Monday, October 12, 2015

Electro-shock therapy for a charley horse

tens calf

An excruciatingly painful cramp in my right calf blasted me out of a sound sleep at 6:25 a.m. yesterday, an apparent consequence of not enough potassium in my diet.

I was able to walk it off as soon as I got untangled from the blanket and sheet, but my calf muscle was knotted so tightly that it was still bruised and painful this morning to the extent that I could feel it with every step.

So, after feeding and watering the dogs and having my mocha cappuccino and biscotti, I applied the electrodes of my TENS unit and gave it more than an hour of electrical massage.

It’s still sore, but not so bad.

I’ve been busy tidying things up for Maria’s return this afternoon. I vacuumed and steamed the tile in the kitchen, hallway, half-bath and laundry room, cleared the flotsam and jetsam from the kitchen table to the point where you can actually see the surface of the table, and am about to shift the sheets from the washer to the dryer.

All the time I keep having the impulse to ride to the post office for the mail. Then I remember this is Columbus Day and there is no mail delivery. As I’ve observed on previous Columbus Days, it’s the sneakiest holiday. I never expect it when it shows up and disrupts my routine.

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