'I crawl in and out of the shower.' Newsreader Candice Wyatt on her sesamoiditis diagnosis.

Melbourne news presenter Candice Wyatt is best known for delivering the headlines to households. But this week, she has lifted the lid on the behind-the-scenes of why she has been missing from Channel 10's news program recently. 

And it has everything to do with her foot.

Just under a month ago, Wyatt was walking barefoot on floorboards when she felt something in the ball of her left foot snap. It had been sore in the lead-up to the incident, but nothing majorly seriously.

But now, it was bad - to the point that she couldn't put weight on it at all. What followed was a blur of doctor and surgeon appointments, CT scans, MRIs, cortisone injections and more.

Writing about it on Instagram, Wyatt said she was then diagnosed with sesamoiditis - an inflammation of the 'sesamoid' bones and tendons in the ball of the foot. It's a condition that athletes and dancers can experience, and sits under the chronic pain umbrella. 

"It isn't curable, but can be managed. But on top of that, I have a third sesamoid bone which is abnormal. It's likely I was born this way, but why it may be causing me problems now, no one can explain. There's a chance I may need surgery to remove it," Wyatt wrote. 

Watch: Chronic pain explained. Story continues below.

But not only has the sesamoiditis been physically painful, but the emotional burden is just as great - a reality many who have chronic pain issues can attest to.

"I've lived on crutches for the past four weeks," she continued in her Instagram post. "I crawl in and out of the shower. I can't do my normal job as a journalist. My social life has been shot to shite. I'm exhausted from my mobility issues. I'm relying on my amazing circle of friends more than I ever thought I would and as a fiercely independent person, this brings me to tears."

And speaking of the loss of independence, Wyatt also said not being able to attend her regular exercise classes or move her body like she used to be able to has been upsetting.

"I'm so totally out of whack and struggling to see a future through the fog, that it's not even funny," she said. "I've considered amputation. I'm terrified of the unknown and what I will and won't be able to do physically once a solution is found. I miss my old life. And suddenly the problems I thought I had before this, don't seem like problems at all."

Speaking to Mamamia, Wyatt says that "as a super fit, active and social person, this injury has really rocked me. It has been four weeks now and no one can accurately tell me when I'll walk again, which is a very difficult thing to come to terms with. It's also not a straight-forward sesamoiditis case - it's much more complicated. I'm in pain, I'm uncomfortable, I'm frustrated and I'm upset - but I am not about to amputate my foot."

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A post shared by CANDICE WYATT (@candice_wyatt_10)

As internationally-recognised pain specialist Professor Michael Cousins previously said to Mamamia: "Pain is incredibly pervasive, it pervades every aspect of a person's life and their families and very often their community. It would be without any doubt the largest, unrecognised, chronic condition of all the chronic diseases."

For Wyatt, she is now in the process of trying to manage her sesamoiditis as best she can. And posting about what her reality really looks like has ultimately helped others feel less alone, as shown in the number of comments. 

"This isn't a sympathy post. It's an appreciation post for my friends (you know who you are), and my incredible doctor. They frequently remind me that 'this too, shall pass'. But at the moment… I can't see that," she wrote. "Please never, ever, underestimate the privilege of being healthy and able. If you can plant two feet on the ground and stand up... you're having a good day."

In the wake of her post, Wyatt tells Mamamia the response she has received is "overwhelming".

"A debilitating foot injury may not sound like a big deal on a surface level, but when you stop to think about everything it impacts and takes from you - it's extraordinary," she says.

"And, it turns out, there's an entire community of Australians out there going through similar experiences who have really resonated with my story. I hope to be back doing all the things I love, sometime in 2023. But for now, this is my reality and I'm taking it one day at a time."

Feature Image: @candice_wyatt_10.

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