Physiotherapy, shoes & all that follows Lisfranc Surgery

2 1/2 wks post op removal of compression plates, fixing screws & arthroscopy.

I saw my surgeon last night for my post op check & all things considered I didn't think the foot looked too bad .............. I now have one more incision, on the inside of my foot following the arthroscopy but he used the same scar for the metalwork removal & I have to say, I think he did a better job of closing it this time then after the original surgery. What was encouraging was the lack of significant swelling, this is a positive sign apparently & is as a result of all of the elevating & rest it has been given. So there we are, the Lisfranc mantra of "keep your foot up" obviously works !
I still have internal stitches which will dissolve in time, but I can go back to bathing with "my foot"- heaven ! I looked down after the dressings were removed & thought there were a couple of blonde hairs that were perhaps stuck to the sticky residue left behind, but after a gentle tug & a bit more scrutiny, I discovered that they were in fact attached ! They were the 'tails' for the internal stitches- LOL
I will start with an intensive moisturising regime & will buy some "Bio Oil" to rub into the scar. My surgeon says that this stuff really helps with scar healing.......... time will tell !


I explained how I'd tried to build up the weight bearing last week & the amount of pain that I experienced afterwards.............. After an examination, there was some tenderness around the 3rd & 4th metatarsals. My surgeon commented that it is possible the bones haven't fully fused yet, which would explain the discomfort. He was hoping that I would start full weight bearing in a shoe yesterday, but in view of the pain etc, he has asked me to continue with trying to build up the weight bearing whilst wearing the (now stinking !) boot & I will see him again in two weeks time for another examination & X ray. But the good news was I am now ready to meet with the physio terrorists as I fondly call them & they can now be let loose on "the foot".
I must say, my ankle & foot are so painful & stiff at the moment it is hard for me to believe that I will manage to walk in a shoe in a couple of weeks time, but I'm hopeful that along with targeted physiotherapy exercises & a focused effort from me, it can happen. I'm sitting at the moment on my sofa with my laptop on my knees & both feet flat on the floor. Not really weight bearing, but bending the ankle joint & flattening the foot on the floor. My ankle joint has been in a rather odd position pretty much since I had my accident & although I do try to bend the joint & rotate it from time to time, it still will not reach the 90 degree angle which is normal.The pain has been gradually building whilst I've been writing this post & I know I will have to elevate it again shortly.
It's all very well, but when does this need stop ? Does anyone know if this need to elevate gradually lessens & "the foot" will build up enough strength to become strong enough not to need it so often ? I'd be grateful for an indication of how long from where I am now this will begin to happen too.

I have been thinking that swimming would be a good thing to do, but there are no facilities close enough to me to be able to get to without a lift or taxi. Maybe I might just have to stomach the bills & overcome the diminished self confidence & just go ! Quite frankly I think I'd do anything at the moment to help reduce the pain & accelerate the recovery process if I could.

1 step forward......... 2 steps back

Well, I've kind of had the wind taken from my sails so to speak. It seems I didn't respect "the foot enough" this week & it let me know !
So 4/5 days ago, I started walking around just using one crutch more & more often, around the house to start with & then I did venture out. I brought myself a new DSLR recently & a friend offered to take me to the Pantiles last Sunday morning. It was such a beautiful day, I took my camera & really enjoyed hobbling around (in the boot), snapping pics as & when I saw them. It wasn't a long walk or particularly challenging, I took my time & used just one crutch. I was tired when I got home but that was about it. The foot was a little sore, but after a painkiller it settled down. On Monday, I was home all day, hobbling in the boot & sometimes using one crutch, sometimes none. Well that evening, the foot really started to hurt, in fact it did feel scarily similar to the pain I had a few weeks after my 1st op. I had sharp pains in the arch & under the ball of my big toe, along with lots of prickly spasmodic type pains across the bridge/top of my foot & some pain up the back of my leg. I took pain killers & elevated it. the strange thing was, my toes didn't look particularly swollen. A little puffy but they've been alot bigger ! The next morning, it seemed OK, no lasting pain carried over.

My dog was desperate for a walk on Tuesday, I had arranged for someone to come over & take her, but it fell through. So after deliberating, I decided I could possibly manage a gentle hobble (in the boot & with one crutch) around the block with her & gave it a go.
I didn't go anywhere else yesterday, just pottered around the house, sometimes using a crutch & sometimes not. Instead limping around in the boot & using props around the house to support myself on. Last night I really suffered for it. The pain was all of the day before, but much stronger & at times nauseating ! I even had a grinding ache all along the balls of all of my toes (underneath the bases). I'm not sure if that's the right term for that area, but hopefully you'll understand from this odd description which part I mean :) I got up to use the bathroom & hopped all the way on my good foot to it, each hop I took, made "the foot" hurt, a bruised type of pain.
It stopped me going to sleep last night, I couldn't get comfortable in bed at all & I was seriously worried. I lay in bed trying to work out if this was the tendons & nerves healing following the most recent op or if I had somehow managed to damage "the foot" again. I had to go back to elevating "the foot" on a cushion outside of the bedclothes again. So after worrying & feeling pretty sick, I had a poor nights sleep & decided that today, I would hardly weight bear at all, using two crutches if I did.
I've spent the entire day on the sofa pretty much, trying to work, taking pain killers & If I'm honest still worrying. The thing is I still have all of the bandages on, so I can't actually see my foot & I have no idea if the surgeon went back in through the old scars, or if he has made new incisions (I forgot to ask). Therefore I'm not sure if the rest of the foot swelled as a result of the weight bearing & that's what caused the pain, or if it is the tendons etc healing or what, really.
I feel a bit deflated, after feeling so positive & that it really wouldn't be much longer before I could drive (it's my right foot) my car & get back to the office perhaps around the end of August, I'm now not quite so confident. I was also hoping to sail in the last couple of races of the season which are in September. I had realised I couldn't do foredeck, but in this amount of pain, to do anything except sit in the cockpit would be difficult. Not too mention dangerous really. I don't know, frustration & anxiety probably sums up how I'm feeling this evening. Since resting all day, "the foot" has calmed down & isn't hurting me quite so much, although the spasmodic prickly twinges are still happening.............

Last night I was all set to ring the hospital today, but I decided against it & thought I'd try the rest treatment first. I'm really hoping that I've just overdone it & perhaps pushed for too much too soon. I have to go back to the hospital next Tuesday which is 6 days from now, I think I'll just continue to rest it as much as possible, & see if I can gently work back up to one crutch by then. If I can't then I'll just have to make notes on how the foot feels & tell the doc.

Removal of my compression plates & screws Day 103

On July 15th I was re admitted to hospital for the removal of one of the compression plates & five of the screws that were holding this plate in place & supporting the Lisfranc ligament.

I arrived at 12.30pm, in my boyfriends Porsche, with the roof down of course! Peter Gabriel's Solsbury Hill was blasting out from the stereo, the sun was shining beautifully & well, arriving in style seemed like fun. A sort of ironic celebration I guess, but either way it took my mind off of the surgery for a while & I arrived at the hospital in good spirits.
I met with my surgeon who talked me through the process, it didn't seem to be complicated, but I was advised to have another sciatic nerve block from the knee down in addition to the GA. This was instead of Morphine, which the anaesthetist thought I may need in post op recovery otherwise. So the waiting began................

After a few hours of flicking through the daytime TV, fiddling with my Ipad, photographing the foot pre op & planning a possible holiday in October my boyfriend & I were pretty fed up with waiting & were beginning to wonder if I'd be able to go home after the op as I'd wanted to.

Eventually, just before 6pm, the porters came & got me !
Although I was a little anxious, with sweaty palms, i was relieved to finally go. Everyone was really friendly, I cracked a few jokes about needing a glass of Merlot & celebrating the end of "the foot" which now felt like it's not too far away. My lovely anesthetist gave me a little something via my canula to make me feel fantastic (I have no idea what it was, but it worked!) I'd agreed to have the nerve block administered while I was conscious, so I was asked to roll over onto my belly, I watched them do it over my shoulder. My sciatic nerve looked like a ball of wool really, a white mass on the ultrasound screen, to numb it, they injected anaesthetic around the outside edge of it, through the back of my knee, at equal distances, like the 12, 3, 6 & 9 points on a clock face. After rolling back onto my back, I can't remember much more really, the GA was given but I think i may have drifted off before then...........

So what actually happened to "the foot" whilst I was under was, my surgeon removed the plate which was bridging my 1st cuneiform & 2nd metatarsal articulation & also the 2nd metatarsal joint. he discovered that these joints were stiff & some of my tendons had become attached to the plate. So he also carried out a formal arthroscopy (examination & flushing out/cleaning of the joint to re mobilise it) & then an open release of the extensor contracture ( releasing the large tendons from the surface of the plate by laser). It all went smoothly apparently & I had a 'smooth uneventful flight' according to my anaesthetist.

I woke up at about 8.30 in recovery, feeling pretty groggy but already relieved & happy. After some oxygen, I was taken back to my room, where lovely boyfriend was waiting with a gorgeous smile for me :)
I peered under the duvet, to see "the foot" well wrapped, looking almost ball like in shape, with the familiar Iodine staining on my toes & around my ankle.

So the deal was, I had to eat, pee & walk convincingly on my crutches in order to gain my release from the hospital that night by the "physioterrorists" ! After half an hour or so, I began to munch the sandwich proffered to me & drink the tea in earnest, so as to satisfy the release criteria- ha ha !
We tried at 9.30 pm, then again at 10.00pm, I was given one last attempt at 10.30pm.

I could feel nothing in the foot at all, it just flopped about, & my head felt strangely separate from my body, but after forcing the foot back into the aircast boot & a few deep breaths, Voila ! I achieved the necessary few steps around the room on the crutches & the tea had performed it's magic too. Home I went, much more appealing to sleep it all off in my own bed than stay another night in hospital. I took Co codamol & Diclofenac home, just in case.

Saturday night, I was determined to take out BF for dinner, to say thank you for all of his support & to celebrate ! So we did, I managed to put on a high heel (hitched my crutches up a notch) & a dress & off we went. It was lovely, Chinese with a bottle of bubbly, foot still numb & although I was still a bit tired it was worth it.
So the nerve block worked fantastically, it finally wore off about 3 am on the Sunday, over 30 hours after the op, I'd recommend having one to anyone, much nicer than the groggy mess that Morphine can you leave you in sometimes.

But on Sunday I paid for not obeying my body, I was sooo tired, sore & groggy I slept most of the day. I took the Diclofenac & a couple of doses of Co codamol to take the edge off. Monday was spent dozing on the sofa too.

It's now 4 days since the op & I don't feel too bad. the foot is still a bit sore, but that's too be expected, but the swelling isn't too bad & the pain is bearable. I've been told to try to start fully weight bearing in the boot over the next 2-3 weeks, building it up gradually, but stopping if "the foot" protests too much.
I'm back to see my surgeon on the 2nd August........

3 mths since my Lisfranc surgery .........

Tomorrow will be the 14 week anniversary of my Lisfranc fracture, I thought I'd update you all on how I'm doing. ....
I've been home alone for two weeks, just me, my foot & my dog rattling around in my flat & finding ways to overcome some of the obstacles I now face when trying to do some of the simplest tasks.
My dog, Hannah is almost completely blind now from degenerative retinal disease, so trying to negotiate around the flat on my crutches & avoid banging into her has been a challenge !
Hannah lives to eat, food is her greatest pleasure in life, so every time I got to the kitchen, so does she. Hannah has cunningly worked out that if she sits in between me & the kitchen work surface, then she's in a prime position to catch any food I drop, before I can stop her. Although this has worked well for her for food, the downside is she regularly nudges my crutches that are resting against the work surface & as such has received several bumps on the head from them as they clatter to the floor.  She walks hopefully alongside me with her head in the air, nose twitching, as I trundle slowly along on one crutch, whilst precariously balancing a plate of food in the other hand. My cutlery & anything else I need in one of my pockets. I do it this way because the only other alternative would be eating in the kitchen whilst standing. Hannah's also bumped into my crutches when trotting up to me for a stroke, the poor thing has had to try to adapt to her mistress's extra two legs by touch & smell only. I look at her & can't help but think that this must be very confusing for her. Walks only happen if someone visits who doesn't mind taking Hannah for a quick stroll around the block, the rest of the time she has to make do with the garden, but she never complains.................. treats & strokes work wonderfully.

So I've been continuing with my physiotherapy exercise since being home, the plus is I can now do them in the living room in front of the TV. I've worked out a way to do my laundry too. I have a big bag with a long strap. So upstairs in the bathroom, I load my laundry into the bag, then I put the bag on diagonally & swing it around to the front, like a kangaroo pouch. After bum shuffling down the stairs, I then use my downstairs crutches to get to the washing machine in the kitchen & unload. To dry it I do the same thing but in reverse & sit on the loo (lid down of course , it's just a handy place to sit!) whilst I unpack the bag & hang the laundry onto my clothes horse.
Thermos vacuum mugs have been a god send. I make a cup of tea, put the lid on & then manage to hobble back into the living room carrying it without slopping it all over the floor- fantastic !
I had a go at hoovering the living room last weekend. Mmmn not my most sensible idea. I worked out how I could use the hoover as one of my crutches & shuffle around the room, hoovering as I went. Balancing was tricky & I did overbalance onto 'the foot' several times......
I've discovered the power of home shopping too ! I place my orders for my food & groceries online, a very friendly chap delivers it & carries it into my kitchen for me. I can even order magazines, newspapers & alcohol :) The next delivery is tomorrow & I can't wait, I've ordered an Indian takeaway, the highlight of this weekend- hoho
My sofa is a huge corner style one, which has now become my main base. I have the TV remotes, my handbag, Blackberry, Iphone & all that I need set up in the corner seat. Lots of cushions to prop me up & both laptops to hand. This is where I currently rest, work & spend most of my time.
I've been working from home for the past couple of weeks which has been difficult to concentrate on. But perseverance will help I think, I mostly just answer emails, phone calls write reports & co ordinate the team in the office remotely. But after being in this very insular environment for so long, it's tough now to snap out of it & stay focused on any singular task for any length of time I find.

This week however I went to two day sales meeting & met with the rest of my team. It was the first time I'd seen them all since I'd had my accident. So I had one chair for me & one for 'the foot'. I sat at the end of the boardroom table & gave my presentation, to my surprise it was well received, I finished with the last slide being my X-rays with the caption "any questions?" & gave everyone a wry smile.
The hotel room booked for me was an accessible one, with a walk in shower. This was novel, I've been lifting myself in & out of the bath for three months. So in I hobbled on my crutches & switched it on, the shower head squirted water everywhere, not just on me, but up the walls, all over the wash basin, all over the towels & mirror. It was broken & there I was naked, on crutches & powerless to do anything other than watch the water spray uncontrollably anywhere it wanted to !
I gave up, washed as best I could & switched it off. the bathroom was a scene of soggy chaos !
I think I'll stick to baths.......


So I received a letter from my consultant yesterday, I am to go back into hospital on Friday (15th) for the operation to remove one of the plates & approx 6 screws from my 1st, 2nd & 3rd metatarsals. It may mean an overnight stay due to the general anaesthetic, I'm hoping this op won't be a big deal though. I'm sure I'll feel a little bit sore afterwards but I have plenty of pain killers left over which should see me through. I'm guessing that they'll go back in through the same scar from the previous op, pity as it's healed quite well.
I've put boyfriend on standby for some TLC & to ensure they'll let me out as quickly as possible (apparently they have rules about discharging people after GA without people to look after them) & I've warned work that I'll be uncontactable for a few days. But this op is another step forward, after I've recovered I should then be able to begin walking using all of 'the foot' albeit still in my boot & on crutches. The thing to look forward to though, is I'll be another step closer to SHOES- Yay !

Day 80 Weight bearing- Woohoo !!

I had a really good appointment at the hospital today, for the first time in this recovery process, I finally received some real positive news !
My AP & Lateral X rays looked as good as the consultant would expect at this stage, his words were "You're making a good process in line with what I would expect at this stage".  The fusion (with bone graft) of the 3rd TMT joint is healing well & the plate & screws that are also holding it & the 4th metatarsal will remain permanently in my foot. The 2nd metatarsal which was treated with an open reduction & fixation look like it's healing well, the screw that was put in in place will hopefully be removed along with the fixation plates & screws in the 1st metatarsal. If I continue to make progress at the same rate, I can expect this to happen in about 17 days (July 15th).
After examination of the foot, he was encouraged with the low level of swelling that it presented with.  He wasn't concerned by the swelling I described & the purple appearance "the foot" sometimes adopts he said it was quite normal to experience this after exertion at this stage & I should take it as a sign that I need to rest it whenever it happens. The swelling should always subside after resting, which mostly it does.
I explained to him the problems that I was having with the boot, it was loose & hung awkwardly on my foot rather than supporting or cushioning it. This was causing the bridge of my mid foot to become sore, pins & needles in my toes & irritation of the operation scar.  He explained that he was hoping to get me to start weight bearing using the boot, so we needed to resolve this other wise it would mean transferring back to a cast, which would be a slight regression. So we hopped along to the physiotherapists office to see what her verdict was. After having a look, she explained that the boot was far to loose, following the reduction in swelling over the past 3 weeks. I also still cannot get my ankle & heel to bend into the normal 90 degree position due to stiffness & swelling within the ankle joint. This is also affecting the positioning of my foot within the boot. The physio suggested that we try to inflate the air cushions more to hold my foot in a better position, although it would mean discomfort short term, the long term benefits would be important. After doing this, the boot was a lot tighter, all around my foot & calf, apparently this is how it should have been all along :( I also need to continue with the ankle exercises at home.
Then came the "moment"................. after another nurse was called in for support, I was asked to stand up slowly.............. on both feet ! After much coaching from the physio & lots of instructions I then began to walk, just putting 50% of my weight into my heel. Crikey it felt alien, completely abnormal ! I painstakingly slowly put my crutches out in front of me, then brought my bad foot through, parallel with my crutches, put my weight down into it's heel & then brought my good foot through to meet it. The smile on my face after the first couple of steps was immense ! I even felt emotional, my bottom lip wobbled a bit, I don't mind admitting. The relief was over whelming, at last a real tangible step forward in my recovery process. I also had a lesson in staircase techniques, so hopefully after a bit more practice, I may be able to leave the days of bum shuffling behind me- Yay !
I asked my consultant if I had actually displaced the Lisfranc alignment when I fractured all of the bones that I did, he confirmed that in deed I had & it was by a serious measurement. However If I continue to make the recovery that I currently am, he felt confident that the ligament & tarsometatarsals should heal well. I asked about my prognosis, he confirmed that subject to the good recovery continuing I stand a relatively low chance of developing a debilitating level of arthritis. The good news is that I stand no chance of developing arthritis in my 3rd TMT as I've already had the treatment by having it fused. If I were to present with painful arthritis in the future then he would treat it my fusing the rest of my TMT joints. I feel reassured that it would be treatable & actually if it came to this, well at least I'd still be able to stay relatively active. I have lost some feeling on the inside of my 3rd & 4th toes, my consultant said he couldn't say for sure if this would be permanent, but it shouldn't affect me too much. I also asked if I would be left with a permanent limp, he said that I would have a slightly displaced gait, but after 6 months or so I shouldn't have an obvious limp & should be able to walk relatively normally. It will take a full 12 months or so, before I will reach my full recovery. I should be able to sail again next year, OK so no pirouetting on the foredeck but I WILL be able to balance well enough on both feet to be able to sail.

So I can hopefully look towards the op in July, then around a month later walking in a normal shoe, a few weeks later discarding the crutches & being able to drive sometime in August.
Happy, happy, happy of Royal Tunbridge Wells !!!

Day 78.......... Home at last

Two days ago, on Friday 24th June I finally came home, back to my own split level flat. You may recall, I live in a Victorian conversion, on the second & third floors. So I have a flight of concrete steps to get up to my front door & then another flight of stairs inside to get up to the bathroom & bedrooms.
I went to the supermarket to stock up before my boyfriend left, this time I decided to avoid the wheelchair & opted instead to hop around on my crutches- big mistake ! After the KOL concert the day before, "The foot" complained bitterly about more hopping about & swelled impressively to let me know that I'd overdone it.
After my boyfriend had left, I found myself feeling quite down & isolated. In fact just really insecure about my ability to look after myself & to keep myself staying positive now that I'd be on my own mostly, without transport & that I'd need to look after my dog, Hannah who was due to arrive home the following day.

However, I've been wanting this for weeks & the need to regain some of my independence & for my own space was stronger than the fear. Ridiculous really, I've been living on my own for over 10 years now & am a really strong & resilient character normally. I find it strange that this injury has had this latest effect on me. If I'm honest I have struggled with the immobility & in the first few weeks, the anger & sense of grief that I felt was very strong, but to now feel uncertain about the simple things, such as cooking myself a meal, taking a bath etc on my own, is embarrassing. So on Friday evening, I grasped the bull by the horns & decided I'd attempt a bath. After much planning I managed it, to my relief !
OK it was awkward, having to lift myself in, using my good foot & then twisting around to be able to use my good foot again to support myself when I lifted myself out, but I did it ! Without hurting "The foot"- Yay ! You see, just to make it even more awkward, my bath is on a plinth, which is about 1 1/2 - 2 feet higher than the floor. So negotiating this successfully too was quite tricky.
Box number one- ticked !
Yesterday I managed to cook myself a pizza & today a stir fry, then I administered all of the dog's drugs to her successfully & in the right order :)
Boxes 2 & 3- ticked ! All of a sudden, my self esteem crept up a couple of notches & I now feel that I was right after all, I needed to come home & get on with it, OK so it's all hard work & requires planning & thought (not my strongest attributes) but I'm learning.

So I'm back to hospital on Tuesday, more x-rays & a consultation. I am a bit worried, the foot still swells whenever I hop around for any length of time, it goes purple/blue in the bath & I have had a couple of falls on my crutches recently (on wet surfaces, another hazard !) But it will be what it will be. I don't think I've done any damage, but will feel reassured after the X-rays.

Day 76......... KOL

I'd booked the Tickets to see the Kings of Leon play at Hyde Park before "The foot" happened. So after having to cancel all of this years sailing, holidays, exhibitions abroad I was rather determined that this would be one event that I'd manage to get to.
I had to purchase another two tickets on top of my original two, to allow me to be able to sit within the accessible arena due to Ticket master's refusal to give me a refund, but this was still better than missing out !
So off I went on my big adventure yesterday morning, after a long drive to London, we parked the car in Park avenue underground & we began the hike to Marble Arch. Typically inconvenient, I became in need of the loo ! This is a nightmare, after all concentrating on the ground so as to avoid any slippery obstacles with your crutches, doesn't enable you to hop at any speed :(
I plodded on slow & steadily, as the panic set in, my palms began to sweat- brilliant on plastic crutch handles ! Eventually, after about 25 minutes, we made it to Marble Arch & asked a policeman where the nearest loo was. He suggested we try to cross the road (a major junction in central London !) & use one, in one of the shops. After a bit of crowd dodging & 3 pedestrian crossings were successfully conquered we made it to KFC. Only to find the loos were up 2 huge flights of stairs ! So I gamely began to hop up them, by now my hair is stuck to my head with the sheer exhaustion & panic sweat, & my now very sweaty palms were slipping around precariously on my crutch handles, not a great position to be in !
I got to the top- hurrah !
Bugger !!!!
A long queue for the ladies !
By now even my boyfriend was concerned & sweetly offered to act as bouncer whilst I used the gents.......... just as thought I was about to lose yet another shred of dignity courtesy of the foot I spied a KFC worker out of the corner of my eye.
"Excuse me" i asked in the calmest voice I could muster, " please can you tell me where your disabled toilet is ?" The KFC worker, was a small but impatient oriental lady who carefully surveyed me up & down, looking intently at the perspiration on my forehead, my crutches & of course the foot ! She muttered something that I couldn't understand & gestured downstairs ;(
So I picked my way back down the two flights of stairs & followed her to the back of the restaurant where she did, after one more scrutiny of the foot, unlock the disabled loo- Bingo !!!!

So normality resumed, I was now pretty tired, shoulders hurt, foot was swelling, protesting at the hike & bumping around, so we made our way back to Marble Arch, where I sat & recharged my flagging arms. We were waiting for two friends to join us, one of which was a Canadian, with a knack for hunting down Knights in Shining armour I discovered later.

Our friends arrived & we started to make our way into Hyde Park, after about 20 minutes, my left palm began to hurt, I stopped & looked, not only had I developed an impressive blister, it had just burst ! I carried on a few minutes longer, my friends by now were getting a little concerned. The pain from the blister was beginning to cause a problem all of its own- off setting my balance ! Our Canadian friend decided, action was what was required & set off stridently across the park in search of a St Johns ambulance. She struck gold ! We found a couple of policemen in a patrol van who were only too happy to unpack their first aid kit & bandage up the offending blister with enough wadding to ensure I'd not only be protected, but look like I'd done something far greater to it than the hard earned blister. The care & attention they were taking over the task in hand did make me feel just a little bit special- haha !
Whilst the policemen were concentrating on my hand, our Canadian friend decided more help was need & once again strode off purposefully across the park...................

I couldn't believe it ! She'd pulled it off again !
As she walked towards me I could see she was being followed............ by "Pablo" a park keeper, who was driving a golf buggy !
Pablo kindly piled me, the foot, the hand & my crutches into his golf buggy & after telling my friends he would look after me until they caught us up, he put his foot to the floor, heading in the direction of the gate to the disabled access area.
Great fun!
By now, yes I did have to concede slightly that having "the Foot" sometimes had a few advantages.

Friends caught up, we entered the gate & wow ! The disabled area was not only seated with plenty of room for me & the foot to have our own chairs, it had it's own disabled loos ! No lengthy muddy queues for me- Wahoo ! It also was on a staged area, not too far from the stage & above the crowds. Drawback was, only one friend could accompany me in as a carer :)
I had a great evening, in relative comfort & worth the struggle. It was by far the best evening I've had in 76 days !

Foot still protesting today with swelling & of course the inevitable pain that goes with it, but it was soooo worth it :)