This is one of my favorite times of the year. I love Spring and I love Summer.
For the past few months I've been stuck in a cold, bitter, almost distant place. I've tried to be kind, especially to those near and dear to me, for they have been my saving grace. Several times a day I have to stop myself from standing up on both my feet. I guess after 40+ years walking without inhibition, it's hard to be restricted. Yet, I have done extremely well. I've been compliant.
I use my scooter to get around here at home. When I go out in public I use crutches, or if the distance is too great, I'll use the wheelchair. My ribs still hurt now and again. My tailbone is still tender, but way less than before. The past few days I've just felt overall better, even into nighttime. Up until a few days ago nighttime was the worst. By 8-9 p.m. my tailbone was painful, my shoulders and arms hurt from lifting myself up. Rolling over in bed was difficult. It's still somewhat chalenging not having both feet to give me leverage.
Mostly, I feel healed.
One week from tomorrow I go back to the surgeon and he'll have me stand bearing weight on my right foot. It'll be a total of three months since I've done so. This is both exciting and nerve-wracking.
There was one morning I'd scooted into the bathroom, went to pivot to sit, went off-balance, and my right foot stepped down. It was like stepping on a bed of nails. (My physical therapist gave me the go-ahead to not wear the CAM boot while at home, and my surgeon had already told me I could go without it to bed at night.)
With physical therapy my right foot has regained a good bit of its range of motion. I have two weeks off, with this week and last, but will start right back up the day after I go to the surgeon. Up until now they've had me on the recumbent stepper for ten minutes as a warm-up, then passive range of motion (the therapist moves the foot in various different ways), followed by strengthening on an archaic contraption using weights, then the BAPS board (a disc that is mounted on a half-sphere, you roll the disc using your foot touching the ground with the perimeter of the disc), and then some other leg exercises. We kind of cane to a stand-still with what could be done, so I was given a break.
I asked what I would be doing once weight-bearing and was informed it would be a whole lotta strengthening of the right foot and leg. I'll be doing the flamingo...a lot.
As for now, I'll just keep swimming...or rather, scooting along.
