Permission Granted

This post was for 21st Century Mom, who asked if I was sneaking foot freedom or if I had permission.

My appointment with Podiatry was made prior to my doctor returning from her emergency trip. Although I suspected that it should have been, the appointment was never cancelled.

I knew that the boot confinement date was nearly two weeks away. Since I had many questions, I thought that I could make good use of the time and $15 co-pay. I was also looking forward to an updated assessment.

My doctor walked into the room. I could tell that she feared my return was because the boot wasn’t helping me. Her smile widened when I told her that I felt great, although I had not traveled more than a few steps without the boot. As far as I could tell my foot was getting better.

My doctor wasn’t surprised that I wanted to do some transitioning; she seemed surprised that I was asking.

Cautiously, I asked, “Can I try water running again…or walking….or anything else?”
“Sure,” she said, “I would.”

Then she told me that she would also look into my current running shoe. She said to tell the running store that I had an overuse injury on the outside of my foot. She wanted me in a running shoe/orthotic combination that didn’t restrict my foot from pronating. She stressed that this is opposite of what you would think, but insisted that it was the right recommendation. She then told me to walk in the new running shoes. “Wear the boot for most of the day, but begin transitioning out of it,” she clarified.

I’ll see her again on the 1st of December. She said to see what the foot would “allow” me to do between now and then.

“Maybe you just be walking. Maybe you’ll have run one, two, or even three miles by then.”
I may need custom orthotics if I can’t get off my cuboid bone, but that will be the next step.

Until then…

– The dog will be happy as he is getting twice a day walks around the block.
– There may be some water running if I can fit in the trip to the more distant YMCA.
– I might even get to walk off some the Thanksgiving Feast.

My foot is happy for the time out of the boot. It is also happy to return to the boot. It doesn’t like standing still and the stabilizing muscles feel insecure. Don’t look for any running posts on this blog for a while. I am taking it slow.