You Have What I Have

I am increasingly aware of the tendency of friends, relations, and strangers to tell me what ails me is the same thing that ails them or is what’s popular at the time. An example of this relates to my ankle/foot. When it was first hurting, everyone told me it was plantar fasciitis. People who had plantar fasciitis told me that was what it was. People who knew people with plantar fasciitis told me that was what it was.

I went to the doctor who diagnosed my pain as tarsal tunnel syndrome. When I reported this to friends and family (who were concerned about my health), I was greeted with: “Sure it isn’t plantar fasciitis?”

I went to have a nerve test to confirm the doctor’s diagnosis, which it did. When I reported this to friends and family, I was asked: “Are you really sure it’s not plantar fasciitis?”

I then had an MRI which said I had para-tendonitis around the area of the Achilles tendon which was causing the pain I felt in the tarsal tunnel. So, for the third time, it was not plantar fasciitis.

Did that stop the questions asking me if I was really sure? Nope. Hey, it’s not plantar fasciitis no matter how trendy that is these days or if you suffer from it. I am allowed my own individual ailments.