I thought that physical healing from my surgery was tough, and it was, but entering into the rehabilitation phase of my recovery has been even tougher. At 8 weeks post op, I had my Physical Therapy evaluation done. My ankle could barely move, was crazy swollen, and two of my six incision sites had not yet healed.
I was so scared of doing ANYTHING with my foot!
But I was given a set of exercises to do at home and appointments for twice weekly therapy sessions. If I was going to walk again, I had to suck it up, endure the pain, and follow through.
One of the first goals they set was getting me back into a shoe.
Pretty basic, right?
It actually took three sessions to get the swelling down enough to get my foot into the shoe. And as you can see by the picture above, I got INTO the shoe but wasn't able to lace it up.
It was still a HUGE accomplishment for me!
I hadn't worn a shoe on my right foot since October!
The next goal was to be able to walk with my shoe on (still using my walker). This was a scary step for me (no pun intended!).
My boot keeps my foot and ankle stable. It protects my still fragile suture lines and allows me very good mobility. Having to give it up is very stressful and somewhat physically painful. This is the focus of my therapy to date, to gain greater strength and flexibility and to learn to walk with a shoe again.
I am happy to report that as of yesterday, I was able to do these "hurdles" pictured above. I still had to hold onto the counter to the left for support and use a cane for balance...but I DID IT...TWICE!
Two weeks ago I could barely even move my foot in any direction, and now I can step over obstacles.
It's a BIG DEAL, y'all!
I still have a little over a month in my immediate recovery. I am hoping and praying that I am able to walk without any assistive devices by the end of May so that I can return to work.
Heck, even if I need a cane I'll still consider it a success!
Thank you, God, for blessing me
much more than I deserve!
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