7/11/15. The post where I tell you about my foot tent.

7/11/15: just returned from a quick visit to see my parents.  And this time, we made it back without wrecking my patient, long-suffering husband's car.  Mom starts her radiation on Monday and she's ready to put it in the "done" column.  Five days a week for six weeks. Her doctor is very confident the radiation will take care of the issue - so confident that he used the word "definitely." (Note to Mom's doctor: if you are going to use the word "definitely" when talking to her about treatments, you'd better hope you are right, because her memory is excellent and she will never let you forget it if you are wrong.)

Since it was a very brief trip, I didn't need to pack much, but I did forget one important thing...my foot tent. What is a foot tent, you ask?  I had the same question two months ago.  Those of you who were reading before my hiatus know that I was having a lot of trouble sleeping because it hurt my foot to have the covers touching it.  The odd sleeping positions I found myself in trying to keep anything from touching my foot while still trying to keep it warm would be great practice if I wanted to join a traveling carnival as a contortionist, but they weren't so great for getting a good night's sleep.

As usual, my patient, long-suffering husband saved the day.  He decided he was going to make some kind of frame that would attach to the end of the bed and shield my foot from the covers.  Fortunately, he decided to check the Internet first, because apparently I am not the only person to ever have this issue.  There are multiple products available for sale on the World Wide Web, so he ordered one as a surprise for me.  And what a great surprise!  Here are a couple of photos to show you what it looks like and how it works:

The bottom end of the metal piping fits between your mattress and box springs.

Then you put the top sheet and cover over the rest of the piping. Voila!  Couldn't be easier.  When I get into bed, my feet stay warm because they are under the covers, but nothing is touching them.  I love mine so much that my patient, long-suffering husband got me a smaller, collapsible version for travel.  I took it on our Italy trip and it was a lifesaver.  A lifesaver for my family, because it kept their tour guide from being grouchy and irritable every day.

While I forgot to take it to my parents' house, I still slept pretty well.  Maybe because I am taking medication right now that makes me sleepy all the time.  Just the same, I am happy to be reunited with  my foot tent tonight.