It’s the first Friday of the month, which means it’s time for our coffee date, hosted as always by Coco and Deborah. I debated starting this post by saying how my foot feels so much better, I’ve signed up for an ultramarathon which takes place next month. Of course, the next sentence would be… APRIL FOOLS!
Yes, that would have been hilarious (?) but I’ve never been into jokes like that. I guess I just don’t like fooling people, even for a second. I know… how boring. Anyway, let’s get started with this coffee date- no fooling allowed.
If we were having coffee together, of course I would talk about what I’m reading. I just finished The Maid by Nita Prose. This book took me on a little journey. Although it’s never stated, I assume the main character, Molly, has Aspergers. Now, I have a very close relationship with someone who has Aspergers. I don’t mean to be cryptic, but I really can’t name names. Suffice it to say, I know a bit about this.
At first I was chuckling at Molly’s idiosyncrasies. Like when she’s waiting for the detective, she says “It felt like I had been waiting for one hundred and twenty minutes.” Yes, that’s spot on. People with Aspergers take things very literally. They don’t understand it when people exaggerate or make generalizations. Molly would never say “It felt like I had been waiting a hundred years!” One hundred and twenty minutes is exactly what she would say.
However, as the book went on, it made me so sad. The way that Molly struggled to understand people, and the way people took advantage of her, saddened me so much that I almost stopped reading halfway through. I know, I know… this is FICTION. I just couldn’t stand the thought of my Aspie going through something like that.
Luckily, I forged ahead and all was well in the end. This book is a mystery, and at first I thought the plot line was too obvious- but there is a twist at the end. For a while I wasn’t sure how I felt about this book overall, but then I realized Nita Prose did something not every author does- she made me care deeply about the main character. So in the end it was a good book! Next up- Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty.
Okay, let’s talk about my foot, for real. For TWO YEARS now I’ve been dealing with a very stubborn case of plantar fasciitis, and a mysterious pain on the bottom outside edge of my foot. My doctor has now diagnosed that pain as “lateral column syndrome,” with a possible subluxation of the cuboid bone.
Seriously???
I’ve had ELEVEN shockwave treatments (at $125 a pop) and gotten custom orthotics- all paid for out of my own pocket. Insurance covered nothing. My doctor still believes that he’ll cure this, and says he has a 100 percent success rate with shockwave therapy. One time I told him I hoped I wouldn’t be that person to bring him down to 99 percent, and he actually seemed offended. He looked me in the eye and said “I don’t do 99 percent.”
So… unless he’s a pathological liar- anything is possible at this point- he believes he’s going to fix this. I’m starting to wonder when it’s time to cut my losses and seek a different treatment. Injection? Acupuncture? Surgery? All I have to say is… next time my foot hurts, tell me it’s a stress fracture, put me in a boot and say I can run again in eight weeks. That would be GREAT.
What would you tell me over coffee? What are you reading now? Have you ever heard of a subluxation of the cuboid bone? (I hadn’t until now, but if you google it, there’s lots of information.). I hope you’re enjoying a delicious beverage this morning!
25 Responses
Ugh. I am so sorry that your foot saga continues. I injured my ^other^ foot this week but am counting on a quick recovery. I told my husband it needs one more day, and he asked how I knew it would be better tomorrow: “ Well, that’s my plan.”
Thanks for the insight into Asperger’s. I’m not sure I’d get through a book with mean people, but I am slogging through a dystopian novel with lots of death and destruction, so ….
Oh no- I hope your foot really is better tomorrow! I’m curious to know what happened- will we hear about it on Sunday?
I did like “the maid” and all of Molly’s sweet quirkiness. Now reading the “Paris apartment”. I also liked “apples never fall” but it got a little long. Sorry that you are still going through the foot saga after so many treatments. I wish I had a solution for you! Thanks for stopping by for coffee!
I’m enjoying Apples Never Fall but am not that far into it. I know a lot of people didn’t like it, but I’ve liked all her books so far. We’ll see!
I loved The Maid.. and I felt the same but it was worth it to finihs.
Apples Never Fall kinda disappointed me. Even as avid tennis player. I’ll be curious what you think. What Alice Forgot was one of my favorites by this author.
I know a lot of people didn’t like this one, which is why I didn’t read it right away. I’ve liked all of Moriarty’s other books, so I finally decided to give it a try. I’ll let you know what I think.
Oh, your foot saga makes me so sad. Fingers crossed that you get the right diagnosis/treatment soon!
I saw the photo of The Casual Vacancy up there and was a bit disappointed that you didn’t write about it. I know that it’s not Rowling’s most beloved novel, but I thought it was so well done as an indictment of the class system. I still think about the ending of that book and I just really want to know what other people think about it.
I haven’t read it yet! But it’s next on my list after the Liane Moriarty. I haven’t really heard much about it, but I figure she couldn’t write a bad book.
Ugh. The foot. I’m so sorry Jenny! And having things change on you throughout the process is so frustrating.
The sunk cost fallacy is so hard to avoid AND I tend to wonder “If I had just stuck it out would things be okay.” I know exactly how this feels with other health issues and it is such a challenging position to be in.
Hope you find relief and answers soon!
Last night I actually didn’t have the heart to read. So strange. I just finished the Anne series and a string of other books (including Amor Towles The Lincoln Highway), and feel like I need a little break from words which is atypical. But I listened to myself and watched a bit of an episode of The Great Canadian Baking Show. And it was lovely <3
Yes, this is the perfect example of sunk cost fallacy. So hard to know when to cut your losses.
Sometimes after I finish a really great book I need a short break from reading- I’m just not ready to dive into something else right away.
I’m so sorry the foot continues to be an issue. I hope your investment pays off in a full recovery soon. I’ve been working so much I haven’t read a thing. My bad. Another way to say it is I’m not managing my time as well as I should be. Here’s to a wonderful April!
Well… I’m not exactly managing my time as well as I could, either- I’ve been staying up late to read and sacrificing sleep. Not a great system!
So sorry for the continued foot struggles. As someone who has had a stress fracture (and has also been stuck in a boot, LOL),that wasn’t a picnic either. Things healed well, thankfully, but every little tweak or niggle leaves me paranoid it’s another stress fracture. A co-worker had a stress fracture late summer of 2020, and another one about nine months later…in the same foot, none the less. She’s an avid runner (runs a lot more miles than I do, weekly and monthly) and I suspect she didn’t follow her doctor’s orders as prescribed. She’s still having some issues, and it’s been almost nine months since the last diagnosis. Ugh. Anyways, I hope things work out for you, and your foot starts to feel better.
Okay, I’ll admit your friend’s situation sounds like a nightmare. I know that a stress fracture is no fun- but I still wish that’s what I had! At least I would know what to do then.
I am sorry that Dr 100% is not batting a thousand. I’m not sure I would’ve stuck with it so long — I really hope that it does pay off for you in the long run!
I don’t know anyone with Aspbergers, but I do know someone who has a tendency to exaggerate. Often. It kind of drives me nuts, quite frankly.
Ha, well you wouldn’t have to worry about exaggerating if your person had Aspergers!
I think the reason I’ve stuck with this doctor so long is he’s SO positive that he’s going to fix this problem. If nothing else, he’s a good salesman!
I am sorry to hear you are still having foot problems. Two years already? I have a long list of books to read. Right now I am on a mission to catch up on watching Chicago Med. I am on Season 5 and Season 7 is on TV so I am almost done.
I also have a long list of books to read! Every time I read a book review I end up with more books on my TBR list.
I am so sorry to hear that your doctor has pivoted and given you a new diagnosis. Personally, I’d be moving on for another opinion. How frustrating!
I loved the Maid and yes, I also thought that Molly has Aspergers. Her inability to interpret social situations was so heartbreaking!
I have The Maid on my list, I heard it’s similar, character-wise, to Eleanor Oliphant Is Perfectly Fine, which I liked a lot.
Hope your foot starts getting some relief, what a journey.
You’ll like The Maid! I liked Eleanor Oliphant too.
I have both The Maid and Apples Never Fall on my list! Must get around to both soon.
Man, your foot saga just makes me so frustrated on your behalf. All you want to do is be able to run without pain! Why is that so hard for that foot of yours? Gah!
I’m really enjoying Apples Never Fall! I’ll be interested to hear what you think of it.
I haven’t read a book in the longest time, but I really need to start again! It was such a great escape!
I’m really sorry to hear about your foot. Your doctor sounds mega-confident about this. I am rarely ever this confident in the effectiveness of treatments because everyone’s response is different and nothing is ever 100%, but I really hope you get a treatment that works/helps to alleviate your pain soon!
Thank you Farrah! Yes, I agree that nothing is 100%, and I’m starting to be a little suspicious of my doctor. I think he’s sincere though.