My Pet Head-Rock

Lookee what I discovered in the Little Free Library near my house: My question for you is this: Just who is this publication for? A medical student? No, the contents are too general, not medical enough. I'd hope medical students entering the world of brain surgery would have a textbook with a glossary. A brain tumor patient? No, the contents are too broad to be useful. A person is usually diagnosed with a specific type of tumor. All the information about astrocytomas and glioblastomas is likely to freak out someone with a simple meningioma. (I know. After my diagnosis, I made the mistake of reading the ABTA's "So You Got Yourself a Brain Tumor" pamphlet -- I might not be remembering the name correctly -- and made myself nearly hyperventilate by seeing where my symptoms seemed to match other types of tumors.) So is this wee dictionary for bloggers? Maybe!

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...

January/February It’s been a mild winter, so I have been able to engage in Women’s Running’s excellent “Couch to Half Marathon” training program outside. After a stress reaction in my right femoral neck derailed last year’s half-marathon and triathlon goals, I’ve been slowly getting back into running. This program, entirely based on run-walk intervals, is perfect for me. It also emphasizes cross-training, so I’m really getting fit with the yoga, Pilates, and swimming. It’s going to be a great year. March Orthopedist: “So if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck….” Me: “Another stress reaction?” Orthopedist, after x-ray and MRI: “A mirror image of last year. Your right side is completely healed up, but now it’s the left. Because you’ve had two in less than a year, I recommend you go to your GP for a bone density scan and some blood work. You can start walking for exercise in June.” April General practitioner’s colleague: “Blood work is fine. The bone ...

My Diagnosis Story               Four years ago, I entered the world of triathlons. I had been a distance runner, a very slow distance runner, but since my aquatically inclined husband had decided that triathlons were going to be his jam, I had a choice to make: Did I want to stand on the outside of the barriers and cheer him on for two hours, or did I want to get my butt in gear on the other side and see what a person who failed beginners’ swim lessons five times could do once she overcame her fear of water? I took the bold choice, the choice which also allowed me to get some colorful new sports attire.                Then I started having foot problems. The bottom of my right foot would go numb about a mile into a run. It felt like the ball of the foot lost its cushioning and was turning into rock. As time went on, that sensation lasted through...