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.