The neuroma pain is gone. Yay!
I still have quite a bit of sensation in my toes. Yay!
I still have enough inflammation in each foot that every step I take hurts. Boooo! (This is not a lot of pain -- it's like walking on a bruise. But I'm aware of it any time I'm standing.)
It's been two solid months since the last tumor-killing injection. I saw the podiatrist a week or two ago for a progress report. He was pleased to hear that I can't generate neuroma-style pain even by rolling my foot around on the floor. He was definitely disappointed about the inflammation. He's sure it's still from the injections. He recommended ibuprofen. I wonder if he has any idea how much anti-inflammatory, and specifically how much ibuprofen, I have eaten in my lifetime. (Enough that ibuprofen no longer has any discernible effect on my other pain.) I have not yet started taking the ibuprofen.
Would my feet get better if I were bedridden for a couple of weeks? Maybe. Would they actually get better faster if I used them more? Maybe. They weren't as sore during my trip to Japan as I would have expected. Maybe they just need to be used a big whole bunch.
To run or not to run?
It's difficult for me to explain how much better I feel when I run for exercise. It goes well beyond the physical sense of fitness, the strength, the energy, and the slight decrease in need for sleep. It is more than the enjoyment of the wind in my face and the confident emotional feeling of doing something to take good care of my body. It's as if running is meditation and it keeps me sane.
To run or not to run?
It's been thirteen months now. I'm tired of waiting. Waiting isn't working. The Health Fairy is not gonna show up. But if I do try it and it turns out that's the wrong decision, I could be in a serious world of hurt.
*sigh*.
I wish I could trust that my doctor were capable of giving me a good answer to this question. Heck, I wish I believed that SOMEwhere in the world there were ONE doctor, ANYWHERE, who would be capable of offering good advice on this. Even if I knew I would never find him or her it would be comforting to believe that such a person existed. I no longer have that trust. I don't think there are doctors who are that knowledgeable or skilled.
I suspect I'm gonna run.
I still have quite a bit of sensation in my toes. Yay!
I still have enough inflammation in each foot that every step I take hurts. Boooo! (This is not a lot of pain -- it's like walking on a bruise. But I'm aware of it any time I'm standing.)
It's been two solid months since the last tumor-killing injection. I saw the podiatrist a week or two ago for a progress report. He was pleased to hear that I can't generate neuroma-style pain even by rolling my foot around on the floor. He was definitely disappointed about the inflammation. He's sure it's still from the injections. He recommended ibuprofen. I wonder if he has any idea how much anti-inflammatory, and specifically how much ibuprofen, I have eaten in my lifetime. (Enough that ibuprofen no longer has any discernible effect on my other pain.) I have not yet started taking the ibuprofen.
Would my feet get better if I were bedridden for a couple of weeks? Maybe. Would they actually get better faster if I used them more? Maybe. They weren't as sore during my trip to Japan as I would have expected. Maybe they just need to be used a big whole bunch.
To run or not to run?
It's difficult for me to explain how much better I feel when I run for exercise. It goes well beyond the physical sense of fitness, the strength, the energy, and the slight decrease in need for sleep. It is more than the enjoyment of the wind in my face and the confident emotional feeling of doing something to take good care of my body. It's as if running is meditation and it keeps me sane.
To run or not to run?
It's been thirteen months now. I'm tired of waiting. Waiting isn't working. The Health Fairy is not gonna show up. But if I do try it and it turns out that's the wrong decision, I could be in a serious world of hurt.
*sigh*.
I wish I could trust that my doctor were capable of giving me a good answer to this question. Heck, I wish I believed that SOMEwhere in the world there were ONE doctor, ANYWHERE, who would be capable of offering good advice on this. Even if I knew I would never find him or her it would be comforting to believe that such a person existed. I no longer have that trust. I don't think there are doctors who are that knowledgeable or skilled.
I suspect I'm gonna run.
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Good luck whatever you decide (I'm just here to provide rationalization for what you would have done anyway!)
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I'm just here to provide rationalization for what you would have done anyway!
A much-appreciated service which you have performed admirably. Thank you! :-)
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Unfortunately, hearing that I'm a puzzle would only use up some time and money. I think I'll stay home and scritch the cat instead. ;-)
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I still have quite a bit of sensation in my toes. Yay!
I still have enough inflammation in each foot that every step I take hurts. Boooo!
Yay, Yay, and Boooo!
You know why they say that doctors practice, right? I'd say you should at least try to go on a short run and see what happens. What's the worst? You stop if your foot/feet really start(s) to bother you.
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*HUGS* and kitty purrs and cheese to you!
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Thanks for the hugs, the kitty-purrs, and the cheese! Those are all excellent things!
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I'm seeing my surgeon next Monday (Feb 7) for a follow-up. I mentioned some stuff in a recent post (http://www.livejournal.com/users/rampling/163331.html) about feeling low energy lately, and feeling that at least some of it is also a side-effect of the whole neck tumor problem lasting so long. I hope my surgeon will clear up the mysteries!
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I saw that recent post and was glad for the update. It's incredible just how looooong it takes to get strength and stamina back. Good luck with that appointment; I hope you come away with your questions answered!
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Exactly. I wanna exercise the muscles in the area more, build up their strength, but I feel scared and unsure about doing so, afraid that I'll damage some partially healed thing. So I'm waiting to do anything 'til after I talk with my surgeon because, yeah, I just don't know.
Today I had a doctor appointment with my new PCP (a random guy I picked from the excellent office that my previous fabulous PCP was at -- the office was also pretty fabulous and deserve some great credit too). He was friendly and easy to talk to, and had a wonderful habit of explaining everything he did and the results he found. And he listened to what I said, and kept prompting me to ask if I had more questions. Plus he gave me a referral to a dermatologist without any complaint about me not really having any current problems -- that was especially nice.
OTOH, he brought up my weight (as he should have), but I was disappointed that he just spouted some stupid trendy stuff about carbs (and not at all about calories) and hardly mentioned exercise (even though I mentioned that I felt lack of exercise was my biggest problem during my neck trauma days and since). That didn't impress me that much.
But I felt relatively good about him overall. Not as good as my previous fabulous PCP, but pretty good.
I did tell him that I was going to see my surgeon next week to ask about my neck surgery area pain and the idea of exercising it, but asked him his opinion too. He said that he thought it most likely that I should be fine with exercising it, but I very much appreciated that he thought I should also get the opinion of my surgeon. I really like doctors who are willing to express the limits of their advice.
And I have a mammography referral. My first time. I'm late for it (I should have started at least 2 years ago), and I'm squeamish about it. My breasts, particularly the undersides, are very sensitive to pushing or squishing. *shudder* I hope it's not too bad. I'll warn the mammographer that I'm nervous about it, but you never know if you'll get someone sympathetic or some "just shut up and take it" jerk. *shudder*
Oh -- this turned into quite the updatey sort of comment. I think I'll x-post this (http://www.livejournal.com/users/rampling/164007.html) to my own LJ.
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How fun! I love it when a conversation gets meaty enough that it's worth cross-posting. It's almost as if we get some kind of Good Fun Discussion points for it or something. :)
I'll reply more in your LJ!
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I still have quite a bit of sensation in my toes. Yay!
I still have enough inflammation in each foot that every step I take hurts. Boooo!
To run or not to run?
You've already gotten lots of good suggestions, but here's one more:
How about starting with a walk/run? Start out with 1 minute of running alternated with 2 minutes of walking. If you feel okay, then next time lengthen the running time (e.g., 2 and 2). If you still feel okay, try 3 and 1. If you still feel okay ... go for it!
Interspersing periods of walking gives your feet a chance to calm down, similar to the way I stop for two minutes when my knees get too sore. (I'm only walking in the first place, so I have nowhere less to go except a full stop!) I've found that a 2-minute rest can settle the pain down so I can go much further in the long run (heh) and enjoy myself more while I'm doing it because I have less pain.
You won't get the endorphin high the first few times, but at least you're much less likely to find yourself in that world of hurt.
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I'm resting until Valentine's Day, and then I'm going to do a teeny weeny 1 mile run.
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Good luck on the 1-miler on V-Day! Hope it works out.