Foot doctor follow up

I just had a follow up visit with my foot doctor. Darn, I’ve got a foot doctor now. Anyway, it went pretty well.

A few days ago my toe was all swollen and tender. That was disturbing as it had been feeling pretty good until then. Then it occurred to me that maybe I’ve come down with gout again. That’s the same toe where a gout attack is usually expressed. High uric acid levels run in my family so we are prone to the condition. Sure enough, once I started treating it like a gout attack the swelling was reduced in half overnight and almost better a day later.

Then the foot doctor informed me that the procedure she did on my toe could actually cause a gout attack. Wish I’d been warned about that before. At any rate, the foot is doing well and won’t have to see her again for a few months.

Good thing I didn’t go to a foot doctor twenty years ago. Back then I was suffering from excruciating heel pain. (Plantar Fasciitis) A number of my friends were suffering the same thing and opted for surgery, with fairly poor results over all. I was too busy to be off my feet then and have a high tolerance for pain so just sucked it up. Eventually the problem just went away.

Since I finally had a foot doctor to ask questions of, I told her about the heel pain and how it went away. She said that a change in footwear can make a huge difference. Switching to Birkenstock sandals often help. Sure enough, someone gave me a gift certificate to place that sold Birkenstocks and I found them to be extremely comfortable. They were so comfortable I wore them all the time. Apparently they cured my feet.

It’s important to have my legs and feet in good condition. My walking distance keeps improving all the time. Whene summer gets here I hope to be out on the hiking trails again. Being able to walk long distances is a huge survival ability. After months of limited mobility it’s wonderful to be comfortable waking again.

-Sixbears