Tom's Foot
As many of you know Tom and I have been planning an extended winter vacation to the Southwestern states and California for this winter. Today, September 28th, we had expected to be in Holbrook, AZ near the Painted Desert & Petrified Forest National Parks. Unfortunately or fortunately those plans will have to be put on hold until next year.
Many years ago (30) Tom suffered a serious fall while skiing. His lower right leg was shatter, and his ankle was damaged. The doctor, who put him back together, did a great job but Tom had numbness in his foot and pain in his ankle. We visited an orthopedist a few years ago who offered little except fusing the ankle or amputation to relieve the pain. Neither seemed a good option.
Fast forward to last year; a new doctor suggested cortisone shots directly into the joint or possibly an ankle replacement. The shots worked. He was almost pain-free for three months at a stretch. That is until last June when the cortisone not longer had any effect.
Now faced with continued pain or the ankle replacement he opted for the replacement. So next Tuesday morning, October 3, Tom will be getting a new ankle. It will be a long winter, several weeks with no weight on the ankle then more weeks of therapy but in the end, he should be nearly new or as new as a 71-year-old can be. I can continue to add activities to our California trip, including more hiking and walking activities.
If you have a few spare minutes next Tuesday morning, please say a little prayer that all goes as planned or send him an encouraging message on Facebook or by email.
I’ll post updates on his progress.
September 25th, 2017