Walking at the Mall

We took our daughter to a nearby mall yesterday for dress shopping because there will be a daddy daughter dance at her school next month. I really thought that since my accident, I had the best excuse not to participate in dances or even step foot on a dance floor. Like a handicap placard. I was part of a new club. 'Oh no sorry, I really can't.' I had no rhythm when I was able-bodied and I certainly have less now, but I can stand now for more than a few minutes and it isn't as painful as it used to be. I'll still suck at it, but I never wanted to be a dancer anyway. I have thought about the future and if my daughter ever does choose to get married I was sad thinking that I wouldn't be able to share a dance with her, but that's no longer something I'm worried about.

Walking around at the mall was odd. Two anchor stores are now gone from the last time we visited a couple years ago. Gap Kids and Gap were gone too. There were a lot of massage chairs and wi-fi lounges throughout the mall. Our kid wanted to go into Hot Topic and so we did. I think some of the merchandise had changed inside the store, but the NOFX-type music and everything else was exactly the same as it was 25 years ago. Goth is still a thing. It was like a time warp.

Something that has changed since our last visit to that mall was the pain in my foot/leg. My leg is still suffering from nerve damage so it still continues to feel hammy and numb. And then there is the foot drop issue. When my doctor comes back from his travels I believe he wants me to get some physical therapy to help address that issue. The best thing about yesterday that I noticed was that I wasn't favoring my good leg and I wasn't always looking for a chair or bench to rest. I even entertained the idea of becoming a mall walker. Like Jimmy McGill, I can really relate to old people and for some reason they enjoy my company. I had a lot of older friends in my rehab days. I saw one of the regular mall walkers hugging the walls of a corridor we were exiting from. He had on a track suit, athletic shoes and was listening to something on his headphones. I could be that guy. I still listen to Cubs' games on transistor radios strategically placed throughout our home.

Last night I was explaining to my wife that my complex regional pain syndrome has definitely improved since my surgery to have the dorsal root ganglion, or DRG stimulator, implanted into my back. Health care workers always ask me what my pain level is at on a scale from zero to ten. For the past couple of years I'd usually say my pain is a steady four. Now, it still isn't a zero and I don't think it ever will be again, but it has been about a two in my foot since the surgery. My back hurt like hell from the surgery, but I knew that it was going to. The foot pain is much better and much more tolerable now. There are times when I cross my legs and I can feel that zap of pain in my sciatic nerve running down my leg to the bottom of my foot, but that constant throbbing and burning isn't as prevalent. It still is cooler to the touch too, but my doctor said that with time that issue may improve as well.

Tomorrow I'll be visiting with another doctor (while mine is still living it up in a tropical paradise) to hopefully have my bandages removed and to be given the go ahead to finally shower. Hopefully I'll have an update after my doctor's visit tomorrow.