I started to write a post full of gift suggestions for the holidays, but it turns out that’s a lofty task when you don’t begin until 9:30 p.m. Especially after you haven’t slept well for the last three or six nights and are a wee bit tired.
Then I accidentally got caught up in an old episode of Happy Days where Fonzie and Pinky Tuscadero are in a demolition derby and Pinky gets hurt and ends up in the hospital. I can’t even express how much I wanted to be Pinky Tuscadero when I was little. She was just so cool and Fonzie really loved her and I always thought they’d end up together. I don’t know that there is a better role model for a young girl than a vivacious redhead who wears pink short-shorts and regularly participates in demolition derbys against the Mallachi brothers.
So I have no gift suggestions to offer you at the moment and P hasn’t even begun his list of gift suggestions yet and I don’t know when or if that will happen but I guarantee it won’t be before my outdoor lights are hung. I’m holding out hope the lights will happen sooner rather than later though because he mowed the yard yesterday which felt like a step in the right direction.
And speaking of lights, I have blown another fuse on the Christmas tree and, as of this writing, it is only half lit. I keep telling myself it’s not such a bad little tree, Charlie Brown, but it looks a little sad. I’d do something about it but I don’t really trust myself around electricity.
In other news completely unrelated to lights or Christmas, I seem to have incurred some type of injury to my Achilles tendon. So my Achilles heel is literally my Achilles heel. I could barely walk when I got out of bed yesterday morning which actually served as a great excuse to do nothing until around noon when the Advil and ice seemed to kick in. I’m not sure what else to do about it, but I know it needs to get better fast because this weekend is the annual Gulley and Mel Christmas shopping weekend and I’m going to need to be mobile.
(I don’t know why I just referred to myself in the third person just then.)
If anyone has any suggestions on what I should do about my tendon issue, I’d appreciate it. Just please refrain from any comments along the lines of “My cousin had that one time and it totally blew out and then he died.” I can go to a place of fear quite nicely all by myself. It’s a gift, really.
And if anyone has any great gift suggestions for Christmas, feel free to leave them in the comments. I’m always looking for great ideas.
And I posted this on Twitter yesterday but will repeat it here for those of you who aren’t on the Twitter. If you want a great mix of Christmas music, go to Pandora and put in Sixpence None The Richer (Holiday Mix). It will make you fourteen kinds of happy. I can’t take credit for this discovery, however, since one of you mentioned it in the comments last week.
I believe that is all.
Except I just wanted to tell you my Achilles tendon really hurts.
All my love,
Pinky Tuscadero
________________________________________________
Remember, if you’re interested in some cute Christmas cards and saving 25% off your order, click on over to my review page and read all about the Little Card Company.
Also, the NFL Take it to the House program is over today. Click here to read all about it.
Our Christmas tree is Charlie-Brownish too. It’s dying and won’t drink the water we gave it. And my Achilles tendon whacked out for awhile on Sunday but magically got better. May it be so for you. And I’ve never even seen Happy Days, but Gabe’s mom named him after Anson Williams. (Gabriel Anson). Remember back in high school when you were supposed to start paragraphs with topic sentence, conclude with a conclusion, and have a couple good supporting sentences in between? That was such a drag.
The above comment made me laugh. Except for the part about having never seen Happy Days. That made me sad.
Anyway, hope you’re mobile soon and able to participate in your annual shopping tradition this weekend. I’ll be right out there with you searching for a cheaper-than-$40-version-of-I Can Be Wedding Barbie and Ken-set. Kill. Me. Now.
I’m looking forward to the list of gift ideas… It’s too much effort to shop for hours on end and buy nothing! About that achilles tendon, keep up with the ice (15 mins a couple times a day) and stretch it. Hard to explain the stretch, just google “calf stretch” and I’m sure you’ll find something useful! Good luck! 🙂
I know P is still contemplating his gift suggestion list but this is my cry for help. Desperate times! The one and only thing that my husband has asked for this year is “night sites” for his HK45. He might as well be speaking Mandarin because it’s all foreign to me. I’m pretty sure this means a trip to Bass Pro Shops on my own and that’s just mean. Does BPS even carry night sites? How do I know which brand of night sites is superior? Or which is the one that’s overpriced junk? The pressure, it’s just too much!
Gifts that give back . . .
http://www.rageagainsttheminivan.com/2010/11/gifts-that-give-back.html
It’s probably all the running. My sisters and I are training for a half-marathon in January and have incurred every running injury known to man in the last few months (I never ran prior to March, started with Couch to 5K, and kept going).
Sooo…
1. Rest it. No running until it feels all better. Marathon shopping is okay if it doesn’t hurt to walk.
2. Ice it once or twice a day for at least 20 minutes.
3. You can do stretching exercises if you feel like it. But rest is easier and very effective.
(Caveat–I’m a pediatrician, not an orthopedist. But you can verify the advice on WebMD! Or I bet you have some physical therapy readers who will chime in.)
I’m just a pediatrician too….but i’ve been running since I was a teenager and have had every injury known to man!
Its probably plantar fasciitis from the running. Its usually awful when you first get out of bed and feels better later in the day.
I would start by getting new running shoes ASAP!
You can google good stretches like rolling your heel over a cold or frozen water bottle, etc
And if you’re really motivated you can get one of these:
http://www.thesock.com/
They are really fashion-forward 🙂
I hope you feel better quickly!
The first comment made me, laugh too.
My son is a podiatrist. If you email me more about your symptoms I can probably get you some free advice. 🙂
Christmas Gift Idea!! If your husband is a bow hunter, get him a Dartchery target. He can play the game of darts, while using his bow and arrows. Guys love it. And they are only about $10. Website: http://www.Dartchery.com.
My 20 year old daughter had the same thing last year (from walking too long while wearing Keds rather than athletic shoes). She is still alive (and still wearing the offending Keds. What is it with kids these days?) I just emailed her to ask what the doctor told her to do because it totally cleared it up. I’ll let you know what she says, but I think it involved a heating pad and anti-inflammatory drugs.
Hope your Achilles Heel is better soon, Pinky. Maybe you should get P some new fuses for Christmas. 😉
Best suggestion on the Achilles tendon(at least it worked for me)–stay off of it(finally healed up when I had surgery on an unrelated issue and was laid up for 6 weeks)–but since that may not be feasible——-wear heels! Any heel will do and even the smallest heal will give you some relief. B
I remember you were sick a few weeks ago…you weren’t put on an antibiotic were you? There is a certain group of meds (Cipro, Levaquin, Avelox, Factive = quinolones) that *can* cause Achilles tendon issues.
I’ve got nothing on the Achilles heel issue, but I have always wanted to know how you pronounce your best friend’s name! Every time you mention Gulley, I read it in my head and think, “Is that right? Wonder if that’s her last name? First name? Nickname?” Blame it on being one of 47 Sarahs in any class I was ever in growing up, but I’m really interested in any names that are even a little bit unusual. My latest theory is that it’s a creative spelling of “Julie.”
Yes, I love this! I’ve had the same questions about Gulley’s name. I pronounce it in my head like a gully washer (of course that’s a southern term so people may still not know how that sounds and I can’t think of a way to explain it). But I like your theory on Julie. And I have an unusual name myself. I’m tired of people pronouncing it Linda. So I just want to do Gulley right by reading her name correctly. 🙂
I had trouble with that about two years ago. One thing I learned and my doctor told me this too–do not wear flats like flip flops. My heel always felt better when I wore shoes with a little heel to them. Be sure and slowly exercise your foot by just moving it up and down as you lay on the couch – like flexing your heel.
I don’t have any Christmas gift ideas, which is a large part of the reason why I haven’t started shopping yet. Another thing I am lacking is apparently motivation. I’m sure your half lit Christmas tree is charming. It’s the thought that counts, really.
My husband and a friend of mine both recently had plantar fasciitis in their heel — I bet that’s what it is. My husband found that it helped him to sleep in one of those soft boot things that keeps your foot at a 90 degree angle from your leg.
In other news, our baby is now 8 days late; thank you for giving me something new to read every day to keep my mind off of it a little late. I’m getting tired of people asking when the baby is due, and I have to respond, “Last Tuesday. That’s right — Tuesday of LAST week.” *sigh*
Yes! How do you pronounce Gulley’s name? Nickname? Last name?
Maybe we need a Gulley guest post?
Now I REALLY want to watch a few Happy Day’s Episodes…I LOVED that show! 🙂
Oh my gosh. I rarely comment because of all the effort it entails, but I just have to say that I watched THE SAME EPISODE of Happy Days with my husband last night. It was on that random Hub channel and came on right after Doogie Howser, which came on after Wonder Years. It was like the lost channel of my childhood. Makes me feel a tad more normal that another person was actually watching it. 🙂
Do you have kind of a knobby thing on the back of your heel? That’s how my daughter’s was, and the doc told her use the heating pad on it for 20 minutes a bunch of times during the day (you can catch up on the DVR) and take anti-inflammatory drugs (ibuprofen, etc.) (Why am I telling a former pharmaceutical sales rep what anti-inflammatory drugs are?) Hope you get better in time for shopping!
Well, good news! From the looks of the comments, it sounds like mamaw won’t have to scuff around through the mall in her slippers!! Looks like Big Mama can wear some sassy heels as she fights the women in Toys R Us for the last pink Pillow Pet!! My husband doesn’t wear any heels, God bless him, but he does say that the stretching excercises in the morning just do the trick! I can’t wait to call him and tell him ALL about how wearing heels will help him!! Just a small heel. A sensible pump will do.
Hang on while I giggle at myself.
Well, I am anxiously awaiting your Christmas list. Last year I had not even HEARD of Zshu Zshu Pets (cause I live in a cave) until you mentioned that they were the hot item. Then, I decided to jump on the band wagon, and get a little crazy when they released a small amount of them every day at Walmart that last week of Christmas. Yeah, I think I was the only person rushing to our Walmart Garden Department each day. (I have no idea why they decided to “release” them in the Garden Department…Rodents?) I do enjoy myself a good obsession now and then…So I’d love to have one this year. It’s how I drive my husband crazy at Christmas. Cause then HE has to start searching eBay for a better deal… Fun for the WHOLE FAMILY!!!
Happy Wednesday!
I wanted to be Pinky too!
The tendon…it seems to plague my life. Stay off of it as much as possible. When you’re on it, wear comfortable, supporting shoes (read: No heels, or in my case no cute boots). Take anti-inflammatory (my choice: aleeve – 2.5 pills is Rx strength from what I understand). Ice it (20 minute increments) as much as possible. Stretch it (if you have some theraband one was is to put the band under your foot while holding both ends of the band and flex your foot back and forth). If still no relief, see a podiatrist who will likely either try to treat it with steroid or inject it with cortisone and put you in a boot that doesn’t have a lick of fashion to it.
Don’t worry too much, my moms ruptured, but she didn’t die (in fact, I don’t know that I’ve heard of anyone dying from it). I blame her for why I have it. 😉
My Christmas tree is currently indisposed. It fell over and broke last year (which is a story in itself). My husband fixed it, good as new. Then after one week of Chrismas tree cheer, as I was making Christmas cookies in the kitchen, it fell over again. On the non-broken side. Our dog and cat had something to do with it. They didn’t even act sorry. Now it is bent from falling against the wall and leaning in a corner. I will be having a tree lighting ceremony at the end of the season this year. A little lighter fluid ought to do that sucker up just fine.
Hysterical!
My mother in law is suffering from the same thing for the third time (she’s a big walker). I passed all of this info along to her – so thank you everyone!!!
Gift cards are the gift of shopping. And the gift of no returns. I love that about them. I never opened one up and said, “Ugh. Another gift card.” You probably can’t do that for the kids in your life, but grown-ups? Ab. So. Lute. Ly.
Your readers are hilarious. And informative. Have I said that before? I still have to go back and write down the list of Christmas songs so I can go on the iTunes.
Lastly, and this is a plug, but if you have little kids in your life and a beach visit is in your future, I have a company that makes a great gift called the Sandy Feet Keepsake Casting Kit. It’s sold in a lot of different places, but Uncommongoods.com has just restocked them, so that may be the easiest. Or you can go to http://www.spotsandladybugs.com for a full list. (M – if you feel this is inappropriate, feel free to take this off!)
http://www.christmasjars.com
Best. Gift. Idea. Ever. – oh, and tissues.
I’m getting my husband a new radio that will play his iphone music. Now I want one for myself!
OK, you’ve gotten enough advice on how to treat your aching Achilles, but I have a little jewel for after your recovery, when you start running again. There’s a simple shoe lacing technique that seems to help. I have no idea why. A friend clued me in on it and I haven’t had the Achilles problem since then. (Although I did figure out that mine flared up after running hills more often than I was used to.)
Look at the last technique on this link. It says “my heel slides up and down.” Even if that’s not a problem for you, try this for a few runs and see if it helps.
http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-267–12334-0,00.html
If it doesn’t help, then I prescribe some mini Reeses wrapped in red, green, and gold foil for the Christmas season.
Well, there have been more posts from people a lot smarter than me, but I have a weak Achilles tendon and back in my basketball playing days it would get really tight and make it hard to walk. My coach would have me stick my leg out straight and then would push my toes back until it would pop. It hurt, but then immediately felt better. Sounds like an activity that P would LOVE to help you out with. After that, stretching helps a lot, and moving your ankle around in circular motions.
Hope you get some relief! And happy shopping!
Plantar facitis – sucks – the above comments are right. New running shoes stat!
I had it, then promptly switched doctors when mine (who was younger than me) told me he got it too from playing too much basketball in college at the frat house. Uhm…….ya, not instilling confidence when I can only imagine my doctor doing a beer bong & playing hoops at the frat house. Got a new OLD doctor right away after that.
Anywho……….I ordered TOMS Shoes for all the ladies in my family. They are the more stylish answer to Crocs for me. Comfy, $50, they come in GLITTER, and for every pair you buy they give a pair to children. Win win.
Best gift idea…. comfy, cozy, snuggly pajama pants straight from heaven…. $10 at COSTCO. Like the best lap blanket ever–but in jammie pants. Will improve your quality of life!
Ooooohhhh – I got them too! And after I immediately spilled coffee on them, went out and bought a back-up pair so I didn’t have to be without them while the one pair was in the laundry. It was necessary. I never want to be without them. (pink/white polka dots are so happy, too!)
Hi Big Mama — This is in reference to your blog about your weekend conference. Check out Jon Acuff’s blog at Stuffchristianslike.net and read #910 ‘Being the Only Man at a Women’s Conference’. Did you happen to run into him there?
Have you tried A.R.T.? Active Release Technique. I have found that using this therapy has been extremely beneficial in treating any running maladies that I encounter. There’s a decent description on wikipedia of how it works. Good luck!!
Oh man – I just did ART on my sprained ankle and it hurt like a mother – but it helped…
According to my mother-in-law, your problem is flip-flops. So there you go.
Hope you heal in time for the big shopping weekend!!!
Right now, I’m listening to the Sixpence holiday mix on Pandora, and Sarah McLachlan is singing Silent Night. I’m at peace. Wow. Thanks for sharing!
I watched that same Happy Days episode last night on the Hub channel. I had totally forgotten about Pinky and Fonzie…good memories! Ice and advil are your friends–happy shopping!!
Our tree is in the stand next to the front door. No lights, haven’t even cleared the area where it will go yet.
Thanks for the Sixpence tip, it is GREAT!
THANK YOU for the pandora recommendation. The only thing that is making me happier at the moment (and only very slightly) is the fact that my 2 children are playing nicely together together while I listen.
Oh, and our “pre-lit” tree is dead on the top, middle and bottom. The 2 sections between these sections are lit. Sad, sad, tree, but there was no putting off a very excited 5-year-old who desperately wanted to decorate. Of course, I let her go at it and all the ornaments are nicely hung on the middle section (had to put them high enough that the 1-year-old can’t get to them), so not only do the top and bottom have no working lights, but they also have no ornaments. My husband has spent several hours with replacement bulbs attempting to figure out where the bad bulbs are to no avail.
My husband has problems with his Achilles tendon also. Rest and ice help. He is also trying these inserts from a store called Ideal Feet. So far he has been pleased with them. They seem to be helping. They are pricey, but he wanted to give it a try before going back to the doctor which would lead to more invasive steps.
I took the Pandora recommendation, too!
Jars of Clay, Mindy Smith, Sarah McLachlan, U2, Sara Groves, Relient K… Seriously? This is near perfect.
no words of wisdom here. It would be all B.S. Just glad to know there is another mother that is functioning on much too little sleep,gets side tracked by TV shows that are more like time capsules than entertainment, and had a dilapidated, I-feel-sorry-for tree, oh and a malfunctioning body part!! Isn’t it nice to to know we are all just trying to survive and live all at the same time!! hope you got some sleep!!
I saw some gizmo on the tv that fixes Christmas tree lights when one blows out. If I find it on the Google, I’ll send it along. All that work you did stringing perfect light! The only thing I know about heel injuries is usually from wearing shoes and standing that probably weren’t the best. We have an outstanding massage lady who works miracles on aches and pains. She and her own personal massage therapist are the only ones we see. Maybe one of your friends has someone they know. And then these expensive shoes cured my foot pain. http://www.finncomfort.com/collections/soft_prevention_line.aspx
Don’t understand a word it says about how it works but here it is. Also available through Amazon.
http://www.lightkeeperpro.com/?gclid=CKmri7eT3aUCFQcPbAodWx1q2w
Ditto everything mentioned here (esp the antibiotics being a culprit), but I’d also add the magic potion of all leg/muscle injuries- BioFreeze. It’s a gel-like thing that’s mushy and not so fun for those of us with texture issues, but it’s like a kiss from the gods for your calf/ankle tendons. I’m a runner, and my last couple of half marathons, I’d get massive cramps in my Achilles that would ride up into my calf. Lady-like cursing usually followed. At the DisneyLand Half a few months ago, the medics rubbed BioFreeze on my leg (their own version of pixie dust) and I was fine for 11 more miles!
I swear by it. It goes with me on every run.
My younger cousin, who I helped name, is Ashley Elizabeth! Love your name.
Thank you! My mom wanted me to have a super southern name. I think she succeeded. Until people in the north (no offense northerners) address me as Ms.Elizabeth. Not my last name folks, just a good ole southern double name. What can I say? We really commit to syllables this side of the Mason Dixon!
Totally sounds like plantar factitis(sp??) Had this years ago, and it hurt every morning for seems like forever,.., mine was horrible when I would first stand up in the am,,,but it would stretch out quickly, after I forced myself to take normal steps. Its a running thing, for me I think it developed from doing too much too soon..,Hope it feels better soon!
As a 20-year long foot-pain sufferer, I can tell you no heels. Period. They are the debil. It’s a crying shame, I know, but when I was young I wore all manner of cute shoes, flats (and I mean FLAT) boots, etc., and at 48 I’m paying for it now. Mine is mostly plantar facitis, which uses stretching and icing and anti-inflammatory meds, but sometimes the tendons need heat- I’m not sure. The only thing that really helps foot injuries is rest and elevation. My mother puts Unkers salve on her feet and swears it helps, but I can’t stand the smell of that stuff. Find some shoes that don’t hurt your feet when you are gonna be standing/walking a lot. I’m guessing you did a lot of both this weekend in B’ham. I have learned that the only shoes that don’t hurt my feet beyond tolerance are Merrells (NOT cheap!) and New Balance. I treat myself to a new pair of Merrells once a year – good thing is, they hold up for-ev-ah. Good look.
I think I’d be safe in saying that Happy Days on DVD might be a good gift option for you.
i totally went to high school with a girl named leather. poor girl.
hope your foot feels better. 🙂
Hi Melanie,
I emailed you some suggestions this morning… if you haven’t seen it in your inbox yet, look for one from me. There are some good suggestions in your comments.
Take Care,
Lavonda
your friendly neighborhood physical therapist
Thanks for the Pandora suggestion! Listening to it right now, and lovin’ it!
No real suggestion for the Achilles thing. I always call my brother, who’s a PT for these kids of things and he usually says “Rest and ice.” Which it sounds like you already have a handle on, Pinky.
I’m a runner and I’ve had numerous foot issues over the years. Acupuncture has been my secret weapon. I even broke a bone in my toe one time and didn’t go to the doctor for over a year (I didn’t want to know what it was because I was afraid I would not be able to continue to run). I just keep medicating myself with ibuprofren until I finally went in to have it checked out. Turns out, I had broken a bone and of course, the doctor wanted to operate and put a screw in my toe. I politely refused and marched myself down to have acupuncture. I had roughly 6 sessions and the toe has never bothered me again. That was 4 years ago.
I am an acupuncture advocate – love it!!
achilles tendon! i aggravated both of mine to the point where it was difficult to walk and they both became pretty swollen and painful to the touch.
i live in washington dc. i did 2 things that cured my painful achilles.
http://www.egoscue.com (I love his book too Painfree for Life)
and I found a chiropractor who specialized in active release therapy.
good luck!
I was an exercise science major in college, and based on what I learned, you should:
– Apply ice initially for 15-20 min at a time, until the swelling goes down
– Use a heating pad after the swelling has subsided and it is more of a muscle ache, because the heat will relax the muscle and increase blood flow to the area to help heal the injury
– Use an anti-inflammatory, such as Advil
Most people are confused about ice v. heat packs. You should use ice on a recent injury, and heat on an older injury. Hope that is helpful!
just healed up an achilles injury and now nursing a plantar fascia injury. OY. i was able to run through the achilles injury and it eventually healed itself. i did ice it as often as i could sit still long enough. the plantar fascia injury was NOT healing on it’s own – no choice but to stop running for a while 🙁
I hurt myself in a similar manner while exercising to Jillian, and her silly 30 day shred video. I went to the doctor and he told me that a good pair of heel lifts in my shoes would make me better in no time at all! I was a tad skeptical because I was in soooooooo much pain, so I went to Walmart bought the cheapest kind available ($4) and put them in my shoes. I swear to you, I felt better IMMEDIATELY! Try it…
Have you been wearing flats or shoes that have been rubbing your achilles while walking a lot lately? I had tendonitis in my achilles tendon when I was 18 or 19 from dressing nice for my job in the college library and walking all over the largest college campus in Louisiana for my classes and work. The shoes rubbed the back of my foot and caused incredible pain. The orthopedic suggested not wearing hard backed shoes (flats circa 1988-90) everyday and definitely switching shoes frequently. He really suggested wearing tennis shoes everyday…as if I could wear those with my tapered, pleated chinos (khaki and navy)! I sure hope you feel better soon.
I don’t remember if I’ve eve commented here. I am more of a lurker type. But I am so glad that I am not the only one with pre-lit tree woes. Plus, the hubs let the kids decorate and then didn’t redistribute the ornaments evenly, so we have one lower branch with about 10 ornaments on it. Charlie Brown for sure but the kids were proud of helping and they don’t know who Charlie Brown is!
Hope your heel gets better soon. When I get a tendon injury it goes on and on until I really rest it for a good long while. Other things help the pain, but it keeps coming back until I give in to resting.
kinda sounds like plantar faciitits to me also. I had it a few years back, and it was AWFUL. terrible pain along bottom of ft and shooting up my leg (waited too long to go to the dr) so, if it keeps up, don’t wait too long. i ended up throwing my back out because i wasn’t walking right. So bad that I needed to get a Cortisone shot in my heel(ow), and had to get inserts for my shoes. shot did end up helping to get rid of it. moral: DON’T WAIT!! hope I’m wrong!
My best friend and i always laugh at our ability to jump to the worst possible conclusion in any given scenario, so i can totally relate to your going to a place of fear! And tonight Carol called to tell me a funny story about her mom. Apparently someone she knew was going to have to have his arm amputated (i forget why exactly), and so Carol’s mom went around for a week trying to learn how to sweep with one arm JUST IN CASES because she’d had a pain in her arm! hahahaha
Read about your tree light troubles and remembered hearing people rave about a certain product on the morning radio show. They say it’s like MAGIC and SAVED CHRISTMAS! So, sounds like you might need to check it out. They sell them at Walgreens and Amazon, but the Walgreens around here are selling out bec of all the talk on the radio about them. Think you’re a safe distance from here though. It’s called Light Keeper Pro. Here’s link for Amazon. Be sure to let us know if it solves your probleml Good luck!!
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=lightkeeper+pro&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=4642045977&ref=pd_sl_24kyj4nsm_b
Three very important (okay, not so much) things…
1. I am very thankful to know that we are not the only ones with C’mas tree light issues. Plugged in the delightful pre-lit tree this year only to have the top and bottom not light. 45 minutes later…still un-lit. 4 days later…still un-lit. Might as well leave it that way and have it be the year of the partially lit tree.
2. Will try out your pandora suggestion. Another excellent station you should add, Barenaked Ladies (Holiday). So. very. very. very. good.
3. Sorry about your heel. I have no advice, but I hope it is better soon!
I am wise in the ways of heel pain first thing in the morning. If your first few steps in the morning are painful, painful and if your foot starts stiffening up after being still for a while, it may not be your Achilles’ tendon after all but plantar fasciitis. I had it in both feet this year.
A couple of things that have helped me (it takes several months to heal it) is sleeping in a Strasbourg sock (be prepared, your husband will mock you), never going barefoot (painful for this Southern girl), frequent heel massages (rolling your foot over a golf ball while you’re watching Real Housewives breaks up the tight muscle), and take 2 minutes before you get out of the bed in the morning to flex your ankles and feet and stretch your calf muscles (probably the best tip of all).
I’m doing the Couch to 5K training as well (finishing the last week!) and I didn’t stop the program, but I did add a lot of stretching before my runs and KEPT MOVING instead of collapsing on the couch after my runs. That helped my heel from getting tight.
Sorry for the novel. Hope this helps.
CPQ
One foot is totally healed now and the second one is about halfway there
I had a lot of trouble with tendonitis after taking the antibiotic Levaquin. The risk is magnified if you take prednisone at the same time.
Have I shared my recent mishap with my ankle? The one that lead to my crawling across my own backyard in front of a party full of people? You know, the humiliating one? Well, luckily, they didn’t see any broken bones and fully expected the sprain’s swelling to go down within two weeks with proper care. And my little men saw to it that I received the proper care. They loved strapping ice bags on each side of my ankle with an ace bandage. It would have been sweet if they didn’t stand their with evil grins while I went through 3 minutes of EXTREME agony until the ankle numbed all the way through the bone. They enjoyed it just a wee bit too much.
So that was almost 5 weeks ago, and every night, my ankle resembles more of a baseball than an actual joint, so on Monday I’m headed to the infamous local Bone & Joint place…a place that I knew all too well in my childhood, since let’s face it, I was 1/2 tomboy and 1/2 Klutz.
If I get any jewels of wisdom (other than the fact that our joints are getting old), I will let you know!