Support Lisa's Recovery from Foot Surgery

Hello,

My name is Lisa Word.

For those that don’t understand what’s going on. I tore my plantar fascia back in October of 2024. I’ve been having issues with both feet for some time, but figured it was from working long hours on my feet, mainly that of concrete flooring. I was told I should’ve had the surgery years ago, but since I didn’t and kept working with it slowly deteriorating. It eventually just snapped, and it was the worst imaginable pain. I had to deal with that pain until my podiatrist could get me into surgery. I ended up having double surgery because I messed my ankle up pretty bad when I fell from the tear.

A couple months later I was released to light duty, no boot required (doctor’s orders) – as in I was allowed to work the register but not allowed to lift more than 5lbs and I had to sit throughout my entire shift. This made things difficult but doable. Unfortunately, this also meant I couldn’t go back to managing truck like I had wished. But the plan was to take it easy, work the register, and heal - so I could get back to truck, eventually. Well long story short, things seemed to be going well for once. I thought I was in the clear only I ended up hurting myself on the very first day back, I badly sprained the same ankle while adjusting myself on the stool they had me sitting in at work. I wasn’t even there for an hour before I ended up at Urgent Care.

Urgent care slapped some ice on it, then sent me on my way. I was in tremendous pain. Just putting any weight on it was unbearable. But I did the RICE method as my doctor suggested and took some pain meds to help. The meds would carry me over for a couple of hours and I was right back at being in pain. The pain was eventually manageable, it was never completely gone but it had gotten better. Because of this, my doctor decided to release me to full duty, without the boot. No restrictions, which confused me because originally, he said three more months off my foot, during that same office visit. But when I made it clear I would need a detailed note on what I can and cannot do at work, he changed his mind and said why don’t we try releasing you to full duty instead? Full duty - but to what you can handle basically, only he didn’t put that part on the note to my boss. I had to verbally tell her what he said.

Anyhow incredibly LONG story short. I did okay the first day or two but then the pain came back with a vengeance, along with a soft-ball-sized swelling on the right side of my ankle not far from the surgery site. I let my doctor know and he suggested I get an emergency ultrasound done to make sure it wasn’t a blood clot. This particular area gets very red and hot to the touch. The ultrasound happened but they didn’t find any clots. I was told to go back to wearing the boot and back to taking breaks and sitting. Well, something as simple as facing/fronting, standing up to help customers, going to the bathroom, or breakroom was just pure torture. I was running low on meds and wondering how I was going to make it through 8 days and work 40 hour weeks.

I called my podiatrist; they got me in yet again. He told me I could work as long as I kept my foot elevated and stayed off it for the entire 8 hour shifts I had. There was no possible way of doing that and be able to serve customers. My boss had no choice but to send me back to LOA and I had only been back to work for a few weeks. I was in the process of getting financially caught up from my last leave and working to pay off not only Christmas but a loan. Both in which are things I never quite got around to wrapping up before being sent back to LOA.

We are currently facing having our electricity, water, and my phone turned off. We are past due on everything as we simply do not have the funds to pay for it. But those are the three hounding us to pay. I haven’t received a check in two weeks as I’ve used up all my vacation time for the year. The insurance my temporary disability is under for work has been nothing but hell, through no fault of my employers or the corporation itself.

I had trouble getting payments last time I was on LOA and we’re right back where we started. They demand paperwork that my doctor’s office isn’t sending, and my doctor’s office claims they haven’t received anything about that other than the release of my medical records. Even if I eventually get approved for disability again. It’s only 300 a week, no one can live off that. And two hundred of that would’ve gone right back in their pockets anyhow as this company also claims I owe them 1,260 dollars in overpayments from last time. That claim they had my return-to-work date wrong. I have no clue how that is even possible. But if I don’t have the money by the 27th of FEBRUARY, I will face other issues. I won’t go into detail of what I suspect I will have to do when it comes to the insurance company… It hasn’t been a very fun time.

My podiatrist hopes I can complete physical therapy by the 26th of March and get back to work within that week if not a little later. That’s what I’m hoping for. I miss my coworkers, I miss being able to make a living, and I truly love my job. That is extremely rare but it’s true, there is a sense of family when it comes to our team and not being there has been a bit of a downer and I just want to heal and get back to it.

I’m sharing this again in hopes of spreading the word – if you can please do! I am looking into programs that can help as well. So, far two of the programs have turned us down saying they cannot help. We just need help so we can get our bills paid, so nothing gets disconnected, food for the house, and gas for my daughter's car. I cannot drive so my daughter has to escort me around and run errands for me.