Nice Pair!
When you have MS related foot-drop like I do, a nice pair is essential.
Shoes, that is.
A nice pair of shoes.
Not even a pair of shoes that look good. I’m referring to shoes that easily tread over ALL surfaces.
Not too grippy, but not too slippery.
Too much grip or too much slip can spell danger for those with MS. (I’ve got the battle scars to prove it.)
And finding the perfect MS shoes can be a difficult task.
Which explains why we as MSers hold onto shoes WAY past their shelf life!
With that said, let me introduce you to my go-to, everyday shoes…..
These puppies needed to be put down a half-dozen years ago.
The toes are ripping out. The sides are blowing out.
And the smells?
Imagine a wet, rotten, cheeseburger laying in a Texas sun.
…That’s what they smelled like eight years ago!
The reason I continue to wear them (besides the fact that foot cheese has fused them to my feet with Gorilla Glue adhesion) is the sole (or lack thereof).
Smoother than a baby’s bottom. Cleaner than Howie Mandel’s head.
I call them my “sliders.” Because, like a pair of bowling shoes. they glide over carpeting, cement, grass and hardwoods.
These shoes are well-worn similar to a publicist for the Kardashian family.
But I cannot part with them.
Oh I have more attractive shoes to wear.
The reason I don’t like these? The grip.
I stumble constantly in these shoes. So I am forced to walk even slower when worn as I must be sure not to scuff my toes & take a tumble.
Sometimes, I swear the bottoms of the shoes have spikes!!!
On thick carpeting or grass, I feel like a mouse on a glue trap.
Walking through oatmeal.
Therefore, I choose to wear my “sliders” most of the time.
Am I alone in the struggle to find the perfect pair of MS shoes?
Do you have similar problems with yours?
Do you have a favorite pair that compliment your slighted, MS gait?
Shoehorn your response in a comment and we’ll all take a step in the right direction.
6 Replies to “Nice Pair!”
Oh to be able to go into a shop and choose any shoes I can go into a shoe store and find 2 pairs worth trying on if I am lucky then when I try them on they are uncomfortable it is so hard to get any
Oh, I agree with this so much. If my shoes (the right one particularly) have treads, rubber soles, or anything else that will stick, I’m sure to get stuck and crumble to the floor. I need the “sliders” of which you talk. I have a lot (think Imelda Marcos) of shoes, and I really should throw many in the trash, but I keep looking at them longingly, and I secretly yearn for the day when I can wear them.
Now, besides the foot drop, I also developed lymphedema, so many more pairs have gone by the wayside. I have to admit that my shoes don’t look as bad as yours,, but they’re getting there.
Muff
I prefer bare feet. Of course that gets a bit ugly when there is snow on the ground!
I can wear one kind of shoe. One. And they are, of course, fantastically stylish. They look like this: http://www.rogansshoes.com/61334/i1307133/718832/Walking-Shoes/New-Balance-577-Velcro-Walking-Shoes.html
It is because of the brace I wear that I am limited to one pair, but it is because of the brace that I can walk at all; so I’m grateful for both the brace and the shoes. I have found them in three colors: white, black and tan. And in case you’re wondering, spraying these shoes with brown Fushion paint does not work unless you enjoy leaving a trail of brown paint flakes. The up side? I use very little closet space for footwear 🙂
The shoe hunt is so difficult ….I do like you…I keep a good pair forever
Speak the truth, my friend! I have a pair of Nike cross-trainers I’ve had for the past 11 years. Holes in the toes, but they work! Really feel more like slippers, but the “Swoosh” make them acceptable to wear in public 🙂 Walk on!