surgery foot, round 2

In August, 2004, I had surgery on my right foot. I have bunyons, which I guess my whole family does, but mine were causing me to walk funny, which was putting my back out and was not a pretty scene. For the record, surgery isn't either.

There is never a good time to have foot surgery. I knew I didn't want to be on crutches in winter; if we lived in outside of the snow belt, maybe, but no way did I want to deal with ice and crutches. Spring meant not doing the dance recital that year, which was clearly not an option. Summer, well, who wants to be bannished from the beach because you can't get sand in your wound? That left fall. Not a good time either since WB was still coaching soccer, but what choice did I have? I would not be able to drive for at least a month, and was looking at 6 weeks of crutches. Can you say suck?

We got through it. I do not like being dependent on anyone, and if nothing else, it was a lesson in humility. Friends came to our rescue and picked up kids and drove me around. My mom was a rock star a couple of times, driving 2 hours to get me, 1 hour back down the road she had just come to take me to my weekly appointment, and then reversed the trip. The only comfort the whole time was that the next foot (!) would have me out of the driver's seat for less time. Well, that and my stubborness that said I was doing the May recital, no matter what.

Five years later, my right foot is doing ok. But my left is starting to scream at me regularly, and last night I noticed the skin is damaged where it rubs against my shoes. It's time. But the question again is when to do it? I love, love, love my tap dance, so no way I'm sitting this recital out. The Monday after sounds great... except it's smack dab in the middle of track season. Do I take a chance on June being as rainy and yucky as it's been? Or do I wait for August, before school starts up again, but give up the last few precious days of freedom? Complicating matters is the knowledge that I may be moving rooms again, and will most likely have a new teaching partner. Being on crutches (and pain killers) is not a great start to any new relationship.

Today my vote is sometime during the week of June 14, which is Snow Day Make Up Week. If I need to use sick days, I'd rather they come at the end of the year when my seniors have all graduated and I only have a handful of kids sticking around. That means I'll be driving by the end of June... but I also won't need to as much since WB will also be home. I'd be crutches free by mid July, meaning I could still visit WB's Auntie on the Cape, and limp my way onto the beach (I'm too cold-blooded to go in the ocean anymore anyhow, so no loss there). But tomorrow I could vote for August 23, the week before school starts, and just deal with moving and the new partner as it comes. I say again, no time is a good time to be on crutches.

If you were me, what would you do? Seriously people, I'm really asking for input on this one.