Finding Shoes for Our Arthritic Knees

One of the things I like about blogging is that it can be fun work.  Saturday was a beautiful, sunny day in my part of the USA, and I had  on a new pair of shoes, which I want to show you.  The special thing about these shoes is the research I did before I bought them.  I have bought many pairs of comfortable shoes, hoping that I would finally have the pair that made my feet or knees feel better.  However, I never did any research to find out what an expert doctor might actually say was best:  I thought I knew.

Last fall, I bought a pair of shoes from a popular shopping channel.  The commentators oohed an ahed over the height of the heel, the arch, and the way the shoes fit.  I bought it, started wearing it, and I almost always had to take them off, because my knees start hurting or hurting worse than before.  The shoe was everything the announcers on that show said, but it isn't what I read about on Web MD.  What was comfortable in the past does not always work for me now.  If the shoe is too soft, too stable, or too high, my knees feel horrible.

The shoes I found on sale at a local store were made by one of my favorite shoe brands.  I tested them for CUTENESS, for heel height, for length, for width, for arch support, and for flexibility.  This shoe style got an "A+."  I guess there really is nothing like trying on a shoe before you buy it;   because I tried on a similar shoe in another brand, and it didn't make the cut.  It would have for someone else's foot, but not for mine.  The whole size was a tad too short and the half size larger was too big.  

This past Saturday I gave my new shoes the test.  I took a walk in them, as I shot pictures around my neighborhood.  I got to become a short, plus-size model as my husband and I played photo-shoot.  It was fun figuring out poses and checking out the photographs later.  Don't you just love digital cameras?  Oh right!  I was talking about shoes.  They worked better than any I have except my flip-flops.  And they looked really cute with my casual-comfy outfit:  last years leggings from Walmart and a three or four year old hooded shirt from dressbarn. Don't you love it when buying your special colors means you can put a new "old" outfit together?  

My affiliate link for this shoe is
in the right side bar

Guest photographer:  my husband.

Next post, I will show you the whole outfit.

Grandmother's Adventure

I wanted to come home after three and a half days of being with my daughter, son-in-law, and seven grandchildren and tell you I feel great, that I paced myself so well I got all the rest I needed.  I told my husband that I had always promised to tell you the truth;   and I want to give you a glossy, spiffed up me instead of the truth that I am exhausted.  By the time I got out of the car in our driveway, I could barely walk.    After sitting in the car for two and  one half hours, I could barely move my knees.  It's a good thing I took my cane with me.  I needed it for going up steps and down steps, also for getting out of chairs.

The knee thing is a little more than my regular fibromyalgia.  I sat down in a chair Monday to put on my socks and shoes, and I felt something snap on the outside of my knee.  Of course, because I am favoring my right knee, now my left knee hurts too.  Since I am home now, I can rest and have some quiet, but I still miss the pitter-patter of little feet around me.   So this afternoon, I have watched Christmas movies, tried to write, and also almost fallen asleep several times.  Right now, we are watching The Canadian Tenors on PBS, and I have tears in my eyes.  The emotion that wells up in me as they sing in my super-fatigued state is almost too much, but how can I not listen to the glorious music?

So what can I tell you about balancing your life and pacing yourself?  Do the best you can;  but sometimes, you have to be the yourself and live with the consequences.  When special moments come to spend with children or grandchildren, it is almost impossible to hold back, unless you are already totally exhausted.  I planned as much as I could, giving myself plenty of time to cook my casserole and pies.  I was totally unstressed the day we left.  I do not remember any time in my life I have felt less stressed, than when we left on Wednesday.    However, my body thought differently.

I had decided to work in my art journal, and all of a sudden
I became the center of interest.  It started with our 3 year old
grandson joining me and painting with markers, then switching
to my watercolors.  A couple of the older children wanted a
demonstration of automatic drawing, which was not what I
had planned at all.   You can guess what happened.  Coloring the
automatic drawing became a kind of free for all.  Know what --
it was absolutely wonderful.  We had fun!

Even though my daughter has quiet times for the children everyday and even though I took naps everyday, the seemingly constant motion of family in and out and around tired me out.  I enjoyed all the special times with them.  We read, we walked  outside, we played with the dog, played basketball, and made Christmas decorations. They even helped me paint in my art journal after some of the children did their own pictures.  We did spread these activities out, and my basketball playing was limited to throwing a few baskets.

One thing that made me really happy was I could not have done the things we did a year ago.  That seems to be the nature of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Fibromyalgia;  therefore, I plan to pace myself in my daily life and enjoy the special moments.  Right now, I am saying it is worth the way I feel now, if my grandchildren have good memories of our times with them.  Also, they know that I put out extra for them, that I cannot do the things I did several years ago.  When knees and other parts of the body do not work right and one is using a cane, it becomes an obvious picture of ill health.  Love covers many of the downsides of too much activity, and this was one of those times.

What Next?

Have you ever heard the phrase -- things keep happening, one after another?  One starts asking, "What next?".  That seems to be the case in my life the last two or three weeks.  I could use a little respite, but I'm not complaining.  And yes, I am leading up to something that has happened in the last twenty-four hours.  Let me tell you the story.

My husband is a minister of music.  He is an ordained pastor at our church, and has other duties as well, such as teaching a Bible Study and Prayer, leading a small Bible study group, visiting the elderly members of our congregation that cannot come to church, and visiting people who are sick or in the hospital.  I am so proud of him;  and I am also sad I cannot support the ministries we were involved in together, like I used to.  I have tried to be more regular in my church attendance and sing in the choir, but I always end up having a relapse. 

The Sons of Jubal courtesy of [Music and Worship], GBC

Yesterday, my dear husband was gone all day...

Trimming my Toenails Made Easier

Some of my readers may say to themselves that trimming one's toenails is a subject best left alone; however, I do not take trimming my toenails for granted. In fact, I have never enjoyed trimming my toenails, so I tend to wait too long to do the dreaded deed; but since they are strong little buggers, I must. And today I did it.

I have been contemplating trimming my little beauties for several weeks. In fact, I can't remember when I applied the now peeling nail polish, a good indicator of how long it has been since I had a pedicure. When I see a quarter inch of new nail showing, I know it has been too long since I took care of the inevitable, the need to cut my nails. I want you to know, I do believe in good grooming, but toenails are so hard to do when one has Arthritis and Fibromyalgia. Twisting my body into odd positions to cut them or paint them, squeezes the breath out of me as I bend my protruding tummy to reach--and pulling my legs up close enough hurts. I would love to get a pedicure at a salon, but I would feel guilty spending money on that; so, I contemplate the struggle it will entail, then I procrastinate. Thus I end up with toenails that would rival the strong, long fingernails some people want so badly.

I know that fingernails or toenails which have been soaked first are easier to cut. Since I had decided to take a bath and luxuriate today, this seemed to be the perfect opportunity to try this premise. As I luxuriated in the bath water, I made a plan of attack. My little bag I keep my nail appliances in was beside the tub so I could reach it easily. I pulled out the toenail clippers, made sure the little cover that is supposed to keep nails inside the clippers was adjusted, and I started by clipping the large toenail. It was easier than I expected. Hallelujah! The warm water in the tub had loosened my muscles enough that reaching was not as difficult. Furthermore, for some reason it seemed easier than bending from a sitting position in a chair, or than standing and bending over. Standing and bending over is not as safe for many people that have chronic illness anyway, and I did not want to put myself in the position of falling. Moreover, who likes standing outside the tub, bending over with a dripping, wet body and nails that are drying out too fast? Not me.

I did not cut all my nails on my left foot before I switched to the opposite foot. As my muscles began to cramp a little, I took a short break; then, I began to cut nails on my right foot. Thus, switching back and forth I was able to trim the nails on both feet. After I cut the nails, I gently pushed my wet cuticles back, and the job I dreaded was done. Painting the toenails is a job I will do another day; however, my nails already look better. Also, I don't have to worry about them hitting the end of any closed toed shoes. And if you are wondering what I did with the nail clippings, I dumped them into a small plastic container after I did each nail. Sometimes the clippings do fall out of the clippers that have covers to keep them in, and I did not want toenails going down my bathtub drain. When I was out of the tub and dried off, I put the clippings in the trash.

Dear reader, I hope you have someone to do your nails for you, but not all of us do--or we don't want to ask. Someday, I do plan to have a pedicure done in a salon for a treat, but that is not an option for me now.

Also, I have to admit to feeling a bit paranoid about the sterilization of equipment in salons. Next time I get my nails done away from home, I will ask about the salon's equipment sterilization policy. I prefer to avoid cross-contamination when it comes to my feet. May you feel as good about your toenails as I do today. First step to well-groomed nails done--Check! Until I write again--God bless you.