Ambulatory Issues

 Both Ken and I had ambulatory problems.  Just before we left, Ken was diagnosed with lumbar radiculopathy.  Basically that is a pinched nerve in his back.  He was in a lot of pain in his hip and upper left leg.  He got in with a specialist just before we left and had an epidural treatment.  It really didn't help much.  That ailment caused him pain throughout our trip.  It was especially painful to stand.  By the end of each day, he was in a lot of pain.  He was a trouper.  He didn't let it stop him from doing things and rarely said anything about it.  He just suffered.

I developed a blister on my foot from walking.  Not wanting it to get worse or get infected, I treated it very cautiously.  I didn't want it to keep me from enjoying the trip.  I had blister bandages in my first aid kit and layered them on.  Then I switched from my athletic shoes which caused the blister to my Sunday shoes.  That certainly helped the blister but caused worse problems.  Those thick bandages caused my shoe to fit differently and made my toe hit the front of my shoe.  My big toe became very swollen and red and inflamed.  My toenail turned black.

This picture was taken a week or so after the inflammation, redness, and swelling had subsided.

These ailments caused pain and discomfort and had us constantly searching for benches, but they didn't cause us as much trouble as they certainly could have.  We were able to enjoy our activities and to keep going.  For that we are most grateful.  We were blessed.