Welcome, Texas Yankee!

You say you're almost 100% OK so long as you're wearing Crocs. Why not just keep on wearing the Crocs since they're working for you?

Any surgery is something being done to the body, a change being made that might or might not cause new problems. And the older we are, the harder any surgery is for us.

Most people aren't even looking at your shoes. And who cares if they are? What footwear you've chosen to wear is your business, not theirs.

I have MS, and for about 30 years the only shoes I felt safe in were cheap canvas sneakers. I was spared jokes about the "little old lady in tennis shoes" and don't recall any comments from anyone, ever, even though I showed up wearing those casual sneakers at events where most people were more dressed up. I wanted to be at the event. I didn't want to fall.

Diabetes came along, and I learned that I needed more foot support. Now I wear diabetic shoes that have "custom" orthotics in them. They're heavier than the sneakers were and for that reason aren't as satisfactory but on the other hand a lot of back pain problems I was having have gone away. The diabetic shoes don't look especially stylish either but I really prefer to be comfortable.

I don't think you need to be self-conscious about your choice of Crocs.