Doom, Despair, and Agony on Me! (aka a whine thread)

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Replies

  • amart4224
    amart4224 Posts: 345 Member
    Thought I was going to get a good couple of hours of walking in this morning, the weather was perfect and it's supposed to rain for the rest of the weekend so I was going to take advantage. Took dog #1 for an hour-long walk, returned to the house for dog #2, planning to also walk 1 hour with her. We got to the river where we were going to walk and strolled down close so she could splash in the water for a bit. Didn't notice the large mud slick until I stepped on it and my feet flew out from under me! Ended up with a bruised tailbone and my backside completely covered in mud. Returned home and spent a few hours laundering my muddy clothes, hoping that maybe the rain will hold off and we'll get to go on the walk after all.
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,982 Member
    This irritation has nothing to do with diet....well, some, I suppose.

    I need to make a Blackberry Delight for dessert for tomorrow. I need raspberry sugar free jello. I was at Walmart last night; they had no sugar free jello in any brand at all. (this particular Walmart hardly stocks anything).

    Today, I went to the local Krogers in town to get the stuff i couldn't get at Walmart last night, except they had no sugar free raspberry jello, either, store or name brand. I thought I could use kool-aid, but htey didn't have any raspberry flavored kool-aid either. They had regular raspberry jello, but we're talking 320 calories versus 20 calories and we're talking 23 carbs versus 16 and sugar as well - which is 185 calories per serving wiht regular versus 160 calories without regular. With my family's diabetes, I can't use regular jello and with my calorie counting, I don't want to use regular jello. I don't think it will taste right if I just used unflavored jello; the jello gives it that extra boost.

    *sigh* so I have to go 25 miles to the county seat to the next closest Krogers to see if they have it. which means another 2 hours of my day lost. And you just know that by the time I get back, it'll start raining so I won't get my walk in or anything else I wanted to do today.......

    Before you actually go there, call them and ask if they have it in stock.

    they didn't. But they did have my cashew milk and they did have my figs, and they did have a blackberry pomegranate crystal light drink mix - those pouches you pour into a 16 oz bottle of water? I have unflavored gelatin so I'm giving that a try first. I used 1 bottle of hint pineapple flavored water, 1 pouch of gelatin, and 2 pineapple packets I had in the cabinet as a tester; if that sits up and tastes okay, then I'll do the same thing for my dessert using the crystal light mix. If that doesn't work, then they had blue raspberry koolaid mix at least so I can use that.

    So the trip wasn't a complete waste, at least.
  • eliezalot
    eliezalot Posts: 620 Member
    I'm generally not a doom and despair person (I have been called annoyingly positive more than once), but I'm getting really frustrated with my non-ending (and yet super mild) heel pain. So here goes my long whine!

    It started in June, when I was upping my running mileage and distance. I had finished C25K, and started their 10K program. It was feeling SO GOOD. My pace was improving (in the last few years of sporadic running, I was doing 16-17 minute miles, and only 1-2 miles at a time. Suddenly by the end of this C25K, I was doing 13-14 minute miles, for 3+ miles). I felt like I was actually running, some spring in my step, instead of my usual shuffling. It felt so good! I love that sort of cardio - the first half hour is always hard for me, but after that, I feel like I could go forever.
    But, I think the increased mileage AND my new-found speed was too much too fast.

    I had arch pain for a day or two, which quickly moved to the bottom of my heel. It didn't hurt when I was out running, but afterward and for days after it was sore and stiff. I took a few weeks off to let it heal, and tried again. It felt great when I was running, but again afterwards, was sore and stiff for ages. I stopped running again, but continued to be like this for weeks. I even altered my yoga so as to not aggravate it.

    Recently, it has been a lot better. Like I don't have any day-to-day heel issues! So I decided to try going for a walk last week. Just a short 2-ish miles through our neighborhood, wearing my running shoes. It was fine during the walk and immediately after, but by evening, felt painful and stiff again. Its like I just can't win.

    I had a tele-visit with a doctor the other day to refill my antidepressants/anxiety meds, and had the chance to ask her about it. She thinks it sounds like plantar fasciitis (which is what I thought too), and suggested continuing to ice it and getting some insoles. If that doesn't help, she suggests a podiatrist.

    My insoles just came today, and I put them in right away. I'm going to go for a short walk tomorrow morning and see if they help at all. Honestly I'm not fully sure how to go about finding a podiatrist during a pandemic, especially when I don't even have a primary care provider out here yet. I'm still really hoping this will eventually just resolve and heal on its own if I'm patient enough.

    I think what is most annoying is that it doesn't even hurt that much. I could 100% push through it and not even pay it any mind. But I'm trying to be diligent and not do anything that could potentially make it worse or take longer to heal. Patience is not my strong suite. I really just want to know how long it will take to heal fully, so I get back to my routine.

    Running is one of the single best things I do for my mental health to manage anxiety. I've been biking a bit, but I find it harder to get to the level of exertion I need, and just doesn't work quite as well. Once I'm running again, my anxiety will be easier to handle day to day. Almost even more than running (ugh how far back will I have to start again?), I really had wanted to do some hiking trips this fall. And if it hurts just walking around my neighborhood, then I don't think it will do well on 12 miles a day of rough trails.

    LE SIGH.

    On the bright side, it has forced me to learn how to cut back down my calories with decreased activity (a stumbling block for me in the past). Which I've done successfully. So I guess that is good experience to have under my belt.

    (See? Annoyingly positive :lol:)
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    eliezalot wrote: »
    I'm generally not a doom and despair person (I have been called annoyingly positive more than once), but I'm getting really frustrated with my non-ending (and yet super mild) heel pain. So here goes my long whine!

    It started in June, when I was upping my running mileage and distance. I had finished C25K, and started their 10K program. It was feeling SO GOOD. My pace was improving (in the last few years of sporadic running, I was doing 16-17 minute miles, and only 1-2 miles at a time. Suddenly by the end of this C25K, I was doing 13-14 minute miles, for 3+ miles). I felt like I was actually running, some spring in my step, instead of my usual shuffling. It felt so good! I love that sort of cardio - the first half hour is always hard for me, but after that, I feel like I could go forever.
    But, I think the increased mileage AND my new-found speed was too much too fast.

    I had arch pain for a day or two, which quickly moved to the bottom of my heel. It didn't hurt when I was out running, but afterward and for days after it was sore and stiff. I took a few weeks off to let it heal, and tried again. It felt great when I was running, but again afterwards, was sore and stiff for ages. I stopped running again, but continued to be like this for weeks. I even altered my yoga so as to not aggravate it.

    Recently, it has been a lot better. Like I don't have any day-to-day heel issues! So I decided to try going for a walk last week. Just a short 2-ish miles through our neighborhood, wearing my running shoes. It was fine during the walk and immediately after, but by evening, felt painful and stiff again. Its like I just can't win.

    I had a tele-visit with a doctor the other day to refill my antidepressants/anxiety meds, and had the chance to ask her about it. She thinks it sounds like plantar fasciitis (which is what I thought too), and suggested continuing to ice it and getting some insoles. If that doesn't help, she suggests a podiatrist.

    My insoles just came today, and I put them in right away. I'm going to go for a short walk tomorrow morning and see if they help at all. Honestly I'm not fully sure how to go about finding a podiatrist during a pandemic, especially when I don't even have a primary care provider out here yet. I'm still really hoping this will eventually just resolve and heal on its own if I'm patient enough.

    I think what is most annoying is that it doesn't even hurt that much. I could 100% push through it and not even pay it any mind. But I'm trying to be diligent and not do anything that could potentially make it worse or take longer to heal. Patience is not my strong suite. I really just want to know how long it will take to heal fully, so I get back to my routine.

    Running is one of the single best things I do for my mental health to manage anxiety. I've been biking a bit, but I find it harder to get to the level of exertion I need, and just doesn't work quite as well. Once I'm running again, my anxiety will be easier to handle day to day. Almost even more than running (ugh how far back will I have to start again?), I really had wanted to do some hiking trips this fall. And if it hurts just walking around my neighborhood, then I don't think it will do well on 12 miles a day of rough trails.

    LE SIGH.

    On the bright side, it has forced me to learn how to cut back down my calories with decreased activity (a stumbling block for me in the past). Which I've done successfully. So I guess that is good experience to have under my belt.

    (See? Annoyingly positive :lol:)


    This is what I use and I am amazed at the difference:

    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06WP7GXX5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    There are many many different designs of foot rollers. Most of them are free form. Some of them can be placed in the freezer for additional benefit. I chose the above because it is stationary. It probably does not work as good as some of the others but I find it easy to start and use which means I am more likely to use it...
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    NovusDies wrote: »
    eliezalot wrote: »
    I'm generally not a doom and despair person (I have been called annoyingly positive more than once), but I'm getting really frustrated with my non-ending (and yet super mild) heel pain. So here goes my long whine!

    It started in June, when I was upping my running mileage and distance. I had finished C25K, and started their 10K program. It was feeling SO GOOD. My pace was improving (in the last few years of sporadic running, I was doing 16-17 minute miles, and only 1-2 miles at a time. Suddenly by the end of this C25K, I was doing 13-14 minute miles, for 3+ miles). I felt like I was actually running, some spring in my step, instead of my usual shuffling. It felt so good! I love that sort of cardio - the first half hour is always hard for me, but after that, I feel like I could go forever.
    But, I think the increased mileage AND my new-found speed was too much too fast.

    I had arch pain for a day or two, which quickly moved to the bottom of my heel. It didn't hurt when I was out running, but afterward and for days after it was sore and stiff. I took a few weeks off to let it heal, and tried again. It felt great when I was running, but again afterwards, was sore and stiff for ages. I stopped running again, but continued to be like this for weeks. I even altered my yoga so as to not aggravate it.

    Recently, it has been a lot better. Like I don't have any day-to-day heel issues! So I decided to try going for a walk last week. Just a short 2-ish miles through our neighborhood, wearing my running shoes. It was fine during the walk and immediately after, but by evening, felt painful and stiff again. Its like I just can't win.

    I had a tele-visit with a doctor the other day to refill my antidepressants/anxiety meds, and had the chance to ask her about it. She thinks it sounds like plantar fasciitis (which is what I thought too), and suggested continuing to ice it and getting some insoles. If that doesn't help, she suggests a podiatrist.

    My insoles just came today, and I put them in right away. I'm going to go for a short walk tomorrow morning and see if they help at all. Honestly I'm not fully sure how to go about finding a podiatrist during a pandemic, especially when I don't even have a primary care provider out here yet. I'm still really hoping this will eventually just resolve and heal on its own if I'm patient enough.

    I think what is most annoying is that it doesn't even hurt that much. I could 100% push through it and not even pay it any mind. But I'm trying to be diligent and not do anything that could potentially make it worse or take longer to heal. Patience is not my strong suite. I really just want to know how long it will take to heal fully, so I get back to my routine.

    Running is one of the single best things I do for my mental health to manage anxiety. I've been biking a bit, but I find it harder to get to the level of exertion I need, and just doesn't work quite as well. Once I'm running again, my anxiety will be easier to handle day to day. Almost even more than running (ugh how far back will I have to start again?), I really had wanted to do some hiking trips this fall. And if it hurts just walking around my neighborhood, then I don't think it will do well on 12 miles a day of rough trails.

    LE SIGH.

    On the bright side, it has forced me to learn how to cut back down my calories with decreased activity (a stumbling block for me in the past). Which I've done successfully. So I guess that is good experience to have under my belt.

    (See? Annoyingly positive :lol:)


    This is what I use and I am amazed at the difference:

    https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B06WP7GXX5/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

    There are many many different designs of foot rollers. Most of them are free form. Some of them can be placed in the freezer for additional benefit. I chose the above because it is stationary. It probably does not work as good as some of the others but I find it easy to start and use which means I am more likely to use it...

    Oh and @eliezalot I noticed improvement after the second day of using it.
  • I have had plantar fasciitis. What I did was to use a night splint. It lets your plantar fascia heal overnight in a stretched position, since the splint keeps your foot flexed. If you combine that with reducing your activity you'll notice things getting better fast.

    Fascia takes time to heal, but it will heal. As a rule, because I am prone to having it flare up, I stretch my calves and hamstrings a whole lot. It all seems to pull on each other.
  • eliezalot
    eliezalot Posts: 620 Member
    @NovusDies - I have a foam roller I use on my calves sometimes, and will look into something that is foot/arch sized. Do you find you focus more on the arch area or heel area when using it?

    @AlexandraFindsHerself1971 - I've briefly looked at night splints, can I ask what kind you've used? I see some that are bigger and more boot-like, and some that are a smaller profile more like a sock or small brace.

    Thank you both so much - this is so helpful and reassuring!!

    Looks like Amazon is squeezing a few more dollars out of me this week!
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I roll from my toes to the beginning of my heal. 10 minutes each foot at least once a day for maintenance. Twice a day if I am experiencing any pain.

    Since you do not have an actual diagnosis it is hard to know if it will help or not. If you get it from amazon you can always return it after a few days if there is no improvement.

    This roller picked up for me where getting the right shoes finally left off. The shoes were a major improvement but I was still "playing through the pain." I thought I would be returning it after a few days but I figured it was no risk and worth a shot after I saw a person in sports talk about using a roller. It is not the craziest thing I have tried.
  • I found the bootlike one worked better for me because (entirely personal preference) I could take an ankle that was also being Exceedingly Unhelpful and strap it up in an ASO brace and then put the boot over it, and get absolute immobility.
  • papayahed
    papayahed Posts: 407 Member
    argh!! My streak was reset. My streak on MFP was 367 days. Last week I got busy at work then had to travel after work and I thought I had logged breakfast and I didn't so streak gone!

    It was kind of a badge of honor, I've been plugging a long for a whole year, that's no fluke man. On the other hand it is a relief that it was broken and I don't have to stress/think about it. I think I'm not at day 5... lol
  • bobsburgersfan
    bobsburgersfan Posts: 6,274 Member
    @papayhead, I understand there is a way to reset your streak. If you actually did track it later, I'd fix it! But if you prefer the relief, then it's okay.

    I'd be devastated if I lost my streak again. (I couldn't track for 2 weeks last summer - I just hit 400, but really it's closer to 800 other than those two weeks.) I love that my streak is long, but it doesn't stress me out in any way. To me it represents my shift to "fully committed" and tracking is just a habit for me now.
  • bmeadows380
    bmeadows380 Posts: 2,982 Member
    @bobsburgersfan yeah, I get @papayahed when it comes to the pressure of the streak. Mine is sitting close to 400 too, but I lost my initial streak back in 2018 due to a vacation where I didn't have cell coverage and I know it will happen again eventually. There is something of a pressure for me too to keep it going and a level of disappointment when I lose it and have to restart, but some relief there too.
  • gewel321
    gewel321 Posts: 718 Member
    I lost mine when I went on vacation too but I went in and reset the number since I was logging just didn't have cell service to sync it. I wanted to get credit for those days. It would have been different if I didn't log. I found out how to do it in one of the main forum groups. It was incredibly easy but I can't remember how I did it.
  • eliezalot
    eliezalot Posts: 620 Member
    My foot was sore even after the little bit of walking I did at the office yesterday. But! I ordered a small night splint for my heel pain, which comes with a little pokey massage ball. It should arrive today. Currently I'm sitting at my desk doing an ice massage with a frozen water bottle, which feels pretty good!
  • eliezalot
    eliezalot Posts: 620 Member
    A foot update: My night splint came, as did an ankle compression ice pack I had ordered. I wore the splint last night, it wasn't uncomfortable at all. Went for a walk this morning, and giving myself an ice massage now (via a frozen water bottle). I'm really hopeful that the combination of these will help.

    @AlexandraFindsHerself1971 - If you have troublesome ankles, you might already know about this, but it was news to me. I had no idea they made these! I usually end up spraining one of my ankles every 2 years or so, and sure wish I had known about these before, lol. I bought it now because it holds the ice against my heel well, to relieve some of that pain. But this will be instrumental in my next ankle icing adventure. The compression feels great, and really gets the ice into the nooks and crannies of my foot.
  • eliezalot wrote: »
    I usually end up spraining one of my ankles every 2 years or so, and sure wish I had known about these before, lol. I bought it now because it holds the ice against my heel well, to relieve some of that pain. But this will be instrumental in my next ankle icing adventure. The compression feels great, and really gets the ice into the nooks and crannies of my foot.

    I have Raynaud's phenomenon and so can't ice without triggering it off, but it looks like a solution to the problem of icing an ankle and keeping the cold where it counts! I'll definitely pass that along to Younger Son, who has to do that every now and again. (He inherited my ankles, I fear.) I wear ASO ankle braces when I know I'm going to be doing a lot of physical work; I don't wear them to the grocery store, but I wear them when I'm doing yard work or things like painting and moving furniture. That's when I'm liable to get caught up in what I'm doing and step wrong. They don't let me do any movement that is outside the bounds, and so prevent the sprain.

    Glad the night splint was comfortable to wear. I saw an improvement in about three days of wearing it, and I hope you do too.

  • eliezalot
    eliezalot Posts: 620 Member

    I have Raynaud's phenomenon and so can't ice without triggering it off, but it looks like a solution to the problem of icing an ankle and keeping the cold where it counts! I'll definitely pass that along to Younger Son, who has to do that every now and again. (He inherited my ankles, I fear.) I wear ASO ankle braces when I know I'm going to be doing a lot of physical work; I don't wear them to the grocery store, but I wear them when I'm doing yard work or things like painting and moving furniture. That's when I'm liable to get caught up in what I'm doing and step wrong. They don't let me do any movement that is outside the bounds, and so prevent the sprain.

    Glad the night splint was comfortable to wear. I saw an improvement in about three days of wearing it, and I hope you do too.

    Haha my problem is that I never sprain it when I'd expect to. Scrambling over rocks while hiking? No problem! Playing barefoot on the beach? Great! Running across DC's jagged, ancient, uneven sidewalks? Might (definitely) fall on my face, but my ankle is fine. But walking on a smooth flat surface with no distractions? Fall off my (flat) shoe, roll my ankle, and end up on crutches for two weeks. I've even managed to do this while standing totally still :lol:

    Fingers are crossed the splint will work - thanks again for the suggestion!
  • eliezalot
    eliezalot Posts: 620 Member
    After my morning walk and ice massage yesterday, my foot was feeling pretty good! No pain/stiffness at the end of the day!! THERE IS HOPE!

    I kept my splint on all night last night, no issues there. Today I went for a longer walk, am icing my foot again, and fingers crossed it will still feel good this evening. I've missed my morning walks/runs so much! Even just getting out for a short walk is so good for my mental health. It feels good.
  • So very glad it's working for you!