Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Taking it Slowly
One Step at a Time


I visited the doctor again on Monday of this week and he says that I can start "walking" slowly using crutches at first and then going to a cane and finally, walking on my own as normal.

He took a lot of time talking about pain and swelling management which is a signal to me about what I still have ahead of me. He said that by now the muscles and ligaments have atrophied, and the bones have calcified, and there is likely to be post trauma arthritis.

Like many orthopedic surgeons, he wasn’t too concerned about rehabilitation or physiotherapy. He thinks I can just slowly start walking normally. He did say that a normal walking step is in 3 stages.
1 Heel to ground.
2 Flat foot.
3 Bent foot, toes on ground.
He said I was OK for stages 1 & 2 but that the pain and trouble would be in part 3 when the foot bends.


It’s all going to take a while. He was fairly vague and used words like "after some time" but at one point he said that in two or three more months I may be getting around like usual in my daily life. He doesn’t see tennis in my future until well into the New Year. I didn’t tell him that I never see tennis in my future!

I think I’ll look around here for someone to help me out with physiotherapy. If I can’t find someone, I’ll maybe go to Bangkok to get some pointers and ask about whether I need special footwear.

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I had a dream one night that I could walk!
I was walking away and then I remembered my crutches
so I saddly turned around and walked back to get them.

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Psalm 119:45
I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

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Psalm 56:13
For you have delivered me from death
and my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before God in the light of life.