On Pins and Needles

I went off to the diving range to test the new swing changes.

I have great hope for this change, which was to get my hands over my shoulder where they should have been the last twenty years.  I was careful as I had some leg issues with my left leg.  It was feeling a weak as if the nerves were not firing properly.  The strength didn't feel that it was there and my tendency was to roll over the left foot.  That's not a good feeling.  I didn't hit golf balls for a week so that the issue went away..


So I wander to the range yesterday afternoon.  I spent some time chipping, which is normal for me.  If you can't hit a pitch, then you can't hit a full shot.  It's a good life motto and I've been using it for a while.  The pitching went well and even that type of shot allows me to practice getting hands on the proper plane. 

A guy on the hitting line leaves and he has left some golf balls to hit.  I'd not gotten a bucket already as I wanted to see how the pitching was going to go.  As it went well, I grabbed my bag of weapons and dashed over to claim the abandoned golf balls.  There were about six or so, but I scampered on the range to collect a couple of balls that had not been hit very far.  I don't feel that this is cheating the range too much as I feel I'm moving the balls out to an area of the range that allows for easier pickup.  So I'm really helping the range out, :-).

Normally I start with the 9 iron, then 6, then 3 wood, drop back to a sand wedge, then finish with the driver.  With just a few balls, I will normally skip the driver.  The new hand position is working well and I'm getting speed, direction, and solidity of strike.  It can't get better than this!  The 3 wood has a new sound to it.  It was not clear that the balls were going a lot further, but I was really happy with the strikes.

Being careful of the left leg, I was happy to cut the session short and start back to the car.  Then I started to get a shooting, sparkling pain in my right big toe.  It is really painful and I have to stop a couple of times as I limp back to the car.  This is not fun and I'm a little worried about what it is.  Diabetes is supposed to create this kind of pain.  I consider gout too, but I think that's supposed to be in the joint and my pain is running up the bottom of the toe.  I can't suspect diabetes either as I've had so few carbs the last six months.

I get home, the driving wasn't too bad.  I've settled in my recliner and am about to put in a busy afternoon nap, which I feel I've earned at this point.  But I get up to get some water.  It's about 89 out and I've had two sweaty sessions between the golf and two hours of pickleball in the morning.  As I get out of the chair, the pain fires anew.  I mention it to Barb who is working in the recliner next to mine.  I tell her about the pains and how sharp they are and what it might mean.  I collapse into one of the kitchen table chairs and take off my shoe.  I'm expecting a very red, unhappy toe.  But what I find is a two inch sewing pin stuck into my big toe.  A pin that Barb dropped on the floor while doing her sewing, didn't find and I picked up in a sock as I was putting on my shoes.  One of the things that gives me the willies is the thought of a needle going into my foot. 

With the pin pulled out the pain was gone.  The fears of gout subsided.  I glared at Barb a bit.  Relief from multiple fronts came together.  I got my drink.  Went back to my recliner and napped the nap of the recently alarmed, but now recovered.