New Shoe Happiness, or A Story Of My Feet

I am coming to the end of an ongoing saga with my feet. For years they’ve swollen (along with my ankles) at the least amount of provocation: either it’s too cold, it’s too hot, it decided to rain or snow, it was a full moon, whatever.

And I couldn’t figure out why.

I went to see a podiatrist who recommended a series of injections. Because me and regular anesthesia don’t get along (ahem, it doesn’t work on me), I had to endure every single prick of the needle.

And it didn’t work.

Another year and change went by with me having to wrap my ankle or elevate it on my lunch break before I decided I wasn’t cured, like my previous podiatrist said I was. He also suggested weight loss would help, as did others around me. I even thought it would help, for a time.

Here’s the problem with that: it’s pretty damned difficult to work out when it hurts to STAND, let alone walk on a treadmill or do something as strenuous as CrossFit. I did yoga for years, but the pain and tingling even made doing something as simple as Tree Pose hurt.

So, this past December I found another doctor who looked at my ankles, took an x-ray, and discovered in about 10 minutes what my previous doctor hadn’t in months of treatment:

It wasn’t my joints. It’s my ligaments. Mostly that they’re weakened from life, and previous activities I did when I was younger.

Never once said a word about weight loss. Apparently, this is a common ailment that happens over time. Funny how that works.

After an MRI to rule out a torn ligament, I now have a brand new set of orthotics and an order to wear sneakers at work.

Now, I can’t always wear the sneakers depending on what has to be done that day, but I make it a point to wear them as often as possible. And for the first time in years, I actually went home after a long workday without swollen, achy feet and ankles. The orthotics realign my feet for me.

All this back story goes to how over the years, flats have been my life. Now, don’t get me wrong–I love flats. But all of the heels I’ve known and loved over the years I ended up giving away because my feet hurt too bad to wear them for even the tiniest time. I’ve missed them. Some outfits just aren’t the same without a bold heel to balance it out.

Now that I have some resolution, I’m hoping that with time and me getting back to yoga to further strengthen my feet, I can wear some pretty shoes for my birthday month (I celebrate the whole month. I turn 30, so I’m partying for 30 days. ^_^)

These will hopefully be part of the rotation:

These lovely spiked numbers are from JustFab.

I’m feeling better, and hopefully, I can regain a part of me lost to the pain. But don’t worry, I won’t go overboard. Just enough to pose and be fierce. 🙂