January 29 – “Medical jargon”

Now wait just a minute.  I know it’s January and all, but what was that stuff on our windshield yesterday morning?  We headed out to water exercise and actually had to wait for the frost top clear away before we could see well enough to drive.  That’s just not right.  Well, not for Galveston Island.  I’m ready for a return to our horrid 54 degree winters. 

The results came back this morning from the x-ray I had of my heel.  Yep.  That’s the latest old guy complaint.  Want to see the findings for yourself?  Not a problem.  Warning … not responsible for preponderance of medical jargon.  Check them out:

A small calcaneal enthesophyte is present.  Joint spaces are preserved.  Alignment is within normal limits.  No fracture or dislocation is identified.  The soft tissues are unremarkable.  Anterior marginal osteophyte formation is seen across the tibial talar joint.  A joint effusion is suspected anteriorly.

So did you get all that?  The doctor hasn’t called to translate it, yet.  A few of the things I could relate to: “no fracture or dislocation.”  That’s always a good thing.  “Within normal limits” is generally a good thing, too.  Beyond that, I had no idea.  I looked up some of the words.  “Joint effusion” means swelling.  Fine.  I have that in every joint in my body.  Best I can tell the “-ophyte” words mean bone spur.  Other than that, it’s back to the treatment I suspected the other day.  Let Mommy kiss it and make it feel better.  Oh, I mean, put ice on it and rest it.  We’ll see what the doc has to say when she calls back.

1 John 2:3 says, “We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands.”

Father, thank you for my foot.  It has served me well.  Still has some service left in it, I’m sure.  The two of us would appreciate some pain relief.  Amen.