My name is Gayle Mitchell Washburn and I live in Southern California. I am a certified health coach through the Dr Sears Wellness Institute

My Life…interrupted

I love to play tennis, pickleball and other sports, but my fun and active lifestyle was abruptly interrupted by Morton’s Neuroma.

Using several different techniques and a lot of rest and luck, I was able to heal my Morton’s Neuroma and I’m now back to playing tennis and enjoying my life. I am here to share those techniques with you.

During my injury, I asked friends who had experienced Morton’s Neuroma what they did about it. I learned that the recommended surgery may not provide the results that would get me out on the court quickly. The recommended surgery consists of amputating the offending nerve.

Two of my friends had had that surgery; one said that that area of her foot was still numb many years later – which I suppose would be expected. Another friend had had the surgery but ended up giving up her tennis and other sports because she feared the pain returning.

Anyway, more about me. I am a retired and a blogger with a varied history during my work life.

Working Life

I started as the first woman to work in the oilfields during the 70’s when Affirmative Action was a thing. It’s not anymore. I worked in the field as a roustabout, well puller, lease operator, water plant operator and thermal plant operator. and eventually moved up to gang supervisor and then Foreman (they didn’t have a name for “Forewoman” back then.

After 15 years I moved into the technical realm when computers became useful and worked as an engineering technician. Then I left that company after 21 years.

During that time, I had a chronic neck pain problem from all the heavy lifting in the field. One of my tennis partners was a massage therapist. She said she thought she could help me with my neck pain. Maybe she got tired of the whining?

More than thirty years later, I continue to get massage therapy treatment as often as I can. And, it has made all the difference in the world.

Massage Therapy Helps

That’s how I learned that tissue manipulation can help us heal from our injuries.

And, that is why I decided to go to massage therapy school so I could learn how massage could help reduce pain. I graduated from Cottonwood School of Massage Therapy in Denver, Colorado in 1996.

The best thing about going to massage school was that we had to learn Anatomy and Physiology. This should be taught to every student in America. Sadly, the lack of knowledge about how our own bodies work creates so many problems for us.

If we knew how our bodies operated, and what organs, muscles, and nerves were involved in an injury or pain, we could learn to identify the cause, diagnosis, and treatment. Doctors are so overscheduled today, that they only have time to focus on whatever body part you are complaining about. Everything is connected. Everyone should take control of their own bodies and health.

After a few years of practicing massage therapy, I switched careers again and learned coding and wrote some database programs and did a lot of tech support for small businesses.

Giving Back

After my husband and I moved from Colorado to California, I stopped working (for money). I became involved in my community and eventually was elected to our city council and served as Mayor for a term. I learned that even local government politics is as dysfunctional and caustic as national politics and there are special interests willing to do anything to get their candidates elected. When you are a “grass roots” candidate, not willing to smear others, you don’t win.

Now, I am moving into my passion of writing and helping others who may be suffering from Morton’s Neuroma foot pain. I can’t guarantee that you will be out running marathons or playing tennis, but I hope that my work and ideas can help you on your road to recovery.