Christmas Recuperation

It is almost Christmas and I am at home just recuperating from my foot surgery. I can be seen about 12 hours a day sitting in my overstuffed chair with my foot up on the ottoman. The surgery went great and thanks to a lot of help from Shawn and Kate I have managed just fine. It is a hassle getting around on crutches, but even if that is how I was mobile for the rest of my life, then it would still be better than a lot of other people forced to live their life with significant pain and deficiencies.

You can see from these pictures that I still have a black toenail from dropping Kate and Chad's TV on my foot during their move this August (ouch!); you can see that two of my other toes are black and blue from the surgery; you can see how my skin is stained from the disinfectant used during surgery. It looks a lot worse than it really is. I am without pain or much discomfort and I am able to sleep well during the night.

Lunch was brought to me on Thursday by Beth and Tyler and on Friday by Kate. Doug, and the Seymour grandchildren also visited me and brought me cards they had made. All have lifted my spirits. I have also been out on little trips (dinner and Glenn Beck Christmas program with the family; wedding reception; shopping with Kate). From my personal experience, I can tell you that the electric wheelchair/shopping carts are the best at Costco. They are way nicer and faster that at Home Depot and Whole Foods. Thanks Kate for an afternoon out of the house.

My heart is especially full this year for my love for Shawn and for all our family. With my extra down time, I have also been reading much about the Savior and I am more grateful than ever for His atonement and the great blessings evident in my life. Merry Christmas everyone!!!!!!

The Foot

Have you heard of “The Foot”? You know, the one on the left side of my body, that is somewhat deformed and goes at a 45ºangle to the left? The one they say I got from my ancestors and is likely something I have passed down to my children and/or grandchildren; yes, it sometimes skips a generation. Well I am having surgery on Tuesday to have it fixed. A friend of ours (Bonnie Goodson) was in church 2 weeks ago and walking with one foot in a tennis shoe. In talking to her about what happened, she told me she had bunion surgery by this Podiatrist, Dr. Dave Buchan, who has a new technique for fixing feet like mine with bunions. She swears by him and so I called his office the very next day to arrange an appointment to have him look at The Foot. He is not the first doctor with whom I have met. I have met with several different orthopedic surgeons over the past 10-15 years and each have told me that the day will come when I will need to do something, but that I would not be happy with the results; the procedure they offer is to cut, break and fuse, leaving little mobility.

Well, after meeting with Dr. Buchan (he does hundreds of these surgeries a year) I asked if there wasn't some way they could fit me in before the end of December. His surgical nurse called on Friday and said they made a spot for me and I am now scheduled for this Tuesday, December 16th. In talking to other patients, the results sound very promising. So, when I come home, I should have a proper working foot with a screw or two in it. Imagine, being able to walk without pain; being able to sleep when the barometric pressure changes; being able to walk instead of taking a cart when I play golf; being able to run again for aerobic exercise; being able to wear normal shoes that actually fit. And not having caluses on the side of my toes; and not having people laugh and point at my foot when I am barefooted. All these sound too good to be true.

We are really busy at work, so I have had to make a lot of changes in my schedule to fit this in, but I can’t pass up the opportunity to have it fixed. Getting it done this year will cause our insurance will pay 100% of the cost as opposed to delaying it until next year. So here goes. I will post new photos when everything heals.

They say, if I delay the surgery, my foot could look like this. What would you do????