Posts Tagged ‘bursitis’

When I got to the podiatrist, I was worried – not for the outcome of my foot, but because my first sight is a woman sitting there with acupuncture needles in her leg, then another woman with some weird machine attached to her foot, then another with a torturous-looking splint device attached to her foot.

I’m about the farthest from Eastern philosophies and ching-ching stuff as a person’s allowed to be, so I was doing secret eye-rolling when no one was looking.

My first task was to stand and walk on a pad that reads pressure and heat, so when the doc analyzed me, he noticed I distribute uneven weight between legs, my poor right leg does a lot more work than the left, and that the way my foot rolls is kinda wacky. Hmmm, makes sense since any twinges I get are always on the right leg.

Additionally, it appears I’m paying karma points for making fun of those Lincoln Center ballerinas when I was in acting school, with their constant fifth-position waddle…turns out that’s kind of how I walk these days. Serves me right.

Anyway, he told me my peroneal tendon was getting out of it’s groove. My reply was “When can I run??” When he responded, “Today, after I wrap your foot up”, I didn’t care if they hung an effigy of Buddha on my butt and lit my ass on fire, I’d do whatever he said.

So I got the full treatment starting with electro-stim where they put paddles on my ankle and sent an electric current through my foot (this increases blood flow). Then I went into another room where a nice woman showed me exercises to strengthen my ankles. Next, I got acupuncture and lastly, the doc wrapped my feet up and told me to come back on Thursday for re-wrapping and whatever else they come up with. Fine by me! My insurance is paying for it after all (or at least the first few visits), so I’ll be your human voodoo doll any day.

My lesson for next time is to get to a doctor sooner rather than later – I could have saved weeks of worry and several days of depression. Enough boo-hooing though, time to don some shorts, a top and take my feet where they’ve been itching to go for a week; outside into the big world. Later, kids!! (and smooches for the well-wishes during this most boring whining time of mine, you guys/gals are the best!)

Apres Run Addition: Well, that hurt like a son of a bitch…for the first half anyway. I ran a blistering 10min pace for 3.2 miles. Was thinking the doc was a quack for a while (not that it made me turn around and go home), but the ankle loosened up the longer I was out there. Saw my construction worker boyfriend who’s been cheering me about Broad St. for the last 3 months, we exchanged race results and I was really happy for him, he was expecting 10min miles and ran 1:32. Good times, good times…

Saw the nurse practitioner today who sent me off for an x-ray and gave me a referral to a podiatrist.

As I’m walking the couple blocks to the x-ray place, I’m simultaneously making an appointment with the podiatrist, but because I have the bare minimum HMO, the earliest appt. I can get is May 21st. Huge stinkin’ bummer.

I get the x-rays done and the doctor doesn’t see anything of note, though she does point out a little bony bit on top of my heel that I think could be one of the culprits (I suspect there may be two separate things going on) because that would make sense for my self-diagnosis of nerve impingement. I know, I’m no Marcus Welby M.D., but too much time on my hands has led me to investigate every form of lateral foot/ankle pain known to mankind in these past few weeks and very little fits the bill.

I get home, thrilled that there’s no stress fracture (because at my age, that’s always in the back of my mind, even if the symptom is an itchy ear) but unhappy because I have to wait over a week for Step Two. So I call my local running store and get a name of a sports doc/podiatrist who, happily, will see me tomorrow morning at 8:30.

And that, my friends, is Step One in what I should have started a week ago. I’m such a dick that way, but I’ve always hated doctors and apt. making, so whatever…better late than never.

I’ll let you know what’s up when I get home tomorrow. Cross fingers and toes for me, please.

I won’t call them exactly dark, though I’ve had some bleak moments these last couple days. Besides family drama over my Mom’s website (this is going to be a long road, I think) my ankle/foot problem hasn’t left the building yet. Last Friday I finally made a doctor apt. for Monday morning, though I’m only seeing a nurse practitioner since my doc isn’t available. Here’s hoping he/she gives me the referral I seek.

This morning, it does seem better, but yesterday felt like I’d gone back in time, it hurt when I walked. While in my last entry I professed my OK-ness with taking one week off, the idea that this will be stretching beyond that is now becoming a teary situation for me. I feel like a zombie, wondering what the fuck is going on at the bottom of my leg and what to do before I lose fitness.

Nick would love nothing better than for me to pick up a bike, since that’s his sport of choice, but I’m really not drawn to it. I used to swim, but that sounds so mind-numbing after running’s ever-changing sights and sounds. I think what I’ll end up doing, if I have to, is join a gym so at least I can people watch while I do brain-dead machines. I always liked the rowing machine, maybe that’ll be my aerobic relief of choice.

Or maybe this is just a tendon issue that needs a few more days, but the weird heel-pinching I feel when I point my foot indicates otherwise.

So it’s Sunday, the day I was going to run again, instead I’m sitting here feeling the weight of the world despite the lovely temperature and all the birds singing outside the window. Or maybe because of it.

Sigh.

In taking care of my ankle, I’ve been off from running since Sunday’s race and don’t plan to run again till this Sunday. You’d think I’d be freaking out but I’m doing great with the time off. Bottom line is, I know that if I don’t fix myself, I could be screwed for the big picture (Steamtown) and that would be tragic.

My initial worry in taking a week off was my memory of getting the flu last Feb. and being off for 11 days. That one knocked me for a loop, took me probably an entire month to get back to fighting shape. But I realized recently that there’s gotta be a difference in taking off to be sick lung-wise, then injured limb-wise. I might be creaky when starting again, but it won’t be weeks of trying to recapture my old self.

Meanwhile, I’ve been keeping myself busy. Very good week for voiceovers, had a lot of jobs between last week and this, so…cha-ching!

Lastly, and probably most importantly, a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I finally, FINALLY, made my mother’s website and put it online yesterday. I’ve felt this job haunting me since January 2007, but couldn’t deal with actually sitting down and doing it. Thanks to the comment from Mr. Novie on the “Why I Started Running” page and subsequent emails with him, it was the exact kick in the pants I needed. The site requires a bit of editing and additional content (waiting for family input), but if any of you guys are interested, check out www.eleanorkarp.com.