Stand on your toes. Go ahead, I'll wait. You can even hold on to the couch or wall. Should be fairly easy.
Not for me.
Had physical therapy today. I learned that Bob has very strong hands as he gripped my ankle and worked on manipulating my bones. Then he had me roll my foot, like I would when taking a step. Ouch. But nothing compared to what came a bit later.
Then it was time for standing on my toes. I found myself throwing almost all my weight to the right foot. Bob decided that wasn't hard enough, so he asked me to only use my left foot. That did not work, so we moved to the leg press and tried it there.
Using both feet, with my right doing most of the work, I could press 50 pounds up on my toes and then let my heel flex beyond the bottom of the foot brace. He had to remove all the weight before I could use just my left foot, and then I felt like I was pressing 500 pounds just to get my foot to move less than an inch. I found myself wanting to grunt like Maria Sharapova during a Grand Slam tournament. I also felt a bit pathetic, that something that should be so simple as standing on your toes is absolutely beyond me at the moment.
By the time I got home after 2 subways, 2 buses and a combined 11 blocks of walking (that was just after I left HSS), all I wanted was to put my feet up for a bit. When I got back up a but later my ankle was so stiff it hurt to flex to neutral. And I am expected to abuse myself with these and 10 other exercises five times a day!
I just keep repeating the mantra that this will be worth all the pain!
Dr. Shetty, my neurologist, called yesterday and agrees with Bob that I may have had the lack of feeling in my heel before this surgery, but because I was not walking properly I did not notice. No suggestions on how to handle the disassociation I am still having with my foot. She did order another EMG - now scheduled for late April, just shy of a year after the first one.
Someone asked me today what to do if the feeling never comes back. I don't know. I'm trying not to think like that. Hoping a positive outlook will produce a positive result. Originally everyone - Dr. Hubbard, Dr. Tsai, Dr. Shetty - kept telling me the feeling should come back in a year. It's now been 14 months and Dr. Shetty (the only one of the doctors I am still in contact with) says it could be 18 months. I couldn't find any information on the Neuropathy Association website. Seems they tend to focus on illness related neuropathy.
I have to push it back or the fear of never being able to walk normally again will overwhelm me. Bad enough that Bob has ordered me to keep the cane until my gait is a bit better - especially when my cops keep telling me I will be arrested if I start hitting people with it.
Right now it's time to do more stretches!
Not for me.
Had physical therapy today. I learned that Bob has very strong hands as he gripped my ankle and worked on manipulating my bones. Then he had me roll my foot, like I would when taking a step. Ouch. But nothing compared to what came a bit later.
Then it was time for standing on my toes. I found myself throwing almost all my weight to the right foot. Bob decided that wasn't hard enough, so he asked me to only use my left foot. That did not work, so we moved to the leg press and tried it there.
Using both feet, with my right doing most of the work, I could press 50 pounds up on my toes and then let my heel flex beyond the bottom of the foot brace. He had to remove all the weight before I could use just my left foot, and then I felt like I was pressing 500 pounds just to get my foot to move less than an inch. I found myself wanting to grunt like Maria Sharapova during a Grand Slam tournament. I also felt a bit pathetic, that something that should be so simple as standing on your toes is absolutely beyond me at the moment.
By the time I got home after 2 subways, 2 buses and a combined 11 blocks of walking (that was just after I left HSS), all I wanted was to put my feet up for a bit. When I got back up a but later my ankle was so stiff it hurt to flex to neutral. And I am expected to abuse myself with these and 10 other exercises five times a day!
I just keep repeating the mantra that this will be worth all the pain!
Dr. Shetty, my neurologist, called yesterday and agrees with Bob that I may have had the lack of feeling in my heel before this surgery, but because I was not walking properly I did not notice. No suggestions on how to handle the disassociation I am still having with my foot. She did order another EMG - now scheduled for late April, just shy of a year after the first one.
Someone asked me today what to do if the feeling never comes back. I don't know. I'm trying not to think like that. Hoping a positive outlook will produce a positive result. Originally everyone - Dr. Hubbard, Dr. Tsai, Dr. Shetty - kept telling me the feeling should come back in a year. It's now been 14 months and Dr. Shetty (the only one of the doctors I am still in contact with) says it could be 18 months. I couldn't find any information on the Neuropathy Association website. Seems they tend to focus on illness related neuropathy.
I have to push it back or the fear of never being able to walk normally again will overwhelm me. Bad enough that Bob has ordered me to keep the cane until my gait is a bit better - especially when my cops keep telling me I will be arrested if I start hitting people with it.
Right now it's time to do more stretches!
