Years ago

I was plagued by something called plantar fasciitis, which is an inflammation of the fascia on the bottom of the feet that hurts to high Heaven, particularly when you haven't been standing or walking for awhile.  I was in two of those 'walking boots' of velcro and plastic, one at one point, and one at another.  Then the ankle tendonitis set in.  My feet were a mess, mostly because I had a job at a gas station where I was on my feet for up to ten hours a day.

Then I moved to just a desk job, although I still had foot problems.  And then I got hit by the car, broke my metacarpals and ankle, and was off my feet for three months completely.

And everything resolved as I healed, so that when I went back, my feet didn't feel like they were on fire or in pain anymore. I was still dealing with the injury, but so much was better.  And it stayed that way for a couple of years.

Recently, I've been having trouble with my feet again.  They get painful when I walk, particularly at the beginning of the day or when I get up after sitting or sleeping, and at the end of the day, and it's hard to walk through the pain. I know it's the fasciitis again.  So when days are rough and the pain is great, I break out a soda bottle full of water that's been frozen, and run that under my feet to take away the pain as much as possible.

But the last few days I've been away from my iced bottle and have walked all over the place on rough sidewalks, in museums, and on the streets of Chicago.  At times it was a toss up as to whether my feet or my back would give out first.  I'd slow down, and like the gazelle on the Serengeti limping along but trying to stay with the herd as protection against the lioness, I persevered, figuring I'd be an easy mark for any crime if I didn't keep up.

Now I'm home. I walked not so much today, under 4,000 steps, actually.  And I don't think I could do much more.  It's probably time to go back to the podiatrist, although I'd rather not be in the boot again.  But since my ankle injury, I have an excellent podiatrist (he even does ankle replacements), so maybe he has a better option, or at least something that will help, since I'd really like to increase my walking as the weather gets better.