The "Comeback" Shoes

Well, I learned a valuable lesson yesterday.

Monday I had a great day. Hip felt fantastic. Had a really awesome PT session, worked really hard and felt GREAT. I increased my weight on all my exercises, did sumo lunges, resistance side-steps, hamstring curls and planks on the physioball and bosu ball respectively, everything felt so good. I really was marveled because I felt normal walking out of there. Not a stitch of pain or discomfort. I felt so empowered!

So…Tuesday morning I woke up and was a little stiff but nothing crazy or unexpected. I got dressed and ready and as I was getting ready to leave the house I had to make the ever-important decision: what shoes do I wear?

Well, I felt GREAT, right? I felt confident and comfortable and normal! So I picked up my new shoes, the ones I bought right before my surgery, the ones I dubbed my “comeback” shoes. My brown leather heels with the cute little buckle on the toe. I picked them up and I said to them “After a long winter of being nestled snug in your box: I am ready for you!”

Comeback shoes! The heel looks so innocent, doesn't it?

Went to work, all excited in my new shoes…even boasted to a few people: “These are my comeback shoes!”

And then…it happened. BAM! I made one wrong move and a sharp stinging pain in my hip went allllllll the way down to my toes. I stopped immediately, sat down, and took off my “comeback” shoes. Of course a million things went through my mind…many of them variations of how stupid I was for wearing them in the first place. Many others were fears that I re-tore the labrum, or something to that effect.

I sat for a few minutes…pondering my next move and how I would go about the rest of my day. Cocky Danielle decided it was “comeback” shoe day and never thought of a contingency plan if said shoes ended up being the wrong choice. I had no other shoes to wear except these terrible, no good heels…and suddenly they didn’t look nearly as cute as they did in the morning. So…I sat there in my desk chair…rubbing my hip that I still can’t feel because of the numbness that lingers since October. I had no choice but to continue my day in these devil shoes. 

So…I got up and took a few steps, and much to my dismay I had pain while walking. It wasn’t terrible pain…but the pain was reminiscent of a time pre-surgery…and this really gave me a blow to the ego. I was so bumming the rest of the day, I was deflated. And I was petrified I’d done something horrible. 

I walked awkwardly and extremely carefully in the devil shoes for the rest of the day, taking them off any chance I could. When I got home, I immediately threw the stupid shoes in my closet and retreated back to my ever comfortable Crocs. The hip wasn’t hurting when I walked anymore…but there was still a stinging pain deep inside that ached. It felt that way for the rest of the night…and for the first time in a long time, my hip hurt when I was in bed last night. I had to put a pillow between my legs to try and stop the stinging and aching.

I was really concerned at that point. It wasn’t terrible pain…but it was consistent and I hadn’t felt it in ages. I was so disappointed.
Thankfully, I woke this morning with no pain at all. I am relieved. I certainly learned a valuable lesson yesterday: I DEFINITELY am not ready for heels. Maybe someday down the road I’ll get there. But, for right now, I’m happy in my comfortable flats.