A week ago, I transitioned from non weight bearing on my left foot to wearing a walking boot. I am using a walker to make certain I do not fall. Hopefully, I will graduate to a cane in the next week or so. It is a bit clumsy but after ten weeks of not walking, but it is great. I made it downstairs using a stair lift but then walked into my shop. It is messy but great to be there again. The one thing I did was check my rechargeable batteries and put a couple on chargers. I hope to spend a little time every day and doing some picking up.
Great you are "afoot" as the Brits would say (or at least Sherlock)! Down time sucks, but it can be rehabilitating to stand back and look over your work area and get a better perspective of what needs to change or what may make it a more useful space. I know the urge to just dive into another project, but having spent a few days on other work allowed me to rethink many things for the shop in the future.
I've spent the last week going through my vintage stereo and ham equipment piles deciding on what to sell off to clear out space and stop that nagging voice in my head about someday when I'm no longer around and it all gets tossed.
Keep it up. Glad you're getting more mobile. Foot issues are no joke, my dad's were messed up pretty bad and they had to smash a few metatarsals then line them up, drill & pin them. Dad had one of those knee scooters for a while and my brother and I were trying to figure out how to make it gas powered as a medical device can be taken almost anywhere.
Yea!!!! Glad to hear you are hoofing it again, maybe not at a pace you want to be at, but afoot as Splint called it. I'm in the same situation on my road back, and was just getting a good daily, work out in the shop, then the temps soared, and it just sux to walk out the the 200' to the shop. Supposed to cool a bit next week, so the heat index isn't in the danger zone.
For us it's not really the temp, I can do 105 to 110 out in Vegas, and if you find a patch of shade, you are good, here the f-ing humidity just knocks you down, temp is high 80's to low 90's but combined is Vegas like heat, with that moist blanket BS, YUK. Out in the shop if I keep the doors closed, just the insulation keeps it nice enough to work all day. I have some great ceiling fans, they move enough air to make it fine. It's just getting from the AC house, and the 200'. All I know is when it gets like this, I stay indoors.
Glad to read your recovery journey has you "back on your feet" again. As Ryan noted, keep up with the PT - even the exercises that seem simple are important to the rehab process. Getting back to the shop was a great pickup I'm sure!
Just my $0.02, but ask for home work, and do it! It’ll suck a bit, but it’ll make the recovery so much better. You don’t know how much ancillary loss there is from a repair like that. All kinds of muscles get unhappy all over your body, and they’ll only come back properly with some work. You can do it! And you’ll be thanking yourself for it later too! This coming as the voice of experience. Good luck with it!
Ryan/// ~sigh~ I blew up another bowl. Moke told me "I made the inside bigger than the outside".
Yes, I cooked brats on the grill for lunch and cooked dinner. I am gradually doing more. BUT, I have to be extremely careful as I dislocated my left hip two weeks ago and would be easy to do it again. My left hip was replaced in 1996 and revised in 2003. I have dislocated it twice before, so I need to be careful. When it happens it is very painful and the bumpy ambulance ride was not fun.
ask for home work, and do it! It’ll suck a bit, but it’ll make the recovery so much better.
I'll second this! I still do most of the exercises that were recommended after I broke my foot and endured a boot. Simple exercises can be so valuable in getting the body back to calling on various muscle groups appropriately. Any injury, or in your case surgery, disrupts so much. Wearing a boot also can cause movement compensation. Sounds like you are well aware and keeping a positive outlook on your recovery. You've got this!!
PT/OT told me it takes 3 days to lose it, and 6months plus to get it back. They were referring to strength, muscle use, and coordination. At the time I thought, Nahhhhh. True believer now.
I think the most important thing is to always remember it's a journey, and even though you may "want" it to be faster, it's one day at a time. One foot in front of the other, lest you get in a hurry and trip and fall. I say trip and fall, literally, but mostly figuratively.
The best thing is that I can go downstairs to my shop and putter around. My wife has decreed no power tools so I am doing a bit of long needed picking up. I do hope she will let me use my scrollsaw.
