I went to the gas station today and yesterday and it was actually kind of significant for me. I walked both times. That is a big deal for a couple of reasons. First, it’s nice and warm in Texas I can go for a casual stroll and not freeze by booty off. Second, it was the first time I went for a walk since buying this cane. Heck it was my first walk since moving into this apartment back in October if you want me to get honest.
Last summer I was going for walks every day. I even walked a whopping 50 kilometers in a single week once. I am an American who can’t do metric measurements to save my life, I only know it was that because I used Pokemon Go to keep track of my steps. Something changed when I moved. Partly it was a new neighborhood. I wasn’t really confident in my surroundings to feel comfortable going for walks. It’s not a particularly dangerous neighborhood it’s just vastly different than what I am used to.
The other reason why I stopped walking is my foot. My apartment is on the third floor. With my bad foot it is far too painful for me to go up and down those stairs as it is, it’s even harder for me to get motivated to keep walking once I get to the bottom. Normally it takes every ounce of my energy just to drag my feet to my car. So why am I suddenly so motivated to start walking again? The cane. It’s that simple.
I broke my foot in 2015. I didn’t have adequate insurance at the time to get the surgery I needed to fix it. Since it basically healed itself but not fully I chose to walk with a limp rather than go through the major steps to fix it. It was my call. So I have limped on ever since. Since moving into this apartment, however, walking has become more of a chore.
My foot is in constant pain thus I got to the point where I didn’t even want to leave the house unless I had a good reason to do so. Fortunately I took a job that lets me work from home so I don’t have to trek down those stairs. Unfortunately for me I am gaining tremendous weight as a consequence. Knowing my health is deteriorating I decided to make some changes to my lifestyle.
I have been getting sick a lot more lately than before. Not as much as I had back in the summer when my stomach pushed me to the emergency room but it’s bad. I decided it was time I started losing weight and eating right once more. I figured if I could bring myself to make that short walk down the stairs, to the gas station, back home and back up the stairs it would help. So far it’s been mixed. My diet has improved slightly and the walking does seem to be having a positive impact on my digestive functions. The downside is my damn foot. That is where the cane comes in.
A couple of weeks ago I decided I had enough limping. Days before Christmas I went to Walmart and bought myself a cane. Since doing that I have noticed a world of improvement in my foot pain. Sure things like Aspercreme and Tylenol have helped reduce the pain but the cane has helped me stave off some of the need for those by alleviating the pressure on my bad foot. It’s been such a blessing I am finally confident enough in my usage of it to go for walks without worrying about getting stranded at the gas station.
I am not back to walking multiple kilometers a day as before, in fact I am no longer using a Nintendo app to track my progress anymore. At least I am getting a few extra steps in each day. I have no idea what Buffalo, New York has in store for me when I get moved next month. What I do know is I am back to my walking self and that’s a pretty big step for me.
Stephanie Bri 