Getting on the Road to Embetterment after a new Foot and Ankle

There are a lot of things in my life that I want to become better at. One of the main things is walking right again. I have a goal of getting rid of two forearm crutches that support me when I walk. I needed these after the birth of my son when my MS progressed, but I was warned it would do that. It’s a chance I had to take and I would never change that decision. It was a wise choice that made me a very proud and determined mom.

I didn’t always used to wear like braces, but over time I needed an AFO, then switched to a walkaide. Eventually I would need a cane, but after childbirth I needed to move to Lofstrand crutches to support me during walking. My right leg got very weak. I don’t know which came first the chicken or the egg, but the fix I was always told was some kind of a breeze to support the leg.

When the AFO was not enough to support my leg, I switched to a KAFO, but my foot was getting more twisted overtime and my heel would never reach the ground. My Achilles tendon became very tight and every time I went to get fitted for a brace the mold would just collapse because it was too difficult to maintain.

It was at this leg brace fitting that my life changed. The orthotist said, “there is a fix for that. They can cut your Achilles tendon.”

Formed with this new information, I went out to find somebody who could help me. My neurologist recommended who he said was the best ankle foot surgeon, and I went to him for his advice. He research previous surgeries that were researched and published, and he said he felt the best possibility for me was to split a tendon and shifted to the outside of my foot, and the Achilles tendon Z-plasty, which is cutting the Achilles’ tendon with a slice in the shape of a Z.

I was casted with a hard cast and in a wheelchair for a month. This was a pretty difficult time for me and one of my lowest points. But I know that there was a rainbow waiting at the end for me so I just waited patiently.

One year ago yesterday my cast came off. The reveal was not what I had expected, revealing a pasty looking swollen foot and ankle. I couldn’t exactly stand on it but I didn’t expect to be better right then, so I used a Rollator and had assistance around my house.

I had in-home PT, and needed to use a very loose foot again. I was happy to have my WalkAide on, which was shelved when I needed a brace slept on my leg. The WalkAide I have used for years before my foot twisted and I couldn’t walk with my heel reaching the ground anymore. It was causing problems up the leg and hip not to mention my back.

I am not telling you this story for pity, nor do I wanted to be a downer, I wanted to remind you that I have been on a long journey towards where I am now. I am completely sure I am not alone and that other people have had their journeys along with me with difficult struggles in chronic illness.

I want to share this with you so you understand why it’s very important for me to always look at where I’ve been to never expect any less of myself. That was my low and now I am going above and beyond where I ever thought I could be.

I have never included leg days three times a week.  Now that my foot and ankle are working, and the doctor approved that I was able to use it like a regular foot at this point because he really limited me for the first six months, I am ready to blow this out of the water.

One tool that helps me see how far I’ve come is my my fitness pal app, which lets me mark the reps and sets that I complete. One trick that I use is to mark the next set as complete with the desired weight that I want to use and repetitions as well. This lets me have something to reach for each time I sit down at a machine or stand up in front of a machine with a cable attachment.

One benefit that I not only see but others around me is that it’s much easier for me to get up from a chair now without falling backwards. This has to do with a lot of hip extension strength. Sitting is a compound joint movement Needing not only hip stabilizers, but quad and glute strength to drive you to a standing position.

The leg press is a huge tool for me at the gym because I am in a supine, or face up position laying on a pad with my feet planted on a plate. I raise the weight by extending, which is the same as standing up. It is not exactly the same motion but it is a great way for me to safely train without being a falling risk and just getting those muscles to be used again.

I have been watching the weights go up for a month now since I have been using this new app, because I never focused on the numbers as much. But they helped to really give me motivation to keep increasing and getting stronger.

It is really important for me to see those numbers because it’s not a subjective view of how I am getting stronger, but rather objective because they are real numbers. Hacking my mind too and for the number that I want to get to instead of just leaving the next set blank and filling it in makes a huge difference for me. I focus on that number and then I drive it up with all my might. Minimum of four sets per exercise.

My own personal rule is that if I can’t get to the number I want, like 12, I will drop the weight by five or 10 pounds get to that number or if I do and it was comfortable, I aim for 15.

It’s all about making it a game so it keeps it interesting for me. I see people watching me, but I have no idea what they think I’m doing. They can probably see a lot of numbers, and if they see me on cardio they see a spreadsheet that I have open tracking my mileage.

Today something also spectacular happened. I did a mile on the elliptical, with my legs doing the work rather than my arms on hand bike. That is all I could use for years now because my foot was getting so destroyed.

After my weights, I went back to cardio and did another .4 miles. I did no hand bike.

I am also able to be on my feet longer, I may not be quick getting there because my walking speed has slowed down since my foot now reaches the ground but I truly believe that it will speed up again once it real learns how to walk like this again.

I don’t take my motorized scooter out of my vehicle when I have to walk somewhere anymore. It was pretty much a given before surgery that I would need it to get where I needed to go. Even into a store not too far away. Last year when my son started his new elementary school in person full-time after The pandemic made it virtual, I was on my scooter everywhere at that school. I couldn’t even come out to pick them up a lot, relying on my mom for most of the time.

I can see the big picture now that the exercise and all of those sets and reps that I do are really making a huge difference in my life. Sometimes you have to step back and take a look at the journey you’ve been on to see how far you’ve come. Then you know that you are really better. And better doesn’t just happen.