Toe Woes

Well, I have been trying to address my foot pain issue over the last few months. My toes do not flex as much as most peoples do, so after years of walking, I have developed arthritis in my right big toe joint. This is my biggest threat to finishing my through hike. Surgery is an option if I have the time for the 6 to 9 month recovery. Well, I don't have that kind of time so my doctor suggested steroid injections in my big toe. One per month for 3 months. I got my first one last Friday and I was the biggest baby about it! That needle was so big! I just closed my eyes and whined and squeezed  my friend James' hand hard enough to break it. It hurt for a bit and I had to take it easy that weekend.

I meant to take pictures but I was so worked up that I forgot. I will bless you with pictures of my actual toe next month but for now you can look at this one that I found online. Fun huh?

I also am trailing this product called Spring plates by My Foot Shop.com and they work great to decrease my toe pain by creating a rocker action at the ball of my foot, but after just 200 miles, they have holes in them! They also lacerated my shoes so I need to order a new pair and this pair should not be even halfway worn out. These are some of the challenges in planning that I did not expect. I do love my shoes, the Altra Lone Peaks are perfect for my foot. They are light and will dry quickly and the toe room is greater than any other shoe I have tried.

Luckily, my friend MariJo in Bellingham has given me several different pairs of Superfeet to try. So, this means more field testing, which is great because I am walking to train anyway. I figure my feet are one of the most important things to tenderly take care of during and before my trip.

Today I worked on getting a passport. It is complicated since I cant find my old expired one and they don't like my birth certificate. I actually had to apply and pay to get a new birth certificate today. Whew! And it only takes one month to get it shipped to me...Yikes! I need the passport to get into Canada...well actually, I need to passport to get back into the USA after I hike to the trail terminis in Canada.