112 IF THE SHOE FITS WEAR IT

There’s an old saying, “if the shoe fits, wear it”.  I’m not quite sure what it means but as I have documented, finding shoes, boots or skates to fit my supersized deformed feet has become an enormous chore.  I used to wear a size 11 normal and now I must wear a size 13 EEEE.  Nobody makes boots that large that I can find.

I do have a pair of New Balance runners of that size that fit, but they are getting worn out from all the walking.  I wanted something a little more substantial and discovered a black Nike walking shoe in that size.  Mark’s Work Wearhouse carry’s them but had none in stock.  So, I went to Sport Chek.  They also carry them in that size and had none in stock, but the sales clerk said I can order them online and have them shipped to my place.  So, I did.

They arrived after two weeks of waiting.  Finally, new shoes in my size.  Imagine then my disappointment when I went to put them on.  It was a very tight squeeze and finally after about 5 minutes of pulling and pushing and prodding, I got them on.  The right foot was the hardest as that’s the biggest foot.  They are comfortable, even though they are tight.

I did a couple of walks in them and ended up with a nasty blister on my heel.  Now, being completely paranoid after a foot injury put me into severe sepsis, I immediately took steps (pardon the pun) to treat it.  I soaked it well with iodine (just what the hospital used to treat my foot wounds), and covered it with a large Band-Aid.  I stopped wearing the Nike’s and went back to the old New Balance shoes.

After a couple of days, the blister healed (a very good sign) and I went back to the Nike’s.  However, there was no amount of pushing and pulling and swearing that can get them back on my feet.  So, two pairs of brand new Nike walking shoes are sitting here unused.  Well, at least until the swelling goes down a little more.

I think the difference is that the tongue of the New Balance shoes is loose and allows the shoes to expand upwards to accommodate the top of my swollen foot.  With the Nike’s the tongue is attached to the sides of the shoe making it very difficult to squeeze my foot in.

This was the same type of issue that Jay, my skate guy was worried about with trying to get a pair of skates for me, even custom-made ones.  In any case Jay did scan my feet and send them in to the company in Winnipeg and then we waited to hear whether the skates could be made.  Getting a pair of custom made skates is really my only hope to be able to skate again.  Both the surgeon and the physio agree my foot likely won’t reduce much in size.

Finally, got the word back from the company and they advise that the skates can be made and that they are 99% confident they can incorporate a method to make it easier for me to get my foot in and out of the skates.  They also gave Jay suggestions for heat molding the skates to my feet.

To make a long story short, the skates are being constructed and should arrive within a few weeks.  I’m cautiously confident that the skates will fit, and I will be able to resume playing hockey.  They are expensive at $1000 for the pair, but the last pair I bought was $800 so, it’s not that big a stretch and I’m willing to pay it to play.

If, and I realize it is a big if at this point they do fit, I will be very happy, but it will require a lot of work to get back into playing shape.  Walking up to 10K per day will certainly help, although that has been cut dramatically in the last week as Toby has taken a downturn and can suddenly no longer do it.

I’m just on the verge of returning to the gym to bump up the workout on a bike to increase my stamina.  From there I will attempt some public skating.  I’ve discovered that the rink down the street from me, Planet Ice, offers public skating daily at noon.  Once I feel confident with that I will step up to some stick and puck sessions in full gear and then finally attempt to play a game.  Sunday hockey goes to the end of March and Wednesday hockey to the end of April.

If all goes well, I might be ready to play mid March and might be able to get 6-8 games in by the end of the season.  My therapist says that if I do manage to play by March he says it will be amazing.  Usually full recovery from what I went through will take 1.5 to 2 years to accomplish, if it can be done at all.

One major stumbling block here is that I do have some balance problems even in bare feet.  I don’t have proper feeling in my feet, so it makes it hard to stand initially.  Once I get moving I’m ok.  Getting up out of a chair is a challenge as well, since my body stiffens up very quickly, so I wonder what it will be like sitting on the bench and being able to get going next shift.  Wish me luck.