Prime Time Tendon Tackle-12/17

You may not know this about me, but I love everything football. It is my jam. As the season winds down I do get a little sad. I know some of you can relate. ;) First of all, let me just say that I will be the first to admit that I have the ugliest feet on the planet:) I’m pretty sure the virtual world will never be quite the same after viewing these pics. Lol I do not like for people to see them, so to post pics of my feet is highly uncharacteristic of me. HA! But at the end of the day, I have feet and for that I am grateful. I will have pretty feet in heaven one day. In 2017 I went to the doctor because I was having issues with my right foot, which is not uncommon for me, but the surgeon started discussing my left foot drop during the appt. He wanted to make me aware of a surgery that could potentially get me out of the leg brace and make my foot more functional. Up until this point, I had only heard of fusing the bone, which was something I wasn’t interested in doing long term. I just didn’t feel that it was the best solution for me and felt like in time, with technology advancements, there might be something better in the future. So I was all ears! I prayed for clarity as to whether or not to have the surgery and God gave me that. I have had surgery on my right foot three times and surgery on my left foot once. In December of 2017 I tackled the Posterior Tibial Tendon Transfer (that's a mouthful...try saying it 5 times really fast lol) to help re position my foot and give me the dorsiflexion that I need to walk unassisted. I have foot drop from the nerve damage (from pelvic/sacral fractures) that I sustained from my car wreck in 1993, this is what causes me to limp.(in case you ever wondered) Prior to this surgery, I had plantar flexion where I could point or push off my foot, but I no longer have that because they re-routed the tendon. It was more important for me to be able to dorsiflex my foot. The other thing the surgeon did was he lengthened my Achilles's tendon because as you can see in the next to last picture I wasn't able to put my foot down all the way. I have not worn my leg brace (AFO) since the summer of 2018. And let me tell you I have quite a collection of braces. LOL For many years I would buy two different sizes of shoes so that it was large enough to fit over the brace, or I would buy a size too large for my right foot and wear extra socks and hold on tight during each step. lol It has been a much needed break since I have worn it for so long. It was rubbing on the bones of the side of my atrophied foot more and more and just not comfortable to wear. Things that are difficult to do are climbing hills, going down hills, running, stairs, toe raises, or even just pushing off your toe to reach something in a tall cabinet, wearing flip flops, or any shoe that doesn’t have a back around the heel, etc, This has been one of my most painful recoveries to date. The new normal has come with it's own set of issues, but overall I'm still really pleased with the surgery. The first picture is prior to surgery. You can see how my foot turns inward and down and after the surgery it is upright. This was kind of an emotional surgery for me. I have lived with this condition for more than half of my life so it just kind of became a part of me. It’s actually hard to remember what life was like without it. I prayed for complete healing of my foot, but God answered my prayer differently. (at least for now) The brace was my saving grace at times. We did have a love/hate relationship though because it was so uncomfortable. Even though I still have the condition, life is more fun without the brace. It is definitely more comfortable, I don't trip nearly as often as I used to, and it's one less appointment that I need to attend throughout the year for new straps/adjustments, etc. When you live with foot drop every step is on the fore front of your mind because you don't want to trip and fall. Falling at my age can be bad news.🙈 At the young age of 16, I didn’t fully comprehend the extent of my injuries and what that meant for the rest of my life. Those of you who have nerve damage know that the area can be hypersensitive. If I step on a little tiny pebble it feels like a sharp rock. It's weird because there are areas that are numb, but then there are areas that are overly sensitive. My left foot sometimes reminds me of a stubborn dog that won’t walk on a leash. It just sits there. Oh and my left leg and my foot are always cold. One of my favorite things so far was last summer I didn't need to wear my brace to the beach. My feet hit the sand all on their own. Freedom! And I didn't have to take my brace on and off going through security at the airport which was AWESOME!I thank God for allowing me to have foot drop, it really has made me appreciate things more. And without foot drop I would have never met my husband. (blog post about that coming soon) I am thankful there was a surgery that could allow me time out of the brace. I love this verse "I will not let your foot slip, he who watches over you does not slumber." Psalm 121:3 and Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you, plans to give you a hope and a future."

6 weeks no weight.

Do you think my pj's look like your 97 year old Granny's? Yeah, me either. I'm always about comfort though. :)

Apparently it's not uncommon for someone who has foot drop to experience foot discoloration after hip surgery. Who knew! Enjoy the rest of football season. :)