Success!

Because of a too tight pressure bandage around my knee that I had taken off last Wednesday, my foot and ankle had become quite swollen, and even though the bandage was no longer around my knee, the swelling did not go down at all. It looked quite horrid and I did not fit into my shoe.

 

I decided to get serious about it yesterday and looked up the problem on line. I found a few sites that discussed it and the solution was clear. I had to exercise regularly and in between keep my leg elevated.

 

I decided that a good exercise would be to walk Tyke often for not too big a distance, keeping the pain in my knee in mind, and to lie on the sofa and watch television with my foot on a fat pillow the rest of the time.

 

As the day passed, that did seem to help and I saw some difference before I went to bed where I continued to keep my leg a little elevated while I slept. When I got up, I saw a huge difference and my foot and ankle were almost back to normal.

 

I will continue with this regime today until I can fit comfortably in my shoe again and all of the swelling is gone. I am very much relieved, because I was ready to make a doctor's appointment on Monday.

 

I am making it a habit to take that fat pillow with me wherever I go to sit down in a regular chair, so that the circulation in that one leg will not be cut off by the edge of the seat. I do notice that it causes some discomfort if I don't sit on the pillow.

 

As you age, and get these defects, you grow smarter and wiser about your body and what it likes and dislikes. I find I have to learn all these little tricks and faithfully apply them. I never gave it much thought before and pretty much had the attitude that I was invincible. I do now have to accept the fact that things are starting to work less well. I suppose you also learn to make less of a big deal out of them.

 

I don't really care about what the outcome of the MRI scan is. The only thing that matters is if I am able to live with whatever consequences that has and I will just have to adapt myself to them. It's an imperfect world we live in and the road can't be made perfectly smooth all the time.