Day 27--The pain returns

Maybe it's the colder, wetter weather.  Maybe I pushed a little too far on my toes in yoga or while I was out walking.  But today was not a great day for my foot recovery.  Was stiff and achy almost all day (other than for about an hour after swimming).  The affected joint throbbed even sitting down.
But I guess the ups and downs are to be expected.

So a month post surgery, here's what I can sum up:

• The exercise and movement in general are really important.  Even sitting for an hour or two can allow the joint to stiffen up.

• It's important to walk through the stiffness and pain.  It definitely gets better after about 20 minutes.

•  A pair of soft, flexible shoes that are very easy to slide your foot into will likely be needed in the few weeks following surgery.  A month post surgery, I'm still very limited in what shoes I can get on my foot.

•  Expect ups and downs.  Some days are good and then you seem to take a step backward.  But in a day or two, things generally start making progress again.

• At one month I'm getting around pretty well although probably not quite yet to where I was before surgery.  I can definitely move my toe more but the discomfort level is still a bit higher most of the time.

I'll be writing more the end of next week.