General Status Report for 11 months post-op (I really can't believe it's been almost a year!):
- Pain: My pain is pretty minimal unless I really over-do it. I still think about my foot with every step in some way. Not that it hurts, but I can just feel the difference between my left and right foot. My left foot feels completely normal and just like an extension of my leg. My right foot still feels a bit... alien, I guess is the best way to describe it. It doesn't feel natural. That could be the hunk of metal that is still in there, and all of my bones and tendons still healing after all of the trauma. I've learned to live with the alien foot though, so I can't say that it really bothers me.
- Limp: Minimal, but it still shows up at times. Mostly if I've been on my foot a lot during the day or I have done a lot of walking or activity. I think my shoes also determine if I'll limp or not. Some shoes still feel a lot better than others, and some days I just don't want to have to deal with the pain of walking around, so I wear tennis shoes that don't match my outfit. It does feel a bit weird because I'm super self-conscious about it, but it's my body and I'd rather strangers judge my fashion choices than deal with pain and limping all day because I wore a cute shoe.
- Coming up on my toes is still an issue! But, it is starting to get better little by little. It's just taking a really, really long time. The doctor did tell me that it was basically the last thing to come back. So, I'm patiently waiting for that, and I'll do some calf raises when the foot will tolerate it. I do much better with an assisted calf raise, like holding on to a wall or bar so that my weight is supported a bit.
- Big toe pain seems to have mostly resolved itself. I get it from time to time, but just stretching my toes against the wall clears it up pretty quickly.
- Walking barefoot is still not my favorite. I much prefer my orthopedic slippers or my pair of flip flops. I never thought I'd ever feel like that! How your perspective changes...
- Working out is pretty much back to normal (aside from my running/jumping/impact restrictions). I lift. I do the bike. I go for walks. I'm working on doing a pull-up.
And for the "grand" finale for this post, I summited my first peak since my injury - Grandeur Peak at 8300ft! The trail was just over 6 miles round trip, and about 2700 feet of elevation gain. If I'm being honest, I don't think my foot was quite ready for a hike like that. Nate allowed me to pick the hike (we have done this one before my injury but in super crappy weather), and he said afterwards that had he actually looked at the stats, he would have told me no. The ascent was slow and steady, and I just went at a pace where I was comfortable and had no pain. There were some super rocky parts which I absolutely hated! I have balance issues still so the foot was going all kinds of wonky directions and freaking me out. Plus if I stepped wrong I'd get a shot of pain for a second, so I just had to be careful. Going down was another story, it probably took me longer to get down than to go up. With a little over a mile left to go, my foot really started to hurt. But, I had to power through and stay strong. I was on the verge of tears at that point from frustration, pain, and wanting to go faster. Eventually I did hit the bottom and it felt great to have accomplished this peak!
Of course I was sore the next day. But it mainly was from my other muscles and not my foot.
I will be going back in for my 1 year post-op check up next month. I promise to keep updating!
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