4 months post-op

   It's hard to believe it's been 4 months since my surgery.  I have continued to make progress over the last month and even though I still have some down days physically and emotionally, I am pleased that these are slowly becoming less often.  Yesterday, I enjoyed spending time with the family at Silver Dollar City in Branson.  Although walking around the amusement park wasn't completely pain free the experience was much better than I anticipated.
   I have been communicating with a physical therapist named Julie Bergmann in Southern California who had the same condition and surgery that I had.  She is now helping others with similar conditions and specializes in nerve related injuries.  Julie has been so encouraging and supportive throughout my recovery.  She even made a YouTube video demonstrating how to tape my foot/ankle to give more support around the area that is bothering me.  I've been taping my foot every day and think it has definitely helped make walking feel more comfortable.

Tarsal Tunnel Taping Method

  My night time pain is slowly getting better although I still wake up in the morning to a deep aching feeling it is not as intense as it used to be.  Also, I still get the tingly sensations in the inner arch area but it seems to be lessening as well.  I am being cautiously optimistic right now and hoping for more relief of symptoms during the upcoming months.  God has been good and I am continually grateful to Him for my recovery so far but most importantly my increasing faith and daily reliance on Him. God bless!

3 month post-op

  I am still alive!  Yes it has been awhile since my last update.  I've definitely seen progress in my foot and ability to walk.  I am thankful to be able to take care of my kids and walk around the house fairly well.  I can now go grocery shopping without too much pain.  Nerves are so interesting and I am amazed at the patterns of healing I have been experiencing so far.  The pain right after my surgery was mainly in the inner ankle.  I would feel major achy, burning, and tingling sensations.  Almost three weeks ago I started getting muscle twitching in my arch area, bottom of the foot, and toes.  The pain for the most part has disappeared in the ankle area and moved downward.  Now it seems like the process is starting all over again in the foot area.  I am hoping this is a good sign and means the nerves are regenerating.  Dr. Parker said this is a good thing and doesn't want to see me now since I am doing so well.  I was relieved to hear this but at the same time still get apprehensive sometimes that this will go on forever.  David, my husband, has been my rock and support and keeps reminding me not to worry and trust that God is doing exactly what He thinks is best for me right now.
 I have still been going to physical therapy and using the pool daily.  When I am swimming the kicking aggravates my foot area some where the nerves are irritated and healing. Overall, I really enjoy this time in the pool each day.  It is very therapeutic!  God bless and Happy Easter!
 

9 weeks post-op

  This last week has certainly been looking mostly positive.  I am walking around the house during the day and this past weekend even went to Wal-mart without having to use the scooter.  I was pretty pleased about that.  I am still getting the nerve sensations in my foot which I'm hoping will go away in the next few months.  Most nights have still been the same and my foot hurts when I wake up after after around six hours of sleep.  I've been experimenting with different shoes and I like my Easy Spirit open back shoes for wearing around the house.  I am still in some pain whenever I walk on uneven surfaces such as the grass fields at my kid's soccer games.
  I have continued to use the pool we have downstairs and really enjoy it.  I decided to decrease my appointments to the physical therapist to one day on week since I am mostly doing my own therapy in the pool.  This will save quite a bit of time and gas.
  I don't know why but I am a little apprehensive about things right now.  This week will be the first week that I am going to take care of Jackson and the rest of the kids on my own.  Also, the weather is gorgeous outside and I am used to doing so many activities outside such as biking, running, and playing with the kids.  I am praying that God will give me contentment and to be grateful for the progress I have made so far.  

8 weeks post-op

  It's been a while since my last post.  The Ipool is up and running and I've been faithfully swimming and doing my therapy exercises daily.  Over the last week, I have been sleeping consistently at least 6 hours still with the use of medicine.  The biggest improvement I have noticed is my ability to walk and stand for longer periods of time throughout the day.  I still am experiencing annoying nerve sensations/tingling which
I hope will gradually taper off in the upcoming months.
   As promised I am posting the pictures of our pool room.  My husband David did most of the work on this project but isn't in any of the pictures since he was the photographer.  Hope you enjoy!

We had a drain added in the concrete floor.

Jackson having a great time!

Ryan and Alex painting.

Ready to start the tile

Our friend, Justin laying tile.

Papa grouting around the tile.

Room ready for the pool!

Starting to assemble pool.

Done!

51 and 52 days post-op

     I didn't get the chance to update my blog yesterday so I decided to combine days.  I was pretty busy getting caught up with the kids on their schoolwork and getting Ryan ready for his History Banquet with school.  He has to memorize a fairly long speech about an ancient Greek person named Hipparchus.  This is a great learning experience for him but it is pretty stressful preparing for it.  I know he will do just fine, though.  

     Hannah, a girl from church came over yesterday and is staying until tomorrow.  She has been helping me with the kids at various times these last four months.  The kids love playing with her and it allows me to stay off my foot when I need to.  I have been helping out with the pool room downstairs a little and even cleaned some tile where the newly applied grout had been laid.  This evening, I even was able to assist David in assembling the pool. I might be able to even use it by tomorrow and I will post some pictures soon. 

     I have been on my feet more than I have in seven weeks so I know this is progress but I am hoping I won't regret it tonight.  I am thankful for the progress but I do wish the nerve symptoms would just disappear.  God's timing is best, though and I am praying He will heal these nerves soon or else give me the patience to endure.  

50 days post-op

  I didn't get very good sleep last night probably because I started walking on my foot more around the house.  I hope this passes soon and I can keep progressing but continue to start getting more sleep as well.  Today, I was able to walk around the house pretty good but by this evening my foot was extremely swollen and sore.  I need to be careful not to overdue things too much.  I went to Wal-mart today and did some grocery shopping with the motorized scooter of course.  I'm definitely not ready to shop with a regular cart yet.  I don't know how long that will be. Sigh.....Honestly, this has been a pretty difficult day and draining probably because of the lack of sleep.  I'm praying tomorrow will be better.                  

49 days post-op (7 weeks)

     Today I woke up around 5 a.m. and took some meds and slept another couple hours.  This seems to becoming a pattern here.  At least I felt well rested today.  Since the walking on my foot yesterday did not change my sleep pattern I decided to continue putting full weight on it today.  I had physio all morning and Barry had me try the Alter-G Anti-gravity treadmill.  This is a pretty cool piece of equipment because you can adjust how much weight and pressure are applied to the lower body.  This technology was originally for NASA astronauts training for a space mission.  Basically my whole lower body was encased in an air chamber and then I was able to walk on the treadmill for about 12 minutes very slowly at 70% of my body weight.  This felt pretty good and my foot wasn't too sore while doing this.

 Alter-G Anti-Gravity treadmill

     One of my main areas of soreness is where the Hyprocure implant is on the outer side of the foot.  I have read that the more a person walks with this the less pain they feel.  I am pleased with being able to walk (or more like hobble) around the house.  I look pretty pathetic, I know!
     This afternnon I watched all of the kids while David worked with his dad, Bobby and Justin to finish the tile.  It won't be much longer until the iPool is up and running!  Finally!  I'm very thankful for all the work they have done for this project.  After pizza for dinner the kids and I watched "101 Dalmations". 

48 days post-op

    Last night was a little rough and I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and couldn't get back to sleep.  I tried wearing a foot night splint and that might have caused the pain so I am not doing that again.  After David left for work, I had to go back to bed to catch up on some needed sleep.  I felt a little better after that.  This morning, I worked on schoolwork with the kids.  After lunch, I took the kids with me to the Meyer Center and then came home this afternoon.  It was another gorgeous day so I sent Ryan and Kaitlyn out to play.  I didn't get the chance to get outside today.  I decided to experiment and try walking around in my tennis shoes some to see how it felt.  There is definitely some pain, swelling, and discomfort but hopefully I can continue this and not have to go back to using two crutches. The part of my foot that has the implant is very tender since it has not had full weight on it yet.  I will see how it goes tonight.
      I listened to a great message by Elyse Fitzpatrick about worry.  That has been a huge issue for me lately - mainly about whether or not I will heal from this surgery and about my future.  She uses the passage in  Matthew 6:19-34.  My faith will grow as I focus on what Christ has already accomplished through the gospel and what He did on the cross for me.  So why should I be anxious in this life?  My worry does not accomplish anything and doesn't change the outcome of what that will happen to me.  I need to be continually reminded of this especially when I wake up at night in pain and start to worry.  Nothing in life happens by chance but comes to us through Christ's loving hand.  I hope that is an encouragement for you too!

47 days post-op

   I slept pretty good and woke up at 6:30 a.m.  It's always nice to make it past six.  Today was pretty busy.  David dropped Alex and Jackson off at Dana's house (my mother-in-law).  She has been watching the kids so much doing the past several months which I am so thankful. I had Kaitlyn and Ryan with me so we could do some school work this morning.  We then went to my physical and aquatic therapy at the Meyer Center the rest of the morning.  Barry thought everything was going well.  He wants me to continue taping my foot with partial-weight bearing.  Soon he wants me to start using just one crutch.  I actually tried this at home some and it felt pretty good.  Still the bottom part right under the incision is very tender and sore.  The swelling causes even more discomfort and I am hoping this gradually calms down soon.  After therapy we ate at Subway which is conveniently located right inside the Meyer Center.  We then went to Ryan's allergy shots appointment before heading home.
    It was amazing weather today!  Seventy-two degrees and sunny was perfect for the kids to play in our tree house in the woods.  I was able to walk outside with my crutches some and it felt great to get a good dose of sunshine.
    After dinner, Justin, one of our pastors from church, came to help David put in the tile in our room downstairs.  I am really thankful for Justin and his willingness to assist David.  While the guys were working downstairs, the kids watched "Monster's University" and then went to bed.  What a day!  I'm worn out!

46 days post-op

     This morning I wasn't thrilled about waking up at 5:30 a.m. with my foot feeling pretty painful so I took some Hydrocodone and Neurontin and dozed back to sleep for a few hours.  After breakfast we went to church and then came home for lunch.  This afternoon, I didn't do much but watch the kids and made some chocolate Nutella cookies (very yummy!)  I am able to maneuver around the kitchen fairly well and even do basic tasks like laundry and even going up and down stairs if I have to with the help of this device.  It's called and iwalk Hand's Free Crutch and I enjoy using it when I have to do chores around the house.


    David has been working tediously downstairs and finished the painting and is now starting the tile.  I will post a picture of the room when we install the iPool later this week.
    Since the bottom of my foot has still been bothering me when partial weight-bearing I am now using a taping method for Plantar Fascitis  that lessens the pain on that area.  I will see if this continues to work in the days to come. 
     

45 days post-op

     We finally made it home to Ozark, MO around 10 p.m. last night.  It was good to be home! I woke up around 6 a.m. which seems to be my usual time these days.  I rested in bed for about an hour and then got up to make some pancakes for breakfast.  We usually try to have a special breakfast on Saturdays and have made this a tradition in our family.  After breakfast, we ran a few errands to get some groceries (gotta love the motorized scooter!) and pick out some paint for a swimming pool room in the basement.  We are putting an iPool in a room downstairs so I don't have to travel to the Meyer Center all the time.  This will be so much more convenient right now.  The iPool is a heated pool that uses a tethering system so I can swim in place as well as do my therapy exercises. 



     This afternoon I took Kaitlyn with me to the Meyer Center to swim. Then we went to the Christian County Library to pick out some books for her to read.  She is an avid reader and we travel to the library frequently to keep her busy. 
     After making it home I decided to take a look at the room downstairs that David was painting.  I made it down the first 1 1/2 flights with the crutches no problem but then fell down the last five stairs onto the concrete floor.  I don't know how but I managed to somehow protect my bad foot and only slightly jammed it into the floor.  It still hurt but it could have been much worse.  My foot started to swell  some after that.  After dinner the kids had a "pajama party" and watched the movie "The Pacifier".
     What an event filled day!  I hope to sleep well tonight especially considering Daylight Savings Time starts tomorrow.

44 days post-op

     Okay I made a stupid mistake yesterday and way overdid it. I walked around the kitchen area in my parent's house for about 10 minutes without the crutches and I paid for it last night.  I was in terrible pain and it took a very long time to get to sleep but with the help of extra pain medicine and the usual drugs I was finally able to fall asleep and felt okay today when I woke up this morning.  This is very frustrating for me because it seems like a guessing game as to how much my foot can handle.  I guess the gauge is how I feel at night to determine what I can do during the day.  So for now I am back to putting a small amount of weight on the foot with crutches and just do the pool walking.  Maybe I should wait until this nerve pain starts to subside before trying to walk on land again.  Why does this have to take so long?  God is really trying to teach me something here I guess.  I need to just focus on that and other things right now to get my mind off of the healing of my foot.
    I haven't mentioned one thing that I am thankful for regarding the healing of my foot.  The incision area is looking pretty good right now and the area with the blister has healed nicely.   Hopefully that means I am past the mark of getting an infection around the incision.
     After I went to water therapy this morning I met my dear friend, Rachel, at Groundhouse Cofffee by my parent's house in Gardner.  I really enjoyed catching up with her about what is going on in each other's lives. We have known each other for about 26 years and go way back to being in the same Kindergarten class as kids.
   This evening my husband, David, and three older kids are returning from their ski trip in Colorado.  They had such a great time!  My five year old, Alex, actually became an expert skier and was skiing down some black diamond slopes his very first time skiing.  That kid is a daredevil and has no fear but also has remarkable coordination.  My eight year old son, Ryan, and seven year old daughter, Kaitlyn were also going down some blacks.  They have improved so much this year.  I sure hope I can join them next year and be able to see this first hand. Only time will tell but my first goal now is to be able to walk again without much pain.  :-)

43 days post-op

Well, I slept around 6 hours last night -not bad but could be better.  At 5 a.m. instead of taking a pain pill I decided to just try to just relax by taking deep breaths and applying some aromatherapy lotion on my legs, arms, and neck area.  I was able to lightly sleep until around 6:00 a.m.  I had to get going early this morning because my appointment for the therapy pool was at 8:30 a.m. and I wanted to swim some laps before getting in the therapy pool.  My foot appears a little less swollen and I am even able to walk a little without the crutches in the house.  It is still rather painful but it is getting more manageable.  The burning pain is still there when I am sitting or lying down.  Today I am also getting an occasional shooting pain  up my calf.  I hope this is just the nerves healing and will eventually go away.

My sister was supposed to come over for lunch and bring her kids.  Unfortunately, Carson, her oldest has the stomach flu.  Later today we will go see my sisters and family's new house if her kids are well enough.  I also plan on visiting the reflexology therapist this evening. 

Here is a song that I enjoy listening to by Jeremy Camp.  It kind of sums of what I've been going through and how I can still rest in the assurance of God's faithfulness.


Scattered words and empty thoughts
seem to pour from my heart
I've never felt so torn before
seems I don't know where to start
but it's now that I feel Your grace fall like rain
from every fingertip, washing away my pain

[Chorus:]
I still believe in Your faithfulness
I still believe in Your truth
I still believe in Your holy word
even when I don't see, I still believe

Though the questions still fog up my mind
with promises I still seem to bear
even when answers slowly unwind
it's my heart I see You prepare
but its now that I feel Your grace fall like rain
from every finger tip, washing away my pain

[Chorus]

The only place I can go is into your arms
where I throw to you my feeble prayers
in brokenness I can see that this was your will for me
Help me to know You are near

42 days post-op (6 weeks)

Last evening I went to get a Reflexology massage.  It was recommended to me  by my brother-in-law so I decided to go check it out.  This 80 year old lady spent 2 1/2 hours massaging my feet, back, shoulders, and head.  She also used this vibrating machine all over the entire body.  I felt very relaxed and am glad I went and to top it off she only charged me $30!  I just might squeeze in another time to see her before I leave on Saturday.  Last night I slept better and woke up around 6 a.m.  I didn't even need to take a pain pill during the night just my usual Neurontin and sleeping pill.  My ankle felt achy and was a little sore while water walking at the Matt Ross Community center today.  After therapy I went to visit my sister-in-law, Esther and my nephew, Derek.  My mom and Jackson came along as well.  We ate a delicious lunch of lasagna, foccacia bread, salad, and cookies.  Jackson and Derek had a blast playing together!  They are both 2 years old and only five months apart.  After that, I came home and gave Jackson a nap.  I am now soaking my feet in an Epsom salt bath to reduce swelling.  We will see how this makes my foot feel.  Tonight I have a Bible study at my parent's church. 

41 days post-op

I had another okay night and got about 6 hours of sleep with the help of my usual medications.  After breakfast this morning I decided to check out the Matt Ross Community Center in Overland Park.  It is a very nice facility that has a lap pool and a HydroWorx therapy pool.  Basically the pool has an underwater treadmill that is easy on the joints and uses a remote control to adjust the speed.  I did about 20 minutes on the treadmill and then did some ankle movement exercises.  My foot always feels a little sore while doing this but not terrible. I liked everything about the place except the tile floor in the pool area made walking around with crutches a little difficult.  I slipped a few times and even jammed my foot into the floor.  Ouch did that hurt!  I made it home and then had some lunch with my mom and son, Jackson.  This afternoon, I am taking care of Jackson and just chilling until my mom gets home from teaching at the homeschool co-op group.

I tried walking a little with the help of my crutches and then taking a few steps on my own.  The bottom of my foot is very swollen right now and painful.  I hope this goes away soon because I really would like to start putting more weight on my foot and be able to walk around soon.  I am trying to reach Dr. Parker or his nurse and ask if I need to come to a follow-up appointment or just discuss some of my concerns over the phone.  Well, I'll be posting an update if I find out anything later from my doctor. 

40 days post-op

     Well, last night I slept fairly well but not great.  I made it until about 4 p.m. and then had to take some pain medicine.  The burning pain at night can get intense and sometimes after surgery this can increase as the nerves are trying to settle down.  I usually have to take a sleeping pill (Ambien), Neurontin for the nerve pain, and occasionally Hydrocodone.  So last night I caved and took some Hydrocodone and was able to sleep another few hours.  I am really hoping to gradually taper off of these medicines.  I don't like taking them at all especially because of the side effects.  Sometimes I have drowsiness and increased anxiety but nevertheless I am thankful for these drugs to make the recovery a little more pleasant.  During the day, I don't have to take much medicine-mainly Advil and occasionally some Neurontin.
      Today, I swam some laps at the YMCA in Olathe.  Boy was the water freezing!  I was shivering almost the entire time.  They have a warm water pool as well and I was able to do some ankle exercises and tried walking on the bottom of the pool.  The ankle was a little sore while swimming laps but felt pretty good while walking in the water. Right now, I am able to drive okay but have to use my left foot because the right foot still isn't strong enough to handle much of the pedal movement. 

39 days post op

I have been doing physical therapy for several weeks now.  Barry, my PT, gave me some specific exercises to complete at home. He wants me to be partial weight bearing with the crutches.  I have been walking around with the crutches but have noticed pain on the bottom of my foot under the incision area.  I think this is due to all the swelling because it feels so tight like I have an inflated balloon in the area. I also have been doing some aquatherapy.  I spend about 30 minutes in a therapy pool which is set to 92 degrees.  I do some dog paddling, bicycle and scissor movements, and stretches.  I then swim laps for 30 minutes without kicking.  I am happy that I am capable of at least swimming as a form of exercise.

I did have a scare the other day.  I noticed a dark raised area on my incision that didn't look right.  Sure enough the next day a blister formed there and after I removed my bandage after swimming, the blister popped and puss started oozing out of it.  I panicked and immediately contacted Dr. Parker's nurse, Monica.  She told me to get some Epsom salt and make a paste and apply it to the area with a steri-strip to seal it.  She reassured me not to worry and that it could be an internal dissoluble stitch that migrated up through the skin.  I am keeping an eye on this and am hoping it does not get infected.  I decided not to swim or do aquatherapy for a few days just to be on the safe side.

Area of concern before it opened up (dark red blister)

This week I am staying at my parent's house in Kansas City with my 2 year old son while the rest of my family goes on a ski trip. I am so upset that I can't go.  This has been a very difficult week emotionally for me mainly because I am realizing I am completely helpless in the healing of this.  I like being in control and giving this completely to God has been very challenging for me.  Today, we did not have church due to the bad weather so we listened to a sermon from John MacArthur called "Comfort in Trouble".  So why does God allows bad things to happen to good people?  1. To test the validity of our faith.  2. To help break attachments from the world (money, power, friendships, etc.)  3. To live for the hope of heaven  4. To show us what we really love and think is important. 5. To teach us obedience. 6. To reveal His compassion. 7. To develop our spiritual strength for greater usefulness. 8. To enable us to help others in their trials.

This has offered me great assurance and made me realize what really is important in this temporary life. No matter what hardship we go through God will help us get through it if we fully trust in Him and His word. 

14 days post-op

I had my stitches removed on February 10th which was very nice. I could then take a shower and get it wet without having to wear a big cast protector around my foot and leg.  The doctor thought my incision looked good and said I could begin some aquatherapy and physical therapy soon.    My foot had been feeling very sore and the burning, tingling pain was increasing making it difficult to sleep well.  I was put on a high dosage of Neurontin to get through this period.  Dr. Parker said it could take 3-6 months for the nerves to settle down.  After being handled so much during the decompression this is common but it is rather aggravating to be in worse pain than before the surgery.  Patience...Patience I have to keep reminding myself. 

Day of surgery

I did well through the surgery and was told to come back in two weeks to have my stitches removed.  I had a huge bandage wrapped around my foot and had to elevate it most of the time to keep the swelling down. My husband  decided we should drive home instead of fly so we wouldn't have to go through the security and discomfort of flying with the swelling. 

My background story

I started noticing some right inner ankle pain in September 2013.  I didn't think much of it at first but this was only the beginning of a debilitating progressive condition known as Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome. It is similar to Carpal Tunnel except it is in the ankle area.  I have an underlying problem in my feet called overpronation. Basically my ankles excessively roll inward every time I take a step. I have dealt with it since I was a teenager with no issues.  My right foot is worse than my left.  That in combination with my joy of running is what triggered this condition.   I started having even more pain in the weeks following.  Simple walking was becoming achy and painful even waking me up at night.  I tried multiple treatments - physical therapy, rest, using a walking boot and crutches, and prolotherapy (an injection treatment to promote healing).   I did notice some improvement but the problem still remained.  Several local doctors misdiagnosed me and did not understand my problem.  Finally I found a doctor in Houston, Texas who specializes in nerve issues of the foot.  Dr. Parker thought the best treatment would be to decompress the nerves in the right inner ankle and to insert a Hyprocure implant hyprocure.com to stabilize my foot.  So I had surgery on January 22nd, 2014.  This has by far been the most difficult trial I have ever experienced.  Nerves are tricky and sometimes unpredictable in their healing.  Dr. Parker gave me an 85% chance of recovery and told me it could take 3-6 or more months to heal.  I want to take you through my journey as I recover and hope to regain use of my foot and eventually walk without much pain.   God is using this hardship to mold and shape my life to better serve Him and others.  James 1:2-3 "Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 

Information about Tarsal Tunnel surgery