January 2020 Monthly Running Challenge

@Scott6255 I do have health insurance and avoid the doctor as much as possible. I actually went for my first mammogram and physical this past fall and I've had a skin exam because I live in Texas and stay tan much of the year, but other than routine or what is recommended...no thank you, I'll pass. And usually, like you, they don't tell me anything I don't already know. I'm 43 and I've never routinely taken a prescription drug in my life. My dad is 68 and has never taken a medication in his life... There is always a holistic approach if you would like to use that route... it's never a magic pill fix but long term, it works (my experience).

I worked in orthopedics for four years. My first three years, I was in the hospital side. I prepped people heading to surgery. When people came out of surgery, I helped to situate them. If they did not have a catheter in and needed to use the restroom, I helped them ambulate. I got them to PT every morning, did their vitals...lots of stuff...
Then on my fourth year, I moved over to the clinic side. I called patients back, weighed them, took them to their room and recorded their current BMI. What did I learn? First of all, I enjoyed my job. I liked the surgeons I worked with, the nurses... everyone...And, I loved the patients... Nonetheless, most or many were overweight. Doctors recommendations were usually to lose weight before knee surgery would even be considered: see if weight loss doesn't improve the current situation. This didn't even always mean a doctor wouldn't perform surgery if the patient was overweight. We had one surgeon who would perform surgery on any patient no matter how obese they were. Nurses and other staff could usually identify his patients, unfortunately. We had plenty of hefty patients on the other side, though, as a whole regardless of whose patients they were. Hip replacement or surgery was usually the result after a fall or injury, but not always the case. Point is, pertaining mostly to knees and joints in general, that the less pressure or weight you put on the joints the better they are off in the long run. Duh! I know nothing about the Achilles tendon, nothing. But I could surmise that since it's a joint, that by lessening the stress you put on it (I'm not stressing to lose weight if you don't need to), it may be less affected or heal quicker without being overly taxed. But also, as Rheddmobile stated, maybe you are putting weight on your Achilles tendon, which is the biggest factor. Being more cognizant of how I/we run is important and I know you know this. My right ankle was hurting so much this past weekend. But I know why...I was stepping on the inside of my right toe, as opposed to my whole toe, and it stresses my ankle tremendously. When I find myself doing it, I fix myself. It's like telling a person who slouches to straighten up their posture; I can change it, but I need to make myself more aware of my mistake as I'm doing it until (hopefully) I'm no longer doing it. Lastly, if you take a break, please be careful not to gain weight. It's so easy to do and it makes getting back into it so much harder. I am not an expert...I stress that I am not an expert. These are my learning experiences and I still have so much to learn...so so so much. You sound like you are doing so many good things for yourself and I'm glad you're not giving up. I enjoy your jokes and your commitment to running. As I stated, I'm still learning and I trust so many of you with my questions because your experiences are invaluable to me. Thank you, thank you, thank you...

Elise4270 wrote: »

@Avidkeo No films today.

Awwww! How did the rest of your follow up go?