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Fusion Long ride to a successful Fusion

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Well hello, "Pegleg"! It's nice to meet you! I feel like a weather barometer as well, especially today....it's going to rain the next few days and my leg knows it! I'm sorry that your fusion has caused you back problems enough to have another surgery on you knee/leg. May I ask?
How much shorter is your fusion leg than your other one? (Mine is 1 1/4" shorter...waiting for modified sneakers this week!)
I'll go read your thread....do you mind if I ask you a few questions along the way? ....what did you find the most difficult to do with your fusion? What type of fusion did you have? (I notice you mention a "pin")

I am already having problems with my back, but I was told that before the fusion. We are hoping that once I'm "balanced" with the lift in the shoe, that will help to solve the problem.
 
Audrey.....I would put my money on you to find a way to ride again. Here is an episode from the old "Gunsmoke" series that shows Chester riding and dismounting. While I agree that he didn't really have a fused knee, he still did have some type of brace to keep his leg straight for his character and he is riding and got off the horse with ease. I'd keep that as a goal!

Oh....no mule either!!! :th_heehee:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F-MF7EMPlCg&feature=relmfu
 
Hi Audrey,

The worse thing for me is flying on long flights its so uncomfortable and you will find that your stiff leg will have pins and needles. I have had DVT in that leg. Just remember when you are walking slow down or you will trip over I have noticed that I can twist my ankle easy then before.

There is a second one that has a big effect on me but you will find this one out with your husband :wink1:
 
Wow! Thanks Jamie! Good 'ole "Chester"! That was sooo much fun to watch! I think I told everybody that my hubby bought me a new horse for Valentine's Day. She is a registered Connemara mare and will turn 3 next month. She is really sweet and has had some ground training, but hasn't been trained to ride yet. As it's my LEFT leg that is fused, and most people mount a horse from the left, we are going to train "Ivy" to have me mount from the right side. It's going to be VERY strange for
me, but since Ivy doesn't know the difference, then what the heck! We are going to be sure that she is trained VERY well before I get on her, which probably won't be for a couple of years.
The gal that is going to train her has a super safe horse that I'll be able to get on and get my confidence.

Oh, Andrew....you are soooo funny! However, no problems in THAT department! :thumb:
 
Audrey,

I love your upbeat attitude! I can see you riding your horse faster than two years down the road. You won't be able to contain yourself!:wink1:
 
[Bonesmart.org] Long ride to a successful Fusion
 
Audrey, I love reading about you and your fusion, and I am certain sure that you will be riding again before too long, riding is a bug and not easy to resist and having your own horse is just too big a carrot to resist for long! I wish you luck and joy when you do start to ride again, its the one thing I want to do again. My husband and I started to ride around 10 years ago and absolutely loved it. Whenever we were on holiday we always found a stables that allowed you to hack out, and out we would go, in the rain and the sun, and once in Northumberland we hacked up steep slopes into the clouds which was amazing, and the horses were so sure footed we never felt that they were going to stumble at all, and neither did they, so keep getting stronger and soon................

Jo, I too love the little man walking on its just like you say, popping in and out and giving all of us Bonesmarties such good advice or encouragement for which no doubt we will be forever grateful.

Take care everyone... :friends:
 
WOW Audrey, that looks mammoth. Like high heeled sneakers!! Hope they do the trick and your gait feels much more comfortable in the future so that all your back and other problems just disappear!

Bye for now. :friends:
 
Audrey, I'm just green with envy----your magic sneaker has a lot more magic than mine. Yes, my poor little sneak doesn't hold a candle to yours. I wanna know all about how it feels on, how you like or don't like it. Just plain nosy! I love the theme song Jamie found for you.
 

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OMG, Jamie! That video is just waaaaay too funny! :hysterical: Thanks for posting it, as yes...it is sooo appropriate for me now!

I've got to remember that it's been a long time since I've walked correctly, let along stood correctly, so I've got to get in the correct mind-set that just because I have my "magic sneaker", I'm not going to be able to just get up and walk like I did 3 years ago. It's going to take a while to get used to the feel of being "level" again, and walking with a straight leg.
Whereas the bones are still fusing, I get some pain (deep ache) at the top of the nail in the femur. I'm guessing a lot of the pain is muscular as well, as I don't have a working quad, so other muscles are working hard to do the work. I walked along the deck for about 10 minutes yesterday, and it felt soooo good...but hurt later that evening. Just gotta take it slower than I WANT to, but I have to!
 
Audrey, Soooo happy your magic sneaker made walking feel soooo good. :hapydancsmil: But right you are--you're going to have to take it slow and easy so your body can get used to being level and to your new gait.

Pretty soon you can do a YouTube video showing you dancing to your new theme song!!! Wouldn't that be a hoot!!!:th_heehee:
 
Audrey,
Happy to hear how well you are coming along with your recovery and your walking feeling so good.
:thumb:
 
Glad you all like my little chap! Just my way of letting you know I am around even if I don't post that much!

Audrey, that shoe looks cool! Be careful you don't fall off it! :th_heehee:

Jamie, that clip was great - love that kind of music.
 
Looks like it's going to be "trail and error" (more error at this point) when it comes to getting the correct shoe/sneaker/boot with the full lift. I just can't seem to get used to these sneakers, and I think I know why now.

The sneakers are a bit "cushy", which makes my heel sink into the sneaker when I walk...which causes my leg to feel like it's really bending backwards! (If you remember, I've only got a 2 degree bend in it, so when i walk, it feels like my leg is hyper-extending a slight bit) Also, because I also have to put 1/4" lift in the heel to make it a complete 1 1/4" modification, it feels like I could turn my ankle really easily. I don't need a broken ankle at this point!

So...today, I put on a pair of my riding boots. They have a 1" heel and are solid on the bottom. They also come up around my ankle and give me support there as well. Unfortunately, they don't have the 1" lift in them....yet...but I got a good idea of what they would feel like and how much BETTER they would support me. I think I also have to have my heel higher than the ball of my foot. I seem to balance much better that way.

I wish is was easy, but it isn't. Putting heel lifts, inserts, etc. into the sneaker that I modified just isn't doing the job. If I put more than a 1/2" lift in the heel, the back of my foot can come out of the back of the sneaker. Not good either! GGGrrrrrrr!!!!
So...I'm going to have my riding boots modified (they are just like hiking boots, but don't have a hiking boot bottom) so that when I go up to the barn, I'll have something to wear. I'll keep wearing one sneaker on my left foot (any sneaker will do!) and nothing on my right foot while I'm moving about in the house. I just can't go "barefoot" anymore, as my right hip is really killing me because it's doing all the work. The back isn't doing too bad, but I don't want that to start acting up.
I'm sure in a few more months, I'll have it all figured out...just didn't think it would be THIS difficult! :hairpulling:
 
Is it the sole or the insole that is squishy? Maybe a firm orthotic to replace the insole?
 
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