Foot and Mouth

Welcome back!

In my last blog, I explained how dill pickle sunflower seeds led to a callus or growth of sorts on the bottom of my tongue. I know this was not the case NOW, but I continued to convince myself that it was the large amount of seeds that led to my damaged tongue. The idea of cancer had been dismissed, everyone was happy, and life went on.
 
Following our four and a half years in Mississippi, Jessica and I received military orders to Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona. If I recall correctly, it was number three on our dream sheet, so we were pleased with this assignment location. I had completed my graduate degree and had planned to attend my commencement ceremony at Southwestern College, just outside of Wichita, Kansas. Jess and I decided it would be a good idea to work in a house hunting trip into my college graduation trip. So, after having graduated, I hopped on another plane and headed to Tucson, Arizona to locate our new home. For those of you who have not been to Tucson, imagine stepping into a Roadrunner and Coyote cartoon. This is exactly what Tucson looks like. For anyone who loves the outdoors and heat, this is the place to be.  

Fast forward nearly six months later where we now reside in Tucson, Arizona. For me, Tucson was a welcome home party in many ways. This place has a SoCal feel, only trapped in a desert with no ocean anywhere is sight. The locals live very active life styles and seem to be extremely nice and laid back. The food selection is identical to that you would find in SoCal: In-N-Out, Rubios Fish Tacos, and killer fast food Mexican joints on nearly every street corner. Yes... I was home again! The biggest welcoming was coming back to the job I loved after spending four years away as a Professional Military Education Instructor. I was finally back to being a fireman.

A lot had changed since I had left the fire department. I grew immensely as an Airmen. I had also gained an entirely different worldview from both my education and through my opportunity teaching at the Noncommissioned Officer Academy. I had a better understanding of what it takes to be a better Airmen and leader in today's Air Force. My goal was to return to the fire department and inspire others to be the best Airmen they could be. I had a lot to prove and no idea how to go about doing it. My plan was to be an example of the type of Airmen and firefighter I would expect of my subordinates. I needed to re-establish myself as a credible fireman as well as a credible Senior Noncommissioned Officer. I felt comfortable that I would excel in many areas, but there were a few I was extremely unsure of.

I have always struggled with my physical fitness. As I mentioned before, I was a smoker for many years and had an appetite for good food and beer. The smoking did a number on my lungs, but helped manage my weight. When I finally kicked the habit, my breathing improved, but my weight was out of control. By the time we moved to Tucson, I was at my all time heaviest. It didn't help that I splurged on tons of delectable Gulf Coast and Cajun specialties in the months prior to our departure from Mississippi. It really didn't help that I arrived to Tucson knowing all my childhood favorites were finally available after nearly a decade of being without them. So, needless to say, I knew I had some work to do!

Okay tubby, it's go time! I had to drop some weight, if not for my health and to pass my upcoming physical fitness test, to prove to my new department that I was not Augustus Gloop. Tucson offers two things that can definitely help anyone looking to lose weight: tons of hills and extreme heat. I was hiking and running anywhere between three and eight miles every other day. At work, I would walk and/or run on the treadmill at full incline. For those who do not know...walking and running on an incline burns WAY more calories than walking and running on a flat surface. I indeed dropped weight fast, but in the process I gained a little something extra in the form on a heel spur.

Heel spurs are calcium deposits that grow in the form of a pointed, bony outgrowth on the bone of the heel. They can be caused by straining the foot's muscles and ligaments and the stretching of the plantar fascia. Heel spurs can also cause a lot of additional pain when an individual suffers from plantar fasciitis. All the training I had been doing on inclined surfaces led to sever plantar fasciitis, a condition that nearly crippled me going into my physical fitness test.

After a few months of fitness training, I had accomplished two things: I had transformed myself into a decent enough shape to pass my physical fitness test and I completely jacked-up my foot. Every morning felt like someone was driving a red hot railroad spike through my heel. With my physical fitness test behind me, I decided to get my foot checked out by a doctor. The doctor was cool and got me hooked up with a referral to a podiatrist off base. My podiatrist introduced me to my very first cortisone shot, which is scary as hell when you see the size of the needle, but helps control pain immediately. He also measured me for some high tech, custom formed orthotics to place in my boots. I was well on my way to recovery.

I spent the next couple months trying to nurse my foot back to health. It felt better, but working out made the plantar fascia flare-up, which would cripple me the next day. I grew more and more concerned because I knew I would need to train for another physical fitness test. I talked to my podiatrist and he recommended I not run. Well...that's great, but how will I prepare for my test? He wanted to put me on a profile that would exempt me from the run portion of my next physical fitness test. I was not thrilled by this because there seems to be a stigma within the Air Force towards those on profiles. I had no other choice. I took his note and headed back to base to be placed on a physical fitness profile.

Getting the profile was easy. I handed my physician the podiatrist's note and within minutes he excused me from running for three months. Feeling a little better about my situation, I headed out of the clinic. Now, if only I could get this crap on my tongue to heal...

Oh... I forgot to tell you. Over the last six months, my sunflower seed callus got bigger and eventually turned into a sore that refused to heal. So now, I am left with a bum foot and mouth. I suppose I should stop by the dental clinic since I will pass them on my way out. Maybe they will put me on a no eating profile. That should counter the no running!