After diagnosing myself with bone cancer on the internet, I called the number on the back of my health record card right away.  Since I have an HMO and I’m not a kid, I thought I’d be on hospice or drop dead before I actually got an appointment with a real physician.

When the receptionist from a call center located in Turkey said there was an appointment the very next day, I asked her to send an ambulance with a defibrillator.  Interestingly, advanced life support wasn’t available until a week from next Tuesday.  I verified that I would be seen by a real MD who didn’t earn his degree from the University of Phoenix online.  Sure, English was his second language, but I speak Hank so I can decipher anything.

I have had a pain on the front of my shin below my knee that feels like it is directly in the bone for the last couple months.  I don’t remember exactly when it started as I tend to ignore the little aches and pains associated with running.  I also ignore the little things like warming up, cooling down, and stretching anything other than my plantar fasciia.

Like many runners, I waited until it was really broken to fix it.  I made sure to get in a run before I went to my appointment in case it had to be amputated to remove the cancerous tumors.  The physician ordered an x-ray to confirm there wasn’t a stress fracture and quickly diagnosed me as having an inflamed IT Band.  The IT Band is the tendon covering the bone that runs from the hip to below the knee.  Apparently running daily isn’t that great for your body.

The injury, however, is common.

I was given pamphlets, print-outs, and a strong suggestion to stop running until it heals.

The great thing about having a physician without strong English skills is he just nodded and smiled when I said,

“Stop running? NO FUCKING WAY.”

Photo Credit: A Brit Greek    I have been cheating on running with Zumba. Join me at Aiming Low for the dirty details. Tweet

Every Monday at Hank’s Lutheran preschool, the children meet in the sanctuary for chapel with the pastor of the church.  Every week I cringe during the question and answer period because I know Hank will eagerly raise his hand to give a response completely unrelated to the topic.   An example would be:   Pastor:…