Finally Away From It

This is what my life had come down to. This one simple brace. If I wanted to walk- I had to wear it. No brace, no walking. Literally. But you know what? I'd spend another 12months in it no complaints if I could have complete use of my left hand right now. That's not to say that I walk nicely as it is. I use to be able to haul ass across a crowded airport threading my way through the crowd nimbly & narrowly avoiding collissions left & right. Now I usually cause the collisions or fall flat on my face or back. Oh well, life happens. To get out of the wheelchair, I had to get the leg stronger & get it supported. It amazed me how quickly & easily the muscles started to atrophy in that part of the leg. The brain bleed damaged cells that controled the muscles on the left side of my body. I went from being so physically able & strong to so weak & useless. My accomplishment was getting out of that wheelchair though. I was so happy. I was happy to give away my cane as ewll. Even though I should still be using one at times- I really don't. The AFO brace was so uncomfortable. Even though it was custom fit, it rubbed my skin raw in so many spots and made my ankly and toes ache uncomfortably. Even though I must have put mole skin on it & on my leg in all those spots, it still hurt greatly. I spent this past year working to get myself out of this AFO (Ankle Foot Orthotic) and now it sits in my bedroom starting to collect dust! I still have days where I should be in it, but I don't want to. It's too uncomfortable now. I'd actually rather trip & fall & pick myself back up then subject myself to the uncomfortableness of it's support. The only thing it does for me is prevent the drop foor from occurring. Other than that it just wears my ankle out & ribs it raw. It can't be adjusted anymore than itis-it' has had all the adjustents & modifications that it can take unfortunately. Given the choice though- I would trade another 12 months in it to have complete use of my hand back. That pain is a small price to pay for that. But now, I can say that I am finally away from the AFO. I won't go back to it agai. I wear a support knee brace for now to prevent hyperextending as necessary. The knee cage does nothing for the foot drop so I still take a tumble here & there. And when people see me do it & want to help me back up, I shoo their hands away graciously & just tell them:"no no no, I'm practicing my tumbling routine for the next olympics-no worries."