Ouch!

Ouch!

Actually, I haven't been saying "ouch" much. It has been more of an "Aahhhhhh!" along with a sharp in-take of breath as a pain shoots through my left foot whenever I put any weight on it. This started yesterday afternoon. Nothing traumatic happened to my foot, it just began to ache. I thought maybe I had been sitting in an odd position and my foot just went to sleep, but then the foot started to throb. And then it became painful to walk.

The progression so far has been:

Yesterday 3:00PM: Everything normal, did a little shopping at the Walgreens.

Yesterday 5:00PM: My foot aches a little.

Yesterday 9:00PM: Shooting pain whenever weight is put on the foot.

Today: Pain a bit worse. I actually find I can walk most comfortably by putting my full weight on my right foot and dragging my left leg behind me Igor style. Anyone who would see me today would be certain I was putting on an obvious affectation, but I swear to God it is the best way for me to remain mobile.

As for what is wrong with my poor foot, I'm not exactly sure. Online health website are all wonderfully obscure, but I think I'm suffering from something called Morton's neuroma, which involves the inflammation of a nerve. It is one of those wonderful afflictions that can spontaneously occur for no obvious reason.

Great.

I'm generally on O.K. terms with the whole ageing process, but the little aches and pains get on my nerves. For example, last week I slept in a slightly awkward position and as a result my jaw, neck and shoulder hurt for 5 straight days. Ten years ago had I slept the same way all I would have needed to do is take an aspirin and I would have felt fine by lunchtime. Now it is practically debilitating.

I'm not the sort who goes running to the doctor's office every time I have the slightest medical issue, in fact I'm quite the opposite. I think this comes from having an RN for a mother. When I was a child anytime I thought there was anything wrong with me physically, my mother would give me long suffering look and announce, "You're not dying." As a result, to this day, I try to live with my aches and pains without the aid of physicians. In the case of my foot pain, it doesn't really look like there is much more they could do for me that I'm not already doing. I'm taking over the counter anti-inflammatory pain meds, trying to keep my foot elevated, putting the occasional ice pack on it, and trying to hobble around as little as possible. The deal I've made with my wife is that if it doesn't get better in a few days then I'll go see a doctor.

I wonder what my body has in store for me next week.