I have a confession to make.
Here goes.
I have recently taken to staring at people's feet -- unashamedly. But mainly I check out their shoes and watch how they walk, nothing kinky.
I'm jealous, I guess. I envy those whose feet are straight and in alignment. But I also get amazed at the shoes some people wear.
I see shoes with super high heels and narrow toe boxes or super flat, flimsy flip-flops, and I cringe. And my own feet ache in solidarity with other folks' put-upon dogs.
And I owe my new interest to the problems I've had with my own feet.
If there was an organized club for foot and shoe awareness, I'd join. I'd pass out literature about how our feet can be damaged by our choice of shoes, ill health and activities. And what about an anonymous group for those who need help to kick their bad foot habits?
I'm not judging, mind you. It's just that once our feet get jacked up, the path we travel becomes quite bumpy. I'm living proof.
I've written before about my diagnosis of Charcot neuroarthropathy, a weakening of the bones in my right foot, which has caused some deformity. It makes me walk on the outer side of my right foot. I've also written about the ankle and foot brace I have now, which has taken a bit of getting used to.
The brace is designed to put my foot and ankle into proper alignment, and it does. But until a couple of weeks ago I was still walking on the outside of the foot. So I headed back to Snell Prosthetics and Orthotic Laboratory to see what else could be done. After a couple of hours, they had me fixed up.
A rubber sole was put on the bottom of the brace. It has an angle that helps lean the foot to the left. They also put a thick piece of rubber on the outer right side of the right shoe. It widens the sole and keeps the foot from rolling to the right, and it has made all the difference in the world.
But the next day I noticed that the shoe, or brace, was squeaking like crazy when I walked. And it was loud. I felt embarrassed. I felt like everyone was staring and wondering what in the world was going on with my shoe.
Or what I'd had for lunch that day.
I did online research for solutions and found a few ideas. Some suggested silicone spray for squeaky leather. Some recommended talcum powder sprinkled in the shoe. I tried the powder, but it didn't work.
Then one morning last week I got the bright idea to take the thin insole out of the right shoe. I figured it might be shifting a bit when I walked, making the noise.
Well, lo and behold, that seems to have done the trick. But I won't hold my breath.
I will admit to a pity party over the whole thing. Between the squeaking, and the fact that I'm wearing shoes a size and half bigger now, I've felt a bit overwhelmed. You can imagine, right?
But I have moved on. I'll live and I'll adjust. I'm so blessed in many ways, and at least I still have the foot.
TIME TO KNUCKLE DOWN
Now that things are slowly getting back to some sort of normalcy, I really do have to address my eating and exercise habits. I'm going to start following the 52-week plan found in the book Diabetes Weight Loss: Week by Week. It's written by Jill Weisenberger, a registered dietitian.
The book is set up so that over the course of a year you work toward taking and keeping weight off. It includes learning positive habits, and there are charts to track progress, success stories and menus with recipes. I plan to share my successes and failures, and I would love to have company on the journey.
For information on the book, or if you'd like to work the program along with me, go to diabetes.org, the website of the American Diabetes Association.
Email me at:
rboggs@arkansasonline.com
ActiveStyle on 07/20/2015