2013 is here already ?

Happy New Year Everyone !

I hope you are all doing well in your respective recoveries ? Still making progress, not looking back I hope :-)

I am participating in a regular gym programme now, managing 45 minutes in the gym, 3 times a week & I think I can see real improvement. My balance seems to be better, my walking pace is quicker, I can actually stride & my weight has stabilised. I need to get much stronger & I do need to lose a few more pounds (the bikini pics from Hawaii told me so :-)) but I'm hoping that sticking with this programme will reap further rewards in these areas. My latest 'new tricks' with the foot are; I can run up the stairs &  stand balancing on one foot; the dodgy one !- Woohoo.........
The foot is still painful & stiff most days, but not all day everyday & I can manage the pain. I believe that the gym work helps with increasing the blood flow by improving the circulation, this in turn helps with my mobility, I'm sure.
I am settling in well into my new role within my new company, off to a slow start but I've got positive vibes about this year being a good one, all round !
Hawaii in October was immense, I did celebrate my 40th on the beach in Maui, with a beautiful dinner at Mama's Fish house, after watching the sun set on the beach. I swam with the turtles, I was nervous & apprehensive due to the lack of personal fitness, but hey....... I did it & I saw dolphins too !

We drove the road to Hana 3 times to take in all of the sights & watching the sun rise at Haleakala was so incredibly moving & well, helps you put a bit of perspective on things :-)
I climbed the Pipiwai trek/trail  to see the Waimoku waterfalls, the uneven ground made it awkward for me & painful at times but hey ........ I did it !
So my plans so far for this year ? 1) Skiing, hopefully in Canada in April after a work trip takes me to California. 2) Get back out on the water & sail PROPERLY, hopefully complete the Round The Island Yacht Race in June. 3) Make a success of my new job & get myself back on top. 4) Hopefully buy my own house or save enough to be able to do it early 2014. 5) Put the difficult times behind me, finally.

Big plans I know, but the real difference is I've made some this year. To me this simple realisation says a lot about how I am continuing to improve & move forwards. I've continued with my photography as well, did I mention that I'd bought myself a DSLR a few months after breaking the foot ?
I had thought about it for so many years. I'd previously studied Photography at college using a Canon SLR you see & being a creative soul I had missed it. So I have been taking a few snaps & teaching myself the basics............. I took nearly 700 in Hawaii alone- LOL . I have also enrolled on a photography college course in Feb, I've decided that I need some technical direction to train my creativity into what I want to produce Haha & I'm hoping to make a few friends in my new area. Who knows what this year will hold........ exciting eh ?

No bad news..... No other news..... But that's good apparently

Sooo disappointed I didn't get a chance to see the x-ray again ! But I've managed to get my consultant to agree to send them to me. As soon as I get them of course I'll post them.
My cast was removed again, dressings off & the wounds were cleaned. This time my foot resembled a manky Cornish pasty, swollen, flaky skin, scabby wounds- yuk! So I didn't photograph it, sharing it with people just wouldn't have been polite ;)

The verdict was that it was positive that there were no negative signs on the x- rays, all metatarsals & the Lisfranc joint were still aligned. I was told that at this stage (5 wks post op) that was all I could expect. The consultant is still being none committal about the long term prognosis, it's very individual & each case is different, with different outcomes apparently. I did manage to get an indication of the plan for the next 8 wks or so though.

So in two weeks time I will return to hospital for another x-ray, provided all is OK I will have the K wire removed. I will also meet with a physio, who will fit me with an air walker boot. I should then be able to start putting a little weight on my heel whilst walking with crutches- yippee !
At around 12 weeks post op (1st week in July) I'll have another op to have some of the screws & one of the plates removed. Roughly a fortnight after this, I will be able to start walking with my weight on all of my foot (assisted by crutches). The next stage after this will be shoes ;) Still no idea on when I'll be able to drive or will start to walk without crutches though.....

I'm immensely relieved that the results were ok this time, no damage done by the couple of parties I've sneaked out to, or the few too many glasses of wine I've drunk! I try to be good, no smoking(stops bone growth apparently),minimal caffeine (robs bones apparently), taking vitamin supplements, drinking orange juice (vitamin C is good!) & doing 1/2 hr of none weight bearing exercise per day to try to retain some muscle in my upper leg & bum..... But I have to have some time off the recovery treadmill from time to time. I would advise anyone that's going through something similar to this, to do the same. For your sanity really, or you may find the days & weeks drag relentlessly..... & there's a lot of them!

Thank god for my IPad, Lovefilm, naff daytime tv & my family. The pain is getting better, mainly caused by the swelling these days, so it's more of an incentive to keep it elevated & rested. I'm also fortunate that I don't have to work at the moment, I do have good sick pay benefits with my employer, which has been a god send.