Category: Life

Return to the Clinic

On By LeraIn LifeLeave a comment

This week I started occupational therapy for my tennis elbow. I didn’t know it was going to be classified as occupational therapy (I assumed it would be physical therapy), but the name doesn’t really make a difference in treatment. The way my clinic breaks it up is that OT is for hands, elbows, and shoulders, and PT is for everything else and occasionally shoulders. For my insurance benefits, that means my available sessions are 30 visits since it’s classified differently. I figured I was going to have to do self pay therapy again since I already used a bunch of PT visits early this year for my hip, but I got lucky and have a fresh count to go through.

It took some time to get the appointment set up. My doctor’s office was supposed to mail the referral form to the house (and it did finally arrive 9 days later–talk about snail mail). Apparently since my doctor is part of a certain local health system that has their own affiliated rehab clinics, they automatically got an electronic copy of the referral the same day of my appointment, which I didn’t realize was going to happen. That clinic called me a few hours after my appointment to ask if I was having severe pain, if my daily activities were limited, or if I was post-op, and they told me that because of the pandemic, those were the only conditions under which they were accepting patients currently. I was polite when I told them I was planning to go somewhere else, but I was also annoyed because my doctor wouldn’t have referred me for therapy if he didn’t think I’d benefit from it. It was a good thing I wasn’t interested in going to that clinic anyway.

I patiently awaited my mailed referral form all last week until Thursday afternoon. I was supposed to have received a call to set up a follow-up appointment for 3 months from now, and hadn’t yet all week, so I gave the office a call to set one up. While I was already on the phone, I asked the person I was speaking to if she could possibly fax the form to Athletico so I could call and get my evaluation scheduled for the following week. She said she would do it for me, and I left it at that. I called Athletico Friday morning last week to see if the form had arrived, and it still hadn’t, but they let me set up an appointment anyway (with no conditions attached, unlike the other place). The clinic called an hour later to say they finally got the referral and that I was good to go.

Tuesday was my first appointment, and it went well. I’m working with someone new with it being classified as OT (my PT was probably happy to get a break from me for this injury). She’s really nice and I think she’ll be great to work with over the next month or more. A lot of the appointment was an evaluation and discussing my symptoms and activities that I was having difficulty with. My elbow hurts every time I work, to brush my hair/teeth, to pick up a glass of water, and even to clasp my bra. Pretty much any movement that uses my hands to grasp hurts my elbow and forearm muscles, not to mention any twisting motions, like turning a doorknob. My OT took some strength measurements and showed me some exercises to work on at home, and that was the end of the first visit. Today I worked on some new things in the clinic after ultrasound and an ice massage. She also did some stuff to work the muscles around my shoulder because it’s been bothering me off and on since my elbow pain started.

All in all, it was a good first week of therapy. I’m a little sore from working the muscles extra, but it will be worth it in the end. I’m grateful that Athletico was able to see me in the clinic and that they didn’t have any of the stipulations the other place had. Just because my pain isn’t severe and I don’t have activity restrictions, doesn’t mean I don’t need help. I think 4 months of home treatment is plenty of time to give it before seeking additional help. I’ll never go anywhere else for physical/occupational therapy because I know they’re always there for me when I need them.

It’s May?!

On By LeraIn LifeLeave a comment

Hey everyone! Let me just start by saying that I didn’t intend for two months to go by without posting an update. There’s been a lot going on lately and it’s hard to believe that it’s already May. I might break some of it up into separate posts just so this isn’t so long.

First, I finished physical therapy for my hip in early-mid March. It’s still not all the way better, but I reached a point where I wasn’t benefiting much from going. I was able to do a lot of the stuff at home. My PT told me that as long as it wasn’t getting worse, he wasn’t worried about it. In the two months since I’ve been there, it’s stayed about the same. I don’t know what to do about it. The main problem is that it gets very stiff, which makes it painful, but no matter how much I stretch it, I can’t seem to get much relief. It’s letting me run, though, so I’ve just been trying to deal with it the best I can. With the COVID-19 pandemic, everything has been upside down and doctor’s appointments are hard to come by right now for something that isn’t serious. Now that things are setting down a little, I might make an appointment with the orthopedic doctor who was treating it and see what I might be able to do about it. I had hoped the heel lift my PT gave me would have helped more than it is, but so far, not much luck. I’m just trying to focus on being diligent with my stretching several times a day and hope that eventually things loosen up.

Next, my tennis elbow is being extra stubborn. It hurts every day, I can’t straighten my arm all the way sometimes, it’s starting to affect my shoulder, and even simple things like brushing my hair are painful. Worst of all is how it feels if I spend a lot of time on my bike. That’s the final straw; I can’t let it get bad enough to get in the way of my biking. My doctor and I discussed options for helping it, and I was told that I could try an injection if I wanted to or I could try physical therapy. I know that doing steroid injections isn’t always the best answer right away, and it’s not as though the pain is severe, so physical therapy made the most sense, and that’s the way my doctor said he would go if it was him. It figures that I finally finish PT and have to go back. This is starting to become a trend. I don’t have anything set up yet because my appointment was a phone appointment yesterday and my doctor said his office staff would have to mail the forms to my house (not sure why they couldn’t be faxed to the clinic I always go to). I do know from when I was there last and discussing the possibility of having to come in for my elbow that I’ll be working with a different therapist. I think she’s an occupational therapist, so she does more upper extremity things. I follow up with my doctor in three months, and if at that point things are still unchanged, I have to see a specialist. I’m really hoping that physical therapy will help; it’s been four months and I’m ready to be done with it.

Now for some good news: at least my carpal tunnel is feeling a lot better. I’ve been wearing splints on both wrists at night and I feel so much better. I still have problems with numbness and tingling sometimes, but I would say things are 90% better than before. I didn’t realize how little I was sleeping because of the pain, but the splints have been a lifesaver.

Finally, things at work are better. They weren’t immediately; we did finally get a new manager, but one who was morally corrupt. I asked for a transfer after only two weeks of working with her (it was that bad) and everything has been so much smoother since then.

I know this post has been largely focused on my health issues this time, but there’s just too much to cover all at once. This post would have been way too long for anyone to want to read. I do have some other things that I want to share, but they’ll be waiting for another day. I don’t plan to wait so long to write next time.

Of Asthma and Running

On By LeraIn Life, runningLeave a comment

February ended with a challenge. As you all know, I had started back running and went a few times with little trouble. Then the unexpected happened: I had an asthma exacerbation. Ok, so it’s not unexpected per se since I have a few each year, but this one was a lot more stubborn. I switched daily controller medication at the beginning of the month and started taking Flovent. I’m not sure if it was just the medication change that made my asthma flare up or if it was running in the cold air and not being used to it (even though I bike in the snow, running stresses my lungs more). Either way, I ended up having to make a same day doctor’s appointment to try to get my asthma back under control. I tried letting it calm down on its own and just treating it with my rescue inhaler, but I was having to use my inhaler every few hours. The day I called for an appointment, I woke up feeling really short of breath. I was glad I was able to get in to see my doctor that afternoon, because otherwise I would have had to go to an urgent care clinic. Things are better now. I finished my five day burst of prednisone yesterday and my doctor had me stop Flovent and go back to what I was taking before, which is Advair. I go back at the beginning of May to discuss my asthma, at which point I may move back down to Flovent, but I don’t want to switch medication before my race, which is a little less than two weeks after my follow up appointment. I lost an entire week of training last week, and I don’t need anything else getting in the way of my goals. I’ve had enough bad luck with injuries; I don’t need my asthma getting in my way either. I am going to meet my goal of running a 5k one way or another. It would just be nice if obstacles didn’t keep getting in my way.

First Run of 2020

On By LeraIn Life, runningLeave a comment
It takes a lot of gear for a cold weather workout!

It’s been four months trying to recover from my gluteus medius tendonitis, and I’m not sure if it’s 100% better yet. I’ve been stiff and a bit sore getting out of bed for the last week and a half, but my physical therapist told me I was allowed to try running again. I finally got to do it today! Full disclosure: it wasn’t just straight running. I’m working on intervals of running and walking for now, gradually increasing my running time each week. My PT told me I had to go slow and keep the distance short, so I only went a mile and a half, but it felt so good! Also, biking does not serve to keep me in shape for running, but some of the breathing difficulty could have been from my asthma just not liking cold air. It was only 27 here today. I plan to try running again Saturday when it will be 50, and I think it should be easier. I really hope my hip holds up; I want to be back running so badly! My plan is to keep it slow and listen to my body, along with being diligent about doing my home PT program.

February Update

On By LeraIn Cycling, Life, running, UncategorizedLeave a comment

A few things have happened since last I wrote, and I thought I’d fill all of you in. First, I had my annual appointment with my primary care doctor (Dr. S is the absolute best) to re-evaluate my asthma, and we decided that I could try to step down on my daily medication. Now, instead of a combination inhaler with a steroid and long acting bronchodilator, I’m trying just a steroid inhaler. I’m actually a little nervous about how it will go because I didn’t do well when I tried that three years ago. I’ve had excellent asthma control for the last few years, though, so it makes sense to see how I do. If worse comes to worse, I just go back to taking the combination inhaler and we try again at some point in the future.

While I was at the doctor, I asked him to look at my elbow, and I was right: it’s tennis elbow. He said he knew almost immediately because my case was so textbook, which never happens with me (usually I have weird issues). He told me to try a brace on it, ice it, stretch, and use ibuprofen as needed, and if that doesn’t seem to help, we can try physical therapy. I also brought up the issue of my hands tingling, and he said it’s bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. He gave me braces to wear at night to keep the nerve from getting compressed. I’m hoping it helps and the problem resolves. It’s really annoying trying to hold a fork or spoon, pen, or crochet with my hands tingling and going numb. Bloodwork was ordered just to make sure it wasn’t a systemic issue, and everything came back normal, so it’s just overuse like everything else. I follow up with Dr. S in three months to make sure everything is on track.

Getting quite the collection of braces going.

In other news, physical therapy for my hip is going well. I’ve had 3 ASTYM treatments so far, and I’m hoping that will resolve the last of my hip woes. My therapist told me he wanted to do it because other nearby areas were starting to get tightness in addition to the gluteus medius: the gluteus minimus, the tensor fasciae latae, and the IT band. I’m glad he discovered that before I start my running program up again. The last thing I need is another problem starting or coming back.

I’m counting down the days until I can start running again: 17 days left! I’m not allowed to run until the last week of February, but I’m going to ask at PT if I can at least do some really short interval runs (30 seconds at a time). If I can’t, that’s okay. I’ll do what I have to for proper healing. I was given the go ahead by my physical therapist to do a 5k in mid-May, so I’m doing the one the local zoo hosts. It raises money for conservation and I get free admission to walk around the zoo afterward, so it’s a really great event. The best part is that I have two friends who want to run it with me! I’m looking forward to it more than words can say. I really hope I can make this one! I plan to run at least 5 races this year, especially the holiday ones. One of the local orchards does a Halloween race, and then there’s the Thanksgiving turkey chase. Other than those two, I’m not sure which ones I want to do yet. There’s a women’s only one in the summer where each runner gets to go down a long flight of stairs individually at the start that sounds cool, and there’s a state border run that I might do, too. I have plenty of time to decide, though, so no rush!

Lastly, work is still ridiculous, but I made it clear I wasn’t able to work so much overtime anymore given all of my new injuries. I think we might actually be getting a manager soon. I was told they were doing interviews today, so I’m hoping someone can take over by next week. I really hope it’s someone who is easy to work with and can work around all of my upcoming appointments and race dates.

A Hard Start to the Year

On By LeraIn Cycling, Life, runningLeave a comment

This week has been extremely challenging. Work is basically a nightmare. Half our staff is gone and I’ve worked overtime the last three weeks. While I have no problem working extra once in a while, to expect me to run that whole place without a pay raise is unfair. I can’t physically handle the extra work and it’s really taking a toll on my body. I don’t have enough time to do everything I need to do, and I feel like I’m drowning. I know that sounds a little dramatic, but this is more stress than I thought. We still have no boss, and I haven’t heard if there’s an estimate. I refused to work 6 days this week to let my body rest, and I guess the boss two levels over me didn’t mind. I had told her I was having difficulties with injuries, so I guess she understood. I’ll do 6 days next week since I’m off on Saturday because it won’t seem so bad having just had a bit of a break, but I’m hoping that will be it. We should be getting a part time assistant manager in soon, and that should make it possible to have a better schedule. She used to work for us before and wanted to come back, so even if I have to work longer shifts twice a week to get two days off again, I’m okay with that. She may not be able to start next week, but the week after I’m hoping everything will be finalized and I can feel a little better physically and mentally.

The worst thing that happened to me this week was that doctor’s appointment for a second opinion about my foot. I wrote before about how the surgeon who did my Achilles tendon thinks it’s arthritis, and I’m just not sure that’s all that’s going on because one of the places it hurts is too superficial and not in a joint. I wanted to hear someone else’s thoughts on it because I’m just not willing to undergo another surgery after I worked so hard to get to the point of being active again after the last one. This new doctor, I’ll call him Dr. E, was something else, and not in a good way. For the two hours I spent at the office (part of that was waiting for x-rays), I saw him for all of ten minutes, if even that long. He didn’t ask any of the usual questions any other doctor asks, like what the pain feels like, what makes it worse/better, etc. He looked at my foot and compared it to the left and declared that he saw nothing wrong. He said my bad foot had good strength and movement, but I wasn’t having a particularly painful day when I went because I had that day off from work. It was still visibly swollen and tender to touch, so I don’t know how he thought that was okay. The only thing he told me he could try was a very restrictive brace that wouldn’t let my ankle move at all, but I’d have to wear it for four months. I just can’t stand the thought of giving up biking and running for four months after fighting so hard to gain those things back last year. I’ve tried immobilizing it before with no success, so I guess I really don’t see the benefit of going through that again for such a long time. I wouldn’t mind trying a supportive brace that would allow me to still be active, but I was basically shut down any time I tried to ask a question. He told me he was sorry he couldn’t help me and left the room. No follow-up, no trying to figure out a plan, nothing. I cried most of the drive home out of sheer frustration.

This week I also had a follow-up with the doctor treating my hip injury, and that appointment went much better. He said it’s healing a little slowly, but that doesn’t surprise me considering the hours I’ve been working. The doctor told me that it takes about three months to fully heal this kind of injury and that I didn’t need to come back for another appointment unless things started bothering me more. He also told me I still shouldn’t run for another six weeks and that he’ll leave the decision of more physical therapy up to me and my PT to discuss on Friday.

So there you have it: not exactly the greatest week, but at least the hip is moving in the right direction. I’ll take slower progress over none any day.

New Year, New Goals

On By LeraIn Life2 Comments

Happy New Year to everyone! This is the time of year most people set new goals for themselves, but I’m still working on my goals from last year. That’s not to say I haven’t edited them a little bit, though!

I want to talk a bit about 2019, first. Those of you who have been following me know that it was a hard year for me. I had a long and challenging recovery from insertional Achilles tendon repair that forced me to constantly push my goals back. Then, when I thought I was doing okay (save for the mysterious foot issue unrelated to my Achilles tendon), I hurt my hip while working toward my goal of running a 5k. Then there’s work, which I can’t go into too much detail about, but I can tell you that my boss took a new job and his last day was the day after Christmas. Since then, it’s been total chaos and it hasn’t even been two weeks. I’m expected to act like a full manager without the benefit of more pay, and I’m not going to stand for it much longer.

Given everything, to say I’m looking forward to a better 2020 is an understatement. I’m trying not to get my hopes up so I don’t get disappointed, but I feel like this year should be a good one. Last year I had a pretty good bike year despite everything, and I rode 1,766 miles! That’s not even for a full year since I only was allowed to ride again in April. I think I can do better this year, though, and my goal is 2,100 miles. Since I live in Michigan, the weather can be unpredictable in winter, but so far I’ve been able to get out a couple of times a week. I expect things to take a turn eventually, but I’m certainly enjoying this mild winter!

My first ever 5k was supposed to be February 15, but I’m probably not going to be able to run it. I’m going to discuss the practicality of it at physical therapy Tuesday, but I don’t think it’d be a good idea to push myself too much. I’ll probably have to wait until March, so I’m already bracing myself for the bad news. I have a follow-up appointment with my doctor for my hip in a week and a half, and I’ll be sure to ask about resuming running.

Moving along, I’ve still been having trouble with my foot, and I have an appointment set up with another doctor for a second opinion. I still don’t accept that it’s only arthritis going on when at one point that same doctor thought there was an impingement of some kind. I got the name of this new doctor from my physical therapist, so I’m hoping he’s good. He’s published research about foot/ankle issues, so I feel pretty good about seeing him. My PT originally had suggested I see someone about an hour away because that surgeon also has a degree in PT and is supposed to be amazing, but he’s not taking any new patients. If that changes in the future and I’m still having problems, I’m definitely calling for an appointment. I just wish I knew what was still wrong with my foot. Last week, my PT tried taping my ankle so my fibula didn’t move so much, but I’m not sure it helped much. I wouldn’t mind trying again on a day where I’m going to work after my session instead of a day off. In other news, I started wearing a heel lift to correct my short right leg. I had worn one when I was a kid, and then again temporarily about ten years ago, but not since. My PT says he’s hoping it will help my hip settle down, and it seems to be helping a little bit.

I feel like this update is a little disorganized, but that’s what my life feels like right now. Having no boss at work means a lot of extra work for me since there are only a handful of reliable people there. I am struggling physically with the increased demands of the job, not to mention the stress is giving me mini panic attacks. 2020 is starting out as a struggle, but things are bound in improve from here. I’m hoping to do a semi local 30 mile bike ride this year, run at least five 5k races, and maybe pick up martial arts at some point this year if I’m ever able to. I’ll have an update again after my appointments mid-month, so until then, take care!

Battle Plan

On By LeraIn Cycling, Life, runningLeave a comment

My hip pain has not resolved despite it having been seven weeks. I talked to my physical therapist a couple of weeks ago and he recommended a new doctor to me who is good with younger active patients with hip injuries. I looked him up and he’s published a ton of research and is team physician to several area college teams. I had my initial appointment with him today, and he seems to be really good. I didn’t tell him what my PT thought was going on at first just to see if he thought the same thing, and he did: gluteus medius tendonitis and trochanteric bursitis. He’s having me do formal physical therapy (I was just doing stretches on my own at home) and he’s going to reevaluate in six weeks and if it’s not better by then, he’ll try a steroid injection.

I called my physical therapist as soon as I got home from my appointment and he told me he had a light afternoon and offered me an appointment 45 minutes from the time I called. I was really glad to be able to start today so I can recover sooner. The only downside is that if this injury had waited a month, my insurance would cover it because my benefits would have reset. That means I’ll be doing self-pay until New Year’s, by which time I’ll be almost done with my course of treatment if all goes well. My therapist and the office manager were really apologetic about me having to pay myself, but I honestly don’t even care that my benefits are used up. I knew that going in and I knew what the fee was from last time, so it was expected. I’m just glad to be able to get some help getting back to my normal activities and not being in pain every day. The cost is worth it to get my life back.

Today’s PT session focused on a thorough evaluation of my hip injury and setting up a plan. My therapist told me that we needed to try to figure out why my foot is still an issue because if I’m limping on it and not walking normally, it will affect other areas of my body. I was very happy to hear that because I would love to know what’s actually wrong with my foot. I have nothing against the surgeon who fixed my tendon; that’s 90% better or more than it was before surgery and I’m grateful for that, but there’s no way I’m having surgery on my foot again anytime soon until I feel absolutely certain of the problem.

Other than those two appointments, my day was filled with lots of phone calls and emails. The asthma inhaler I had been taking all year is suddenly not allowed to be filled at the local pharmacy anymore. Instead, it has to be filled through the mail because it’s a maintenance medication, which costs more sometimes. At the pharmacy, I was using a manufacturer coupon to get the copay reduced to $10/month. The mail order pharmacy doesn’t take coupons and the copay there is $63. I emailed my family doctor and asked to switch to something with a lower copay and he was nice enough to change it for me without me coming in for an appointment. The weird problem is that the generic version of what I switched to costs $40 more per month than the name brand, and the doctor sent the generic on the prescription because generic is always cheaper, except apparently in this case. I found that out because I called the mail order pharmacy and made them give me the copay amounts to make sure they matched what I was told they were supposed to be by the insurance company, and indeed the name brand inhaler is cheaper than the generic. So now the pharmacy is supposed to contact the doctor’s office tomorrow to get the prescription changed to the name brand, and hopefully that will clear things up. I bothered my doctor so much today with an email chain while we tried to work out the issue that I really hope tomorrow will be the last I’ll have to cause him trouble.

That’s all I have for now, and hopefully the next time I write I’ll have some good news. I’m benched from running for the next six weeks but I can still bike as long as it doesn’t hurt, so at least I can try to keep up my conditioning. I have major doubts that I will be making my first 5k in February. I wasn’t given a clear answer when I asked my PT, which I understand because it’s still too early to know. If I have to push it back, so be it. There’s no use stressing about something I have little control over. All I can do is put my best effort into PT and trust that God will let everything work out eventually. So, until next time, I hope everyone is doing well!

November Update

On By LeraIn Life, runningLeave a comment

I’m having a day where I’m feeling pretty low. I had a follow-up appointment with my surgeon today to see how taking the meloxicam every day was helping me. This past month was the least amount of pain I’ve had in a very long time, which has been nice, but I was out of medication three days ago and I can already feel the difference in my pain level. My doctor offered to let me keep taking it if I was getting blood work done occasionally by my primary care doctor, but I declined for the time being. Apparently it can cause kidney damage with chronic usage, and that’s not something I really want to deal with. I’m young and healthy, so the chances of that would be low, but I don’t want to risk it. I would rather get to the root cause of the issue my foot is having than just masking it by taking medication all the time. He said to call if I changed my mind, so at least he’s leaving the option open.

In other news, I still don’t know what’s going on with my foot. I just can’t believe that all of this pain is from the tiny bit of arthritis in my subtalar joint. It just doesn’t feel like joint pain. I feel like something is being pinched, and there seems to be some soft tissue swelling in my right foot over an area where there’s an indent in my left foot. I’m not saying the arthritis isn’t causing some mild pain, but I still don’t think that’s the whole story. Now I don’t know what to do. My doctor just told me to come back as needed, but if he isn’t going to explore any other options, then I don’t see the point. I obviously don’t have the level of expertise that he does, but the fact that the joint injection I had a while back didn’t help more than a couple of days tells me that there’s something else happening, especially since even the doctor was surprised by it. I have the option of trying another injection if I feel like I need it, and I might try it again shortly before my 5k.

An unintended consequence of the meloxicam was how much it was masking my true level of hip pain from my gluteus medius tendinitis. I’m feeling more pain in the last couple of days than I was while I was still taking the medication. I’m diligently working on the stretches and exercises my physical therapist gave me and icing my hip a couple of times each day, but if this hasn’t started to improve by this time next week, I’m going to have to call and ask what to do. I’m still hoping I can avoid formal sessions because I want to get back to training, but if I do have to do them, it’s better to start as early as possible. It’s already been three weeks since I hurt myself, and I really miss running. I’ll do whatever I have to in order to get back to it.

Well, I suppose that’s all I have for now. Hopefully the next time I write, I’ll have some good news to share with all of you.

Tendinitis Again

On By LeraIn Cycling, Life, runningLeave a comment

I had my physical therapist look at my hip today and he said it was likely gluteus medius tendinitis/muscle strain. I got lucky and don’t have to do formal sessions again, but he gave me some stretches and exercises to work on for the next couple of weeks at home. If those don’t make the injury better, then I’m supposed to call and let him know, but I’m hoping they do the trick. I can’t run until the pain is almost gone or I risk it becoming an ongoing issue. The good news is that I can bike as long as it doesn’t hurt, so I’ll keep doing that in the meantime. Hopefully I’ll be back to pounding the pavement soon!