forte [fawr-tey]

a strong point, as of a person; that in which one excels

Synonyms include: expertise, aptitude, strength

The tendons are in the -itis mode again, swollen and painful as ever. Last Wednesday, I was walking into the office building and I stumbled over the bottom part of the doorway and I felt it. Oh wow, did I feel it. I knew then that pain around my right ankle was imminent...and I was right. In less than 24 hours, the swelling around the area where my leg meets my foot began to surface and next thing you know...imflamation! BOOOO ON MY WEAK ANKLE!!!

It is times like these when I feel the most fortunate, having so many people around me who know so much. My two favorite people this weekend because they know so much? Larnie (our personal athletic trainer) and Rochelle (our 24-hour on-call pharmacist). As often as we tease these two geniuses of the human body and its limitations, I feel safer knowing they're around.

Ever since I'd felt wrath of tendonitis, Larnie has single-handedly taught me (through conversation over the phone, in person or AIM), in very clear layman's terms, what it is I've been experiencing; from the anatomy of the tendon, to the treatment of its inflammation (which, by the way, she has had a hand in herself), SHE KNOWS HER STUFF. And then Rochelle, who I feel like I call with the same questions every time, has been the doc behind the drugs. From the effects of NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) on my stomach, to its safest dosage in a 24-hour period, Rochelle's understanding of the pharmaceutical science is unfathomable.

All I have to say is...thank God for friends in the medical field!