New Shoe Blues

     I made an error in judgment last Monday. I was on my way to work when I decided to get off of the train a stop early and pick up my watch band.

     My everyday Burberry watch's iconic plaid-leather band had been disintegrating, and after a few Google searches and phone calls, the solution was to visit my local Burberry store to see about obtaining a replacement. The store was a little out of my way, so it took me a while to find the time to be in the area and stop in. I am glad I finally did, though, because their customer service was excellent, they were able to obtain the band earlier than predicted, and they even tried to get it in before I left for my vacation. I ended up not being able to pick it up, unfortunately, because my Angel Pie became ill, and then we left for our trip, so I felt badly about not picking it up, so I tried to get it as soon as I got back into town.

     Back to yesterday. I was excitedly wearing a new pair of shoes,

and because they were flats and I thought ahead to put in heel liners, I didn't think twice about attempting the walk, even in the 90°+ heat. That was the wrong decision. Almost immediately, I developed blisters on both heels. Upon leaving Burberry, the blister on my left heel broke. I hobbled to the nearest CVS, going to the extreme of stomping down on the back of my does to stop the rubbing. At CVS, I grabbed lunch supplies and blister first aid--blister-specific bandages, knee-highs, footies, and Band-Aid Friction Block Stick. If only I would have thought to apply the last product in the first place, I wouldn't be in this situation. After my purchase, I hobbled to my office.

     The first set of blister bandages ended up being a bust when used with the footies. I think the footies would have been useful in the first place as well, but at this point, they just broke the seal of the bandage. The second set of bandages worked better because I left my shoes off for mostly the rest of the day, with the exceptions of restroom trips. I still had to make it home, though. I added the knee-highs and removed the heel guards, and hobbled to the train station. Thank goodness my walk is short.

     From my train stop, I had my husband bring my sandals. Big improvement in terms of pain. I was able to walk almost normally through a quick grocery store run. At home, though, the hem of my pants became an irritant, bumping the raw skin of my left heel pretty constantly. I thought I would fare best to leave the broken blister uncovered overnight. Huge mistake.

     I got about four and a half hours of sleep. There was no comfortable position for my heel. I couldn't get up much to find something to fix it because my Angel Pie nursed a lot. Add to my pain the fact that our poor elderly kitty caterwauled constantly all night. She's old and currently dealing with untreated anxiety issues, and since returning with us from our trip, she had been going nuts. We made a vet appointment for this weekend to address these issues, but until then, she's going to meow incessantly, which makes the quality of sleep terrible for everyone.

     For my work day today, I am faring pretty well with my sandals and my heel covered with antibiotic ointment, gauze, and a bandage. Our medical tape was not sticky at all. I may run to CVS again for more supplies, especially for overnight.

     What have I learned? Mostly, don't attempt a long walk in bare feet with new shoes. If I would have stuck to my normal routine, I probably would have been fine, even despite the heat. I seem to forget this and reteach myself this lesson about once a year. I hope this will be the last time!