Five-Star Disability

Updated

So as part of the introduction to CAPOS, I have outlined the five parts, and examined them in greater depth. This blog focuses on the P of CApOS…

A simple topic, eh? What is Pes Cavus?

What the term itself means is, in simplest terms, a high arch of the foot.

I place more weight and stress on the ball and heel of my foot, and less on the middle of the foot. Because of that, my weight is not evenly distributed, and I am more inclined to be unbalanced while standing and/or walking. True biz!

In comparison, the person without high arch, nearly everyone else for that matter, will have weight and stress on the FULL foot. Those who are flat-footed are in a different class, and they are probably much more stable anywise.

By the way, when I say foot, it is obvious I mean feet. The singular foot, is referring to plural feet. Who can walk around all day on one foot. Even those people who have amputated feet, or foot, will have some other object to balance their weight; be it crutches, prosthesis, wheelchair. Their weight is, balanced.

With two feet and both have pes cavus, both are the cause of the instability, the unbalance, the falls.

What that means, I know, is that my full 210 lbs is not supported by my feet. Coupled with my ataxia, my areflexia, it is surprising I have had no serious falls or broken bones since I broke the ligaments in my left foot in winter of 1984!

Yes, I’ve sprained my ankles many times, both left and right. This usually happens in a two fold manner, first: I don’t see the crack in the sidewalk, the pothole, the edge of the curb, and, second, I step on it with half my foot. So, if more than half is “in the hole” then, I will fall. But if most of the foot is “on land,” I’ll be able to correct my balance. I might stumble, or lurch, but that is better than falling. I can usually, after a few minutes, shake the pain off, and start walking again.

Quote from 2015: I was crossing the street, and stepped into a small pothole that I didn’t see, which sent me flying into traffic, my son confused, my service dog startled, and my intervenor unsure on what to do.

I cannot remember the situation above; I kept it because of how it affects everyone around me. My son, then aged 4, was confused that I lost grip of his hand, while crossing the street with my service dog and my intervenor. The dog was tethered to me, and jogged with me. I seem to have a flash that the child stayed at the curb, with the new intervenor, while I righted myself, I did not fall, and gestured to the boy and woman to hurry up, the light was counting down.

The boy quickly forgot about it, and the intervenor did too, I almost did as well

To me, I feel that it is pes cavus that is the cause of my unbalanced walking and standing. Coupled with the ataxia, it becomes much more of a chore.

Right now, and for a while now, and right up to 2021, I’ve had various pains in my legs, knees, and feet. Some can be defined as “ghost sprains” or twinges in knees, ankles, in the days before Christmas (2020), I had mystery pain in my left hip as I walked around metro Vancouver. When I lived in Toronto, this issue was not priority, and I never saw a doctor about it. Since I moved to Vancouver, I have seen a specialist, and had two MRIs done rather quickly on my lumbar and neck region. This doctor feels in the Dystonia, and offered to Botox me.

I need to follow up with him, and I need to hum! My tinnitus is driving me batty, still!

I sign all my blogs with the catch phrase, and I hope you do:

Enjoy Life! Je vous souhaite!

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