The Walking Boot

To be clear, I am not supposed to put any weight on my left foot. I can't feel anything, so to allow the lesion to heal before it creates the condition called Charcot Foot, I must bandage the foot so that there is relief  where the wound is and keep off it. It is a No-Walking Boot. Or at least a Minimal-Walking Boot.

I figured out how I can row with the boot in the left foot stretcher but with pressure only on the heel. I think this will be OK, but the test will come this Wednesday when I see the podiatrist for follow up.

As you can imagine, it is very frustrating to be getting only about 50 minutes a day of light exercise; but that can be endured.

I finally figured out that crutches would help. I put out a call to the bike list and immediately got several offers of not-being-used crutches to borrow.

The podiatrist may be able to fashion an orthotic device which will allow me to do some biking; but first the wound has to heal. I am repeating that because I am not very good at letting things heal on their own.

On Monday I saw my primary. He encouraged me to continue this blog. Other people read it and realize they are not alone. I am impressed that as part of his preparation, Scott Luria reviewed this blog. So, in keeping with the openness of this dialog, I post Scott Luria's summary (which I got from the MyHealth Online electronic communication platform.):

"David is here for his annual exam. As is well documented in his medical record and his own personal blog, this has been a very eventful year, starting with his heart attack and stent placement in December, his post-event episode of delirium which was thought initially to be due to a seizure, but after which he had a negative EEG and was able to taper off of his levotirecetam. More recently, he has been troubled by a neuropathic ulcer in his left foot, that has required the foot to be immobilized. He has had a couple of rounds of antibiotics and the infection is now gone, but he still needs very careful follow-up with his podiatrist, and will be seeing him in 2 days.

This is been an emotional adjustment for him, as outlined in his blogs. He is finding that mindfulness and meditation have been quite helpful. Fitness is very important to him, and this has been challenging with the large boot that he has to wear on his left foot, but he finds he can manage on a rowing machine. He hopes he can have footwear more conducive to exercise arranged soon.

He had questions about the need to maintain high dose atorvastatin and his beta blocker metoprolol. I feel he should maintain both for at least a year since the stent, but he will be in touch with his cardiologist. He will be able to stop the Plavix at the one-year point."

A really great thing about social media is the increase in communication for medical and psychological connection  -- a nice challange to use the blog creatively. And I am glad to see the medical community using the medium so freely.

Then I picked up the loaner crutches. I am looking forward to taking a jaunt around the block.

On Wednesday I see the podiatrist..... [to be continued]