I'm Walking Again . . .

 . . sorta.

My foot is really not liking being walked on right now. This new ortho boot seems to throw my foot/weight back onto the heel instead of evenly from toe to heel. So my heel is bearing a lot of weight and is very tired and sore while my toes and ball of foot are getting very little use. I will put up with it for today, concentrating on forcing myself to walk with a heel to toe roll. Tomorrow I have my first PT appointment and will discuss my problems with them.

I've found that if I use my old ortho boot, I get better heel to toe roll, but that boot is tall and hot (and starting to fall apart), which is why I took the new one from the doctor - it is only mid-shin high so is a bit cooler and less cumbersome. So perhaps it's a boot issue, perhaps it's just me favoring my broken bones still. PT will sort it out.

So I'm off two crutches now. I am still using one when my foot gets tired or I'm on uneven ground so I can take some of the weight off of the bad foot but still use it. Lots of ice when it starts hurting. I know I have to ease into this walking stuff but Lisa stopped by yesterday with her new red puppy(!) and I really overdid it, especially for the first day.

So today is a day of conservative use. Cardinal baseball on over-the-air TV today so we get to watch. Supposed to start getting miserable again with heat and humidity. So I have lots of reasons to take it easy today.

Mike is hoping I can get mobile enough to start doing duck chores soon. I think by the end of the week I'll be able to do everything except carry the buckets of water to the pen and he can do that when he gets home after work and I can dip from them to fill drinking bowls. Luckily the swimming pool has a hose from the well right near it so I don't have to haul water for that.

I'm still sleeping downstairs for now. Getting down my narrow, steep stairway in an ortho boot is just asking for a broken neck. And sleeping in the boot so I can make my mid-night trek to the bathroom is also out of the question in this heat and humidity. So if I stay downstairs I can use my crutches to get to the bathroom during the night and be a bit more comfortable.

So we'll see what PT brings. And I have to remember not to push it. Conservative is my motto for now!