December 2015 – charcot cha-cha

Okay, sorry for the delay, Christmas and all! The shower experiment was a resounding success! It was a cinch to step my good foot backwards into the tub, and exit with the bad foot. I ought to stop calling it the bad foot, as really it is nearly good again! I am even starting to get an arch back! A m a z i n g! I am blown away, because I remember months back being so worried about the surgery failing, and here I am nearly walking again. Truly a blessing, and I hope for the same to all my fellow Charcoters out there in the world! As one orthopedic surgeon told me, it is best to try to reconstruct before opting for an amputation. Although I must add, that it is very unfortunate that in some countries the surgery isn’t an option as there are not enough trained surgeons, or there is government medical programs that just will not cover the cost of surgery. This needs to change because there will only be more and more cases of Charcot popping up as Diabetes is getting more prevalent.

I am now putting 100% weight on the foot, though still aided by the walker. The other day I was doing the usual walker-two-step, which is to say you take a step forward with the good foot, pause and step forward on the bad foot, walker in one place, and weight on the handles, then repeat…but I was in a hurry, and I just naturally broke into a continuous gait, and just like that, I was walking regular, pushing the walker in front of my in a constant motion, without any pauses or stops!! WOW! So now, I walk like this all over the place! My physical therapist even had me take 20 steps or so unaided, GASP! But I did it, and the plan is to go another two weeks with the walker, then ditch it for good!! Got a call from the ortho place, I guess I am to be fitted for a brace. Sigh, I don’t really mind, if that is what is needed for me to walk safely, so be it…but still I hope it won’t be so clunky I can’t wear skinny jeans, LOL! Also too, I am wondering how much it will hit my wallet for! But I am not complaining, for sure.

Well, that is it for now…I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas, and a very hopeful and healthy New Years!!! I recommend you go to YouTube and watch the Three Tenors singing “Silent Night”…lovely! Also, “Silent Night Around The World”…which is a montage of perhaps 20 different famous singers doing Silent Night. Really cool stuff!

As you well can imagine, my Christmas present this year is my foot, and still having it! I am so blessed to have made such a miraculous recovery, and I am so glad I chose to reconstruct my foot rather than have it amputated. With the uncertainties of Charcot, someday I may yet have to make that awful decision again, but with luck, faith and God’s will, and being extremely careful, hopefully I won’t have too!

My physical therapy is going very well, this week am supposed to put the full 100% weight on my foot! Am quite nervous about that, I might add. My therapy has been more sparse than it should have been, thanks to the long delays in communication between the insurance company and the rehab…they only approve 8 sessions at a time, within a limited time period, so one is constantly requesting more, and having to wait for approval. Twice I had to wait nearly a month between therapy sessions! But because of my go-go-go attitude, I end up giving myself my own therapy just running around town. And boy, what a difference being able to weight bear has made in my mobility! I even do some shopping in the walker now, though it is difficult…it’s just that I would rather walk in than use the wheelchair. After a year in the wheelchair, I have quite lost any love for it! Ha ha! Though of course, grateful for it’s ability to have allowed me to do my own shopping!

Tommorow I may try braving getting into the bathtub for a shower. Haven’t had one in over a year! Now, don’t go thinkin’ I’ma Stinkin’, LOL…I keep plenty clean with a daily sponge bath! But, if you are NWB (non-weight-bearing) too, you know it is impossible to step-up and into a bathtub. I’m not even sure I can do it now with full weight bearing, it just creeps me out to place ALL my weight on my bad foot while I attempt to backwards step the good foot into the tub. This backwards idea came to me apon awakening and I am fairly sure it will work, using the walker to displace some of my weight. I will have to wear my big clunky boot for full arch support, but will put a bag over it and waterproof it with a rubberband. Gonna have to be quick, as the rubberband will restrict my blood flow somewhat and that is worrisome. The shower issue is one that has long perplexed me, and my therapist had given me some ideas, but I jejected them as too frightening, or impossible. But I do think the stepping in backwards, and then exiting forward with my bad foot first will work. I will skip washing my hair, as the part about closing ones eyes AND putting your head back to rinse is way too dangerous because you lose your balance this way. I am doing in the kitchen sink, and that works fine. Well, I will let you know how it turned out!

Month: December 2015

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!

THE BEST CHRISTMAS PRESENT!