The Impact of my Foot Pain

Looks like the saga with my foot pain is going to be a much longer one than I had assumed. I finally went to the doctor last week. She indicated it would likely take a couple months to heal. She didn't have any real ideas for helping it along outside of icing it, which I was already doing. Fortunately, I'm a bit more creative than she is and I've implemented several strategies, both to help with the healing process and to prevent future troubles.

Healing Strategy

1. New shoes and slippers. I picked up a pair of Under Armour, gel padded slider sandals at Dick's Sporting goods. Great for wearing around the house and for short trips outside. I then had to order a pair of super soft padded house slippers because they won't be in local stores for several more weeks. And finally I ordered a pair of Speedo padded, waterproof, slider sandals/shower shoes for use in the shower.

Since my metatarsals are swollen, the theme for now is slide on,
open toed, padded footwear only 

2. Epsom salt foot baths. Hubby read online that it's great for inflammation and sore feet so I've been soaking my feet in a bucket of warm Epsom Salt water regularly. Much to my surprise, I honestly think there is a short term benefit to these soaks.

3. Anti-fatigue Mats. We found these great anti-fatigue mats at Costco for just $18. I've put one in front of the kitchen sink, one in front of the stove and one in front of my bathroom sink. That covers most of the standing I do. Since all of our flooring is hard surfaces it seemed important to pad my standing spots. I'm sure glad we did. My feet are still too hurt to make standing for more than 5 minutes difficult, but I'm really only able to do it now because we have these mats.

4. Padded exercise mat. A big part of my exercise regime has always been done on my old yoga mat, stretching, yoga poses and various leg lifts and bends. Since the yoga mat just sits on the hard floor I decided this needed to be replaced with a padded exercise mat. Although, I won't be doing any yoga poses or leg exercises until my feet feel much better.

Prevention Strategy

1. Throw away almost all of my shoes. While most of my shoes are actually nice shoes, they are all 4-22 years of age. Yikes! I do have one pair of boots that I've only had for 1 1/2 years so I'm going to keep those in hopes of putting some orthodics in them this winter.

2. Get new shoes. I bought a nice pair of tennis shoes but I'll need a pair of casual shoes to wear with jeans too. I'm not in a hurry. Two months is a long time.

3. Get new shoes every few years. I don't need many pairs because my life is pretty simple these days so regular replacement shouldn't be a big deal, though I'm certain it will feel strange to buy new shoes regularly.

How this impacts my Chronic Migraines and Fibromyalgia:
I'm trying hard not to feel defeated by this foot pain but it's been a real challenge. Paced activity is a crucial part of my chronic pain management strategy. However, the pain is pretty bad in my right foot and it gets seriously aggravated whenever I'm standing, walking or even sitting with my feet on the floor. Basically, unless I'm resting with my feet up or laying down I'm angering my feet.

In an attempt to avoid the terrible shooting pain that results from allowing my weight to transfer to the part of my right foot that has the most sensitivity, I've altered my gate, which is putting all kinds of new stress on the rest of my foot, ankles, legs and even my hips. I feel like every time I'm on my feet I'm not only making matters worse and delaying the healing process but I'm also triggering fibro flares.

I'm being so careful because I want my feet to heal as quickly as possible. I need this to heal ASAP. My house is a mess, I'm not able to do much cooking so we are not eating very healthy and I'm being driven a bit mad from boredom. None of this is good for my migraines. I HATE THIS!!!