I need my blankie...

[Umpire in Chief]

I wrote in the thread about what you put on your feet that I wear a prescription ankle brace and have been since I first started being seen for my foot problems. We also had a recent thread about superstitions and this sort of is cross between the two.

Last Tuesday I left it in on the foyer table (you know one of those places you put something so you won't forget it) and left it there as I went to work, but didn't realize it until I was getting dressed for the game. I started tearing my car apart looking for it. I was so overly concerned about not having it, I was later than I typically am in getting onto the field.

Walking to the field and all through the game I'm thinking, "What if I turn my ankle? What if I can't hustle like I need to? What if..." It is probably the closest thing I have come to real anxiety in my life.

Naturally it was all uncalled for, as everything went fine. While I didn't have any situations like run downs or taking a BR to 3rd which would put additional pressure on the ankle I didn't have any issues or soreness after the game.

But after the game I realized how psychologically dependent I am on that brace and I didn't like it and determined I was not going to be addicted to this piece of equipment.

I called my podiatrist and asked him about just not using it any more. When he returned my call I told him I feel I may be becoming more psychologically dependent on it than I physically needed it and I wanted to stop using it because I hated the dependent feelings I was having. He didn't recommend cutting it out, but said on my next appointment he'd have me fitted to another type brace with the goal of eventually transitioning me to something over the counter which will still provide the specific compression and support I need. He also told me he will probably never recommend for me not to have some form of additional ankle support when doing physical activity.

This was both good news and not exactly what I wanted to hear. Good news in that based on what I told him I was strong enough to move to a less supportive brace, but not what I wanted to hear about always using a brace for physical activity.

[yawetag]

When he returned my call I told him I feel I may be becoming more psychologically dependent on it than I physically needed it and I wanted to stop using it because I hated the dependent feelings I was having.

When I worked night shift, I became the same for my sleeping habits. I had to have the kids' lunch ready at noon so they'd be in naps at 12:30. I never ate lunch because the sleeping pill says to not take on a full stomach. I always took the sleeping pill.

It became that way because I found a routine that worked. Because of that routine, I had very few days of bad sleep, which I needed working that shift. I couldn't go to sleep without the pill, even though I was supposed to try to sleep for an hour before taking it. I joked to my wife that they could have been switched with sugar pills and I'd sleep the same, but the routine was set.

Now that I'm on evenings, I haven't taken the pill once. I still have two bottles of the pills in my drawer but have yet to need them. I have no routine, and lunch in the morning can be between 11am and 1pm; naps aren't usually until 1pm. It's great.