My Achilles Heel: The First Stressful Week

I thought I'd post a brief update about how things have shaken out regarding the stress fracture in my left heel.

I'll be honest, it's been confusing. My doctor originally said I should wear a cast boot (similar to the one pictured below) and my heel would heal in about four weeks. He said I could still walk on it but try to reduce how much walking I do each day. So for a couple of days following my diagnosis I wore a boot and walked on my heel like normal. This ended up causing continued pain in my heel due the cumulative effect of pressure on my foot.

With further research, I found that his recommendations seemed quite liberal compared to how many other doctors treat stress fractures. A standard treatment for an ailment like mine has usually been a cast boot and no weight bearing for at least a few weeks, with the total treatment time being six to eight weeks. Some outlets have even said that just walking on a stress fracture can cause more damage up to and including the need for surgery.

So I had a number of concerns.

First, it seemed like walking on a painful heel was a bad idea. It wasn't so much a problem for very short periods or distances (i.e. from one room to the other), but being on my feet for any length of time was painful. So I questioned my doc again whether I should even be bearing weight on my foot.

Second, walking with pain was compounded by the fact that my job is tied to walking a lot. Just to give you an idea, wearing a pedometer last year showed that I walk an average of 11,000 steps a day at work. That ends up being a little more than 5 miles each and every work day or a near-marathon length 26 miles a week. What's more, all that walking ends up being long distances in chunks spanning almost 1/4 mile one way to get from my office to another location in my workplace. I asked the doc if there was any way to help with getting from place to place during the day.

My doctor decided that I probably should be non-weight bearing if my heel continues hurting. As for how to get around, he said crutches or a wheelchair would work. I asked if an electric mobility scooter could be a viable option. He agreed it would but thought it would be cost prohibitive.

I have researched the possibility of getting a mobility scooter but have run into some bumps along the road. It seems as though insurance won't cover the rental of such things. My insurance also wouldn't pay for purchasing one as my condition is not a life-long or long-term disability. So it seems like the only options I have left are to either use some of the funds we've set aside in our Flexible Spending Account (you know, that "cafeteria plan" you can put tax-free money into at work to pay for medical expenses) or pay out of pocket. The FSA would be a good option, but we've already designated those funds to pay for outstanding bills from our baby's birth in August and other expenses. Paying out of pocket isn't a very good option because we don't really have money available to do that.

So right now I'm using a combination of crutches and a manual wheelchair (pictured), both which have been borrowed from friends who have no immediate need for them. They work out okay, but traversing the long distances has proven exhausting.

So my arms are tired and, quite honestly, my spirit is too.

It's bad enough not being able to go barefoot AT ALL for a couple of months (though I cheat at bedtime and when I shower each morning), but to have such limited mobility when my job is so reliant on me walking around? That really sucks, I won't lie.

But, I know I'll come out of this stronger and better for it. I already have a new appreciation for those that must always use crutches or wheelchairs. Maybe, just maybe, I'll also get some pretty hearty biceps, too?

I guess tickets to the gun show go on sale in six to eight weeks.

I welcome your comments below.