I dropped by the coffee shop yesterday to see how Teresa was holding up. Her husband just left for 10 months. This after he got back from a year and a half or so maybe six months ago. She said she was feeling lonely the night before, but she said "If Molly can do it, so can I!" I have to laugh. When I feel low about being alone for so long I say, "If Teresa can do it, so can I!" I told her she should call me and we'll do dinner or something.
Anyway, when I was there we were talking about various aliments and I mentioned my feet and how they've been bothering me and I'm debating on talking to my doctor about them and maybe getting a referral to a podiatrist. I said that my friends (who aren't doctors) seem to think I may be suffering from plantar fasciitis. She looks over my shoulder and says, "You need to see this guy." I turn around and there is a gentleman waiting to place his coffee order. He's the podiatrist. Talk about eerie (cue Twilight Zone theme song)! He heard the conversation, asked me a question or two, got his coffee and said, "Yup, you should get a referral and come see me."
I decided that seeing a doctor was probably the best idea, even though I've been feeling better. I called to make an appointment as soon as I got to the shop and was able to get in this morning. I saw my Primary Care Manager, Dr. Griffin. I asked him if he remembered me and he remembered seeing me for jaw pain a few months back. I was impressed that he remembered that. So I mentioned that I had seen him before that to go over my annual labs and that he told me I needed to exercise to lower the cholesterol. When I went in for the jaw pain I had told him I took his advice and started running and ran a 5k. He said, "Oh yeah, I remember that!" So then I told him that I liked running so much that I ran a half marathon two weeks ago. I thought I was going to have to pick him up off the floor! He was stunned! I was happy! He wants me to call in March to have labs done again to see how much improvement there has been. He said he was thrilled that someone listened and took his advice and started exercising.
Which brought me to the reason why I was there. The feet. We talked for a minute about it and then he examined my feet. He checked for stress fractures and bone spurs. When he pressed down on the arch, I could feel it and I made it clear in no uncertain terms that that hurt! So based on his exam, he concluded that plantar fasciitis was the problem. It is easy to treat with NSAIDs. However, since I am allergic to them, he needs to go another route. The drug options are a Medrol dose pack (a steroid) or a course of prednisolone (another steroid). I asked if we could go drug-free for a while because I really don't want to take the steroids. I've had them before when I had the reaction to Aleve. They work well, but I just don't want to subject myself to them. The fewer drugs I take the better off I'll be. I asked him about turmeric as an anti-inflammatory. He doesn't have any experience with the herbals, but he said if my research indicates it could work, he doesn't have a problem with me taking it.
He wants me to ice my feet at least twice a day and do some stretches and exercises. He also wants me to continue with the massages. If there is no improvement or if it gets worse, he will refer me to the podiatrist who may do steroid injections in the feet. Ugh. No thanks! Now he did mention night splints to keep the fascia in a neutral state. He mentioned that when people sleep they tend to let their feet relax into a natural position, which is the position that the foot would be in if wearing high heels. This position will put the fascia in an unnatural position, which could lead to inflammation and irritation. Cherryl had also mentioned this to me.
I've noticed that I sleep on my back a lot and my feet are pointed. The weight of the blankets keep them pushed down. I have been thinking that this could be part of the problem and the running is just another factor. The night splints may be the way to go. Dr. Griffin mentioned that they are available at CVS or Walgreens so I took a look there this morning on the way to the shop. They are quite expensive. I am thinking about emailing him tomorrow morning and mentioning my theory to him and asking if he'd be willing to let me try the splints for a few weeks.
When I was having all the tendinitis issues in my hand, my occupational therapist gave me a splint to wear at night to put my hands in their natural position and that made a huge difference. Now it is almost automatic to make sure my hands are flat rather than clenched all the time. Maybe the night splints would have the same effect on my feet. I would prefer to get the splints from him, not just because of the cost, but to make sure they are properly fitted to my feet so I can get the most benefit.
I mentioned that I was wearing my Earth shoes, which are supposed to put the foot at a negative angle and Dr. Griffin said that was great. On a scale of 1 to 10 my foot pain today has been around a 2 to 3. After the half marathon and the next day the pain was about a 20. This pain is tolerable, so I feel I'm getting better. I must be doing something right. Maybe the new shoes are making a difference. Maybe I should get a second pair and rotate the two to make them last longer. Or stock up on them when they go on sale next year after the new model's release.
Tomorrow I have an easy long run. I'm supposed to monitor my feet and see at what point the pain becomes markedly increased. My feet feel OK now, but I should ice them and stretch them before bed. Which should I do first? I'm thinking the stretches.
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