(GEES THIS TAKES GUTS. OY.)
By now you have a good idea of what "Brachy" is, so I'll move on to my personal view and experience. I've lived with this for 30+ years. It has affected a few women in my family. My Aunt, my father's cousin, my sister, and my cousin. In our family it starts at about 7yrs of age, when the 4th metatarsal bone (inside the foot, not inside the toe) stops growing. It seems the skin continues, but not the development of the bones.
I'm used to it by now. I don't wear flip-flops or open toe shoes on dates or anything, but when I walk my dog or have to make a quick run to the post office, I grab my favorite "brachy-sandals" and go. (I like them best because they hide my bunions. ;o) I don't feel 'shame' as some Brachy-ers do, but I don't think one should feel shame for feeling shame, if that makes sense.
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| My Brachy sandals |
Family and close friends have seen my feet, so no big deal. But what bothers me at this point in my life is that I can't wear a nice low-heel, feminine, strappy sandal. I just want to do that. That is what has lead me to my final decision for correction.
As an artist I'm use to being the quirky one so this sort of fits for me I think. ;o) Growing up it did do damage to my self esteem, and as an adult I discovered it did play a reasonable role in my lack of social skills. There were no pool parties, walks on the beach, sports (locker rooms), pedicures, sleep overs, shoe shopping, etc. I avoided being involved in anything that would even have the chance of exposure. Kids can be cruel. (Let me explain that I went to 13 different schools. I was always the new kid. And was bullied because I was a new target. That being said, I never showed my feet as to not give the bullies yet another reason to pick on me. So with every move I started from scratch again. I never had a chance to develop long-term friends to build trust with.)
Anywhoo, I work in Manhattan, and before the real hot weather hits, all the girls are pedicured and flip-flopped— so are many others who don't care for their feet in the same way. I've had a front row seat on the subway to some amazing deformities. So I look at myself and figure I'm just not that different. Many have it far worse than I. Someone in a wheel chair would give their right eye to have my feet and legs. So in that context, I no longer feel cursed or emotionally bothered as an adult.
I have other blogs and if you sift through them you'll realize I'm not consumed with my feet. But this blog IS about my experience with Brachymetatarsia so it will seem all consuming as you read it.
At this point, a bit of a door to have my feet reconstructed has cracked open. It might be possible that I may be able to work remotely from home in the near future because my job has been piloting this now for 6 mo. Without this, the reconstruction will not be possible. I must work. I don't have the luxury of not earning an income for the long post-op needed for recovery.
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| © DNC - www.brachymetatarsia.blogspot.com |
My feet are completely flat. No arch. In fact, so flat that they act like suction-cups on humid days in the sandals above. ;-) My problem at this point in my life is the physical pain caused not only by my Brachy but by the two bunions on the inside and the two bunionettes on the outside. I nurse my inner bunions now-a-days by avoided 80s-like heels. But even when I wear flat closed shoes the pain from my bunionettes is excruciating.
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| © DNC - www.brachymetatarsia.blogspot.com |
I also have thick calluses on the bottom of my Brachy foot. In my sandals, my feet just don't look that bad from our birds-eye view. But from a healthy podiatrist vantage point— they are an absolute mess.
So here starts my new journey! ;o)
