Monday, May 11, 2026

Legging Go of My Youth, I Guess. 30 Years of Running (now walking) & My Ankles Are Catching Up. Invested in Some Ol' People @$@#!

In my early 40s I had varicose veins removed. They were really bad on my left and right side and they did this really cool procedure that used laser and electricity to remove them. That made me glad, as I always liked my legs, especially during my running days. I loved standing on my tip toes to show off my calf muscles. Well, in the last couple of years I've noticed my left ankle was swelling. At times it was turning purple and bruising easy. This, with the psoriasis, made it embarrassing to wear shorts in the summer. I just can't win. 

Tremfiya has taken care of the psoriasis...there are just freckles of it here and there, so I read up on curing edema, which there is none, but compression socks help. I don't need them on my feed (and hopefully I never will), but I wanted to try them on my left ankle. They come in pairs, but I only need it for one side right now. 

I tell you what...as soon as I put it on, I felt like my ankle was healing. the circulation has been so bad and there is so much fluid, that it actually throbs when I hike every day (I really really want to run, but have been told by the hernia surgeon, YOU MUST STOP). I definitely don't want to give up walking every day. I need to move. It's the only mental reprieve I give myself each day (everything else is so cerebral). 

So, I'm on day two of the compression anklet and I love it. It feels like it is holding me together (and yes, this could pass). I just don't know why the left side has chosen to be a repository for fluids...but it has. And I am trying to live with it, so the socks are a thing now.

Ah, but on another note, I finished grading. Phew. Just have one outstanding project that hasn't been turned in and I'm sure it will get here eventually....full-time teacher who has a lot on his plate. I get it. The profession is impossible and when you're doing the profession and taking classes, it can be outright miserable. So, Mr. Flexible I become. At least it is only one student this year.

Here we go, Monday...but it's starting to wind down....FINALLY.

Channeling Summers in the Outskirts of London and Time Spent in Roskilde on Lars Farm as We Head Towards June (My Favorite Month)

I remember the first time I was fortunate to spend time in an English garden. Amy Parton, leader singer of King Kong  and an extraordinary h...