Achievements at 5 months Post-Cheilectomy

Here are my celebrations at this point:

1.  Hiking - I have attempted as many as 3 miles at a time on irregular terrain and really didn't experience much pain or sense of imbalance. I do still resort to icing and elevating at times when I feel uncomfortable pressure, but this is infrequent. I definitely do not feel as sure-footed as before, but I'm hopeful that eventually I'll enjoy greater function than before the surgery.

2. Gardening - It's surprising how tiring that can be!  Wielding a pick and shovel, maneuvering a large wheelbarrow laden with soil, wrestling rocks about, bending, lifting--- these all pose a strain that sneaks up and surprises me each time. My foot gets tired! Still, I can work for a half hour easily. The day that I worked for hours helping to double my current garden space was exhausting. Pressure seemed to build up in my foot and ice and elevation was a welcome relief. I thought about taking pain medication, but decided against it since rest, ice, and elevation are so effective.

3. Balance - Improved! Here I am, goofing around, on the new wall my son installed to expand the garden. That's my damaged foot I'm standing on, so I guess I'm not doing too bad. However, dancing is the real test for balance...

4. Dancing - Ahhhh... I have returned to one of my former loves: international folk dancing. For two Monday evenings in a row I walked, hopped, slid, and performed any number of moves not typical in an ordinary day of movement, and to my relief, I did okay. Pivot turns were tricky, requiring full weight on the pivoting foot to execute a controlled, graceful turn. Eek! I could tell that I need to be more consistent in daily PT exercise of raising up on to my toes with most of my weight shifted to the recovering foot. I have a strength deficit that I'd better work on remedying before my ballroom resumes in a couple of weeks. I also tried a "Zumba Gold" class last week and was able to do most of the moves with some degree of control.

5. Cycling poses no strain at all, whether on my exercise bike or out on the road. I'm currently doing 30 minutes a day of varied intensity intervals in order to get a cardiovascular workout.

6. Jogging - Hah!  Well, I've never been a runner, but I have added a wee bit of jogging to my daily walks. Think small: three or four hundred feet of jogging and a whole lot of walking. It is interesting that jogging really doesn't feel any worse than walking. I sprinkle in a bit of running to try to get more of a cardiovascular workout.

.