My Pet Head-Rock

Enough to start an addiction? Maybe so. By now, you’ve all heard that there is an opioid crisis in our country. I did not fail to consider this when facing a surgery for which I knew I’d be prescribed narcotic painkillers. Before I go into my experience with Percocet, here is some basic information about the opioid problem of which we should all be aware: 1.      “Crisis” and “epidemic” are not overblown words. The CDC reports that in 2015, approximately 15,000 people died from prescription opioids alone. Last year, more than 64,000 people in the US died from all drug overdoses . (Compare to approximately 32-35,000 deaths from gun violence per year– go, USA!—and around the same number, maybe a little higher, from car accidents .) The rate of opioid deaths has quadrupled since 1999. 2.      This crisis is not about preventing kids from doing drugs (“Just say no, kids!”), though obviously some of the overdose deaths come from illici...

Old-timey cane and bed-boot: Not a normal part of post-craniotomy care The morning of the eighth day after my craniotomy, I awoke (if that’s the right word when I had an obsessive and sleepless night, thanks to Decadron ) and got out of bed. Then I immediately leaned over to brace myself against the wall as pain shot up from the arch of my left foot and my calf tightened. Not only was I unable to put much, if any, weight on the foot, but I was flummoxed (okay, that’s a pretty common state so soon after brain surgery … but still): Why had my foot gone from completely fine to excruciating pain overnight? Now, I am a runner, and plantar fasciitis is something that plagues the running community, as exercise or overuse is a leading cause of the inflammation and micro-tears that develop in the plantar fascia ligament, which runs from the heel bone along the bottom of the foot. It is the main cause of heel pain. Wait… heel pain? Hmm. And the timing … WTF? I have been fortu...