Foot Followup

Wednesday I saw the podiatrist for a followup on my foot issue. When he asked how things are going, I told him that honestly I don't see much improvement in the pain despite the toe splint, orthotics, or Voltaren and ice treatments twice a day. He pressed his fingers underneath the second toe a bit, which was not pleasant. 

But surprisingly he said he could tell that my ligament has begun to heal itself. He said the pain is to be expected and is a good thing as it will keep me from doing things I should not be doing yet. I am to continue as before for the next four weeks. Then for the next four weeks he only wants me to wear the toe splint when I am going to be excessively active, such as walking for a long period of time or hiking. I presume that includes pickleball, thought I forgot to specifically ask that. I'll wear it then just to be on the safe side. I return to see him at the end of the eight weeks.

When I last saw him he asked me to bring my pickleball shoes in so he could take a look at them. I had told him that I wear Skechers, and he seemed surprised that they made a court shoe. I explained they are dedicated pickleball shoes. The problem is that I cannot wear the toe splint and the orthotic as there is not enough room in the shoe for both. I have been wearing my Acacias instead, as they can accommodate the inserts and the splint. So I brought in one of the Acacias and one of the Skechers to show him.

Skechers pickleball shoes

He performed a three part flexibility test on each shoe, and the Skechers passed with flying colors. The Acacias failed all three, and he said I shouldn't be wearing them. Visually we could see that the Acacias have more height in the toe box than the Skechers, which is why the added items work in the Acacias. 

My compromise for the moment is that I will wear the splint and the orthotics anytime I am not playing pickleball. For pickleball, I will wear the splint only in my Skechers as that will fit with the regular insert provided by Skechers. I may try taping my toe and not wearing the splint, which is acceptable to the doctor, and see if I can then make the orthotic work in my Skechers.

Overall, I am pleased with what the doctor had to say. I picked up a second splint from the office so I have a clean one to put on instead of always having to wait for the one to dry after washing. I also got a second orthotic so don't have to keep pulling the one set out of one pair of shoes to put in another.

March Madness

Jacksonville

No, my title does not refer to college basketball, though it was fun while the ISU Cyclones lasted in the tournaments. Instead, I am talking about our decision to drive to Florida for vacation during Spring Break Madness. Some friends of ours purchased a condo on the west side of Florida, and invited us to come and visit them. 

We thought if we were going to make the trip, why not drive and see some sights along the way? While our stops were not necessarily ones that spring breakers would frequent, we did not take into account the traffic getting there. Or coming home, for that matter, as the snow birds were heading back to their northern homes. Wow! There were many stretches that were stop and go, making a long drive even that much longer. Live and learn - we won't do that again.

On the way down we stayed in Jacksonville for a few days, which enabled us to visit local forts, preserves and plantations. One of the highlights was a store called Jax Pickleball, which sold everything you need for this sport. I picked up some new pickleball shoes (which are hard to find and harder yet to be able to try on), and Jim got a new paddle. We also drove down to St. Augustine, which was packed! I think we got the last parking spot in a 3 mile radius, so we left the car for the day and walked everywhere instead. I certainly did not think that town would be a spring break destination, but boy was I wrong.

Vero Beach

From Jacksonville we traveled to Vero Beach where some friends of ours have a boat that they winter on. It was fun to be able to see it, and them. While it was too choppy to take it out, we enjoyed sitting outside on the boat enjoying drinks and snacks with them. The next morning we drove to Jupiter, where our beloved St. Louis Cardinals have their spring training games. How great it was to take in a Cardinals game for the first time since we moved away from St. Louis!

St. Louis Cardinals game

After that we crossed the state to go to the Punta Gorda area of Florida. We spent four nights with our friends at their condo, and we can certainly see why they jumped on the opportunity to purchase a condo there. The birding in their community is great, and all the flowering trees, shrubs and flowers really made me miss our gardens back in St. Louis. The Charlotte area is sadly lacking in blooms, especially our community as it is only a couple years old.

Punta Gorda area

The last part of our journey was spent in St. Simon, Georgia. I picked this location because it was about halfway home, and also we had never been to this part of Georgia. It did not disappoint. There was a lot to explore in the area, and we enjoyed our time there. 

St. Simon area

Overall, we had a wonderful trip. We just won't make the mistake of taking another one down south in March. Otherwise I might have to switch vehicles with this woman.