One Eventful Monday

Hi Everyone,

Well, we had an interesting day today. Tim had a doctor's appointment for his foot this morning. He has been having pain in his left foot off and on for a few years, but it was always just flare ups now and then. This summer it got pretty bad, so he saw a doctor at a walk-in clinic while we visited my family in Sheboygan. That doctor recommended shoe inserts and rest, attributing the problem to plantar fasciitis (flat feet!). That didn't really help too much, but as long as Tim didn't do too much walking or activity on his feet the pain didn't get worse. Since we've been in Fresno, it's been constant and certainly has not gotten any better. It's so bad these days that even a short trip to Walmart has to be planned on good days. :( Turning wrong or bumping the side of his foot causes Tim to yelp out in pain and hobble for a while. I giggle at him, of course, but I knew it needed to be taken care of. Finally, last week I got Tim to make an appointment with a podiatrist... and that was today.

This doctor was great! He treated the problem seriously, asked a lot of questions, and really studied Tim's feet. He manipulated Tim's foot to see what hurt and where, watched him walk, measured his legs (uneven by at least 1/2 an inch due to a broken ankle in childhood), and took X-rays. It turns out that Tim has a "Jones fracture" in the outside of his foot. These fractures take the longest to heal because of the placement on the foot, which is right where all the pressure goes as you step. The doctor says he expects normal fractures to heal within 6 weeks, but that this kind typically takes at least 12 weeks! It is also due to the generally low blood flow to that area of the foot, which does not allow bone to heal as fast. Several tendons also pull on that area of the foot as you walk, which means it gets jarred more than a fracture in another area would.

Tim has a "walking sandal" right now. Basically, it looks like those adorable boot things only cut off at the ankle. The doctor also recommended a special kind of shoe insert to alleviate pressure on the foot. We had to go to a special store to get them...and they were pricey! I teased that now we needed to go spend money on Norah and me. We will also be icing Tim's foot two times a day for 20 minutes. This is supposed to artifically increase the blood flow to that area of the foot in order to prompt the bone to begin growing back. Tim will go back in about a month to have another evaluation and X-ray to see if there is any healing taking place. At that time, the doctor will decide if this is working quickly enough or if he thinks a "walking boot" will be necessary. If this sandal doesn't work, Tim may also be facing some sort of bone stimulation procedure and physical therapy. There are a lot of factors working against Tim right now, making it difficult for his foot to heal. He says the sandal doesn't feel like it's tight enough, and that it isn't really restricting the movement of his foot as much as he thought it needed to. I guess we'll see what happens in a few weeks. For now, we ask your prayers! I need Tim to be gimp-free by the time the baby comes (18 1/2 weeks) so he can chase after Norah! Since this is going to be a long and slow process, it might take that long.

In other news...

Norah refused to eat her strawberry-banana yogurt and peas at lunch unless they were mixed together. Gross! She did this the other day too, only everything had to be dipped in the sauce from our fruit salad.

On our way to Yosemite today, Norah threw up in the car. It smelled just like strawberry-banana yogurt and peas. Haha... anyway, we pulled in to a parking lot to get her cleaned up. I didn't have other clothes along for her (WHAT KIND OF MOTHER AM I!?), so I ended up running in to Target to buy more baby wipes and clothes for Norah while Tim waiting with her (naked) in the car. Of course, who has any appropriate clothes for 102 degrees anymore in mid-September? Luckily, I was able to find ONE pair of shorts in Norah's size on clearance and a shirt that even kind of matched.

What a day! I'm hoping the rest of the week is a little more calm and uneventful. Oh, there's my cake for Tim's bible study tomorrow! Have a great week!