Required Reading

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Old and 'flicted.



Hey, y'all. Just checking in real quick for some random chit-chat over coffee on a rainy Wednesday morning.

*Yawn*

Well. I'm slightly annoyed because I've been having some ankle pain for the last several days. As I mentioned before, I've been training for a half marathon in Deanna's memory and it's been going great. Well, mostly great. A little over a week ago, I ran about five and a half miles (which, for me, was like an ultra marathon.) The following day I felt awesome so hit the pavement for another three miles. When I got home, I started feeling this nagging discomfort in my left ankle on the outer side.



Just superior to the lateral malleolus, for you nerdy medicine people who need the jargon to go with my symptoms.

So. Where was I? Oh, my ankle. So, yeah. I decided that it wasn't so bad and ran on it a couple of days later. Epic. Fail. By the following day, I was limping. And so. I gave it a solid four days of rest, ibuprofen and all the stuff WE tell our patients they need and it (mostly) felt better. I even went to a fancy, schmancy performance running store to see if I was a "pronator" or yadda yah whatever they say you are if your foot rolls in or out or something or other. Turns out I have a high arch and that I am not a pronator but instead just a normal chick who runs regular.

But.

They still convinced me to get a shoe made for a person with a high arch and a non-pronator-y foot, so I get home with it all proud of myself for (sort of) seeking medical attention. And by medical attention, I mean the dude in the Big Peach Running Store who had me run on a treadmill and who projected my bony ankles and feet on a big-A screen while analyzing my stride.

Mmm hmmm.

So I put on my new, custom fit, swanky running shoes yesterday morning. I can still feel a tiny niggle in my ankle but I decide to be bad ass and run through it. Because, I mean, it had been like five days and I was feeling myself regressing back to my baseline wanna-be runner status.

And as a sidebar, despite my medical attention from the dude in Big Peach, I also got a consult from the BHE who has done his share of running as an ex-army dude/marathoner. And his assessment of the whole situation is:

"You're forty-two babe. And you didn't rest enough."

To which I scoffed, "Dude. Are you calling me old? Are you saying my diagnosis is old-and-flicted?"

To which he replied, "That is exactly what I'm saying, baby. Old and 'flicted."

And if you don't know what 'flicted is, just know that it's short for AF-flicted and pretty much is a word to describe anything that used to work but now does not.

For example:

"I just got this umbrella and on that windy day it turned inside out on me. Now it's all 'flicted."

Or:

"Why you walking all like you 'flicted?"

"'Cause I think I hurt my ankle running."

"Did you roll it?"

"No! That's why I'm so bothered by it!"

"Oh. Maybe you're just old and 'flicted. That happens over forty."

"Uhhh, thanks. . .?"

Yeah.

So yesterday morning, in my hoity-toity runners, I went out again for three and a half miles. And today I am limping. Completely limping. Which sucks.

I'm 'flicted, people. 'Flicted, I say!

So now I guess I'm going to have to wait a solid week. And if within that week I don't feel better, I'm going to have to break down and get it imaged. The last thing I need is to hear that I have some kind of stress fracture. So yeah, I ain't even claiming that. 

No, I am not.



What else?  Oh. Despite my 'flicted ankle, yesterday I did a segment at HLN on this show called Raising America. I like HLN. It's a sister station to CNN and usually one channel over from it, at least here it is. They are all in the same studios in the CNN center. That was my first time doing HLN in studio. I really, really enjoyed their energy. I hope to go back. Next time I'll give you guys some notice so that you can check a sista out.


And lastly, this:



This is my friend, Shahed. She's one of my faves and is technically not a Grady doctor anymore but a VA doctor. She refers to her patients as "America's heroes" which I completely love. And she feels the way about the VA and our vets that I do about my Grady elders, so she's alright with me.



She's also hilarious. And super smart. And a major cat lover. The cat lover part is what is most hilarious. I took these pictures of Shah at the end of our Residency Leadership Committee meeting Friday as proof that she is indeed a "crazy cat lady."  She states firmly that she "only has four cats" which technically doesn't make her at "crazy cat lady" status.  To which I said, "No. Not crazy-hoarder-cat-lady status but crazy cat lady status nonetheless." 








To which she concurred. But not before showing me her collection of photoshopped Atlanta Falcons versions of her ultra-mega-kittens (as she calls them.)

Ha.

I love my job, my ankle is 'flicted, and it's raining in Atlanta. That's what's going on with me. What's up with y'all?

***
Happy Wednesday.

14 comments:

  1. I once somehow got a tendon twisted over in the wrong place in my foot and I couldn't walk for anything for a long, long time and then one afternoon I was holding Owen and dancing when he was a baby and I felt a horrible pain in that foot and then relief and I knew that tendon had gone back where it was supposed to be and sure enough- I was cured.
    The dancing cure.
    Maybe you should try that.
    I'm 'flcked too this morning. I don't even want to go into it. Also, my coffee pot is broken. So it's 'flicked too.
    I give up.

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  2. At least you're not old and 'crepid. And tell girlfriend to have a seat... because she definitely has a feline fancy.

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  3. I've been temporarily cured of my cat craziness. I'm a foster and I've currently got two one-year olds who are (typically!) wonderful. I recently got a service dog and, needless to say, Mr Wonderful Kitty lost his mind. My hands and arms look like I got into a fight with a razor blade thanks to his (wait for it!) teeth. Little monster wouldn't stop biting me! He's been on timeout in the bathroom since.

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  4. Don't be a bad ass and run through your injury. Seriously. Don't. I used to be a bicycle tourist in my 20's and early 30's--50 mile rides Saturday mornings, aimed for 60-100 miles a week. Rode through some knee pain once (actually I was 30 miles out alone and had to get back SOMEHOW). Now I think my biking days are over--a little 30 minute jaunt and both knees hurt for a week. Ditto the running. I used to run a bit when I burned out on the bike. Felt good one day and went longer than I was used to. Woke up the next day with plantar fascitis which flares up to this day whenever I so much as jog across the street. Just saying... Live to run another day!

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  5. I had the plantar fascitis 'fliction once years ago, and it was a most formative experience. There's something extremely debilitating and nearly depressing about foot and ankle pain.

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  6. Dang, we could be sisters from another mother. My left ankle is 'flicted too. In the exact same spot. It doesn't hurt if I stand on it, only hurts if I move the muscle.

    Hope you get to feeling better soon! When I heard you call yourself 'flicted, I laughed out loud. Many good times were had using that word when I was a kid!

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  7. You might be 'flicted but you ain't old!...find a softer surface to run on for awhile...like a indoor track or natural surface. Don't do hills ever!!...ha!

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  8. Back in September, I participated in the Avon 2Day Breast Cancer Walk. Day 1 we walked 26 miles and Day 2 was 13..........and girl was I ever 'flicted after day 1!!!!!!!!!!! It was awful! But me and my 'flicted ankle hobbled for 13 miles on day 2!!!!! I too purchased the state of the art running shoe, which I liked to call the "car note" shoes. ;-)
    You must allow your body to recover after the long runs! But you've got this.....you're running for a cause.

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  9. Well I too am flicted with a ankle injury except mine is on the back bone of my ankle. Sorry my engineering background does not allow me to use the medical name for that bone:). I have been working out and run/walking almost daily since following your lil sis on Twitter. I guess Deanna has motivated us all!! I am waiting on my xray results since I have done the ibuprofen and it still hurts. Yeah.....BHE's may be right this time, aging is upon us!!
    But we will survive:)

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  10. Hi,

    My name is Ashley. I don't know how else to comment but just want to say that I enjoy following your blog. I'm a nurse, and I currently live in Washington, DC...but am originally an ATLien and got my start at Grady. Kudos to you :)

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  11. OMG, you are totally killing me on this injury thing. Do NOT run through the pain, it will not get better. I thought you were some sexy doctor that would know this!!! LOL. I don't know if you can see my email address on your side of the blog, but I have the BEST physical therapist EVAH (BPTE), she works on all the traveling dance troupes (she is working with Alvin Ailey this weekend, Gah!). Her office is on the 85 access road near Shallowford and Chamblee-Tucker. She got my former husband back in shape after a horrible fall and has worked on me and numerous other friends who are athletes. You need PT Dr. Manning, if you are going to be in shape for that race. Now RICE it!

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  12. Chiming in with all the other people. DON'T run through the pain! The longer you wait to sit, the longer you'll have to sit. And no one wants that! It won't get better by running on it. Your oldness might be part of it LOL but it's probably more due to the increase in mileage. Build slowly. Let feeling good at the end of a long run be just that. Don't push it and go back for more the next day. If you can take a day off after your long run, I would. You'll probably feel a lot better for it. Stick with your training plan! And if you don't have one, get one!

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  13. From the deck of the Poop,
    Ole PoopDeck is reading this in total disbelief! You see I had this bout with the ole plantar fasciitis . I was in Atlanta visiting family and decided to go out on a walk with my youngest daughter, JoLai. We started out to do five miles and let me say, both of us are OCD. Usually the ole plantar bothered me a little for the first half mile or so. This morning was different. I started to feel a little pain in my heel at the 4 mile mark. Well, ole OCD PoopDeck went out to do 5 miles. At the end of the 5 I could barely walk. I get back to the house and call my daughter Dr KD. Told her my story and want got prepared for a nice sympathetic explanation from my loving daughter. Instead, here's what I got in a very terse tone, " so let me understand this. You had walked 4 miles and your hill started to hurt. Instead of stopping like a normal person, you decided that it was a good idea to walk another mile. Well, you don't have to worry now. You've inflamed your heel and I guess you will rest it now". Not a sympathetic tone in the entire chastisement . Is this my Dr KD now a daughter after her father's own heart. OCD. My heel is ok and I'm hoping that your ankle gets better and you can run in your half marathon.
    I couldn't resist.
    PoopDeck

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  14. " flicted" that is sooooo funny! anyway, rest your ankle, i know its hard b/c i am training for a marathon but you already know if you continue running on it you will be FORCED to rest.....

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