Oh My Aching Feet!!

If you read this blog regularly, you know we are getting ready to go on our fall trip here in a few days.  We have been busily planning, and packing, and making lists, and hiring a cat sitter; we even washed Therapy at the do-it-yourself carwash.  Found it was easier than dragging everything out and washing it in the driveway.

It isn’t as tight as it looks.  We did have to move her back and forth a few times but we got ‘er done.

In the midst of all this, I have been having a flare up of an old foot problem.  Over the years I have been to two podiatrists, plus my regular doctor, had three sets of custom orthotics made, and still sometimes have unbearable foot pain.  So I went to see my rheumatologist to see if she could do anything for me.   Her solution was 5 days of mega doses of prednisone, rest, ice, and elevation.  That seemed to help a bit but as soon as I went off the prednisone, the pain came roaring  back.  Hang in there, there is a point to the story!!

My first podiatrist years ago made me a pair of orthotics that worked well to ease the plantar fasciitis.  I went back for a duplicate pair so I could use them in other shoes.  That duplicate pair was never right even though I took them back several times to be adjusted.  So I went to another podiatrist who made me yet a third pair and those were nothing but TORTUROUS.  Never did wear those!

Not mine, but you get the idea

The problem is, while the fasciitis gets better, the arthritis in my feet make that left foot and toes swollen and very painful.  I finally took the orthotics out and tried that.  Since the liners were all raggedly, I tore them off and put the hard plastic part in a baggie to take back and have relined at the doctor’s office.

Well, I found I could not walk well without my little friends so I decided to go ahead and get them relined – BUT I COULDN’T FIND THEM ANYWHERE.  I tore apart every drawer, looked in my closet, in my purse, EVERYHWERE I could think of, even the trash.  I finally found my other pair that didn’t fit right and put them in my shoes.  That didn't feel right either so after a day of that, I put them in a different pair of shoes hoping that would help. 

They didn’t feel right but I had to do something.  So off we went this morning on a major grocery shopping excursion.  By the time we were done, I could barely walk and my hips and knees were in terrible pain too as the orthotics were just throwing everything off kilter.  I have really flat arches so without orthotics my feet tend to roll inward.  I told Russ these were SO BAD that my feet actually felt like they were rolling outward.

We made it home and I headed for my chair and the ice pack.  After resting with ice for awhile, I decided to have a look at the orthotics thinking maybe there was someway to shave them down or SOMETHING!  I knew I couldn’t go on like this.  I pulled them out, then felt around the bottom of the shoe and guess what I found?  MY FIRST SET OF ORTHOTICS!!!  They are opaque plastic so I didn't see that they were in the bottom of my shoes and not in a bag as I had thought.  ALL DAY I had been wearing TWO pair of orthotics, one on top of the other!  No wonder my feet hurt!!!  We laughed so hard, even Poppy came out of the bathtub to see what was going on.  What a crazy household we have.

Maybe I don’t need a new pair of orthotics – maybe I just need a new pair of glasses!!

See you down the road – hopefully on Tuesday!