Can you believe it's been one year since this photo was taken? One year since the last of my two reconstructive foot surgeries? Well, it has.
Believe it or not, that splint on my foot weighed about 10 pounds. I told the nurse that's what it felt like, and she said that usually, splints like that weigh between 7 and 10 pounds, and mine was probably 10.
That was the last in a life-long series of surgeries to try to correct my feet. The last of 17 surgeries, but the second in 12 years.
Now, I can walk and stand just about as well as anyone else. In fact, I'm back to the point now that unless people knew about my surgeries, they don't know there was ever anything wrong with my feet.
I can stand for about 20 minutes or more, walk for even longer, but I still have to pace myself because my feet still tire more easily than other people's. Before the surgeries, I couldn't stand for three minutes without being in excruciating pain.
I had an appointment with my orthopaedic doctor Tuesday, and he said that I have really good movement in my ankles, and that I've gained back all of the bone mass I lost during and after the surgeries! He also said that unless I start having problems again, I don't need to go back to see him!
I've waited my whole life to hear those words.
If you click on the picture, you can see other photos I've posted on Flickr from the surgeries and the recovery. Warning: if you can't handle seeing stiches, staples and pins imbedded in skin with a little dried blood around them, you might not want to peek.
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3 comments:
Yippie!
You only got one bionic foot? :)
I don't have even one "bionic" foot. I have two feet that have been reconstructed to make them better.
I did tell my orthopaedic doctor, though, that if I ever have to have surgery on my feet again, I want him to just replace them. Guess what! He said that doctors are working on it, and I'd be an excellent candidate!
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