DFL Runner: Blog

It's "meet the family" time for John in this week's chapter, and I have two confessions to make. First, Lisa's family makes their home near Cincinnati for the express purpose of allowing me to continue the "talk back to the flight attendant" running joke, since Cincinnati's airport is on the other side of the Ohio River from the city itself, just outside Covington, Kentucky (hence CVG as the airport code).

Second confession: I've actually never been there, so if any of my readers would like to volunteer to tell me a little more about the city and its culture, please feel free to reach out. :-)

In other news, the tapering off of my prior pain medication is complete. I have decidedly not been a happy camper over the past few days, but I am hopeful that the end is in sight. I am having a facet injection on Monday. (Reader's Digest explanation: they numb my lower back with lidocaine, bend me into an unnatural position, then use a needle to deliver anti-inflammatory medication directly into my spinal column.) The tapering was necessary to allow for an unadulterated "before and after" assessment of its effectiveness. If it works, great. If it doesn't work, I can go back to what I was doing. Either way, we'll know before the end of the week.

Have a great week, everyone!

-- DFLR

Posting delay alert ... without going into a lot of detail, my pain-management protocol is being modified, again. I am having to taper off my current medication which, suffice to say, is not comfortable. I will be visiting the Massage Envy down the street this weekend; they have a massage therapist who manages to work wonders on me.

In the interim, I have the framework of the next chapter ready to go, but want to do a second draft. I've been in no frame of mind to do that the past couple of evenings. I am hoping this weekend will bring some pain relief, some relaxation, and some inspiration. I will see if I can't post before the weekend is out, but if not, look for me next Saturday.

Thanks!
DFLR

First and foremost, I'd like to thank you all for your kind words as I and my fellow North Carolinians prepared for Hurricane Dorian this past week. Although we got a good amount of rain and some wind, my part of the state came out relatively unscathed.

Unfortunately, those along the Outer Banks (about 130 miles east of me) did not, and I'd like to encourage you to donate to the Red Cross or to any other (reputable; make sure you do your due diligence!) relief organizations to help them out.

I'd also like to restate my call for you to donate blood if you are eligible to do so. The need is always there, but particularly more so after events such as this. Plus, I call blood-donation day my "sanctioned cheat day" since they tell you to eat snacks to keep your blood sugar up after you donate. As well, you usually get a gift card or similar as a thank-you.

In other happy news, "Kim" was discharged from the hospital on Friday. She still has a long road ahead rehab-wise, but at least she is recuperating in the comfort of her own home. As well, she will be joining me (and several other members of our running group) for her first post-accident 5K in mid-October, which she will be doing in her wheelchair.

Incidentally, I'd like to put out a call for your favorite recipes. Due to her husband's work schedule, a number of people have been taking part in a meal train to prepare dinner for her family over the past several weeks, and it will be continuing for the foreseeable future.

I have a limited repertoire, so would love suggestions for recipes (30-minute prep time or less if possible) that I can make for them.

See you next week!

DFLR

Posting schedule alert: as you know if you've been reading the story, I live in North Carolina. I work for a medical supply company that serves patients who live along the NC coast ... which means that if current projections continue, the next few days are going to be *beyond* insane.

Last year when Florence hit, people were working until 9:00 at night in the course of preparing a week's worth of supply shipments in 72 hours. I foresee the same thing happening this week, which will likely cut into the time I need to continue polishing Chapter 16 before sending it to jetson63 for editing.

If it is at all possible for me to post it on schedule this coming Saturday, I will, but if not, please be patient with me and I'll post it as soon as I can.

Thanks!
DFLR

The latest chapter has been posted. It serves a couple of different purposes ... one, to explain the particulars of John's (and my, although "John" isn't my real name) amputation, and two, as a sort of tribute to the man who is the reason I am able to walk, let alone race.

As for the real-life "Emmett Wall" I changed a few identifying details - among them, he is still alive in the story but IRL passed away a few years ago - but it is otherwise a very brief, but true, depiction of the man. He is the standard against which I measure all doctors. As well, the conversation portrayed in this chapter is more or less the exact conversation he had with my mother to persuade her that amputation of my foot was the best choice.

Incidentally, limb-lengthening surgery is a real thing. You can Google several pages that will tell you more information. It also is not recommended for most people with dwarfism because of the particulars of their bone structure.

I am off to donate blood this afternoon. If you are eligible to donate, please do. There is a critical shortage of blood in America. You'll do a great thing. And you'll get to cheat on your diet for a day, plus (usually) get a gift card of some variety as a thank-you.