[Magdalen] Bum ankle

[James Oppenheimer-Crawford]

I have been having trouble with my right ankle for over a year. My
podiatrist suggested that I let it rest and heal, and that turned out not
to be helpful. Finally, having nothing else to suggest, she sent me to PT.
The PT folks are really very nice people, so there is that Hawthorne effect
of feeling better just because some pretty young lady is putting a heating
pad on me and so forth. The regime of exercises were helpful, but when the
tour started, I had difficulty doing them because of lack of adequate floor
space, stairs, and time. This was a really strenuous tour, and we were in
bed after dinner (very late in Iberia) and up and out early. I do not know
if my diminished exercises hurt, but it didn't help.
Most days, I started out feeling fine, but pain came on over the course of
the day. The day we visited Al Hambra was the worst. We had a huge amount
of walking, and a lot of stairs.  Considering what Al Hambra went through
over the centuries since it was built, it's a wonder there's anything left
of it at all! Definitely worth the visit.  It is not really just one
palace, but several. They have done some repairs and have tried to give
some idea of what the gardens were like, but goodness, what a herculean
task to take care of that place. There is also a huge palace built later by
Charles V.
I had to use one of my walking sticks as a cane, and that  helped a lot.
When I got home, I made an appointment to see my podiatrist (today), and
she had Xrays taken of the ankle. There has been some arthritic action in a
couple places (one could see how the bone was normally a tiny distance
apart, but in a couple of places, the bones are practically touching, and
"They should not be doing that," she said. So that explains how I could
start out each day feeling fine, and gradually get so I could only walk
with difficulty by the end of the day.
She gave me a more substantial ankle brace and showed me how to adjust it
for tightness.
I'll also be taking prophylactic doses of antiinflammatories on our next
trip (Jordan and Israel, coming up in about a month).
I'm walking daily on my treadmill, gradually hoping to work up to several
miles per day.

I have a ton of pictures, and I am interested in making a site where they
can be displayed.  What are the best ways to do that?

James W. Oppenheimer-Crawford
*“A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved,
except in memory. LLAP**”  -- *Leonard Nimoy