The Agony of da Feet

I start working from home this morning before even taking a shower.  As usual, Kyle gets dropped off at his bus at 6:25, and Luke is out the door by 7:30.  Knowing that I have to pick Luke up from school early to get him over the orthopedist has me checking the clock a few times.  I let my boss and team know that I will be out for a while.  

Heard from Gavin today in between his classes.  He has had a virus or flu the past couple of days, but luckily made it to class yesterday and today.  His girlfriend Krista helped take care of him, so that made us feel better knowing that he wasn't in a dorm room with the body aches and fever without tea, water, Advil, soup, and some TLC.  Thanks for taking care of him Krista !  We cant wait till summer.

Pick up Luke around 11:30 and we make our way over to Mama Lombardi’s for a slice and some calamari medium.  This was a great excuse for a fun lunch with Luke, who even got a coca cola and some garlic bread too. 

Quick stop back at the house to check some emails, and off we go to the Dr.  I get there right on time, but then have to wait a while for the valet parking service.   Once inside, we get to see the Dr. very fast, as no one else is in the waiting room.  He says Luke’s sever’s disease is back again.

Sever's disease or calcaneal apophysitis is the most common cause of heel pain in the growing athlete and is due to overuse and repetitive microtrauma of growth plates of the calcaneus in the heel. It occurs in children ages 7 to 15, with the majority of patients presenting between 10 and 14 years of age. It is in relation to Osgood-Schlatter disease which affects the knee rather than the heel/ankle.

Symptoms (Luke has all of these)

• Complaints of pain or tenderness in the heel (or heels)
• Discomfort upon awaking, or when heel is squeezed
• Limping
• More severe pain after walking or exercise, and increased difficulty walking
• Pain during running or playing a sport

A quick xray rules out any fractures. Luke's foot grew since last year, so a new boot for him to wear for a couple of weeks, no gym, or soccer.  A note for the school, a stamp on the valet parking ticket stub, and my $20 copay and we are on the road again.  So, like most injuries or overuse type of pain….RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation).  Anti-inflammatory like Tylenol, Advil, or dare I say the original “Aspirin” for pain and to reduce inflammation (once considered and returning to popularity as a wonder drug).  When the pain subsides this time, maybe a few visits to the Physical Therapist for some stretches and perhaps some other exercises to help prevent recurrence.   My gut feeling is less practice, and only playing in games may be the remedy for Luke long term.

This day in history “On this day in 1899, the Imperial Patent Office in Berlin registers Aspirin, the brand name for acetylsalicylic acid, on behalf of the German pharmaceutical company Friedrich Bayer & Co. 
Now the most common drug in household medicine cabinets, acetylsalicylic acid was originally made from a chemical found in the bark of willow trees. In its primitive form, the active ingredient, salicin, was used for centuries in folk medicine, beginning in ancient Greece when Hippocrates used it to relieve pain and fever. Known to doctors since the mid-19thcentury, it was used sparingly due to its unpleasant taste and tendency to damage the stomach.
In 1897, Bayer employee Felix Hoffman found a way to create a stable form of the drug that was easier and more pleasant to take. (Some evidence shows that Hoffman's work was really done by a Jewish chemist, Arthur Eichengrun, whose contributions were covered up during the Nazi era.) After obtaining the patent rights, Bayer began distributing aspirin in powder form to physicians to give to their patients one gram at a time. The brand name came from "a" for acetyl, "spir" from the spirea plant (a source of salicin) and the suffix "in," commonly used for medications. It quickly became the number-one drug worldwide.”

Sue is working late today, so she picked up some cheese burgers from the Holbrook Diner.  I have not had one in a long time.  Luke had leftover penne and sauce for dinner.  Since Kyle is getting picked up for practice, I don’t have anything on the calendar tonight.
 
Luke put his leg up, iced once, heat once….does not want to be bothered keeping his leg up right now.  Asked Luke if he wanted Tylenol, or Advil.  His answer was no.  I would have offered him Bayer aspirin, but I don't even think we have any.  He would have looked at me quizzical as he has never been offered aspirin before.  I am sure in 3/4 of the world, if you have a headache, ache, pain, or fever, the almighty aspirin is available.  

Photo of the day “The Agony of da Feet”