If My Foot Falls Off….

Friday, February 17th, 2006 | Site Updates

So around here if I say anything is bothering me and it gets heard by the staff it gets written down as a side effect. Once you are listed with a side effect they find you three times a day to ask you if there are any changes with it.

However I am getting annoyed and am currently deciding if I should lie and say it’s better.

The “side effect” is the fact that somehow I pulled a muscle in my right foot. So whenever I walk it hurts. Now, since I can’t exactly do any crazy ass exercise here It is odd to pull a muscle… Especially one in my foot!

However I am not stupid enough to think the sugar pills they have been giving me (one of the few people who don’t have REAL side effects) would cause my foot to get messed up.

Here’s my theory on what happened. It happened on valentine’s day while I was sleeping. Perhaps when I thought of the old song (written for simpsons) that says “there’s a hole in my heart, as deep as a well……”, just maybe my mind screwed it up and thought I said “there’s a hole in my foot as deep as a well….”.

I mean I have been teaching psychology and hypnotizing people etc… all week and so I know damn well the power of the mind, so that is the best explanation I can come up with.

It is just really annoying to be woken up in the morning and asked “so how is your foot feeling now?”. To which I respond “I’d tell you but then I would have to wake up and start walking around to try to cause it pain, when I am sleeping I don’t feel any pain… ahem”

I probably should get out of here and then sue Covance for secretly giving me foot pain pills….

Good Stuff…

3 Comments to If My Foot Falls Off….

Jacob
February 18, 2006

for all you know, they could be messing with your foot while you sleep, drugging you so you don’t wake up while they mess with it. Maybe this Convance is a cover to showcase a foot fetish convention?

And would you have grounds to sue them? I’m sure they would throw all the papers you signed right back in your face, but it is a little rude to mess with someone’s foot without telling them. :(

tranzient
February 19, 2006

I’m curious about what side effects other people are having…

superstorm
February 20, 2006

Plantar fasciitis -

Definition:

Plantar fasciitis is an inflammation (irritation and swelling with presence of extra immune cells) of the thick tissue on the bottom of the foot that causes heel pain and disability.
Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

The plantar fascia is a very thick band of tissue that covers the bones on the bottom of the foot. This fascia can become inflamed and painful in some people, making walking more difficult.

Risk factors for plantar fasciitis include foot arch problems (both flat foot and high arches), obesity, sudden weight gain, running, and a tight Achilles tendon (the tendon connecting the calf muscles to the heel). A typical patient is an active man aged 40-70.

This condition is one of the most common orthopedic complaints relating to the foot.

Plantar fasciitis is commonly thought of as being caused by a heel spur, but research has found that this is not the case. On X-ray, heel spurs are seen commonly both in people with and without plantar fasciitis.
Symptoms:

The most common complaint is pain in the bottom of the heel, usually worst in the morning and improving throughout the day. By the end of the day the pain may be replaced by a dull aching that improves with rest.
Signs and tests:

Typical physical exam findings include tenderness on the bottom of the heel, closer to the midline, and mild swelling and redness.

X-rays may be taken to rule out other problems, but the presence or absence of a heel spur is not significant.
Treatment:

Conservative treatment is almost always successful, given enough time. Duration of treatment can be anywhere from several months to 2 years before symptoms resolve, although about 90% of patients will be better in 9 months.

Initial treatment usually consists of heel stretching exercises, shoe inserts, night splints, and anti-inflammatory medications. If these fail, casting the affected foot in a short leg cast (a cast up to but not above the knee) for 3-6 weeks is very often successful in reducing pain and inflammation. Alternatively, a cast boot (which looks like a ski boot) may be used. It is still worn full time, but can be removed for bathing.

Some physicians will offer steroid injections, which provide lasting relief in about 50% of people. However, this injection is very painful and not for everyone.

In a few patients, non-surgical treatment fails and surgery to release the tight, inflamed fascia becomes necessary.
Expectations (prognosis):

Nearly all patients will improve within 1 year of beginning non-surgical therapy, with no long-term problems. In the few patients requiring surgery, over 95% have relief of their heel pain.
Complications:

A complication of non-operative therapy is continued pain. In surgical therapy, there is a risk of nerve injury, infection, rupture of the plantar fascia, and failure of the pain to improve.
Calling your health care provider:

Contact your health care provider if you have symptoms of plantar fasciitis.
Prevention:

Maintaining good flexibility around the ankle is probably the best way to prevent plantar fasciitis.