Billings, MT High 88 Low 54
Not the new computer, that’s for sure. I’m using my old beast to get this blog post made. And right at the moment I’m love the old thing. Major problem is the fact that it doesn’t want to charge any longer and the battery only lasts about 10 minutes. This is the second battery we’ve put in. Just not going to last too much longer.
Anyhow – we arrived in Billings on Saturday afternoon. We were able to make it into our son’s subdivision and into his driveway even with all the road construction.
Sunday was Father’s Day. When Todd got home from work, Jim threw some steaks on the grill and we had mashed potatoes and corn on-the-cob.
Monday was Todd’s 27th birthday. We took him and his beautiful bride, Michaela, out to dinner. Michaela’s birthday was June 3 and their first wedding anniversary is on the 24th. Lots of fun times to celebrate.
Tuesday was my doctor’s appointment with the Orthopedic Surgeon who repaired my broken ankle and ruptured Achilles tendon.
In this first x-ray, you can see, on the left, where a piece of the ankle sheared off and is standing straight up. It’s supposed to be laying down.
Here is what it looks like after the repair.
I wanted to discuss with the surgeon the possibility of having the screws removed. I have trouble wearing shoes because the back of the shoe rubs against the ankle and becomes very painful. However, the good doc told me that it’s not the screws that are causing the problem but a thing called a “pump bump” or Haglund’s Deformity.
A “pump bump” is a bone enlargement on the back of the heel and the soft tissue near the Achilles tendon becomes irritated when the bony enlargement rubs against shoes.
Heredity and fractures are the main causes of Haglund’s deformity. Normally, surgery can be done to shave off the enlargement. However, in my case, when I ruptured my Achilles tendon, they had to drill holes in my ankle to sew the tendon back together again. Therefore, the surgeon could only take a very small part of the enlargement without running into problems with the tendon.
Surgery is not going to be an option for me. I’ve lived with this problem for almost five years now and will continue to do just fine.
Jim continues to work with Windows8. He has a lot more patience than I do.
I have a lot of trouble when I wear shoes that tie, gym shoes, hiking boots, etc. Most of the time, year around, I wear Birkenstocks sandals (with the two straps and no back) and Haflingers, a clog made in Germany. It has a nice rounded toe box (I have big feet, especially across the toe area, and very narrow ankles, so the backless shoes are perfect for me. You can buy both Haflingers & Birkies online, or there might be a Birkenstock store in Billings. Once you get used to foot comfort you won't ever want to wear any other shoe! (I tolerate my hiking books when camping).
ReplyDeleteouch! jeeez that looks painful... Your son is a year younger than mine... great looking smiles and couple...
ReplyDeleteoh boo hiss on computer stuff. I just hate it. I've had my Macbook Pro for four years? just love it. Took me a while to get used to not using Windows and IE but when I did ... no going back
each update brought new tearing my hair out stuff...
Good luck with Win 8, I shelved my copy for a better day. I have a brand new laptop gathering dust.
ReplyDeleteI just searched my archives and found the Jan 19, 2012 blog with two pictures of my shoes! I can't seem to get it in a link for just that post.
ReplyDeleteGlad you finally made it to Billings. Now you'll be able to settle down for a while with your family. Looks like there will be lots of celebrating too.
ReplyDeleteI just bought a new laptop - I made sure it had Windows 7! I like to wait until a new version has been tweaked and has all the bugs worked out before I wade in. 7 works just fine for me.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you have plenty of reasons to celebrate (except for your heel!!). Any excuse to get together with family is a good one.
I dislike the "have to live with it diagnoses" but it is what it is. I have very narrow heels so, like Gypsy, I mostly wear open backed shoes because I get blisters from heel slippage. I wear Crocs because they don't care what I walk through in a campground: wet, dry, muddy, whatever.
ReplyDeleteGood to be with family, though.
What fun to be with family. You sure do have a ton of celebrating to do. Hope you make lots of memories.
ReplyDeleteJune us a celebration for your family...so glad you made it safe! Feet troubles are just a second to teeth troubles in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your stay in Billings.
I don't know which is worse, a sore ankle or trying to get a new computer up and running...they are both painful!
ReplyDeleteNice visit with your son, enjoy the time!
Happy Birthday to your son.
ReplyDeleteThat ankle sure looks like it could be sore. Maybe not as sore as your experience using Windows 8?
I'm so sorry you cannot get this ankle fixed! I can't imagine you having to wear sandals during cold temperatures. Your feet were so cold at Quartzsite. A gals gotta do what she gotta do! For you, carry on in the sandals.
ReplyDeleteAnd I bet the doctor never warned you about the pump bump possibility when he fixed your ankle. Sorry to hear it's not repairable. You son looks about 15. Maybe it's just that everybody looks younger to me now.
ReplyDeleteBill broke his ankle last week.... now you have me wondering about pump bump.... he's gonna look really cute running around in heel-less slings, or mules or whatever women call those slip-on shoes these days. Seriously, I hope you can get reasonably fixed on that pain... sure, we can live with it, but if it's fixable... why not? Happy birthday to your son... (he's just a baby if he were mine ;-)
ReplyDeleteGlad you made in into your parking spot. Those roads look awful. As for computers, I have an Apple (enough said). The kids look great and you are gonna have a great time there w/ all of the celebrating.
ReplyDeleteOh, that looks painful! Those xrays are incredible. I never heard of pump bump before. At least you can walk. I don't think my daughter has backs to any of her shoes…don't know how she does it and I'm always worried that she'll twist her ankle. I insist on her putting sneakers on when she walks Jack.
ReplyDeleteI try not to think of all the hardware in my back, but I can feel it if I sit on a hard backed surface. Gives me the willies, but isn't sore to the touch.