Tiny Tim

Today has been a good day. I'm walking (limping? crutching? idk) on one crutch right now. This is such a huge step (lol) for me mentally. Whereas yesterday I could actually see myself confined to a wheelchair for all eternity, today I can picture myself as independently mobile. I'm now taking a 10 day course of Lyrica, which is normally a fibromyalgia medication. When the surgeon took the rope of scar tissue off of my nerve, the nerve got pissed, and understandably so. So yesterday was my first day of trying to put any weight on that foot, and I noticed some nerve issues starting. The ball of my foot feels like it fell asleep, and it feels like that constantly. Occasionally that feeling moves around to other places in my ankle. I called the doctor and spoke to the nurse, but we all knew this was a possibility from the beginning. While I'm not overly thrilled at having to take Lyrica, due to it's crazy side effects (1 in 500 people notice severe depression/suicidal thoughts), I know that this nerve damage can be permanent if we don't nip this in the bud. So the Lyrica is supposed to calm this nerve down. Today I've noticed that while the feeling is still there, it has diminished. I can also add another "pain" to the list of body tissue I'm aware of. I can now distinguish between ligament, tendon, muscle, fascia, bone, and nerve pain. I credit my massage therapist for this. With his help I have become very aware of what I am feeling, and I can then translate this to the surgeon. Way to go Team! I also haven't needed any pain medication so far today, which feels great. I have now brushed my teeth for three consecutive days. Major turning point. I still can't understand how people (myself included) have the energy to shower daily, but I'm working my way back there. I'm also focusing on doing my range of motion exercises on the ankle. The more I can keep it moving, hopefully the less scar tissue that forms. Last night I wore my elderly person compression sock for a few hours. This is also supposed to help calm that nerve down. All in all, I feel like I'm right on track.
"God bless us, every one"