Best Foot Forward.

The recovery nobody documents.

An honest, structured log of my second foot reconstruction (osteotomies, FDL transfer, spring ligament repair). The stuff I couldn't find when I searched for it myself.

Surgery
June 30, 2026
Currently
Day 44
Phase
Boot / Transition
Entries
52

Latest entries

A reaction meme: a man in a shirt and loosened tie in a kitchen, hands raised and mouth open in pure delight, under bold white all-caps text reading 'OMG I'M SO EXCITED!!'
Day 44Boot / Transition

I'm So Excited

The day has arrived!! And it's AWESOME! Now I know I promised a video of the [ahem] "pin extraction," but I want to save that since it's long, and I need to…

Pain 2/10 PWB pin-removal · weight-bearing · pwb
A book-cover-style cartoon of a sunny cartoon farm - red barn, green hills, pigs, cows, roosters, a small US flag, and a farmer throwing his hands up in the middle of the path - under big drop-shadowed text reading 'Everything I Want to Do Is Illegal.'
Day 43Boot / Transition

Illegal

Okay, back into one of those grey areas (oooo, see what I did there). That's right: we're talking peptides again. And this one feels important to share. I've…

Pain 3/10 NWB peptides · diabetes · mody
A pun meme on a black background showing the sole of a bare foot, captioned above and below: 'Don't bother asking a podiatrist for metric conversions. He only knows feet.' with a PainfulPuns logo in the corner.
Day 42Boot / Transition

Don't Stop

Today is a time machine. It points backward and forward at the same time, and I'm standing right in the hinge of it: six weeks post-op, to the day. First, the…

Pain 3/10 NWB six-week-check · throwback · hardware
A someecards-style meme in dusty pink with two suited men, one adjusting the other's collar, captioned: 'Time flies when you're having fun... or something like that.'
Day 40Boot / Transition

Fly Like an Eagle

OH MY GAWD, I just realized it's been days since I posted. And honestly? I think that's a good thing. I've been off doing this wild new activity called life -…

Pain 2/10 NWB boot-transition · weight-bearing · six-week-check
A retro comic-style illustration of Plato, the Greek philosopher, in a teal tunic and orange sash, captioned in bold cream lettering: '“Nice argument, but how much can you bench?” - Plato'.
Day 35Boot / Transition

Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger

Going on week 3 of heavy lifting, week 4 of stretching and mobility. And god, what a difference it all makes. The catch is that it matters what and how I'm…

Pain 2/10 NWB boot-transition · strength-training · mobility
A Kermit the Frog puppet lying tucked in white bedsheets with wide, exhausted eyes, captioned 'When you want to sleep because of the fatigue but you can't sleep because of the nerve pain. #MSlife'.
Day 34Boot / Transition

Shock the Monkey

Hooo boy. That foot nerve pain is back, baby. BACK. It showed up around 10pm last night and yanked me right out of a dead sleep. For whatever reason my foot…

Pain 4/10 NWB boot-transition · nerve-pain · swelling
Alexis from Schitt's Creek in a denim jacket, smiling and shrugging, with the caption 'Just being me' and a smiley emoji.
Day 32Boot / Transition

The Future's So Bright

Confession: I forgot to post yesterday. Not because anything went wrong. Because everything went... fine. I stretched. I slept great. I hit the weights, ate…

Pain 2/10 NWB boot-transition · mindset · goals
An animated Looney Tunes clip of Bugs Bunny sobbing dramatically, fat cartoon tears streaming from both eyes.
Day 30Boot / Transition

The Distance

Let me be straight with you: today the foot genuinely hurts. There's a deep, insistent throb in the heel bone this morning, well past the dull background ache…

Pain 5/10 NWB boot-transition · mindset · pain