Posted October 19th, 2003 by Michelle

Only three full days left in New York. I spent today with Hayley, brunching and wandering first Park Slope, then the East Village, and finally at the Living Room to see Heather Greene spin her singer-songwriter magic. If you haven’t heard her, you really ought. It’s one of those things when you are so glad your friends are talented. I mean, what are you supposed to do if they’re not?

I am really thankful that I had insurance this year. My health issues have been well documented, and the Peace Corps even reimbursed all of my related co-pays. However. I’ve had a brand new problem lately and it is starting to get scary. If you are a New Yorker, you’ve seen the ads on the subways that say, “I can live with foot pain. But why should I?” and there is some hotty blonde holding on to her four-inch high heel in one hand, balanced, foot in the air behind her. I’m starting to learn something: you can’t actually live with foot pain. Not when the pain is suddenly so terrible you find yourself crying out.

I’m pretty sure I have either PLANTAR FASCIITIS or HEEL SPUR SYNDROME, according to my online research. This is what it warns:

Plantar fascia pain usually begins as a mild pain to either the arch area or the bottom of the heel.  The discomfort in the foot is usually most noticeable with the first step in the morning and seems to improve after a period of “warming up” the foot.  If untreated, the pain can become intolerable…Because Heel Spur Syndrome and Plantar Fasciitis is an inflammatory condition, early intervention is essential to stop the repeated scarring of the Plantar Fascia that can lead to irreversible shortening of the Plantar Fascia, nerve entrapment and the formation of a painful adventitious bursa.

Yikes! I don’t want an irreversible shortened plantar fascia with a painful adventitious bursa! Christ! I’m only 31 years old! The hemorrhoids were my fault because of the cycling. My cervix ended up being right as rain. But my poor feet! I wonder if it is again related to cycling, or perhaps my cycling shoes, but I can’t really figure out what I changed in the last three or four months that would create radical foot pain. And radical it is- sometimes when I’ve been sitting I get up and simply cannot stay up because my feet scream. Methinks that insurance or no, I must get to a podiatrist. I’ve been trying the home remedies but my angry fascia is having none of it.

My landlord still has not turned on the heat. I can almost see my breath. This week in California? 85 degrees. Heh heh.