TIMELINE
May 2012- initial injury, running and stepped down hard on the edge of the sidewalk
October 2012- finally diagnosed as a broken sesamoid
June 2013- had surgery to remove the now shattered and necrotic sesamoid

BACKGROUND:
I was in nursing school and I refused to take a semester off for a broken foot as it would have meant starting completely over since the curriculum changed. I continued to run 20-30 miles per week and ride horses in between May and October. I believe that staying active might have helped keep it in check, but the horseback riding was definitely a bad idea. I went to 5 doctors who all gave me bogus diagnoses. Some put me in a surgical shoe for a few weeks--did not help, almost made it worse. They tried a steel/carbon fiber metatarsal plate--definitely made it worse. I had a lot of RSD symptoms before the surgery- couldn't wear socks, riding in car very painful, cold hurt, vascular rashes if anything touched it for too long, etc. After the surgery it turned into a disaster. I couldn't move any toes and my foot was blue or bright red for the better part of 8 weeks. Three sympathetic nerve blocks at L4 did help and medications have helped too--but NO pain meds. They do not help me at all and I hate them.

DESENSITIZING
I have been walking barefoot on a variety or surfaces, hardwood, fluffy bath mat, rough carpet, those grass carpets, gravel, sand, grass. Some of those still are unpleasant but they dont make me want to jump off a cliff like socks do. I think that's not doing much to help with socks since the bad part of my foot is the side and top of big toe and 1st metatarsal (everything to the left of my second toe is the worst part). Socks are such a constant contact. Shoes even I do not feel like create this constant contact with the worst part of my foot, which is why I can tolerate them. I am hoping to start work as a nurse soon since it has gotten so much better. I really need to get on top of this sock learning before then. I ordered a couple different pairs of socks last night on amazon.

DOG
I have an Australian shepherd I got as a puppy few months before the initial injury. She knows when my foot hurts and she licks it and then lays on it with her silky soft, fluffy fur and extra warm body. Might sound terrible to y'all and it did take me several months to build up to her laying on it--but this is the only thing that has ever "fixed" it when my foot hurts. I also try to take her with me wherever dogs are allowed because she helps my anxiety about my foot and protects me. When I have her with me I know that nobody is going to accidentally bump into me or step on my foot. Dog is God spelled backwards for a reason. She is also the inspiration for my overly optimistic motto it's "The Best Day Ever" (TBDE).

I have the classic burning, searing pain and it is miserable, but the deep pain that feel like my bones are being ripped out of my foot is what I hate. I got a job training puppies to force me to walk for a few hours several days a week. Best physical therapy.


When I am practicing sock wearing--should I take them off BEFORE I am in agony or should I push the envelop and wear them through some pain??? Maybe I am wearing them too long and should try taking them off while I still feel OK?

Thanks everyone,
TBDE