Day 68 (208): Wedding Weekend

I rode with my parents to a family wedding this weekend. On Friday, I was in the car for 5 hours.  I kept my feet elevated the whole time in the back seat, so when we arrived they felt ok.

We started with a rehearsal dinner that I wore tennis shoes to.

On Saturday, the wedding day, I wore my Clark's Mary Jane shoes with my super feet insoles in them for the first time since the second surgery.  The wedding was outside, down a hill that had soft ground (from a lot of rain in the area this week). It took a lot of concentration to get down that hill without falling.  When I got to my seat, my feet were throbbing from just stressing them on that tough terrain. The wedding was short and sweet, then back up the hill for the reception.  

I navigated around the reception hall just fine.  The issue was when some of the party guests were egging me on to join the dance floor.  Many times they wanted me to get up and dance. I can barely stand and walk, dancing is an absolute hazard for me right now.  It really frustrated me because they wouldn't leave me alone.  They have no idea what I have been through.  That is exactly why I rather wear my ankle race and tennis shoes so that people clearly know that I am injured.  It also upset me, because generally I join my family in dancing and we naturally become the life of the party.  They were having a blast on the dance floor, and I was stuck watching from my chair.  So much of these surgery recoveries, I am the person watching from the sidelines, instead of the player on the field, like I ALWAYS used to be.  This sucks.

That night, I went to a jazz lounge with two of my cousins to hear some live music.  Everyone in there had sky high heels, and I had my ugly Clark's Mary Janes on.  Again, this sucks.

Today, we drove back home.  I again desperately needed to elevate my feet the whole way.

When we arrived, I was glad to be back home in my ADA specified apartment.  I was most happy to have my shower chair back.

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Reflection

I am not there yet.  Social outings cause a blaring sign to flash in my face that says, "YOU ARE NOT NORMAL.  YOU CAN'T DO THE THINGS THAT OTHER PEOPLE DO...(yet)."  It is a blow to my ego and pride, but times like these only motivate me to stay focused on my PT exercises and my recovery even more.