, it was a home for families with kids that are receiving medical care in STL and need affordable housing instead of a hotel. Some of the families are there for weeks or months. Needless to say, I instantly had a big heart for what the families were/are experiencing. The director couldn't believe that I would just give them a hundred new bears .... I briefly explained that I'd give them all the bags to distribute if they would use them to bring smiles to kids suffering from health issues during the holiday season. I could have picked any place to drop off the bears, but my heart was rejoicing that I stopped at this special place today & they were very grateful for new furry friends for sick kiddos.
Wrapping paper and baking supplies are calling my name … wishing you a joyous week!
je
We tried this new exercise where I stand on a round ball (flat on the bottom) and do these squats. It was challenging, but it was the first time that my toes actually curved around the ball and somewhat “attached” to it. The more the toes are able to curve, bend, and become flexible, the easier it will be for me to slip into a shoe. As it is now, I can get some shoes on, but it takes some effort and I have to be sitting down to do it. I wore the forefoot compression sock to church on Sunday (under tights) and then it became too tight, so I was itching to get out of the service for the entire hour – long hour for me!
I am still learning what shoes work and what don’t ….. sometimes a pair of shoes might be good one day and then not work (for some reason) the following day. It can be frustrating, but I am learning that it just might be that way. My job is one that requires mega walking, yet I speak to a large group of people (parents/volunteers/business individuals) on a daily basis. Finding shoes that are comfy and yet professional looking is sometimes a challenge, but I am making it work. Actually, I should patent a line of fashionable, mega-comfort, non-orthopedic looking shoes.
I was reading some old notes and journal entries from long ago that I never posted and am still in awe at how far we have come. Some of the pictures that I have when things were bad are just unbelievable …. can’t wait for you to see my Christmas card picture …. sending them out this week. It has been my year to experience God’s blessings.
Today I had something interesting happen and it was likely a "God thing." Part of my job at JA entails finding needy organizations that will take new Build-A-Bears that the kids make each day in the Build-A-Bear shop (as part of BizTown). Kids make 25-30 per day, so last week I had about 100 bears that I needed to find a home for as they were piling up. This morning I piled them in my car and had planned to stop by a home that I thought was an orphanage for children. As it turned out, it was a home for families with kids that are receiving medical care in STL and need affordable housing instead of a hotel. Some of the families are there for weeks or months. Needless to say, I instantly had a big heart for what the families were/are experiencing. The director couldn't believe that I would just give them a hundred new bears .... I briefly explained that I'd give them all the bags to distribute if they would use them to bring smiles to kids suffering from health issues during the holiday season. I could have picked any place to drop off the bears, but my heart was rejoicing that I stopped at this special place today & they were very grateful for new furry friends for sick kiddos.
Wrapping paper and baking supplies are calling my name … wishing you a joyous week!
je
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Walking and wiggling toes well .....
Post #380 ....
Last week was a very good week and overall I am still doing well. I wore my boots several times to work and lasted as long as I could and then changed shoes. The heel is a little over 1”, which in the shoe market today is nothing, but I feel so tall in them. The big toe is slowly “getting the hang of it” and each time I wear them, it feels a tad bit more natural. My therapist thought I walk better in the boots than a normal shoe. I ran into Dr. B (latest plastic dr.) at church this morning and he didn’t recognize me because I was walking so well! I am thoroughly enjoying doing holiday things, decorating, baking, shopping, etc. ..... I love it all!
Pt was fine … we are trying to build stamina/balance by standing on the operative leg alone on a trampoline. We will likely take ROM measurements this week, but I’m not so concerned about those any more as long as nothing is regressing.
I thankfully think about my ability to wear a shoe, walk, and return to normal life each day. As I drove to work this week, I remembered how last December I had a cast and could only wear my “one legged tights.” I need to write a thank-you note and send some updated pics to the Dallas doctor …. although the last time I did that, things went bad about two weeks after he received it. I think we are okay now, as it has now been over 8 mo. since the 2nd tendon-lengthening surgery in TX. I continue to see multiple parents everyday that this is the first time in the past five years that they have seen me with a shoe on ….. many have to tell me “their” foot surgery story, which is always comical because no matter how bad they think they’ve had it, it is NOTHING compared to my story. The past three months have been the first time in five years that we have not traveled for medical care .... short of missing IKEA before the holidays, we loved being home and not packing and unpacking.
I’m still thinking about medical careers & using what I’ve learned to help others. I thought I knew what I wanted to pursue, but it is a rather new specialty and no college in STL offers the needed classes. We’ll see what God has planned for the year ahead, but I honestly believe I should be doing something w/what I’ve learned.
God continues to provide new blessings each day …. really grateful for no open toes during this chilly week ahead!
je
Last week was a very good week and overall I am still doing well. I wore my boots several times to work and lasted as long as I could and then changed shoes. The heel is a little over 1”, which in the shoe market today is nothing, but I feel so tall in them. The big toe is slowly “getting the hang of it” and each time I wear them, it feels a tad bit more natural. My therapist thought I walk better in the boots than a normal shoe. I ran into Dr. B (latest plastic dr.) at church this morning and he didn’t recognize me because I was walking so well! I am thoroughly enjoying doing holiday things, decorating, baking, shopping, etc. ..... I love it all!
Pt was fine … we are trying to build stamina/balance by standing on the operative leg alone on a trampoline. We will likely take ROM measurements this week, but I’m not so concerned about those any more as long as nothing is regressing.
I thankfully think about my ability to wear a shoe, walk, and return to normal life each day. As I drove to work this week, I remembered how last December I had a cast and could only wear my “one legged tights.” I need to write a thank-you note and send some updated pics to the Dallas doctor …. although the last time I did that, things went bad about two weeks after he received it. I think we are okay now, as it has now been over 8 mo. since the 2nd tendon-lengthening surgery in TX. I continue to see multiple parents everyday that this is the first time in the past five years that they have seen me with a shoe on ….. many have to tell me “their” foot surgery story, which is always comical because no matter how bad they think they’ve had it, it is NOTHING compared to my story. The past three months have been the first time in five years that we have not traveled for medical care .... short of missing IKEA before the holidays, we loved being home and not packing and unpacking.
I’m still thinking about medical careers & using what I’ve learned to help others. I thought I knew what I wanted to pursue, but it is a rather new specialty and no college in STL offers the needed classes. We’ll see what God has planned for the year ahead, but I honestly believe I should be doing something w/what I’ve learned.
God continues to provide new blessings each day …. really grateful for no open toes during this chilly week ahead!
je
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