Last day of work till next year - yee-haw!!! I've been thinking about this blog for some time now, and wondering what I can do to get more of you to share your own experiences. I thought, "Self, how about monetary incentives?" And I responded, "Well, Self, you got squat, so how do you plan on doing that?" And I was all, "Why you gotta rain on my parade?" And I was all back, "Cuz rains all we got right now, fool!" I do that sort of thing to myself now and then, especially when I'm off my meds, er, chocolate. So if I can't pay you to jump in and share, its back to the drawing board.
I know from other discussion groups and blogs out there that there's lots of sharing among parents of tykes with club feet, and that's as it should be - they get so little real information that sharing is their best option. But us adult clubbies, well, we're another story. I saw a photo of myself at about three, with my Mom looking at my feet, encased in another set of casts. I saw her worry, and her confusion, and wondered how she did it with so little support. She wasn't just worried about my feet and comfort in the present moment, but saw and felt the road I would have to walk through my life and wondered how I would fare, and hoped every day she was making the right choices. That all of those choices were framed and pressed on her by a small handful of medical folks, whose knowledge and skills she had no way of verifying, or putting into a comparative context, meant shear trust was her only real option.
I am of course grateful for all her efforts on my behalf. But I can't help but wonder how different parents facing these same questions today will cope, given the much broader scope of support and information available, especially on the Internet. But one way they are no different at all is they, too, must trust how the choices they make now will affect their child as they become adults and walk the road of their lives. That is one part of why I continue this site - not to say each child will face the same trials many of us older clubbies have, and continue to do, because each case turns out different, and there are many successful outcomes - but I do this for those that are less successful, because even with Ponsetti, and other advances, there are still failures of the process, and each one still has to walk through their own life. I just don't want these clubbies to feel as alone and in as much pain as I and many others have. I hope to provide that information and support that wasn't available to me.
But I can't do it alone, first because I don't have all, oh, hell, I don't have very much at all, of the answers, and second, because support takes many people sharing their triumphs and ongoing problems with others walking a similar road. What worked for you might make a real difference in someone else's life, and vice-versa. And what remains a difficulty for you may help other clubbies know their own pain and experience isn't only theirs to bear. I have to think that the best incentive is in fact your own life experience, and hope in this next year many of you folks around the world with post-club feet find the courage and time to open up more, share resources and ideas, commiserate and cajole where appropriate, and make 2011 a better year for clubbies everywhere.
Happy New Year to you all.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
4 comments:
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I look forward to hearing more as well, and to having more to share. Unfortunately, when my feet don't hurt and I get busy I sort of forget that I was born with these feet, but when they give me problems, it's all I can think about.
ReplyDeleteHey, Puckett,
ReplyDeleteYer right, of course. None of us want to even have to think about our feet, but they prove to be quite loud about their need for constant attention, don't they? I actually remember when I still had more good days than bad ones, and I can say without any hesitation I'd love those days back. But pain, while it will never be considered a "friend", is one way of developing patience, I suppose. I mean, I sure ain't going anywhere fast, eh?:-)
Are there any links to resources about stretches, supplements, anything to keep those of us who still have more good days than bad on the good side of that ratio for longer?
ReplyDeleteI try and keep my hamstrings and calves stretched to avoid a torn Achilles for as long as I can. I take Glucosamine/Chon to try and stave off the arthritic changes in my feet and ankles.
Puckett,
ReplyDeleteKeep the stretches going, but the ticket is to do them slow and hold, not fast and bounce. The other thing is to keep the weight off - not easy as age creeps up, but it makes a real difference on the knees and ankles. It's also a good idea to do some kind of inversion exercise - headstands, inversion table, or hanging from a bar (no, not Louis' Joint!) I have been working with a physical therapist in addition to my on-going prolotherapy, and she's been working with the small foot movements, using therabands - -its a bit tricky to explain, but sit down with your feet in front of you and try to point your toes as far forward as possible, then bring them back toward your head as far as possible, using a band to offer resistance - not much, just enough that you can feel it.
Now, do the same thing but point your toes toward the inside, and bring them back toward the outside, again, using the band. Then do the opposite - point them toward the outside, then back toward the inside. Do these as sets of ten, slow against resistance. It doesn't matter how far you are able to stretch them, just push it to your own limit. These can be very daunting at first, but they serve to really strengthen the smaller muscles in your feet. Start with low reps/sets, and work up. Given the degree of limitations of joint motion many of us have, don't feel you have to meet some criteria set by others - take it easy, go slow. Even when you feel able to do more reps/sets, keep doing the exercises slow and steady - the idea is to build strength. Over time, you may find the degree of stretch extend somewhat, but don't make that your goal.
I myself am somewhat dubious about the glucosamine - recent studies don't give it much validity, but them I always say what works is what works, so keep it going? I can tell you one thing about the arthritic changes - osteoarthritis is substantially different from rheumatoid. While us clubbies are as open to the likelihood of rheumatoid as anyone else, we will almost certainly develop osteo, due to the higher wear and tear on our sad little puppies. So anything you can do on a regular basis that releases or reduces pressure is a good thing.
This might include hot soaks, whirlpool/hot tubs, inversion tables, foot massages - anything that takes pressure off your foot joints on a regular basis. There is some stuff out there on the web (and I'll get some links up soon,) but most I've seen emphasize medications, and other than pain meds, I doubt much of the ones touted for osteo, other than good old fashioned aspirin (which, if you weren't aware of it, is still the best anti-inflammatory around - use enteric coated aspirin if you have a sensitive stomach,)will do much more than you can do with some of the things I mentioned here.
By the way, I recently heard an interesting theory, which I want to do more research on, to the effect that using foot vibrators may subtly create more wear on foot cartilage, unless the foot is non-weight-bearing. It seems plausible, but as I said, I want to look at it a little closer.
Also, as I've said in several posts, I cannot emphasize enough the use of rocker soles on your shoes. They can significantly reduce both motion and pressure, if they are properly shaped.
Keep on keepin' on!