Many of you may have noticed at the AAKP Annual Convention that I was hobbling around due to, at the time, undiagnosed foot pain. In October, I had foot surgery that was supposed to be a fairly routine and easy procedure to remove a Morton’s neuroma - a condition in which a nerve gets wrapped in a little ball.  It turned out that I had a growing benign tumor that had pushed two toes apart and caught the nerves into each toe. Owww!!!

The frustrating thing in all this is that it took several weeks to even begin to be somewhat pain free after the surgery. I’m happy to report that I’ve begun to feel normal and the swelling has greatly reduced.

This entire episode reminded me how quickly one can go from being healthy, active and happy to being unhealthy, inactive and down right depressed. Walking my dog was no longer an option. Constant pain and, thus, pain medication became my companions. The steps in my home seemed like an unconquerable mountain. Worst, I began to look forward to the afternoon chick flick on Lifetime Network.  (Have you ever watched a chick flick after your dose of percocet? Talk about emotional!)

During the entire two weeks, I kept a statement that my original nephrologist had told me when I was first diagnosed as having kidney failure – “When you are in the lowest part of the valley, the only place you can go is up.” It is a statement I have always looked to when I feel my worst or have a setback.

As patients, we all go through periods when times are rougher than others. The status quo changes and we may find ourselves experiencing a setback. It is easy to get discouraged and think things will never get better.  But you know what? They do. There comes the day when you realize you feel better than the day before and somehow you know the next day will bring even more improvement.

The “valley” may be the pits but the “peaks” are worth a million “valleys.” Just remember that the next time the shadows of the mountains cloud your vision of the peaks.