Detour to Boston: What the Doc Said
On the train, ready to move along on the adventure.
We took a train from Portland to Boston on Monday. I hadn't traveled by train since I was a kid, so it was kind of fun and brought up some fond memories of taking the train from Chicago to New York and visiting Radio City Music Hall. We ate a cannoli on the North End at Modern Pastry Shop upon arrival and came across the Freedom Trail, which we followed excitedly for a bit. I guess the Freedom Trail is a feature of a video game Seth likes to play, so he was telling me about that for a while. I like American Revolutionary history a lot, so that's why I'm excited about the Freedom Trail. I'm also glad to have someone who wants to walk it with me because when I went to school up here no one jumped at the chance to walk it- what a lucky wife I am!
New thru hike aspiration.
After the cannoli, we met up with our friend, Sandy, who we hadn't seen in six years, but immediately invited us to stay with him and his wife. We had dinner at one of his favorite neighborhood spots in Somerville and caught up.
Hanging with Gena is an unexpected treat- glad we still get to meet new friends, even off the trail.
The next morning, Gena, Sandy's lovely wife, took us to breakfast at Tamper in Somarville and lounged on their porch at home until Seth's appointment.
Awwwwww, this isn't nice.
The doctor had the most kitsch of any doctor's office I've ever seen- which made me trust her. She got right down to business checking Seth's feet. Seth told her about his left ankle rolling repeatedly after fatigue and having his right foot slip over a rock and bend in a wonky way. She determined that he had a minor sprain in his left ankle due to all the turning. She x-rayed the right foot and determined that nothing was broken. She said he had a lot of "soft tissue issues" related to overuse, fatigue, and inadequate shoe support. We were very relieved that nothing was broken, but Seth was somewhat frustrated at continuing to have so much pain with such a vague diagnosis. She recommended wrapping or wearing a brace on the left ankle for three weeks. She said Seth should consider prescription insoles down the line, but definitely recommended a more substantial shoe for hiking. She also recommended a more continuous dose of ibuprofen throughout the day for three weeks.
Patient Seth.
The doctor stressed Seth out, so he ate three donuts at Union Square Donuts. They were quality donuts- definitely worth a trip.
So she didn't say we shouldn't hike, however, Seth continues to experience pain and limps when we walk. We still have some thinking to do about what the next best thing is for us and to make sure Seth stays healthy.
Is Dr. Wexler the prolific embroiderer? Is someone else in her life a generous embroiderer? So many questions.
We did go to REI after the appointment and shamefully returned his old shoes which were covered with mud and really at the end of their life in terms of mileage on the shoes. He bought boots on the other end of the spectrum from his trail runners in terms of support and stability. His feet still hurt so it's hard to know whether they're going to work out- if we even end up going on the trail at all. We wanted to have the option to hop on the trail once we're in Western Massachusetts though.
He bought neither of the shoes pictured here.
The day was somewhat stressful actually. Seth was having to manage his pain and the mood around his pain. I was having to manage not responding to comments that I graciously concluded were coming from a place of physical discomfort for Seth. I definitely took some "time out" breaks while we were in REI- went to the bathroom and flicked through some racks of clothes. Seth was in a little bit of a "fu€k it" place and I was a little bit in a "fu€k you" place- imagining stomping down the trail on my own and meeting Seth in Atlanta in the fall. But guess what? There isn't anywhere to go, so we reconnected after I flicked some clothes around, acknowledged our bad moods, and had a lovely walk through the Harvard campus. A storm was rolling in so that was cool to watch and I got into a better mood sneering "you think you're sooooo smart" to all the Harvard undergrads. We're going to spend a couple more days in Boston hanging out with Sandy and Gena and then head to Pittsfield, MA to visit Seth's sister.
Cool storm rolling in. It smelled good.
