How to deal with barriers to health

htimpaired

I am a big exercise fanatic. Love it all-running, kickboxing, kettlebells, yoga. I hate sitting still. It works out well for me, because I love to eat.

However, almost three months ago, after a run, I decided to take a short break from exercise as I felt like my hamstrings were achy and wanted to give them a rest. I've been in PT for overuse injuries before and didn't want to go there again. Yet after a few days rest, my calves became very sore and achy. Stretching didn't help. They made it so I didn't want to even walk. I went to my physical therapist, who gave me the usual exercises to stretch and strengthen my muscle imbalances and sent me on my way. He tells me I should be fine in time for the end of the month race I signed up for and the running group I wanted to join.

One week goes by, and no change. Then another week. Still no improvement. I have now missed my running group, and the race is coming up in a week. I call my PCP and am told to go to urgent care to rule out something serious, like a blood clot. They run bloodwork and urine tests and give me a script for a muscle relaxer. I follow up with my PCP the next day and all my blood work is fine. No nutritional deficiencies. No rhabdo. Another week of muscle relaxers and some stronger NSAIDs than ibuprofen. I am told to come back in two weeks.

Those two weeks go by and still no improvement. If anything, I am worse. My calves feel swollen. They cramp, they twinge, they feel pinched. I use ice, heat, ace banages for compression. I stretch so much I could give Rodney Yee a run for his money. But I still ache when I walk, and I cannot do anything even remotely to where I was 6 weeks prior. Even a spinning class makes me sorry the next day. So I rest some more.

Now my PCP doesn't know what to do so she sends me to an orthopedic surgeon. They prescribe an NSAID gel for my calves and more PT. They note that I overpronate (which I was also told when I had a gait analysis done at a local running store last year) and tell me to wear my arch supports all the time. Goodbye cute shoes for work! I am told to come back in a month.

So that month goes by with no change. We're now looking at 2.5 months since this started and since my life was put on pause. I use exercise for my escape, my coping skill. It's been taken away, so I turn to unhealthy eating habits that I find easier to avoid when I've had a good workout. I've now gained back 13 lbs of the 30 that I've lost over the last few years. I feel sluggish, I am jealous of all my friends who are racing. I glare at the people I drive by who are out for their daily run.

Last week I went to my follow up at the ortho. She says I should have shown improvement (no kidding!) and we need to start tests. I have an Xray that day (nothing found) and am referred for an MRI, which is tomorrow. I have another appt this Thursday with her attending for follow up. She notes some symptoms of compartment syndrome, but not enough to make her feel comfortable with giving me the pressure testing yet. I am terrified. My mind goes to all the things it could be, the worst things, the degenerative diseases, the life-ending illnesses. And did I mention I am incredibly bad with blood, needles, pain?

So I'm in limbo, and wishing life was back to the way it was three months ago.

rushfive

What a life change. Wish you the best.
Let us know how the mri goes, anything found out to cause this.
Some people do not realize how good they have it having no medical issues.

I always tell people they don't know how good/lucky they are to not have to deal with Daily pain !

msf74

That majorly sucks.

Are you allowed do water / pool running instead to keep your fitness and sanity in the meantime?

losergood2011

So sorry to hear that! It certainly sucks and I can relate. I am up to 2.5 mph after ACL surgery in May grrrrr.
Aquatic exercise, bike riding (I now but it would at least help with stress!!) What about walking? My PT says waling for over 20 minutes causes all the muscles from the next to the feet to loosen up and relax.

Jeneba

These, for ME, were all symptoms of thyroid and adrenal issues and the resulting fibromyalgia. (How are your eyebrows these days.... Do they seem thinner or disappearing on the edges? How high or steady is your body temperature?) This is a pandemic and yet many traditional physicians are clueless about it.

I don't have time to go into details, but you might consider googling a website called Stop the Thyroid Madness. If you decide to get checked, you will want to test for the following: Cortisol and DHEA levels, T4, T3, Free T4, Free T3, reverse T3, ferritin, iron.

What has worked for me is traditional thyroid medication, Epsom salts, massage therapy, acupuncture, ultrasound, and restorative yoga.

Please feel free to inbox me.

Hope you feel better!

SoDamnHungry

Wow, that sounds really miserable. I don't have any advice, but I wanted to wish you luck! Hopefully you'll figure out the problem and get back to the activities you love.

tomatoey

If it's a tendon thing, I guess there's research to support early therapy (exercise / gentle movement). For tendon injuries I've had that were only caught once they were chronic, the only things that worked were staying the hell off it, like for months, or not using it, as much as possible, for months, plus passive therapies like massage and electroacupuncture.

Also: as I say, my ankle thing didn't get diagnosed until it was chronic, and that happened not via imaging but via a very smart physiotherapist doing a thorough clinical evaluation and history. Images miss things for lots of reasons. I think it's important to have a sharp provider who does not rely only on those images.

In your case, I don't know , but maybe a rheumatologist would be helpful? Often, though of course not always, orthopedic injuries happen on one side , whereas things with autoimmune or other systemic causes might be more symmetrical. The other specialist I'd see would be a sports medicine specialist, and maybe a physiotherapist.

The issue is that all these different specialists are looking at the issue through the prism of their discipline. An orthopedic surgeon is biased to look for things he can sew up. Same for the others, they're seeing what they're trained to see. There is really no person who's trained to look at ALL possibilities. But you can try to hit all the angles with referrals to each, if no answers are coming from any one of them.

I totally relate to the anger, envy, frustration, and pain. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. I think it's best to respect the signals your body is giving you, though, and don't do anything that hurts. Accepting those limits is REALLY HARD, I know.

Lots of people with lower body injuries wind up depressed because of the impact on quality of life, mobility, and independence. So watch for that. Try to find other things to do. Focus on finding solutions sometimes, but don't let it dominate your thinking because you can wind up obsessed and *really* pi$$ed off, and you wind up bringing that into your appointments, and then no one wants to help. Go to your appointments, read SOME, stay proactive, but also let it go now and then. Because a lot of it, sadly, is just out of your control. From your body's healing, to the images, to lots else...

htimpaired

tomatoey wrote: »

I totally relate to the anger, envy, frustration, and pain. I'm so sorry you're dealing with this. I think it's best to respect the signals your body is giving you, though, and don't do anything that hurts. Accepting those limits is REALLY HARD, I know.

Lots of people with lower body injuries wind up depressed because of the impact on quality of life, mobility, and independence. So watch for that. Try to find other things to do. Focus on finding solutions sometimes, but don't let it dominate your thinking because you can wind up obsessed and *really* pi$$ed off, and you wind up bringing that into your appointments, and then no one wants to help. Go to your appointments, read SOME, stay proactive, but also let it go now and then. Because a lot of it, sadly, is just out of your control. From your body's healing, to the images, to lots else...

Absolutely to all of the above. I have a hard time with the waiting, the wishing someone would give the right answer, and obsessing. I'm trying to get educated so that I can advocate for myself but not come off as telling the doctor how to do their job, or come across as angry/rageful biotch. :-)