Foot Update

I headed back to TRIA this morning due to increased pain in my foot.  I was really nervous, worried and scared.  I wasn’t sure what I would find out and because of the increased pain if I would still be able to do the Tri on the 14^th.  I’ve been torn if participating was the right choice and if it would delay healing or cause further injury to my foot.   On my way, I had a heart to heart with God.  I told him that I was lost and looking for his guidance.  I asked him to guide the doctor in giving me advice on what was best for me long term.  I promised to both listen and trust God’s plan for me.  With that, I was much more relaxed as I met with Dr Michelle Gorman. 

The bruising has healed and swelling has decreased significantly however the pain has also increased at times.  It's also in very specific areas of my foot.  We did new x-rays just to double check my ankle bone as that’s where much of the burning and swelling bothers me at night.  My tendons are very inflamed and irritated.  My x-rays look FANTASTIC, the Dr said that while the sprain is healing nicely,  it was a significant enough of a sprain that it has aggravated my existing issues with peroneal tendinapathy (Tendinitis).    That’s what is causing the burning and shooting pains.  She said that since I was now an “Athlete” (yup, she called me an athlete, still giggling and smiling, made me feel so good) that I needed to get into a good rehabilitation program that focused on runners core strengths.  This will help me build important muscles and stability.  I will then be strong and less likely to have future issues.  If we don’t see improvement in my pain after rehab and a few more weeks of recovery, they will look at booting me for awhile.  If that doesn’t work, worst case scenario they would need to do surgery where they wrap the tendons to provide extra strength. 

The good news is, I can start working out and being more active again.  Being active WON’T further injure my foot as long as I’m being careful and wear my ankle brace.  She also gave me the great news that I’ll be able to participate in the YWCA Tri on Aug 14^th.  I won’t be able to run, I may look goofy with my brace, I’ll be slow, but I CAN DO IT!  No more happy dances before hand for me :)  I asked Dr Gorman if I could hug her because I loved her and I was so happy.  She was thrilled to be able to help me in my journey with healthiness.  She understood how much being active means to me and how much I wanted to be back in the “game”.  I’m confident that I’m getting back on track even if I may still find a few bumps on my way back into being active.   I trust the path laid in front of me and look forward to jumping in with both feet!

Unstoppable “ready to TRI again” Mariah