1st Hike - Is that a Sasquatch???

Been a while since I've visited the blog. So,...to Stephan's last comment about his video footage he has of me on my 1st hike, well, here it is. We were visiting a CPS site along the pipeline in Rio Blanco County, CO and we went to the top of this little hill to get a vantage point for some site photos. Yeah, it may be a small hill, but it was one that I could get to the top of! Even if it's not the most graceful climb, it's a starting point. This was the first time I've walked "off-road" besides picking up dog poop in the backyard since my new ankle was installed. What's that song? "Ain't no mountain high enough...."

Progress note: I'm still doing physical therapy 3x/week and the focus there is breaking up scar tissue that has adhesed to my bones as well as joint mobs and gaining hip/leg strength. Still have up and down days as far as pain goes but overall, I think I'm still improving with function. Depending on the time of day and where I'm at with stretching, I can pretty much walk w/o a limp but that doesn't last forever. Everytime I try to figure out a cycle or reasons as to why I have more pain on some days as opposed to others, I get surprised. Essentially, if I were to do nothing, my pain would fade away over time. But then, I'd be sitting there doing nothing and I can't have that. Next is how much can I do and how do I know when to slow down or stop before pain becomes intolerable? Hmmm,... a question that I may never find the answer to b/c everyday is different and the variables are constantly changing. It's best to always stretch and focus on walking as straight as possible. Easier said than done. I have developed somewhat of a bone spur in my right foot (probably from over-use) and I am trying to even out my foot pressure and take it easy to let that heal up. Got new shoes this weekend which seems to be helping with my gate and comfort of walking. We're going to FL next week so walking on the beach will be interesting...

Overall, still very happy with the replacement and doing a lot better than I was before Dec. 14. Still keeping the hope alive for a brighter, happier, and less painful future!