Achilles Archives - Ramblin' with Roger

Here is the health report for the middle of 2025.

I received a hearing test in April. My hearing is rather good at most frequencies, and the word recognition was solid. I’ll get it rechecked next year, and maybe I’ll get an aid. When I hear white noise simultaneously, I can listen to words but not comprehend them. That’s normal, right?

I’m having some oral surgery at the end of August. A couple of molars you can’t see are coming out. One – lower left – had been giving me some exquisite pain a few months ago. It has subsided, but it is not salvageable. I’ve had a root canal in the past on those teeth.

A third tooth, which people might notice, is also coming out, but some ersatz item will replace it. I’m not looking forward to this process. It will be pricey, but less than if they replaced all three teeth.

So I postponed dealing with my left Achilles, which bothers me on and off. Eventually, I’ll need some physical therapy.

Taking a knee

Then I MUST deal with getting a left knee replacement because sometimes it’s so achy that I can’t even ride my bicycle without a brace; the rotation is too painful.

At least it’s not as bad as it was after the Olin family reunion at Nataniel Cole Park near Binghamton, NY, in July. I had long told myself that I didn’t need a cane when walking on a flat surface. But walking on grass, hills, gravel, etc., I SHOULD use the cane. I walked to the bathroom through a grassy area with a slight incline. “Ah, it’s not that far.”

At about 2 a.m., the pain was so tremendous that it woke me from a sound sleep. The agony emanated from one point. If my knee were a map of France and my leg were up on the bed, it would be approximately at Bordeaux.

I was really irritated with myself. The cane was in the car, and the car was nearby, so this was a totally avoidable incident.

Other than that, it’s the usual aches and pains.

I’ve mentioned a pain in my left Achilles. I went to my podiatrist, who referred me to an imaging place, where I got an ultrasound. When I went back to my podiatrist, he assumed that I had a tear but was pleased that it was only a pull.

From the Mayo Clinic: “Achilles tendinitis is an injury of the Achilles (uh-KILL-eez) tendon. It can be caused by using it too much or too hard without enough rest, called overuse. Or it can develop without a clear cause.” This is the situation I’m in. I didn’t do anything that would have obviously aggravated it.

“The Achilles tendon is the band of tissue that joins calf muscles at the back of the lower leg to the heel bone.” It hurts when I walk.

My podiatrist suggested rest, and then after a couple of weeks, physical therapy. The Cleveland Clinic notes:

Nonsurgical Achilles tendinitis treatments include the RICE method:

Rest: Stop doing activities that stress your tendon. Switch to low-impact activities, such as swimming, that put less stress on your Achilles tendon.
Ice: Put ice on your tendon for up to 20 minutes, as needed throughout the day.
Compression: Compress, or put pressure on, your tendon using an athletic wrap or surgical tape.
Elevation: To reduce swelling, lie down and raise your foot on pillows so it’s above your heart.

Goody, goody. Lately, I’ve often used my cane, not just on uneven surfaces. It’s instrumental in getting off buses and down the stairs; down is harder than up. I’ll probably use an Uber more often in the near term.

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