Some years are better than others...

...or, I got foot surgery for Christmas



Some things are not meant to be. Me exploring the C&O Canal last year was one of them.

I started having problems early in the year but I thought I could deal with the pain. I was born with flat feet so foot pain is nothing new. I had to have corrective surgery in October 2002 to eliminate bone build up on the top of my right foot. It was back with a vengeance.

The first attempt to deal with the problem was simply a new set of orthodics. Because insurance would not cover them, my doctor tried an air cast that was covered. This was a waste of time for the insurance company. I bought new orthodics after two weeks. This provided temporary relief.

A month later my foot pain stared getting worse. It started altering the way I walked which caused pain in my ankles, knees, and hips. My doctor recommended a radical rebuild of my foot. I started getting other opinions.

At this point I could barely make it up the stairs. No problem because I avoided them as I couldn't get back down. I found a new doctor that wanted to try less invasive measures before permanently altering my foot. I didn't need to be talked into it.

First, I started on a new anti-inflammatory. That helped a bit but I still had foot pain. I needed to have the bones in my foot ground down again. On December 1st I had the operation. The recovery is going well and I should be fully ambulatory soon.

Buck is tired of the excuses and wants to get back to the river. I hope to start our adventures again in February.