The Infamous Walker Limps Home
Estimated reading time: 16 minutes, 57 seconds
Prisoner of Apartment 3B
Apartment 3B is my home, but I have always believed that my actual life exists within my community. Since being diagnosed with plantar fasciitis, I’ve spent more time confined to my apartment, which measures fourteen paces wide and twenty-five paces long. I used to enjoy morning walks, appointments, shopping, and other activities. However, I’ve justified that staying indoors helps me avoid the heat, humidity, and smoke in the air. As always, the truth is both more complicated and more straightforward. The pain was overwhelming.
To manage the pain, I decided to try arthritis cream. I carefully read the directions, as if my life depended on it. I took a small amount of cream and rubbed it onto my left heel, starting from the bottom and circling the area as if I were massaging an apple. While waiting for the cream to dry, I let my mind drift to the idea of enjoying a painless morning walk.
When I finally got out of bed, my heel hurt less, but it was not pain-free. After walking three and a half miles, I limped back upstairs, convinced that a full day of treatments would somehow eliminate the pain and let me walk without fear or discomfort.
By lunchtime, I felt nauseous, and my eyes felt heavy. After eating, I decided to apply the cream to my heel again. I asked Siri to set an alarm for twenty minutes and then crawled into bed. When the alarm went off, I asked Siri to set another. When I finally got out of bed, I realized that this was not normal.
While browsing the internet, I found that my condition is uncommon but is one of the possible side effects. I contacted my primary care doctor, who advised me to stop using the medication. She said it might take a few days for the medication to clear my system.
Feeling like a prisoner in Apartment 3B, I tried to focus, stay awake, and manage my queasiness. I had planned to attend services at the temple, but canceled that plan half an hour beforehand. I wasn’t sure if I could stay awake.
After almost 48 years, I recently lost my wife, Jan Lilien. Like The Little Prince, Jan and I believed that “The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.” This blog is a collection of my random thoughts on love, grief, life, and all things considered.
