right shoes

I am having ankle surgery on September 21st in Pontiac, MI. This will be my 8th surgery, but my first ankle surgery. I have big goals following my recovery from this surgery and so I want to keep a journal to help track my progress and keep myself motivated. My Ultimate Goal? That would be the Whirlpool Steelhead Triathlon on July 31, 2010. It might be a bit of a lofty goal, but if I do not try, then I will never know.

Background: I injured this ankle when I was 16 years old during swim practice of all things. We were doing starts off the blocks and my foot slipped. I felt something in my ankle and although the pain was not horrible, I knew something was really wrong. The injury was worsened a few days later by my decision to get back in the pool and swim. Long story short, after 18 months and over a dozen visits to an ankle specialist my mom and I were given the diagnosis of it all being in my head.

At 16 years old to be in a lot of pain and be told that something is all in your head, its really tough to take. This hurt me in ways that I am only now realizing. Among other things I was embarassed. So I did the most logical thing I could think of and that was to pretend that nothing was wrong and go on with life. This mostly worked because I was also blessed with crappy knees and so they kept me from being active for many years. My ankle did bother me, but my knees bothered me more.

Early 2009: After 7 surgeries and three years of rehabbing I finally got the all clear for my knees. I resumed heavy activity with a desire to make up for lost time. Probably not the wisest choice, but 8 years of inactivity had made me a tad restless. Early in the year I started to get a nagging pain in my ankle that would not go away. I twisted it while running in April and the pain kept increasing. Doing the most illogical thing I ignored the pain and kept on doing heavy activity.

Summer 2009: By July the pain had grown to be all the time and quite persistant. I managed to still ignore it and keep on running. While on vacation in New Jersey the pain was all the time and I knew something was wrong but still did the foolish thing and ignored it. Honestly, I was afraid to be told once again that the pain was all in my head so I convinced myself it was not as bad as I thought.

The Final Straw: In early August I was racing an office chair and reinjured my ankle. I knew that it was all over at that point and I could not ignore the problem. I finally got a diagnosis, Peroneal Tendon Subluxation. After a few doctor visits and a trip to Pontiac to see a specialist, I finally had not only a diagnosis but also a plan.

The Plan: I am having surgery in Pontiac on September 21st to fix what probably should have been fixed 10 years ago. The idea of more surgery makes me crazy, but I am so relieved to finally have a solution to this very old problem.

The first three weeks will be the next closest thing to torture for me. I will be in a cast on not allowed to put any weight on my foot during that time. Basically, I will have to sit still. Since when do I sit still? The next 6 or so weeks I will have a walking boot on and will be able to start putting weight on my foot.

So after all that, I have just one question...will I be able to find any of my right shoes?