The Quiet Resilience of My Foot

The surgeon just came by and told me that there was even less cartilage left in my joint than they had anticipated. Not only was there hardly any cartilage, but part of the bone was also sticking out and obviously damaged.

That’s probably the reason why things have felt so acute over the last nine months—ever since that famous 20-kilometer cross-country ski trip with my lovely friend Lotta back in December.

About the Procedure

They filled up the missing cartilage—partly artificial, partly taken from my shinbone—and glued it into place. Long live surgery in 2025!

On top of that, they found an old bone fragment from when I twisted my ankle in my youth, which had been sitting on the right side of the joint all this time. They removed that as well. And, as if that wasn’t enough, they also noticed some loose ligaments on the right side and decided to stitch those up too.

Because the operation was so extensive, they actually had to saw through the bone to get to the right spot. Luckily, the surgeon reassured me that this heals very cleanly—much better than an accident-related fracture.

So yeah, my foot was pretty beat up on all levels. Honestly, I’m surprised and a little shocked how much it has put up with over the years—pool training with my special "criminal set" trainer, long runs, sprints, gym work involving box jumping up and down, just to name a few of my special fun exercises… this foot has seen things.

Over the past 3 weeks, I had the feeling that there wasn’t much inflammation, since I had been extremely careful with my foot recently. Avoiding activities like going for a walk for 10 min, I am not talking about real activities you might think of. Well… apart from a bit of dancing at a wedding and that one ‘little’ dive to 66 meters at the Swiss Championships — both totally worth it and simply impossible to resist. Sorry, dear foot… But the truth is, I haven’t had much pain these last six weeks. Since the competition at Lake Garda with my world record dive, I’ve been basically pain-free. Magically after that comp I was not humping anymore. During the competition I was hobbling around — even on the day of my attempt I limped into the water. But once I was diving, the pain disappeared completely. Otherwise I wouldn’t have done it. Still, I kept training volume to an absolute minimum to give the joint a break.

Back to the inflammation thing: the surgeon told me that the bone and joint were definitely inflamed. Uff. That shocked me a bit, since I was convinced I went into surgery with everything calm and under control. I even caught myself thinking last night: “Did I really need this surgery?” Haha… little did I know.

Anyway, I woke up super relaxed and happy. Guess that’s the thrill of survival plus an efficient dose of painkillers.

Thanks to a clever technique called a continuous peripheral nerve block with catheter, my leg is basically on vacation right now. To put it simply:

• They numb the main nerve supply of the leg (like the sciatic or femoral nerve).

• A catheter drips in small doses of local anesthetic continuously.

• This keeps the whole area pain-free for 2 days.

Apparently, foot surgeries—especially when bone is involved—are known to be very painful in the first 1–3 days. This setup takes the edge off so nicely that I’m on much lower amounts of systemic pain meds. When I get discharged in three days, I’ll switch over to regular pills.

Healing Into a New Chapter

The surgery was definitely worth it. There was a lot to repair, and I’ve been living with this workaround since I was a teenager. Depending on how recovery unfolds, I now have a real chance for improvement — maybe even full healing.

People have often told me I walk “strangely”. Well, I guess this was the answer: a deeply ingrained workaround that allowed me to keep going with all this hidden damage. The human body really is incredible in how it adapts — consciously and unconsciously.

Talking about healing. I’m kicking off new my healing journey with an afternoon smoothie: coconut water, chia seeds, natural vegan protein powder, spinach, and fruits — lovingly brought in and self made by my partner. ♡

To be honest, it’s also a way to restart my diet. Normally I follow it with passion, but it slipped down my list after my last competition in Switzerland. Life got busy: helping my grandmother move, working on business ideas, hosting some magical impact freediving camps in Italy, and well… just life.

But that’s what it’s all about, right? We don’t aim for perfection. What matters is coming back — to whatever we feel called to pursue. Every day is an invitation to begin again. Like sun salutations. Like our cells, constantly being recreated, moment by moment. I might be drifting here (ahaha), but maybe some of you can relate. So keep moving, people — it’s worth it!

Now it’s time for rest — which, honestly, feels pretty great right now.