Send Happy Thoughts, or Good Vibes, or whatever you have in the spare closet you're not currently using

Hey, it's been a long time since I posted.

Here's an update, in case any of you are still out there clinging to the dusty cobweb-filled corners, bravely fending off starvation.

I'm going to say this as briefly as possible... (though usually when I say that, I end up writing a small novel).

Tomorrow morning will involve a lawyer and a judge.

My foot/ankle has a deformity called Equinovarus.  Both feet have it, but it's a lot worse on the right foot.  It's something I was born with, but it's gradually gotten worse as I've gotten older.  This is what's been happening on top of all those other issues I've blogged about these past few years.  The plantar fasciitis, the tenosynovitis, blah blah blah.
Equinovarus means "turned inward and curled under".
Here's a page about it.

I should've gotten surgery for it when I was a baby, but my parents didn't get it done because the doctors (wrongly) told them I might just "grow out of it".
Doesn't work that way.
Just gets worse.

It's very hard for me to stand now, very hard to walk.
I have leg braces on both legs, which helps a lot but still doesn't fix the whole problem.

The first kind of brace I wore didn't help at all; my foot wrenched inward with such force that it actually warped the brace.
I had to get heavy-duty leg braces custom-made for both legs.
I wear these every day of my life, and will continue to need them every day for the rest of my life.

I have a heavy-duty walker, which I keep folded up in the trunk of my car at all times.
I also own a variety of canes, for places where the walker would be too cumbersome.

My disability hearing is tomorrow morning at 10:00.
My dual claims involve Chronic Migraines and Equinovarus Deformity.
I got rejected at first, so now I'm taking it to the next level. 
Got a lawyer.  Going to have to fight.


I took some pictures of my right foot, so the judge can see what I look like without the leg braces.  I sent the pictures to my lawyer this morning, and will also be taking the pictures with me in case I need to show the judge personally.

I might as well post them here, so the rest of the world can see.
Don't look if you're squeamish about feet.

In the first picture, you can see my knee off in the bottom right corner, which shows just how much my foot warps off in the opposite direction.

Anyway, think of me tomorrow morning (Thursday 9-10-15), at 10:00 am.
.