Posterior tibial tendinitis

Okay, so I have gone from a fractured shoulder to posterior tibial tendinitis. πŸ˜•

No kidding. From one type of pain to another (worse, IMO, since this one affects my ability to walk properly). Uffa!!!

It started about a week ago, more or less. I began experiencing a bit of pain in my left heel area, but, since I have a high pain threshold, I essentially ignored it (first lesson learned: never ignore pain of any sort!)…All I did was apply ice packs to the area a couple of times a day, and that was it. On Saturday, though, as a result of having walked a bit too fast for a bit too long, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my heel area, which almost floored me. That, I could NOT ignore.

Okay, clearly, it was time to take some action…So I talked to my therapist about it on Monday. She made the diagnosis…

Luckily, since I was already doing physiotherapy to regain shoulder mobility, all we had to do was simply shift gears. Even though we are still doing a bit of shoulder therapy, we are now focusing on getting my tendon back into shape, which, well, to be honest, hurts like hell. My shoulder pain was nothing in comparison…eeek!

The good news is that it seems to be getting a bit better. The bad news is that it will probably take some time to heal properly, and, hah, of course!!!, less than three weeks from now Stefano and I are taking off to go on holiday…a holiday that will involve a certain amount of walking. Phooey. Terrible timing…BUT, hey, if this had to happen, better now than three weeks from now, right?

Okay, no more whining. I’ll be fine soon. Plus, as it happens, I have a cane, which I’ll take with me on holiday, together with everything I’ve learned about this painful, but common (especially with runners), condition. Since I’m not a runner, I probably developed this as a result of walking “funny” when I was wearing my shoulder brace. I knew I was walking a bit on the crooked side, but there wasn’t much I could do about it at the time.

Anyway, everything else is good. I am back to driving again…Luckily, my car has automatic transmission, which means that I don’t have to use my left tendon, I mean, my left foot. πŸ˜‰ So at least I’m getting around a bit on my own…Mainly, I’m driving myself to physiotherapy, yaaay. I like to be free and independent…

Mostly, though, I’m resting, even more than I rested when I was in the middle of my fractured shoulder period…

Rest is the best cure for posterior tibial tendinitis, unfortunately…Ah yes, there are going to be lots of TV series in my near future!!! πŸ™‚

A belated birthday present…

Stefano accompanied me to my fractured shoulder checkup at the hospital on Friday. I had two X-rays of my left shoulder, and then we went to see the orthopedist.

Well, the news is much (MUCH!) better than expected: the fracture is actually no longer visible on the X-rays, yep, no kidding!, and my humerus is back in its place. I am going to need more physiotherapy, since my range of motion is still not perfect, even though I can now put both arms above my head, and you can’t tell the difference between the two. But I still can’t make certain movements, such as reaching behind my back enough to hook my bra. So, yes, more physiotherapy…No problem, I love my physiotherapist…She’s excellent!

Getting back to the orthopedic visit on Friday, I wanted to note that both orthopedists (yes, there were two at one point…A Grey’s Anatomy scenario) were surprised that I was doing so well and that the fracture had healed so quickly. In fact, when I raised my arms above my head, the professor laughed, shook my hand vigorously and told me to get out of his office. πŸ˜‰ Stefano noticed their surprised reaction, too. I was tempted to tell them about my curcumin intake…but in the end I decided not to…They probably would have given me the (ever-annoying) eye roll…Besides, it might just be that I have great bones, and that curcumin had nothing to do with the fast healing of this fracture…

Who knows?

Incidentally, a month ago the orthopedist told me that I wouldn’t be able to drive until September, at least. On Friday I was told that I can go back to driving NOW! A super nice belated birthday present…

Ah yes, you see, Thursday was my birthday. I turned 58. 58 years old! And to think that, when I was diagnosed with SMM in 2005, I didn’t think I’d live to see my 50th birthday!!! Hah! I’m way beyond that one now…

Well, I sure have much to celebrate, in addition to my healed shoulder…

I can drive again πŸ˜› …Life is good! πŸ˜€

Timed release of curcumin inhibits bone cancer cells…

Since I’ve been pretty much housebound because of my fractured humerus, I finally decided to go through our closets and get rid of all the clothes we don’t/can’t wear anymore. Of course, I have to be careful not to hurt my shoulder, and believe me, careful I am! But I can’t just lie around with the cats (our Pixie, in the photo) and watch TV series nonstop… πŸ˜‰Β 

Speaking of my shoulder, well it’s healing…and healing well, I think. I can now raise my arm above my head. Compare that to a month ago when I could barely lift my arm! Thank you, physiotherapy!

I have my third checkup, with X-rays, at the hospital later this week…the day after my birthday, in fact. I’m anxious to see how I’m doing…Not “anxious” = “scared.” Just very very curious.

My life isn’t all about physical rehabilitation or cleaning closets, though. I’m also doing some reading and trying to keep up with…stuff. Last month I came across this bit of interesting news , e.g.: http://bit.ly/2LsLZv9

This excerpt that says it all: “A Washington State University research team has developed a drug delivery system using curcumin, the main ingredient in the spice turmeric, that successfully inhibits bone cancer cells while promoting growth of healthy bone cells.” When I’m done going through our closets πŸ˜‰, I’ll have a look at the original study. In the meantime, it’s good to have further confirmation that our curcumin intake is most likely having a positive impact on our bones…

I hope everyone is doing well…This morning it rained in Florence for the first time since the beginning of this long boiling hot spell, and the horrible summer temperatures have gone down to tolerable levels. Life is good…at least for a day!!! πŸ˜€