2017 Update

Hi,

I wanted to post since it had been so long. I feel like part of why I haven't posted is because I am sort of a tragic tale. In many ways outside of my surgeries. I got lost for a while, but have found my way into a wonderful place.

I had a surgery on April 4th.

It's the same surgery as my last surgery.. a bone fusion, but this time it's my left foot.

I"m 10 weeks in.

Cast came off a week ago.

I'm starting PT (which I have never done before) tomorrow! EEEK.

I"m learning how to walk hopefully for the last time in my life... this would be the 5 times including when I first learned after birth (totally counts).

This is the worst bit I think. The Isolation has grown, hence the blog post. I took my first steps with crutches yesterday then spent the rest of the night icing. I had to ice my knee too because I fell from being tired.. When I fall I go knee first, luckily I had a knee pad on but I still hit pretty hard.

I want to touch a bit on what life has been like. However, for now I'm happy with just putting this out there.

I've Done that "Thing"

I'm struggling to find the words to write on here. I've spent nearly a year away and it's felt like a blink. I've done that "thing" that I thought I'd never do... I went and got a bit better physically and stopped reporting back on this blog. I'm pretty sad that I have struggled to continue writing on here. This has truly been the one place I felt I could open my soul to, and share one of the darkest and enlightening periods of my life.

I don't even really know who is here anymore, or if anyone has ever visited this blog more then once. Well, I take that back I know at least one person who has followed me across many platforms and to you, Daniel thank you. It's been enough to know I've helped one person and he is a very kind person at that. 

I guess this post is more of a tribute to my goals on this blog. I wrote a couple post down that I would be changing the style of this blog and I believe at the time I thought that it was the answer to not feeling so controlled by my physical capabilities. I don't think that this blog should change from the form that it has always been. I've only documented my journey for those to hopefully find aid in it. For you reader, to maybe feel connected to someone in a time of need. Every post I write on here is one from the heart and I read them sometimes and wonder who this person is. I'm just a 20 something no body trying to make sense of this blasted thing called life. I can easily say that my feet are still a struggle for me and I will continue to document my experience. I'm just at a loss for words lately. 

I've been trying to get back into life.. I unfortunately did not have a great support system and sense realizing this I've had to make some very tough choices. It's been a really long and exhausting mental journey, but one that is completely needed for me to continue to grow and change. I hope to be more in tune with my fears regarding my feet and my surgery to come. I currently don't have to be so concerned, but I do still have chronic pain. This is something I'm learning to come to terms with. 

I may be too harsh on myself when it comes to these surgeries, and how I view them as "taking over my life." I, however, need to ride this wave of trying to find myself outside doctors visits and recovery time. I have found it hard to talk about my surgeries as of late, and it's gotten so bad that I haven't brought it up in therapy... probably since my last post on here. 

I really hope once I've come to terms with my past that I will also be able to fully understand the transformation that I went through during my surgeries. I hope I post this.

Over And Out,

Kristy Edgerton

Advice from others | Enjoy

Hello,

I am currently just having a pleasant night off from work and thought hell. I might as well post on my blog. I found some amazing videos and resources that I didn't realize what they were. First off this website:

http://community.goodbyecrutches.com/blog?sort=newestPosts

I had Goodbyecrutches tweet me and asked me to post my advice on their sight. I haven't thought about it for months and just saw the tweet again and I am so glad I did. I have read some really great advice on this website before but didn't realize how it worked. Check it out it's great for lower body injuries. I'm on there find me!

Second here are some videos I've found by looking at this site!

Needless to say I'm very excited! 

Always, 

   Kristy

New Description

I've been struggling for many months on how to bring this up. Bear with me as this has been something I've wanted to do for a while and am now finding the strength to get started.

If you have come here because you are looking for advice on recovering from surgery then you have come to the right place. I have documented 3 years worth of information on Calcaneal Osteotomy and various other things on this blog and now on my Youtube Channel TheFootGal. However, as some of you may know I am only 23 years old at this time. I have so much of my life ahead of me and would like to make a change.

It's been about 6 months if not longer that I've spent wringing my hands about how to make this change. I am very proud of my work here on my blog and I am still extremely passionate on helping people when it comes to recovery. As agonizing as this journey has been it made me into a stronger and better version of myself. I fully believe if we take the hardships inward and use them to strengthen ourselves we can become more humble and honest. I have seen some sides of having a physical disability that I still can not shake nor do I want to. The hard moments are the ones that make you think. They are the moments that change history.

I'd like to help the world see the pain and loneliness that a surgery or injury can bring into someones life. Help people understand how to better help others who may be going through the struggle that is recovery. I've met a handful of people going through recovery and I've noticed they also have some of the same struggles I had. The one that sticks with me the most is the struggle to talk about the pain. Somehow I was able to blog about my experience. I don't think this is that easy for people. I saw the need and I grabbed on full force. I would really want to continue doing that. At this moment in time I still have one (that I know of) surgery to undergo. My journey has not yet come to an end. I do have restored faith that there is an end for me. This was something I had been uncertain about for nearly 2 years. I can finally breathe just a little bit better.

This new found hope has given me the strength that I couldn't find in the last 6 months. I hope if you have been following my story you will continue to do so and I hope if you have just stumbled upon my site that you will see everything I have to offer and not only see a "bank of information" as I sometimes feel I'm treated.

Now if you've gotten this far into the post (thank you) then you will want to know what this "change" is. Well as this blog and this journey have shaped me I would like to continue my online identity on this blog. I have so much more I want to offer the world but none of this would be possible if I hadn't started this blog. I want to start posting comics, art work, knitting, and more personal opinions that don't revolve around a foot surgery. I want to grab my professional identity on here and use it for my continual journey through life. I have mentioned before that I may change the URL to this blog and this was ultimately why. I don't want to be just known for something I couldn't control in my life. I have a future and I'd like to move forward with that.

So from here on out be prepared to experience more of who I am.

Until next time,

Kristy Edgerton

Nonunion 8 Months | Good News

My has it been a long while? yes, the answer is yes.

Life always gets a bit more busy and complicated once I start moving around without a boot. I become more physically tired and in return mentally tired. Which, unfortunately means my online life suffers but is never and will never be forgotten. 

I have been walking for almost 3 months without the boot and am getting stronger every day. I think the most challenging part about this phase in recovery is pushing through pain day after day. I strongly urge you to do it though. Even if you feel absolutely pooped find something that gets you challenging that bone to heal. It's been proven that being more active promotes healing so do it! No matter how hard. I've really been living by this and my calf muscle has been back for ages now! It's so much easier once things start to become more stable again. However, I still have many aches and pains in all sorts of places. 

On to other news I have just uploaded a new video and am incredibly excited to share this with my blog family.. been a bit nervous honestly. Since part of me is still in utter disbelief. But here it is.... GOOD NEWS.

There it is out in the open. My right foot's journey is finally over. over. Wow, saying that makes me tingly. There are a few details I didn't say in the video that I'd like to say here so I am going to write the story down and if you want to hear it in full keep reading. If not thank you so much for your time and have a good day! As always reach out through comments as well as emails! There are always others finding my blog who may find your thoughts and feelings useful! Including myself.

Doctor Day
(D Day)

I had recently started pushing myself more and more each day and was becoming more worrisome of if things were going well and what not. I had days where there was no doubt that my foot was stronger and healthier then it had been in years. But, then there were other days where it began to hurt differently or even in a familiar way and that is when the worry would set in. Mostly I just badly wanted to know.

Once the day finally came I was a nervous ball of excitement, so was my partner. We got there and as always looked at the collection of good deeds my doctor has done and his stunning collection of books. Anything, to distract how we were feeling. Then I was taken back to do the usual X-ray's; one with your foot flat and normal and one on the side. These have become common practice to me and when the nurse joked about "all you probably want to do is wear sandals" I quietly thought to myself while simultaneously giving her a little chuckle of comfort.. no all I want is my bone to be doing well. Sandals were the least from my mind.

Fairly soon afterward my doctor comes in with his normal kind yet assessing face and his hand stretched out. Something that has become a huge comfort to me during these last 9 months. He shakes my hand and says " You are usually always smiling. You should be smiling." To this I gave him a small side smile which is all I could muster with how unpleasantly nervous I was feeling. Yet, I agree with him everyone should always be smiling. I even felt a ping of guilt not being able to muster up a good one for him.

He sits down and puts the X-Ray up on the screen and zooms into his masterpiece. Takes a good look at it and turns to me and says "It's solid, you can hardly see where there were gaps before. Now they are just small slivers in a bone." Even at this point I wasn't able to give a smile but I did my best. I was in shock. Absolute shock. I had all these questions lined up for him and now none of them seemed to matter. He went on to say that he strongly believes I will continue to get stronger and feel better then I ever had (including before my first surgeries since this is a journey I've been on since age 10).

After I stubbornly asked all my worrisome questions, and was told that I may always feel "weird or odd," he kindly asked to take pictures of my feet. The look in his eyes then is something I will never forget. He was proud. I never expected to see that face from a doctor and let alone about something he had helped me with. However, I now never want to see anything else. He should be proud. He did a magnificent job. From the very first X-ray I saw to how he molded my cast I knew he was a perfectionist. The hard work he did on me paid off and he deserves to be just as overjoyed as I am.

Well readers I know this was a bit different but I hope it was something worth reading.

Until Next Time

TheFootGal

New Year | My Best Moments 2013

Happy New Year!

Photo done by Ausia Hamblin Photography 

Out of everything during the holiday season, New Years is my favorite. I've never been big on resolutions because I think it's important to challenge yourself every day. The thing that sticks for me is being able to set a time mark of where you have come within the year. Starting a new year means reinventing the you of the future.

As I sit here feeling optimistic for the future I was going to make a list of my "bests of 2013."

I'm sure I could make a pretty decent list but the first thing that came to my mind were my doctor experiences this year.

The beginning of this year I was still seeing the doctor that I had when I first moved here. I would go and get x-rays and get vague responses about the pain level I was in. He always had "positive" things to say about it.and things that made us think I was still on a path to recovery. However, after 2 years of looking at X-rays on a pretty consistent 2 month schedule I started to realize nothing seemed to be changing and I just kept having a sinking feeling every time I'd leave his office.

Eventually I got fed up and one morning during our regular Sunday brunch day I brought it up to my partner. It wasn't easy having to tell him that I really didn't trust this guy. Not because I thought it was the wrong choice but because what he had been telling us was just feeding into our "hope." This journey isn't just mine but my partners as well. He wants me to heal and feel strong just as much as I do and having to tell him that I wasn't feeling strong and that I didn't think this doctor was being honest with me was hard for both of us.

After that we went to one more visit before throwing in the towel.

It's a scary process to find a doctor and it can be emotionally troubling for long periods of time. As most great things in this world they usually have some equally bad things to go along with them. For me finding Doctor W. was finally a moment where I felt like I could breathe. I had been feeling the pain of walking on my, now known, nonunions and I was grateful to have a doctor again who seemed as concerned as I was. We all know how this story goes though. My concern was shortly followed by the news of having to start this foot surgery journey all over again.

I still remember Doctor W's eyes when he told me. They were full of sorrow. I can't imagine what it must be like for a doctor to look into a 22 year old's eyes and tell her that she will not only have to do it again but that he wasn't sure he could. I do know though that his emotion and intent was pure and humble. These are all rare and important traits for a doctor to carry.

This is the moment that comes to my mind when I think of 2013. It may seem weird to you that this is my fondest memory of the year but everything that has come to me since that day has been life changing, because this one doctor was humble enough to say I needed more.

I hope that you all have had a wonderful 2013. I know that I have had one of the best years of my life and to you viewers reading this, you play a huge part in that. Thank you.

Remember that we are all just humans getting by. Even the doctors we trust. Don't treat it lightly if you don't trust them. PLEASE find another one. The doctor I have now is someone I hope to have in my life for as long as mortality will allow. He has made this surgery less of a burden. I had someone tell me that while picking a doctor you should treat it as if going to the grocery store. Most of the time you don't just pick up the first jar of peanut butter you see but you like to choose one that will fit what you expect from the product.

and with that said. HAPPY NEW YEAR! I can't wait to share 2014 with all of you.

Until Next Time,

Kristy TheFootGal

Nonunion 4 Months | Relearning to Walk and Walking Aids

Hello and Happy Holidays.

I meant to post this video a couple weeks ago but the holidays got the best of me which is always a good thing.

I started walking on October 30th. My doctor ordered me off the knee scooter! Mostly because I love how fast I can go on it, I'm such a little kid these days. The video touches on how I was doing about a month after walking. I started using the motto "Just Move" shortly after making this video. I strongly urge you to do that once you are given the go ahead on walking. It's not fun at first but if you are healing it is the best thing you can do. Walking on your injured foot actually stimulates bone growth. Which, if you are like me, you would really like that to happen!

Just like the video title says have cautious optimism. Don't expect to be where you were before surgery anytime soon. After being off your foot for an extended period of time your body will be used to sitting and probably not sitting very well. What I mean is that from many years of experience with having casts/wrappings/walking boots on my foot, I have found that I tend to sit in the "most comfortable" way possible. If you have any injury you understand what I mean by this. This surgery I found that I leaned to the left a lot. I'm not sure if this is something that can be avoided but I do plan to test it during my next surgery.

It's good to be aware of how you are sitting. If at all possible, try to sit up straight. Having to correct more than what is already being damaged is not easy. I had someone ask me about how I dealt with hip/knee pain along with walking in the boot. I hadn't noticed previous surgeries that I struggled with those. This time though I really did notice the knee and hip pain. I've started going to a massage therapist as often as cost allows. I know not everyone can do this. I certainly wouldn't have been able to during my first surgeries. A couple things I have learned though is that getting a walking cane and a product called Evenup are solutions I have found to help without the massages.

You may not realize the benefits of a walking cane. I know I didn't know anything about it other than "old people" used it, but don't let that stop you from getting one. After having a cane for a month I can testify that it is extremely useful for lower body injuries. It has helped me focus and slow down while walking along with helping my balance and mobility and evening out the strain on my joints and muscles. I can't really say why doctors haven't suggested the use of a cane before to me but if you have not been suggested to use one I am here to say that you should. I have been able to feel my joints loosening up and my muscles being used correctly. It's not an easy change but it is one I am grateful for each day. Here is a short article about walking sticks/canes "Benefits of Using a Walking Stick."

Now to inform you about the product called the Evenup. First things first here is the official website where you can read all about it http://www.evenupcorp.com/ . Second, I will be making a video reviewing my walking cane and the evenup I received so subscribe to my Youtube Channel for when that gets uploaded. There isn't a whole lot else to share with you about it. It's pretty straight forward. When you wear a walking boot it is higher than most shoes. It is also still a noticeable amount higher than most sneakers (all sneakers I've had). All I have to say about both of these products is how much does your health and body mean to you? The simple truth is if you don't use these products you run a high risk of learning to walk wrong and continuing to hurt your body when you do so, even after you are all healed and out of the walking boot.

I'm here to share my woes and joys with you. When it comes to physical trials they tend to be filled with many woes. I hope you see that these products I share with you are ones that have bettered my life in ways I have a hard time finding words for. If you do buy these products let me know what you noticed by getting them! It may seem like a lot of money but trust me in the long run it will be something you couldn't put a price on.

Until Next Time,

TheFootGal