Tropical Blog

Lesson Learned

In the land of humidity you must always be cognizent of the wildlife sharing your environment. When kayaking there are alligators, crocs and jellyfish. When jogging there are gnats and mosquitos and iguanas. And when you get ready to take your dog for a walk, you'd better check your shoes before you put them on. This last lesson I learned the night before last when I clipped the leash on our Springer Spaniel and started out the door. I hadn't gone ten steps before I felt what I thought at the time was a pebble in the heel of my shoe. It wasn't a sharp sting, more of an uncofortable pressure. I kicked my shoe off and looked for a stone. Not seeing anything I put the shoe back on and continued our walk. By two o'clock the following afternoon my ankle was the size of a softball and my heel had an angry red welt across it. I realized that the pressure I had felt when I put on my shoe must have been a spider hiding out in it. The lesson of the day : always check your shoes before putting them on! Anyway, the drive to work was excruciating, as my heel was constantly being pressed to the floor of the car. I tried to make it through the shift, but by six o'clock I knew I had to go to the emergency room and get my ankle looked at. The doctor ruled out a couple of things that I thought were unlikely - a foreign object lodged beneath the skin, gout, etc. - and then agreed that it had been the work of a spider, species indeterminate but more than likely a brown recluse. I was given some strong antibiotics and a baker's dozen Percocet for pain. I took the antibiotics this morning and tried to hold off on the painkillers to see if the heel was improving at all. By one o'clock this afternoon I had given up on the pain going away on its own and took one of the Percocet. I have to say that I see why people get addicted to these things. The pain in my ankle is a distant memory and I just feel, well, EXQUISITE. Looking forward to my next dosage, I must admit.