Creepy feet

[cjsmith]

In these two photos taken during surgery, you can see how wide my toes are spread. It's clear that it's not just the toes, either -- the metatarsal bones, the long bones of the foot, are also spread apart.

That's not the gross part. Or, well, yeah, but it's nothing new.

There's a ligament that holds the heads of the metatarsals together, and for this surgery mine got cut. (Just between those two. The rest of my metatarsals are still stuck together.) That's why they could move like that. (They needed to move like that, too; the nerve bundle the surgeon had to reach lies at the bottom of the foot.)

That's not the gross part.

That ligament did not get stitched back together and it is not expected to heal. That change is permanent. So now I have feet whose inner bones can spread out more than normal. After I heal up maybe I will be able to take my foot in my hands and move it so it looks like that.

That's just plain creepy. But you can bet I'm going to be fascinated by this capability the instant it doesn't hurt to try.

Comments

[platypus]

Admittedly, I only gimpsed one thumbnail of your surgery photos (squeamish, sorry), but I do recall seeing a rather... spread apart... foot. If you're saying you'll be able to do that all the time... wouldn't the skin resist? I'm just trying to imagine it...

[platypus]

Okay, I peeked through my fingers, and it's not as spread apart as I recall thinking from thumbnails. Eh, that just looks cool :)

[klwalton.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry to say that I haven't been able to bring myself to look at any of the photos since your surgery.

I'm a wuss.

But I hope that it accomplishes what it was supposed to accomplish, and if it were *my* feet, I'd look at them without compunction. And, by the way, you *rock*.

:)

[perfect-autumn.livejournal.com]

Those are awesome pics. Who took them for you during surgery?

Also, that's awesome you can do that, just becareful not to over stretch any of the more anterior tendons too much, but I say go for it.

How cool.

[butterfly-smile.livejournal.com]

Oh darling.
WOW, but it looks like you are on the mends.
If there is anything you need just yell.
(do it sitting down of course).

[cathepsut.livejournal.com]

Yikes! But imagine, what a great party feature that will be going forward - "Oh, hey, look what I can do!"

[rampling.livejournal.com]

Wow, yeah, creepy and fascinating! Two coolnesses in one! ;)

[kennita.livejournal.com]

I don't find the pics disgusting at all. What I don't get is why there isn't blood all over. Were there tourniquets on your legs?

Those neuromas look pretty big -- I hope getting rid of them helps as much as it seems like it would.

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

Oh, what wonderful photos! You have inspired me, CJ! I don't need any surgery at this time -- thank goodness! -- but next time I do, my camera is coming with me!

What did the nurse and doctor say when you handed them the camera and asked them to take the pictures? Just so I'm prepared for the reaction....

On another subject altogether ... I [heart] your shower! It's gorgeous! I had a nice shower in my last house (the only house I ever really loved), but even that was nothing like yours! And now I have just a regular old bathtub and I hate climbing into and out of it to take my showers. Sometimes when one of my knees is stiff it doesn't bend as much as I'm expecting it to, and I end up whacking my toes on the edge of the shower door track. (Which brings up the question, Why are the doors on a bathtub called shower doors?! I know, for the same reason we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway. =sigh= )

And how on earth do you keep those glass doors so sparkling clean?!