post op day 67 - new shoe

Energy level: Good
Pain level: 0 for non weight bearing
                3 for 30% weight bearing

Warning:  This post contains a Product Endorsement!

I tried the “heel cup” my doctor said I should get – and well that was a joke.  My swollen foot barely fits inside of my roomiest shoe.  It most  certainly does not fit in the shoe with an added layer of silicon. 

This means that I have to buy a larger size shoe just to accommodate the bloody cushion.  Normally I look forward to shoe shopping (what gal doesn’t?) but the idea of looking at hundreds of shoes, boots and heels that I have no hope of wearing anytime soon seems a tad torturous. 

Out of desperation I brave the sea of unwearable shoes when the clouds part as the ray from a spot light shines on my love at first sight: Sketchers’ Shape Ups. 

The first thing that attracts me to these shoes is the inch high super squishy sole.  I try one on my good foot and I get a strange desire to hop.  I have to be careful because these shoes are designed to keep one off balance in order to “engage more muscles”.  This is extremely dangerous for a klutz like me.  I am strangely drawn to these shoes … or is it that I’m draw to the attached warning tag that instructs that they shouldn’t be worn for than 45 minutes at a time for the first few tries.  I’ll take any warning tag as a personal challenge.

Then… I put it on my recovering foot and a few amazing thing happens:

_My swollen ankle fits!
_The design redirects pressure from the heel to the front of the foot.
_I can put more pressure on my foot!  In fact 30% weight bearing is down to a measly pain level of 1.
_My chest swells with the hope of speeding up the recovery process!

I figure the $100 price tag is a worthwhile investment.  The only thing to dampen my spirits is the sales clerk aggressive persistence that I join their shoe club.  She doesn’t know that every minute standing at the checkout counter is another minute of fluids swelling my foot.  After three bloody promises that “it will only take a minute” I have to say “look lady, I’m in pain and I need to go home”.

Dear General Public:  Just because I’m out and about doesn’t mean that I’m pain free.