I did it! And I think I used it correctly, switched the hand I used it on back and forth a few times, but mostly on the right. Not sure if it made any difference on how much pain I was in on Monday, but it did allow me to get around over the weekend without depending on my DH (and it was great when I had to get a rock out of my shoe as I can't balance on one leg). I did find myself kind of pushing myself along towards the end, giving me a little heave-ho to my step.

It apparently did not age me. I went into the 21 & over area, was asked for my ID, told them "really?? I'm 40" and he said "well, you look under 30" and had to show my ID. My fingers don't work well and getting out my ID is not easy, which was really the only issue there.

Most of my friends I saw there knew things had been bad for over a year, a few asked and either I gave them the short answer, or had to give them more info when they inquired. One friend said she liked my cane.

So, I'll want to use this for walks longer then 15-20 min, at least for now.