Taking care of me

I was watching Biscuit play week before last, and all I could think was that I want to be around to see every possible second of his life. I want to see him grow up and learn and eventually figure out what kind of man he wants to be.

But it also occurred to me that I really haven't been taking good care of myself lately. I've had some lingering issues that I haven't dealt with, and if I continue to let things go unchecked, I could be shorting myself time with Biscuit.

So the next day, I asked my friends and co-workers for recommendations, then I made a bunch of appointments - one for a yearly physical, one with an orthopaedic doctor, one for the dentist and one for the dermatologist. The dentist and yearly checkup are scheduled a little ways out, but the ortho and the dermatologist could see me right away.

I've had a problem with my right foot for a few years now. I had it checked out by a podiatrist, but he sort of dismissed it by saying, "It's hallux rigidus, which means that all the soft stuff that's usually between your big toe and your foot is gone. Lose some weight and wear good shoes." That was it.

Then I started having burning pain and numbness in my right thigh. So I checked in with my primary care doctor, and she said, "It's a pinched nerve. Stay off of it for a while, and it should get better. Oh, and lose some weight."

So that's two problems that greatly restrict my mobility, but both doctors say to lose weight. And how exactly can I lose weight when I can't walk any more than a block without getting serious leg and foot pain?

A couple of months ago, I started having sharp pain in the heel of my left foot. I was so dissatisfied with the whole podiatrist experience that I decided I'd see an orthopaedic doctor. I figured he or she might be able to help me.

Apparently, as a result of the problem in my right foot, I changed the way I walk and caused a pinched nerve in my right leg. Then when I started limping because of that, I developed plantar fasciitis in my left foot. Finally, someone has explained the whole thing to me in a way that makes sense and gives me a little hope.

I'm taking some anti-inflammatory drugs, and I had an appointment with a physical therapist this morning. The therapist showed me some stretches, performed an ultrasound treatment, medicated my whole heel through a weird little electrical current-dispensing device, and gave me a recommendation for tennis shoes. It's going to be a pain to do all the stuff I have to do, but hey, if it means I can keep up with my 2 1/2-year-old, I'll do whatever it takes!

It was kinda funny because the therapist said, "Do you have good tennis shoes?" to which I replied, "I have cute tennis shoes," to which he replied, "Let's talk about you getting some new tennis shoes. Then, I want you to wear them constantly for at least 8 weeks."

Eight weeks?!? But it's just getting warm enough to wear cute sandals!

Oh, and did I mention how much I had to pay for good tennis shoes, even with the coupon the physical therapist gave me? I went to a place where they watched me walk and looked at the paperwork from the doctor and physical therapist, then pulled several pairs for me to try. I hope they work well.

I have a few more physical therapy appointments, so cross your fingers that all goes well.

Meanwhile, at the dermatologist ...

I got what they call a full-body scan. It was, shall we say, a little invasive. There isn't a millimeter of me that the dermatologist didn't check for skin problems. I had four spots removed. I got the pathology report back today, and they were all atypical but not cancerous. That was good news.

The dermatologist said, "A lot of people have spots removed, then they worry about them until they get their report back." I told her, "Listen, I've got plenty to worry about without adding bad moles to the mix. I'm not going to panic until you tell me to."

The biggest pain has been caring for the removal spots. They're about as big around as the end of my pinkie finger, and not to get too gross, but the doctor just sliced the skin out, so they're just round, open wounds. The care is to gob Vaseline on them and keep them covered with Band-Aids.

The Vaseline is fine, but boy oh boy, the Band-Aids are leaving marks. Since the spots are on my back, Jeff handles the maintenance. He said he has been rotating the bandages a little bit at each application, which has helped. But now, he said I have red asterisk designs on my back from the Band-Aid irritation.

So that's more than you ever wanted to know about my feet and my skin. But hopefully, this will be a lesson to me that to take care of my Biscuit baby, I need to take care of myself, too.