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Good for you, Rodney! I’m glad to hear that things are getting a little more normal for you. Sometimes life can really be a challenge, but your wonderful sense of humor will help a lot.
Spine First TKR and now Spinal Fusion
- Thread starter AussieRodney
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@AussieRodney Just checking to see how you are doing! Hope all is well. Please update when you get a chance.
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AussieRodney
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Perfect timing. Enjoying the work.
As for the orthotic brace, it continues to be a pain (yes, pun intended) to get it onto the foot, but at least the shoe has mellowed a bit, and sometimes it all comes together on the first attempt. I do at least have the chance to sit some of the time between customers.
Every now and then, like when I am at home all day, I give my feet a bit of a break and leave it off, so that the foot can flop normally (yes, pun also intended). The backlash is that about halfway through the brace-free day or evening, the zingers tend to start up, but this time they come raging out of the top of the foot, which being less protected, is usually rather more painful.
I was chatting with the lab tech yesterday while she took a blood sample and mentioned my situation. She told me that her sister had ended up with damage to the nerve that controls her speech! And I thought I had problems!
Here's a piece of Rodney logic. Because I often need to take both Rollator (for carrying "stuff") and cane (for walking distances), I usually go out with both. Here's the cane folded down into its "travel mode", sitting on the chair area with the handle at a right angle to provide an additional grip. The strap on the front will come in handy in the next picture.
![[Bonesmart.org] First TKR and now Spinal Fusion](https://bonesmart.org/forum/attachments/img_8479-jpg.87487/ "[Bonesmart.org] First TKR and now Spinal Fusion")
Here's the rest of the rig. All sorts of stuff in that bag, mostly for work, such as water bottle, snacks, phone, i-Pad, charger and anything else I might need that day. The Strap goes around at the front and under the chair, snapping into the clip. It's adjustable so that I can carry more or less, and in this case, holds the cane in place as well, so that I can get everything out to the car in one hit.
![[Bonesmart.org] First TKR and now Spinal Fusion](https://bonesmart.org/forum/attachments/img_8480-jpg.87488/ "[Bonesmart.org] First TKR and now Spinal Fusion")
When I go Door Dashing in my spare time, everything sits in the back seat, where the cane sits fully extended, ready to grab.
As for the orthotic brace, it continues to be a pain (yes, pun intended) to get it onto the foot, but at least the shoe has mellowed a bit, and sometimes it all comes together on the first attempt. I do at least have the chance to sit some of the time between customers.
Every now and then, like when I am at home all day, I give my feet a bit of a break and leave it off, so that the foot can flop normally (yes, pun also intended). The backlash is that about halfway through the brace-free day or evening, the zingers tend to start up, but this time they come raging out of the top of the foot, which being less protected, is usually rather more painful.
I was chatting with the lab tech yesterday while she took a blood sample and mentioned my situation. She told me that her sister had ended up with damage to the nerve that controls her speech! And I thought I had problems!
Here's a piece of Rodney logic. Because I often need to take both Rollator (for carrying "stuff") and cane (for walking distances), I usually go out with both. Here's the cane folded down into its "travel mode", sitting on the chair area with the handle at a right angle to provide an additional grip. The strap on the front will come in handy in the next picture.
Here's the rest of the rig. All sorts of stuff in that bag, mostly for work, such as water bottle, snacks, phone, i-Pad, charger and anything else I might need that day. The Strap goes around at the front and under the chair, snapping into the clip. It's adjustable so that I can carry more or less, and in this case, holds the cane in place as well, so that I can get everything out to the car in one hit.
When I go Door Dashing in my spare time, everything sits in the back seat, where the cane sits fully extended, ready to grab.
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Hi, Rodney! So good to hear from you and know you're still makin' it happen. I always love your posts with photos and tons of good tips for people who might need a little extra assistance getting around safely and efficiently. These ideas you posted are great! Thanks....
@AussieRodney Thanks for the update. Well done on the job! Hope you are enjoying it. As usual, looks like you are very well organised - equipped for all eventualities! 
OP
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AussieRodney
member
Thanks folks. Can't believe I'm nearly 71!Well done on the job! Hope you are enjoying it.
As always, nothing runs smoothly. My Staples store in Lynnwood is closing because the building owner got too greedy and Staples said no, so many of us are now waiting to see where we will go. I have applied to follow in Julie's footsteps and become a TSA agent. Interview tomorrow. I'd like to ink that my accent might tip the balance. Wait! What am I saying? I don't have an accent, you guys do!
Meanwhile, a different surgeon (yes, I do trust her) has been progressively firing shots into my lower back - first the SI Joint, then the one next to that, and recently blowing up the nerve. I think that's the one controlling the left leg but I could be wrong. The result from that so far is that the area of the foot that had been generating zingers is now generating pure pain. I'll see what she says at the check-in later this month.
....
Good luck with the job interview @AussieRodney !
Hope your spinal issues ease! Such a pain (literally)!
Hope your spinal issues ease! Such a pain (literally)!
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AussieRodney
member
I have some good news!
The pain in my lower back has come down to about a 2 out of 10.
And I can walk without assistance (very slowly) for short distances (20 feet-ish), with the orthotic brace in place and much shorter distances without it (the length of our kitchen).
The pain in my lower back has come down to about a 2 out of 10.
And I can walk without assistance (very slowly) for short distances (20 feet-ish), with the orthotic brace in place and much shorter distances without it (the length of our kitchen).
Fantastic news @AussieRodney ! Well done!
I am here to confirm that recovery from anything spinal is not at all fun. For me, it put hip surgery in the "cake walk" category.
You are doing so well!
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AussieRodney
member
Me again. Thank you all for the encouragement.
My boss negotiated a spot for me at the Marysville store, with a "possible" for training for the TSA. Travel is OK for me, because I will be going against the traffic going into Seattle.
Julie has a definite slot with TSA in Mill Creek, which is in the opposite direction. She will revert back to the DART service for going to and from.
My back pain remains at a 2, although my foot has started generating some much more "interesting" blasts. Imagine a 9 out of 10 pain coming out of your foot with nowhere to go, so it just sits there and hurts. We have started to use some Lidocaine 5% patches (courtesy of the VA), which have helped, applying them to both the toes and the new area on the foot, as needed.
Meanwhile, my walking is better, although nowhere near normal yet, with the main drawback being my left hip, which threatens to collapse at any time. The relatively good news is that I can walk with the cane at a reasonable pace - this is where the brace really kicks in by keeping the foot level. It almost makes it worth the effort to put it on every morning! I have even returned to Door Dashing, so I am at least adding a small amount to the coffers. And my doctor has referred me to the PT Specialist again. Love that girl, just don't tell her I said so.
My boss negotiated a spot for me at the Marysville store, with a "possible" for training for the TSA. Travel is OK for me, because I will be going against the traffic going into Seattle.
Julie has a definite slot with TSA in Mill Creek, which is in the opposite direction. She will revert back to the DART service for going to and from.
My back pain remains at a 2, although my foot has started generating some much more "interesting" blasts. Imagine a 9 out of 10 pain coming out of your foot with nowhere to go, so it just sits there and hurts. We have started to use some Lidocaine 5% patches (courtesy of the VA), which have helped, applying them to both the toes and the new area on the foot, as needed.
Meanwhile, my walking is better, although nowhere near normal yet, with the main drawback being my left hip, which threatens to collapse at any time. The relatively good news is that I can walk with the cane at a reasonable pace - this is where the brace really kicks in by keeping the foot level. It almost makes it worth the effort to put it on every morning! I have even returned to Door Dashing, so I am at least adding a small amount to the coffers. And my doctor has referred me to the PT Specialist again. Love that girl, just don't tell her I said so.
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AussieRodney
member
I have been continuously improving, as much as possible, the way that my foot and leg interact with the brace, because that brace can be pretty abrasive. I finally stumbled (yes, pun intended) across a significant improvement. When I recently showed it off to the person who did the final fitting, he was ecstatic and even asked if he could pass it on to other clients. There is a simple knee brace in there, forming a space between the leg and the brace stuff, providing a buffer to the upper leg area. Click on the picture for the fill effect. Feel free to pass it on to anyone you know!
Attachments
![[Bonesmart.org] First TKR and now Spinal Fusion](https://data.bonesmart.org/attachments/77/77633-be1d87ed087a7e6eeee8c301cea3711c.jpg?hash=vh2H7Qh6fm)
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That looks exactly like a brace I had to wear on both legs years ago when I had really bad plantar fasciitis. Once I got used to the braces, they really did work well. The only difference was that mine was white. I wore men's tube socks to keep the brace from chafing. They came up to my knees. I don't know if you can even get them anymore....this was back in the late 90's.
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AussieRodney
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Yes, the design hasn't changed over the years. BOTH legs, ouch!
They weren't bad at all during the day, but I was supposed to sleep with them too. I had a special insert that went in for sleeping so I didn't have to wear tennis shoes to bed. But it was horribly uncomfortable and I didn't use them consistently at night. However, my problem got better anyway. Since I had to get a size larger tennis shoe to accommodate the brace and sock plus you walk a bit flat-footed, I always felt a bit like Frankenstein when I was walking up and down the halls at work....clomp! clomp! clomp!!! But I got to where I could move pretty fast with them on.
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AussieRodney
member
Yep. Get me on a good day with my trusty cane and I can move rather well.
I had a breakthrough!
No, I'm still wearing the brace, but I am back to sessions with my wonderful PT lady, on the basis that she can cover the neuro aspects as well as the Physical Therapy. Side note - she was appalled that the neurosurgeons had been poking around so much in my lower back with very little results.
When I mentioned that it was such a battle getting the shoe on around the brace, she suggested putting the shoe inside the brace and then putting the foot into the shoe. It works, partly because the shoe has now had a chance to stretch a bit. It's SO EASY!
As usual, here are the pictures. The shoe with the brace as a "permanent" fixture.
![IMG_8583[1].JPG](https://data.bonesmart.org/attachments/77/77791-a464f572fc78f8ccec749d0c131c8534.jpg?hash=pGT1cvx4-M "IMG_8583[1].JPG")
And the foot slipping easily into the brace. These are my thick woolly socks (because it's nearly bedtime) and it's still relatively easy.
![IMG_8584[1].JPG](https://data.bonesmart.org/attachments/77/77792-ddac336ef86cf59887fb1b7c8c03f07e.jpg?hash=3awzbvhs9Z "IMG_8584[1].JPG")
Meanwhile, the zingers and fireballs continue, with the intensity anywhere between 1 & 10 - Ugh!
Julie's father's last words to her were "Don't get old - it hurts." ... Yep!
I had a breakthrough!
No, I'm still wearing the brace, but I am back to sessions with my wonderful PT lady, on the basis that she can cover the neuro aspects as well as the Physical Therapy. Side note - she was appalled that the neurosurgeons had been poking around so much in my lower back with very little results.
When I mentioned that it was such a battle getting the shoe on around the brace, she suggested putting the shoe inside the brace and then putting the foot into the shoe. It works, partly because the shoe has now had a chance to stretch a bit. It's SO EASY!
As usual, here are the pictures. The shoe with the brace as a "permanent" fixture.
And the foot slipping easily into the brace. These are my thick woolly socks (because it's nearly bedtime) and it's still relatively easy.
Meanwhile, the zingers and fireballs continue, with the intensity anywhere between 1 & 10 - Ugh!
Julie's father's last words to her were "Don't get old - it hurts." ... Yep!
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Glad you both figured out a better way to get your foot into the shoe! My father in law wears braces that are similar for foot drop issues.
So sorry you are still getting those bad zingers and fireballs!
So sorry you are still getting those bad zingers and fireballs!
Yep, I'm finding this out and I'm not even that old yet!
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AussieRodney
member
Not sure about mentioning product names in here, but here goes anyway (because I think it's useful).
These are bamboo socks from Cariloha that I have had for several years. With all the trauma over the foot drop, I hadn't thought of wearing them, and was pleasantly surprised when I did. They are soft AND elastic.
On the left leg, the sock stretches up far enough past the strap and brace that I can use it as a buffer between them and the skin, instead of using knee braces. Further down, it also creates a buffer between skin and the brace.
And on the right foot, it simply provides a buffer between skin and shoe. For the record, the shoes are Sketchers Athletics, one size bigger than the ones I usually wear. No long after all this started, I took the insole from the left and doubled up in the right, and it still doesn't quite match!
These are bamboo socks from Cariloha that I have had for several years. With all the trauma over the foot drop, I hadn't thought of wearing them, and was pleasantly surprised when I did. They are soft AND elastic.
On the left leg, the sock stretches up far enough past the strap and brace that I can use it as a buffer between them and the skin, instead of using knee braces. Further down, it also creates a buffer between skin and the brace.
And on the right foot, it simply provides a buffer between skin and shoe. For the record, the shoes are Sketchers Athletics, one size bigger than the ones I usually wear. No long after all this started, I took the insole from the left and doubled up in the right, and it still doesn't quite match!
No problem at all talking about specific items that help you. The only thing we don’t permit is a direct link to a site that sells the items…that is free advertising verses education. Thanks, Rodney! These look like great socks….can’t believe the stretch!
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OP
AussieRodney
member
Hi, everyone. I wish to report a series of breakthroughs.
1. I stumbled across a company called Flint Rehab, who specialize in "neurological recovery". Their main push is for Strokes, but since Foot Drop is in that same general area, they have lots of valuable data for me. The first step was to download their free "Foot Drop Rehab Exercises" document, which focuses on rewiring the nerves around the damaged areas - very simple exercises that even I can follow, and I am!
2. I dug out my TENS unit, to apply electrical stimulation to the nerves in my left leg. Already, the searing pain that had been coming up out of the foot has diminished by about 95%, for most of my day.
3. They sell their own version of the AFO (Ankle-Foot Orthosis) brace, which has all of the hardware on the outside of the shoe, and when mine arrives hopefully tomorrow, I should be able to walk as close to normal as I'll ever be.
1. I stumbled across a company called Flint Rehab, who specialize in "neurological recovery". Their main push is for Strokes, but since Foot Drop is in that same general area, they have lots of valuable data for me. The first step was to download their free "Foot Drop Rehab Exercises" document, which focuses on rewiring the nerves around the damaged areas - very simple exercises that even I can follow, and I am!
2. I dug out my TENS unit, to apply electrical stimulation to the nerves in my left leg. Already, the searing pain that had been coming up out of the foot has diminished by about 95%, for most of my day.
3. They sell their own version of the AFO (Ankle-Foot Orthosis) brace, which has all of the hardware on the outside of the shoe, and when mine arrives hopefully tomorrow, I should be able to walk as close to normal as I'll ever be.
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