As We Age...A Series in Who Knows How Many Post Because I've Got A Lot of Issues. Part 2

Next up on As We Age...A Series in Who Knows How Many Posts because I've got a lot of issues....

I would like to discuss feet.

Ewwwwwww.  Gross.  Nobody likes to talk about feet.  And certainly, nobody likes to look at pictures of other people's feet so there will be zero pictures of my feet posted here today. 

While I may find feet ugly I am very thankful for my feet.  Until 4 years ago, I had zero thoughts about my feet.  I used to bee bop into a shoe store and pick any shoe I thought was cute, purchase it, and wear it with no issues but then one day all that  changed.

It was the end of 2020 and I was working early voting for the election. In our county, early voting lasts 17 days.  They like for everyone working to be there every day and to be there the entire time the polls are open which is typically 12 hours.  They don't like election workers coming and going in shifts.  They like continuity.  Most of these 17 days I was on my feet for all most the full 12 hours .

And for most of these 17 days I was wearing cute, non-supportive shoes - the type of shoes I've always worn.  Flats, fashion sneakers (you know the shoe that looks like a sneaker but has zero cushioning or support), little booties, you get the idea.  I was dressing for cuteness without giving a second thought to my feet.  Because prior to this, my feet hadn't given me any problems.

After that election my feet were killing me.  Every step I took caused my feet to burn.  I remember it felt like they were ripping with each step and the pain in my heels were intense. After much googling, I determined that I had plantar fasciitis.  

And in case you are lucky enough not to know what plantar fasciitis is here's a brief synopsis:

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation of a thick band of tissue called the plantar fascia. This tissue runs across the bottom of the foot and connects the heel bone and toes. This is one of the most common causes of heel pain. Plantar fasciitis occurs when the fascia becomes overstretched or experiences excessive strain caused by repetitive stress from activities like standing or running. The most common symptom is a stabbing pain in the bottom of the foot near the heel. Pain is usually the worst in the morning.

I brought it up with my doctor who agreed that's what I had.  She gave me a printout of exercises to do with my feet. I bought a contraption from Amazon stretch my feet. I used a frozen water bottle to roll my feet on to stretch out the fascia.  I even started doing the foot exercises before I got up in the mornings because when you haven't been using your feet the muscles constrict and then if they aren't stretched out properly the ripping feeling occurs. These exercises helped  some and the frozen water bottle felt nice on my poor feet but it was still very painful to walk.  And if you will recall, this was the exact time I was starting to gain weight so I'm sure not being able to move without pain didn't help in that area either.

I decided I needed more than some foot exercises to help with the pain so I went to Fleet Feet and got special inserts in my shoes.  I also bought a pair of very expensive Hokas to wear when I needed to be on my feet for long periods. Both of these helped but I still didn't feel like my feet were healing. It was at this point (spring of 2021) that I discovered the thing that literally saved me...

OOFOS!

 

 

I had never heard of OOFOS but in my extensive googling and searching for relief from my foot pain, I came across an ad for them.  And even though they were the ugliest things I've ever seen and they were expensive, I ordered a pair.

When they came and I put them on, I swear, I could hear the angels singing. 

My feet felt good for the first time in months.  I could actually walk without intense pain.  

They were ugly so I never wore them outside of the house but the minute I got home from anywhere, I put them on.  I even kept them by my bed and wore them to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  

I remember about a month after getting them,  I accidentally wore them out the house, I was mortified.  I looked down and I had these ugly shoes on out in public.  Sarah told me they weren't that ugly and not to worry about it. I decided to stop being vain and enjoy the fact that I could walk from the parking lot into a building and not be in pain. And from then on, I started wearing them to the grocery store and any other places that it didn't really matter. I would never wear them to church or out to dinner but I basically was wearing them 85% of the time at that point. And it was then, they my feet finally began to heal.

Eventually, I started seeing ads for OOFOS on TV and started seeing other people wearing them out in public.  I've gone through quite a few pairs of them over the last four years and my brother and my husband are now also proud OOFOS owners. Thankfully, now, the basic OOFOS have come way down in price too.  I was originally paying $90 and now you can get the basic pair for $60! 

My feet are now fully healed from the plantar fasciitis thankfully and I can wear cuter shoes again.  But gone are the days where I can wear just any old cute shoe.  The heel has to be a certain height and there has to be a certain amount of support.  If not, I have to use my good old inserts. I still come home from work or being out and put on my OOFOS.

I remember in my youth wondering why all the little old ladies wore such ugly shoes and vowed never to be like them.  HA!!! 

 As we age, our feet break down and we become little old ladies wearing ugly but sensible shoes!  

Have you guys ever heard of OOFOS?  Do you own them?  Would you wear them out in public?