Hello All,

I have a question. And I have shared my experience below the dotted line for those who are interested. I was recently diagnosed with Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome. It is a bizarre sensation and it sort of made me panic. I wish I had encountered more information about other people’s experiences online.

My question is - could eating copious amounts of watermelon aggravate Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome? The Doctor says no. She says the symptoms could be from a slip disc in my back and that more testing is required. She also prescribed me with Lyrica- which I did not take.

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I love watermelon. I recently moved to Saudi Arabia and have been binging on the stuff. It's cold, its sweet, and its filled with water.

Last week I managed to eat an entire medium sized watermelon while watching TV, I had my feet raised up on the length of the couch. While watching I felt an ant bite the bottom of my foot. I brushed my feet but couldn't find anything. Initially, I thought nothing of it because I see these mean looking desert warriors, with their bulging abdomens and fearsome mandibles, running around all the time. Then it happened again. But where was he? The little rascals were launching guerrilla sorties on my feet. Then it happened again, this time while I was staring right at my foot!

I realized something was wrong. Diabetic Neuropathy, was the most common hit when I looked up my symptoms online. I assumed the sugar from the watermelon was causing the symptoms. Though it did not seem possible because I had my blood work done a few weeks before the incident.
Before going to bed I could feel a slight tingle on my entire leg (or maybe I was imagining it from the symptoms I read about), and the “ant bites” were a little more frequent and disbursed. The next day I could sense something, but by the time I went to see a doctor two days later - I felt nothing abnormal.

The doctor took a blood sample to rule out gout and diabetes. She also gave me a Nerve Conduction Velocity Test. Electrodes were attached at various distances along the length of my leg and then I was zapped by a range of intensities. The test was ticklish at first. Then it was uncomfortable. My entire leg flinched. I felt empathy for the frogs I zapped in Neuro lab when I was in college- though the frogs had the privilege of being unconscious. Soon I forgot about the frogs and thought myself a prisoner in one of Saddam’s notorious dungeons.

On my follow-up visit my doctor discussed my diagnosis for 5 minutes, and then the hedonist Russian tourists that flock to the Sinai in Egypt, for half an hour. Apparently Sharem-El-Sheikh is the place to go.

The Nerve Conduction Test revealed I have Tarsal Tunnel Syndrome. She promptly prescribed me with Lyrica, and to take it once a night an hour before going to bed. Despite telling her my symptoms were gone, she said they will likely return and I should take the meds.

Lyrica. It sounds wonderful, like the name of a Siren that called to Ulysses. I decided not to take the medicine. Also my insurance from my new job has not kicked in and I have not taken any more tests. I plan to follow up on the expensive tests later.

I the meantime, I’m gonna try and limit myself to a quarter watermelon per day.