Today the doctor scheduled my surgery for January. I am going to be homeschooling at this time but Chip and I decided we'd just deal with it. My surgery, a tarsal tunnel release with a plantar release, is going to be done at Emory in Atlanta.

I'll have an incision down the side of my leg into the ankle. The plan is to cut one of the tendons and release the nerve from inside and to try to remove the scarring in the tibial nerve. I may or may not have to have some vascular work as well. The recovery time is going to be about 4 months. A great website for people with tarsal tunnel is at www.heelspurs.com. The message boards have been a great source of help. Tarsal tunnel is pretty rare. Mine was confirmed by both MRI and nerve conduction tests- which was pure HELL for an hour.

I'm nervous that this surgery won't work, often it does not. I can't imagine the pain being much worse than it is tonight though. I simply cannot walk tonight. I have a huge Thanksgiving dinner to do and I can't even stand up. lol I suppose I will be like my mohter was and just sit on a barstool and cook.

It is very hard to work with a cat sitting on your head.

I met a new writer in Rome today. Her name is Tina Samuels:
Coming Jan 24,2005:
A NonSoutherner's Guide to Southern Food, by Tina Samuels
Coming Fall 2005:
A Georgia Native Plant Guide, by Tina Samuels

A lot of people don't realize that the first thing a successful person must do is network - and I don't mean machines. When working in any field, the first thing I try to do is locate people that are already doing pretty much what I want to do. Those are the people in the KNOW, and, if you are nice and helpful to them, they will be nice and helpful to you.

The main trick to networking is to be sincerely INTERESTED in people. My mom always said you had to be a friend to have a friend. She was so right.