How long is a week?

It's very long when you're waiting for two weeks to be over!

Laura give my hidden toes a little trim, to get rid of flaky skin and perhaps psoriasis. They aren't very itchy, but they did feel better once she was done. Her Mother's Day gift! (besides the flowers, card and Super Mom badge)  She thought my toes looked pretty grotty, so she took a picture to show me.
 (That was Before she did her work on them)

I won't see the doctor and plaster techs until a week tomorrow... seems like forever!

This cast is much looser than the previous one; it started looser and just keeps on giving me more wiggling space. I am wiggling my toes as prescribed. I have put the foot down abruptly on a couple of occasions--usually when tripping-- and it hurts! Otherwise, it does not hurt, but it feels clammy and sometimes scratchy around the "pins".

Double Trouble

This week has been mostly boring in the foot department.

Sunshine!

I did get out in the sunshine one day.

I have figured out that one croc flip flop is a good enough support for my hopping (left) foot. Of course, I get to wear socks and crocs (in my case, just sock and croc of course) because crocs, wonderful as they are, encourage the psoriasis on my soles.

The right foot is reasonably comfortable in its lighter cast, and is able to wiggle a bit. I am wiggling my toes often, as directed by Dr. Brunet. The whole foot moves around a tiny bit, too. Sometimes I feel rough or scratchy things inside, but the doctor warned me there were some long pins that might cause that.

My right little toe is still invisible from where I sit, but I can feel it when it wiggles or when someone checks for me. Trouble is, there is considerable flakiness under and around that toe. Psoriasis strikes again, or so I assume.  I put Dovobet on it or get someone else to (Laura the Fearless, for instance), and get some relief from scratching with a QTip, and removing some of the crud. Yuck.

I got out on Sunday with Rachel. We used the wheelchair and had a tour around an artisan's craft show. Tonight Neil and I are going to a play at the Gladstone and then out to dinner! Whee!

A change of cast and time to wiggle my toes

Yesterday I went to the Plaster Room and had the first cast removed, my foot inspected, and a new one applied. The technician was charming and efficient and the doctor was pleased with his work and my healing.

On Easter Sunday, Rachel, Cole, Beatrix and I did some decorating.

On Monday, Laura  took a picture of my toes so I could see them.

And she added her freehand map of France:

The technician (Martin) carved around most of the artwork, but did not give it to me, after all.
I have the pictures, which is better.

Here is my foot, from my angle:

And from Neil's:

 

Doctor Brunet admired his stitching and bone-adjusting, and said it was coming along well.

The psoriasis on my shin had faded away, so that was good. No need to be itchier.

 

Then Martin wrapped it all up in layers and applied fiberglass (Ms. CanoeFoot!) and we were good to go. Georgeanne was a valuable driver and navigator.

 

Here's the foot at home:



It hurts a little more now, because the angle has changed, but the cast is lighter and that makes me more nimble. I got my own breakfast (yogurt and cereal) using the wheelchair, and that worked fine.

I go back in 2 weeks for a new cast and a look at progress. In the meantime, no weight-bearing and no bathing. But I am supposed to wiggle my toes as much as as I want!

Sun, sand and surf

My week in Key West around Nov. 1 was both good and bad for my feet. As usual, sun and water improved my psoriasis. But not as much as I would have liked. When I saw Dr. Dossetor in December, she changed my prescription, saying the Dovobet was too strong for my shins and was thinning the skin too much.
Besides swimming, I did some walking, lots of standing, and lots of bicycling in Key West. It might have been a little too soon for the biking (although the flat landscape was wonderful!), because Dr. Gartke said my foot bones had not healed as straight as they should have, or as they apparently had on the last x-ray.


I took my dermatologist's advice and went back to the land of sunny weather and salt water. This time, it was Mexico's west coast, where we visited our son and went diving. The sunshine did good work on my itchy shins and rough feet. Changing to the new cream had already made a difference to my shins in December.
As for the mechanical issues with my feet; here's the situation. The left foot, with its straightened toe bone, is getting more and more solid all the time. There are very few twinges anymore, and it seems to work well. I go back to see the orthopedist, Dr Gartke, in March. The right foot, however, is often sore and weak. I am looking forward to getting it straightened out, too, although I may have to keep the cast longer this time.

Progress, in little steps

Today I realized it was time to remove the spacer that fits between by big toe and the rest. Four weeks post-cast and my left foot is feeling pretty good. The toes wiggle some, the skin is solid, and some days, it's even better than the right one.

The right foot still has its bunion, and the blister I got in Paris is taking its time to heal up; it was pretty deep and is placed for maximum irritation.

I go to see Dr. Gartke in early December and have tentatively scheduled the right foot surgery for June 14 --  but that can't be right. June 14 is a Saturday. Maybe it's May 14, which is a Wednesday. In any case, I'm on the waiting list for cancellations before that.

I've had psoriasis flareups on my ankles and shins; probably not enough sunshine -- and too many hours in shoes! I also have an appointment with Dr. Dossetor late November/early December.  And I will spend a week in Key West this month and hope to expose my itchy bits to the sun!

Fourth week in the cast

It's starting to get tedious.
Also, I'm wearing the edges of the cast down through "normal" activities.
Showering at the cottage this morning was not as much fun--or as dry for my foot--as the last time. There wasn't any sunshine, and I was sloppier about positions, etc. I thought Neil would come and scrub my back, but he was busy with other stuff.  The cast got damp on the bottom, but I dried it with the hair dryer and it seems okay. Then I stuck it into another plastic bag, put on the boot and went to see the Sundance Festival at Maberly. A small festival, but getting around was not great for someone whose foot is slippery and a little sore (also the right leg got tired of doing all the work.).
Pain? Nothing that feels like bone problems. Just rubbing at the edges of the cast and itching, burning sensations from time to time. It may be the psoriasis asserting itself. It's hard to keep my sticking-out toes clean enough, and my heel and arch are pretty flaky.

Walking around, sort of

I can get around quite well now, and haven't needed the lovely cane Roy Flett made for me very much. But it certainly helps on rough ground and "long" walks. That's about 3 short city blocks, or a store witihout a shopping cart.
The cast rubs on my toes and, of course, my right leg compensates in peculiar ways for my left foot's unusual stiffness. But while I had some pain and twinges last week, all seems to be much calmer this week. It hurts most when I'm in bed: I think it's because my brain is mostly unoccupied then and the effect is like poking at a sore tooth.
I am a little concerned about my skin under the cast. Sometimes it feels very hot, other times rather slimy or cold, and sometimes --rarely--it itches. Walking with a bare heel exacerbates the calluses and cracks, so I have been basting it regularly with Doak Oil (which has been discontinued! oh, no!) when I soak the right foot. And I have it wrapped in a piece of old t-shirt, after I put on the Dovobet. So the exposed part is doing pretty well, although a bit flaky.
My right foot is okay, but the footwear that provides the most balanced height for both feet is a Croc, which doesn't provide support and which irritates the skin on my heel. So it's socks and Crocs, or, more accurately, sock and Croc, for the right, and bare toes, the cast, a wrapped heel and the cast boot on my left.  What a fashion statement!

Internal and external updates

Internal
Footbones
Well, I have been to the orthopedic surgeon to find out about getting my bunions fixed. And I'm going to get the first one done this summer! After they break the long toe bones and realign them, they put you in cast for 6 weeks. Then there's 6 more weeks of gentle motion, and after that, things should get to a new normal. She also prescribed a shoe-fix to help the metatarsals, expecially in my right foot. My new shoes at are at the shoe expert's now. I'm getting the left bunion done first, because the bunion there, although less pronounced than the one on the right foot, accounts for more of the pain in that foot.

External
And the skin?
I have nearly no psoriasis on my feet, except below the ankle bone on my left heel, mostly. But it has been all over my shins all spring. Flaming red, bumpy shins are not nice in shorts weather! It's fading a lot on the left leg and a little on the right. I just keep treating it with Dovabet and the tarry-salicylic cream, and Vaseline if it gets too itchy between doses. I think I've kept it under control: no infections anyway. I have an appointment with Dr. Dossetor next week, so we'll see what she says.

Upward creep...

It's not the feet so much anymore: it's the shins!
My shins have red, bubbly patches and are quite itchy at times. My feet, except around the ankle bones, are pretty much clear!
Since there has been some spring sunshine, and it's occasionally warm enough to sit outside, I have been trying to sun my shins. Sure hope real spring comes soon, as that will make it much easier to get that natural light on them.
In the meantime, I apply the Dovobet in the daytime and the salacylic + vaseline at night, and touch up with plain vaseline when the itch gets too bad.
Strangely enough, several years before my feet became a problem, my shins were often itchy, but any problems were completely invisible.

January in Florida

I am in Florida, sunny Florida, and so my skin problems are greatly diminished. The bone problems (bunions, etc.) are no better.
Hooray for sunshine!

These are my feet after walking across Key West to Mallory Square.

Flaky feet and useless shoes

So, the feet have been pretty good--with respect to skin, at least--this fall. But in the last week or so, my ankes have neen inflamed. They are red, a lttle spotty, and itchy--terribly itchy at times. Mostly just the inner sides, and from the sole to just past the anke bone.
And my right foot has developed flakes, kind of post-blistery. On the arch and between the little and second-last toes. Weird!

The foot bones are another issue. The bunions are a big nuisance and all the other parts seem unhappy, too.
I bought a new pair of shoes a few weeks ago. They were perfect in the store. Clark's, soft leather, in a metallic shade, flats.  But the first time I wore them they were too big and floppy, until my feet swelled up and they were uncomfortable in other ways. I've tried to wear them once in a while, to get used to them, but it is very discouraging! And I thought they were going to be my dancing shoes.

May: allergy month

So, my feet have been pretty well-behaved lately. I keep up the creams and socks, and they don't give me much trouble. But I have noticed that as the spring allergy season approaches, perhaps combined with the long nights at work of the spring Parliamentary season, little bumps are popping up here and there, and not always on feet!
Soles are pretty good, with a few callouses. But around the sides and heels, there are spots and there are flaky bits, like old blisters. Nothing sore, and not very itchy.
My shins look as though I had been walking in brambles. Rather red and bumpy, but not awfully itchy. It actually helps if I keep them clean-shaven, although I once thought that irritated the skin. At least it's less itchy that way.
The itchiest part of me is my back, between my shoulder blades. It's in a spot I can just barely reach and certainly can't see. Sometimes I get Neil to put some cream there, but it's hard to get his attention at the appropriate moment.
The itchiest thing this week has been blackfly bites! I got quite a reaction to the 8 or 10 I got on Sunday, but the itching was over by Tuesday, mostly. May have some scars, though.

Winter may be over

The skin on my feet is in good shape, but the bunions are becoming a bigger problem, especially as I move out of comfy, wide winter boots and into "real" shoes for spring.
I had quite a spell a couple of weeks ago when the tops of my feet broke out in typical, itchy psoriasis bubbles. The red, itchy problem went way up my shins, too, and both right and left. The soles of my feet weren't affected this time!
I applied my night and day creams assiduously and tried to refrain from scratching, and it eventually subsided. Still a few red spots on the shins, but not itchy.
I'm learning how to deal with it, but it's still a nuisance. It is a good excuse to wear socks to bed, tho!

December checkup

Checkup with Dr. D. the Dermatologist yesterday. Feet and elbows passed inspection. Ankles have been itchy and red lately, so Dovobet is the answer (as for all these problems). Renewed prescriptions for Dovobet and tar cream. Sunshine and salt water in Cozumel seem to have done good things, too. Had the moles on my back checked, too, and nothing to report. Good.
See her again in June!

My right foot is incredibly itchy today! But only a little flaky.
I am barefoot, and wearing sandals today, so that is probably why it is uncomfortable.
I haven't been entirely consistent in applying my night and day creams and wearing socks. Usually, though, I can catch up by soaking a little while in Doak Oil.
One thing of note: the Doak Oil Forte is much more effective than the plain variety.
Except for the itch and the bunions, my feet don't hurt lately, and that is A Good Thing!

Sore feet (bunions)

I have been buying shoes and experimenting with socks.
Winter seems to have damaged my feet: there are strange red spots in some places, and callusses and blisters forming on my inner left heel and the bunions on both feet, but worse on the left.
I am heading to Bonaire next week, so hope to be barefoot, underwater, and/or exposed to sunshine.
I see Dr. Dossetor at the end of May.

The Arm

So, I took my oozing arm to Dr. Dossetor on Feb. 7, because I already had an appointment. She said some Hmmms and prescribed antibiotics, inside and out.
She also took me off the "scary medicine" (Soriatane), as she thought that might be weakening my system.
It took 2 weeks, but it has healed. Still a little itchy and still a little red, but not much of a bother. What a mess!
(every time I put polysporin on it--especially from the tube at work) it flared up again.)
I'll go back to her in May for a foot check-up.

Feet are great, but what about the Arm?

So, about a week ago Monday-ish, I got a scratch on my left arm, on the inner forearm, in a spot that's always resting on desks, counters, knees, etc. It was a deep, straight scratch, but I don't remember it happening. In fact, people pointed it out to me before I noticed it myself. It didn't hurt. After a couple of days, though, it got itchy and reddish; oh, oh, an infection!
After that, things went straight to hell. I tried Polysporin, I tried alcohol (applied externally), I tried hot, hot water to urge the infection to hurry up and leave. On Friday when I went to Toronto, I had it well bandaged to keep out germs and keep ooze in.
But it got worse and worse. By Monday, it was a big bump that oozed yellow (and sometimes red) liquid all the time! It got redder and itchier. Then I remembered I still had some silver absorbent stuff left over from wound care of the foot, and I applied that on Wed. and Thurs. It seemed to do the trick. The oozing and itching have diminished a lot. It's still red and tender, but motly dry. What a pain!

January update

January 9 and the feet are still good. They are even better than in December. And the knees are good, too, because of my fitness trainer!
I am expecting to go skiing sometime this week, but have to get new ski boots as my feet have grown a couple of sizes!

Free at last, at least for now!

I've been Discharged from Phototherapy. The nurse (Kim) and I agree that my feet are pretty close to normal, close enough to stop!
So I now have 2.5 extra minutes in my day, if I have a fitness appointment the same day, and a huge 1 hour if I don't. What will I do with the time?
Ah, yes, prepare for Christmas, get some exercise, sleep!