Oh my aching foot!

To have a sore foot here is a nightmare! We are surrounded by tile, concrete, marble ,and granite floors, rocky roads without sidewalks, and other hazards to feet, knees, and hips. No wall-to-wall carpet here.

Actually, the hazard that attacked me was not any of those, but a metal file cabinet in the office near the copy machine. The bottom drawer was stuck in the open position for about five inches. I noticed it one day and thought it might be dangerous, and asked an office elder to take care of it. That was my first mistake. I should have investigated it and fixed it myself. A few weeks later, I was in the office with Marty, and he called me over to the copy machine to help him, and I jammed my left foot really hard under the corner of the file cabinet. I didn't utter a single @*&#!!! Thought one, though.

It broke the skin slightly, and caused a big bruise, but I could still wear my shoes and Marty and I continued with our walks around town and at the park. Second mistake! The skin healed, but the pain has worsened, and the inflammation has increased to where I can't put on my normal shoes. I can only wear a pair of Merrill flip-flops I have--and the weather is getting colder.

We went to an Albanian orthopedist today and, after looking at my X-rays and manipulating various places of my foot, he decided I may have Morton's Neuroma, which is an inflammation of the nerve between the toes and often has to be corrected with surgery. An MRI would confirm that diagnosis. Doctor Dahl, our missionary doctor in Germany, thinks it is more likely to be bruising and inflamation caused by the trauma of being attacked by the file cabinet and not taking care of it properly at first. I hope that's all it is. In the meantime he wants me to take anti-inflammatory pills (Celebrex) and do hot soaks several times a day to increase circulation to the area and also stay off the foot as much as possible. That should be a challenge. Next week we have our BIG TRANSFER--old missionaries leave and new ones arrive. Guess we'll be eating out with them next week. On the 18th, we are going to Dresden, Germany for our last Mission Presidents' Seminar. Hope the foot is well by then!

Dr. Dahl was a missionary in Italy when Marty was there, and it will be nice for them to meet when we go to Dresden.