It started off with a blister and that lead to me changing my gait a little bit. It then lead to a slight change it the way my foot felt inside the shoe. All those hot yoga sessions added pressure to the area and the body reacted to all that additional force placed upon it. It reacted with pain and swelling to one particular spot on the foot just below the second and third metatarsal heads. The pain waxed and waned and at the end of some days I couldn’t walk anywhere deciding that it needs time to rest and heal. 

A couple of weeks ago my supervisor asked to speak with me about something in her office. I wondered if I did something wrong or if my performance wasn’t up to par. It turned out to be nothing if the sort. It turns out that there will be a number of job openings in MRI. She wanted me to be aware of that and we talked about some of the implications regarding my move. I was almost too excited to talk to her about it. I had to go back to my room to finish off the slate. The implications for my life began a journey through my mind. 

My foot would wax and wane with the degree to which it hurt to walk on it. The pain started to subside so I decided to take a yoga class on my own. Chrl had an appointment and I’ve been enjoying the challenge that these classes provide. I’ve noticed that it has begun to change my physique as the sweat wicks away all that unnecessary fluid I’ve been building up inside of me. It’s halted my steady progression up the scale. I have a suit to fit into in a couple of months. I should probably try it on one of these days. 

As I walked to the class I wondered about the state of my foot. Should I really be pushing it that much? What if it gets aggravated some more. It has been feeling pretty good so I thought I’d take it easy on a couple of the poses that really put pressure on that one particular spot. I have to see if what has happened to me is really serious.  How long can this pain last for?

I took it easy on those poses but the walk home was painful. It felt as if there was a ball that prevented my toes from touching down. I favored the spot changing the way I put my foot down. That started to make me walk as if I had some sort of a limp. The added strain was beginning to affect the rest of my body felt at the end of a day. Should I go and see a doctor?

Before the yoga class I sat down to think about the things that were going on with me and with life. It was a nice day with the sun shining bright and scattered clouds moving past. I needed to wait a few minutes so I sat there close to the lights and would wait a few cycles until it was time to go. During one of the cycles I heard screaming and shouting as if someone was expelling anger through their voice. Was he disturbed? He was walking towards me through the parking lot. He had long scruffy hair and was just yelling. He quieted down and as our eyes met I nodded my head and asked him how he was. He nodded hello back and said that he had to tell the man how he felt. He kept walking and my attention turned to the lights then I heard him start to yell again breaking the serene moment that just passed. He’s just taking a piss. 

The next morning the pain was still there. I’ve been downstairs in PET all week. It’s a bit easier work but it also has some walking involved shuffling patients/clients from one stage to another along their procedure. The pain wasn’t too bad in the morning but my foot throbbed by the end of the day and I hobbled home. I’m not used to having pain like this in my foot. The last time I did something serious like this was probably straining an ankle snowboarding years and years ago. 

I couldn’t go and work on my project because of the pain. This episode was making me feel kind of down. I had to fight through this. The weird this was that there wasn’t any particularly overly sensitive spot that would dictate something serious. There was a spot that felt sensitive but it felt like it was more from rubbing than anything else. I took some pictures of it so that I could examine it better or at least document it. The blister was there but it felt like it was empty. If that is the case I don’t want to expose it to the elements inside my socks while I work. 

We chatted with our Master of Ceremony about ideas for the wedding reception. We want it to be kind of fun for everybody including ourselves. She knows both of us really well and is herself quite gregarious. We are really happy that she will be doing this for us. We updated each other of all the different things that have been happening in our lives. The trudgery of life has to be enjoyed to a degree the pain in the foot notwithstanding. Sandy knew how to come up with the most painful of diagnoses. That of a burst nerve bundle that would never really heal. Judging from how it feels I don’t think that is what it is. 

I submitted a second application this week for the MRI position that have been posted online. I was a bit hesatant about applying for the second one as it is a part time position. However it will get me closer to my goal. It is within reach but I have to catch it first. The thing is there are some people that have more seniority in the system than me and that is preventing me from getting that role. All of these are internal postings as there is a moratorium on hiring outside candidates province wide unless there is a dire need. Without the position that I am currently holding I wouldn’t get this chance. 

I felt good enough the next day to go and work on my project but not well enough to go and to yoga. The pain subsided overnight and it didn’t feel as bad when I wore my boots. I spent a bunch of hours cleaning up the dovetail joints that I cut with the table saw using a technique I found using the oracle. I was using a different material (plywood and not solid wood) but I think it is turning out alright. I’m actually taking my time doing this. I want it to be kind of nice as it will be in our bedroom. My foot problem is getting in the way of our progress towards this. 

By the end of the day my foot was beginning to hurt again. I could only do so much this day anyways. I hobbled back to the flat and rested my achy foot. I wanted to rest it but I was restless too. The attrition between both of those positions ended up being just time focused on us inside the flat. We went out for dinner for some Thai food. It wasn’t the greatest but it filled us up. I hobbled by Chrl we made for a funny sight with me and my limp. It’s at these times that one realizes how much pain can affect ones life. With each step I felt pain in that one spot in my lest foot. As the foot pivots onto the toes with each step is when that pain would come. Instinctively the body adjusts its gait putting a strain onto other parts of the lower body. 

We woke up on Sunday and had our usual lazy wake up. We made coffee and breakfast and were going to have a relaxing day. We went out on the terrace and were looking at the little garden that consists of lettuce as well as a few flowers. Chrl wanted to grow something and since she loves salad it is a good little hobby for her. My foot was still tender as I hobbled outside toward her with my makeshift styrofoam seat that I was experimenting with for that purpose. I sat by her to admire her and her work on this nice sunny morning. She was going to move her chair next to me so that we can bask in the sun for the precious few hours that it shines directly onto us in the morning. Our terrace is north facing so we only get a few hours of it per day. As she moved closer her phone slipped out of her hand falling onto the stones. When she picked it up the damage was apparent. The whole screen was cracked. 

“You’re gonna have to go and replace it honey.”

We looked up places around here that are open and that would replace the screen. We found one  that was open on Sunday and luckily it is still early enough to make it there. I checked the bus schedule and found her a route that still involved a bit of walking. She would have to go on her own as my foot wouldn’t take it. I was going to rest it and see how it feels. It’s nice out there and it’s too bad I won’t be out there on this adventure. 

I decided to watch the last five or six episodes of Narcos. I enjoyed the first season and this second one I just didn’t have time to finish. Being glued to the tv is a good way to encourage the body to heal. I wouldn’t be putting any strain on it. I watched the shows and watched as ominous clouds rolled in and it began to rain heavily. My dear Chrl is out there. I hoped she was alright. As I got closer to the end Chrl eventually came home without getting wet. She said that the rains missed her completely. It must have been one of those isolated showers that only affects a particular area. 

The next day the pain in my foot was more than I expected after a full day of rest what’s worse is that the pain intensified as the day progressed. I wondered about why I am still feeling this way after all this rest that I’ve given my foot to heal. Is the pain a sign that something is seriously wrong? How long can I stay in this state?

It is now Tuesday the day after Monday and I hobbled to work and hobbled at work. The pain a constant reminder in my consciousness taxing my concentration leading me to frustration. At work throughout my years I’ve often encountered people who have chronic pain. This is pain that they have been dealing with for a long time. This is how those people feel and it is often something that they have been dealing with for years and not weeks like I’ve been. This sort of pain is what drives people to seek out whatever kind of relief they need in order for it to be mitigated. Pain tolerance is a struggle for some and while it’s bearable for me it is annoying. I want to do stuff!

After work on Tuesday I decided to do something about it. I had a closer look at my foot. Looking at the sole of the foot is kind of difficult and touching different parts to find where the pain actually was didn’t reveal the culprit. I noticed that the blister that developed a few weeks ago felt like it was popped but it also looked like it travelled a bit too. I began to suspect that the pressure that I put on my foot during particular poses caused the blister to migrate. The original area didn’t have a lot of pain but the area where the blister migrated to did. The pressure forced the fluid to rip apart the layers of the skin in order to deal with the added pressure. I resolved to pierce the blister. 

I set up my phone to capture the procedure. I had to work myself up to doing this. I don’t like to pop blisters because I am worried about getting the skin underneath infected. In this case however the pain of daily activity is getting to me. So with all the materials ready I proceeded to perform this operation. There was no pain when I pierced the skin. Why would there be the skin is separated from the rest of the foot and as such it has no pain receptors. As I pierced the bubble and squeezed the puss out I was surprised that the blister was actually intact for all this time. It seems like it was a deeper blister and due to the toughness of the skin the fluid that it contained had nowhere to go. My foot felt a lot better afterwards. It gave me a great deal of joy to be able to finally stand correctly. 

The next day I felt a lot better at work. It’s as if some sort of miracle happened. On fb Bernie posted about his troubles with his foot. His was a different problem affecting his ankle but he sought out professional help. All they offered him was medication which he can’t take as it would prevent him from driving and working. He took matters into his own hands as well by getting some compression bandages to help support his ankle as it heals while he does what he needs to do. He was a bit disappointed that the doctor he saw didn’t suggest to bandage his ankle for support and only suggested pills for his problem. It says something about healthcare. 

I thought it was kind of funny that both of us have been dealing with foot issues at the same time. I’m glad my problem wasn’t more serious.