While lying in bed at 5am today, holding my left heel to my chest to ease the throb as I have for the past 20 years, a thought occured to me. “If only I could talk to a pain expert for more than 15 minutes, to explain exactly how I experience pain. Only then might we  devise a solution tailored to me that would provide total, permanent relief and add actual quality to my life (and to that of my family).”

Since no expert ever has that time to spare it is down to you, dear Reader, to put up with my selfish outpourings. I’m not digging for sympathy nor suggesting that my pain is worse than anyone else’s. And there are days, or more likely half-days, when nothing hurts at all.

If I were you, I wouldn’t bother reading on.