Morton's Neuroma Relief?

Could it be?


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Last month I began to run a bit. I was outside on snowshoes and before I knew it I was running. I was apprehensive, nervous and giddy with excitement all at the same time once I realized I had been running, not walking!  Wow!

I was still noticing neuroma pain-it just hasn’t gone away or lessened at all while taking time off. I didn’t feel any other pain.  I’ve been feeling great, have been running on my treadmill each day, completing an hour of 5 minutes walk at 4 mph @ 3 % incline x 5 minutes run at 5 mph @ 3 % incline. My body has been feeling  great my mind jubilant.  The neuroma zingers are as usual and it feels as though I have a giant walnut under my foot. I have been going to book surgery again with my prior neuroma surgeon but I’ve also been  looking  online for various ways of relief other than cortisone shots and the surgery route which I went through with my other foot and neuroma.

I have tried cortisone, foot pads, orthotics, wide shoes, tape,  ice and a zillion other things. As I was searching online I found a Visco-Gel Top Spacer with Stay Put Loop which looked interesting and promising. As I was reading about it I read a comment online from my friend, Sheila, multiple IronMan finisher. She has been using them for years and they have been working for her so I ordered a package and have been using  them every day  since. I am wearing them in  my work shoes, my running shoes, my slippers, everything. I place it between my third and fourth toe, separating those metatarsals. Guess what? I don’t feel   my neuroma! I DON’T FEEL MY NEUROMA!  I can’t even believe it. It’s almost too good to be true.  But I believe.  I am getting a second chance.

If you are suffering be sure to try one of these little guys. It just might work for you, too! I am really excited!

4 YEARS POST HYSTERECTOMY AND RUNNING

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Hysterectomy Recovery For Runners: the phrase that is most searched that reaches my blog.  I thought I'd take the time to complete a follow up on my hysterectomy related to running.

It’s been 4 years since my radical complete hysterectomy. Time has really moved along!  I had it all removed vaginally: the  uterus, the fallopian tubes, the ovaries, the cervix. I had surgery at Mayo in Rochester after my mother, grandmother and aunts were diagnosed with ovarian cancer and cervical cancer.  I had been having a vaginal ultrasound and CA125 (blood test) every 6 months since my Mother’s diagnosis, 9  years ago. Once the tumors on my ovaries began to grow and my CA125 began to increase, it was time to go under the knife.

First of all, there is SO MUCH MISINFORMATION regarding running and hysterectomy!  Who writes that shit? I was truly scared that I wouldn’t run again after all of the garbage I read. I even read from multiple sources that women NEED high levels of estrogen to run. Why? How? What? Ridiculous!

After I had decided to have the hysterectomy I began to look up articles relating to women, hysterectomy and ultra running. There isn’t much out there. I found a site called Hystersisters that had a few running articles available from women but most were dismal, depressing and had the ‘why me’ syndrome. Give me a break.

(if you click on  Hysterectomy  on the left bar you will find all of my hysterectomy related posts)

So, yes, I do run. I run many miles. I love running now just as much as I did prior to hysterectomy.  If you are here researching running and hysterectomy let me tell you that YOU WILL RUN again!  Do not fear that you will have to sit on the couch and become inactive other than the bon bons to the mouth syndrome. Not so. There are changes, however.

I am 50 now. I had my surgery at 46. I hadn’t even started menopause and I believe that banging full force into menopause via hysterectomy is more difficult on one that mellowing up to it…naturally experiencing  a reduction of hormones. I began hot flashes while in the hospital, the day after the surgery. They are still constant and very intense but hey, I can live with them. I no longer change my sheets during the middle of the night..I just go back to sleep in a pile of wet sheets. I became very tired of changing sheets every night. Forget it!

Due to the constant hot flashes I now keep the house at 67F. I’m never cold. I used to keep the house at 72F. No thanks! 

At work I always froze. FROZE!  I wore multiple layers and never removed them. I wore lots of fleece. Now I wear 2 layers and always remove one during the day.

I run with many zippers! I sometimes feel like a hot sausage running down the trail. Zippers allow me to let the steam escape and cool down. Whew! Then I get cold and zip back up.

After the hysterectomy I incurred injury. I experienced a double-whammy. While recovering from hysterectomy I laid upon the couch, looking at my iPhone and iPad, I watched TV with my neck to my chin..I guess. Apparently that movement caused stress upon my spine. I didn’t know it until July, but I herniated two discs in my upper spine-neck at this time.  Painful as hell.

(if you click on herniated discs on the left you will see my posts relating to the discs)

I began to walk slowly in the week  following surgery and by week  two I was walking 4-5 miles each day. Really!

At 6 weeks my surgeon released my restrictions and told me to run freely!  I did!  I was feeling fabulous and began to train for a March half marathon. It went great-other than a bit of dizziness. 

click on Get Luck Half Marathon for the report

After a few months I was feeling a numbness in my right arm. I thought it was due to reaching for the phone at work but eventually was in so much fricken pain I couldn’t run. That is when I learned I had herniated discs. Ugh!

That recovery sucked big time – 4 months or so, but eventually all was well in my world and I was running hundreds again and completely forgot about the herniated discs that I had.

Fast forward a few years and I roll my ankle at Eugene Curnow Trail Marathon. Fractured Ankle.  Superior 100 a few months later. Broken Ankle.Same Ankle. I didn't let it heal.

While recovering from the broken ankle I became depressed.  My mom had passed away from ovarian cancer, my nest was going to become empty soon as Troy would be leaving for college, I was gaining weight with the inactivity. I went to my doctor who I've had since 1991 and decided to go on an antidepressant. They help.

After the ankle healed I went off the antidepressant and continued with my running goals. I thoroughly enjoyed last year. I had a great year. Ran a few marathons, 50Ks, 50 milers and two hundreds. Love that. The depression lifted.

Then Morton’s Neuroma  reared its ugly head.  I found myself depressed, went back on the anti depressant and am now healing. Thank goodness! Now, men have broken ankles and neuroma and this probably isn’t all due to hysterectomy. It’s just ironic that I have rolled ankles before but never broke one!  I had never worn Hokas with a roll though, before, either.  These injuries are probably due to overuse, age, hysterectomy, a bit of everything. 

But why aren't there many women in their 50s and 60s running 100s? That's my big question. I don't understand. In our 50s our children are grown and gone..I would think we have more time to spend to train and travel. Wouldn't it be a great time to run ultras?

After receiving the blood work, blood pressure, cholesterol counts and scale weight at the clinic I had a long conversation with my awesome doctor and we knew what I needed to do to change those results. We went through all of my data. We spoke of what is different now from when I had my healthiest test results. High blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease, cancer..it all runs rampant in my family. My numbers were best while I was eating a vegan diet 2008-2010. Interestingly enough I ran all my PRS from 50K to 100 mile during that time.

(If you click vegan on the left bar you’ll see the related posts)

(if you click Leanhorse you will see the vegan training/outcome)

Just  know, you will run again after hysterectomy. It doesn’t have to have any bearing upon your running at all. Don’t use it as a reason NOT to have hysterectomy. Hysterectomy will affect other areas of your life- you may experience some depression, some weight gain, some injuries, some hot flashes, some memory loss..or you may not..but it doesn’t have to change anything  about your running! You will run again!

If you have ANY questions relating to running and hysterectomy or anything else, please ask! Drop me a comment, let me know how you are dealing with hysterectomy and running or what your fears may be.

Recovery from removal of Morton's Neuroma

Recovery!

I had surgery for removal of Morton’s Neuroma on January 9. It was a pretty painful recovery for the first few days, but nothing like walking around with a tennis ball under my foot prior to surgery. I experienced quite a bit of burning, swelling and immobility. I sat in the recliner with ice on my leg to cool the blood going into my foot and kept my foot raised for the first few days. I took a few pain killers those first few days but then was ok with Advil.

My surgeon restricted work, driving and activity for the first week. She told me that if I over-did it my foot would let me know. Last Sunday I over-did it.  I went to WalMart before Church and then to my sister’s home to visit her new puppy. My foot burned all night long. I couldn’t imagine having the stitches taken out the next day and going without my surgical shoe.

Yesterday I drove Troy back to the U of M after his 5 week Winter Break at home. I then drove myself to my surgeon. She removed all of the dressings, pulled out the stitches and told me I could run next week!  I couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t believe that I would be wearing my Inov-8s home. Yup. I slid into the shoe and walked around a bit.  Amazing. She wrote me a medical note for work releasing me of all restrictions, work and otherwise. Woot!

After I arrived home I told Topaz we’d go for a slow walk.  We walked up and down the driveway a few times. It never felt so great!

My foot looks ugly and sore..but it is getting better each and every day. Yippee!

Morton's Neuroma Surgery

I have made the decision to have foot surgery. Surgery will take place on January 9 at the Centennial Lakes Surgery Center by Dr. Judith Hector of Twin Lakes Ankle and Foot Clinic. After a few opinions I found my way to her via  Helen Scotch and Valeria LaRosa, a friend and fellow ultra runner who had her perform the same procedure a few years ago, successfully. I’m praying that my outcome is the same.

http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/1237552-treatment

I’ve had two shots of cortisone to no avail, tried pads, wider shoes, taping and separating of the toes. Nothing is working.  

I first noticed this pain while running Superior 100. I thought there was  a blister on the ball of my foot but there was nothing that I could see. There were blisters everywhere else!  As I healed and recovered from finishing Superior 100, the pain in the ball of my foot never went away. It felt like I was walking on an acorn.

Morton’s Neuroma is the diagnosis I received after my first appointment that I made with a sports doc.  I had a shot of cortisone which did nothing. I then went to Dr. Judith Hechter of Twin Cities Ankle and Foot Clinic where I received another shot of cortisone and a lengthy discussion of treatments. I’ve tried them all.  After another appointment this week I’ve decided to have surgery.

I’ll go in at 945 on Friday the 9^th and will be back home in the afternoon. She will make an incision at the top of the foot, inbetween  toes 3 and 4. She’ll cut and remove the nerve and neuroma.  I’ll have about 20 stitches and wear an open toed surgical shoe for 10 days.  Over the weekend I’ll keep the foot elevated. On the third day I’ll meet with the doctor again to make sure there is no infection and to confirm that I’m doing well.  I will be able to work, to drive, etc. 

Dr. Hechter says the neuroma is quite large. The size of a quarter. I wasn't surprised.

I’m tiring of this non running business. Once a week really isn’t cutting it. After the Donut Run I was in extreme pain. Each time I run the pain is worse and the nerve zings me for the remainder of the day and the next. It’s really quite horrible.Walking on an acorn is one thing, constant zinging is another.

Walking is painful, running is worse. Swimming is boring. The elliptical hurts. I am able to stand it one place with little weight on the foot and lift weights. At least that is something. 

I recovered from hysterectomy. I recovered from a broken ankle. I’ll recover from this, too. It isn’t easy though. I’m feeling overwhelmed.  I feel like my sobriety is being tested. Like my mental health is being tested. I feel like I’m getting fat – ter by the day.  Maybe it is the first empty nest during the holidays, maybe it is the anniversary of my mom’s death, maybe it turning 50 and not running Across the Years, who knows.

It’s only my foot. It isn’t cancer, right? Buck up, girl.

Twin Cities Marathon 2014: My 40th Marathon!

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Twin Cities Marathon 2014: My 40^th Marathon! 

I can’t even believe that I’ve run 40 marathons. I remember when I first decided that I was going to become a runner. I wrote out my plan. I was going to quit drinking, quit smoking, begin to drink water, to walk, to change my diet, to lose weight and become a runner. In that order. It was the day I became a goal setter.  I wanted the lifestyle that I believed a marathoner would live.

I created that life. I am living that life. I love every day.

This recovery from Superior 100 has been a bit longer than not only my other hundred mile finishes but longer than the other two Superior 100 mile finishes as well.

I didn’t have any of the body fatigue or soreness that sometimes follows a 100 but I did / still do have very sore feet. My poor feet-both were painfully blistered and swollen. After the inflammation subsided and the blisters had dried I was still having foot pain. I described the symptoms to Karl  and he was pretty sure I was suffering from Morton’s Neuroma –as he suffers from the same.  Sure enough, it is the diagnosis I received. I then had a shot of cortisone which I don’t believe did  anything to better than pain.  I posted my dilemma to FaceBook and learned of others suffering from the same problems and the ‘work arounds ‘ they are implementing.

I went into Twin Cities Marathon  not knowing if I could finish due to the foot.  I decided I’d start and then stop if the pain became unbearable. I should have remembered I’m not really sure what unbearable is!

The ride down to Minneapolis was a treat. I rode down with my group of friends that I did RAGNAR as well as Get Lucky and Grizzle Grind together. We’ve had a lot of fun running together this year!  We had a perfect parking spot a few blocks from the start.

The marathon implemented a wave start this year. It really worked well. There was NO congestion, no walking for the first mile. Very slick.

It’s really cool to run down Hennepin Avenue-normally a high traffic area.  Marathon morning it is closed to just the runners. Fabulous!  About a mile from the start I had to stop to go pee.  Instead of waiting in line for a port a pottie near the Walker Art Center I opted to pee with the guys and just stood near the fence, thrusting my hips forward and pulling my shorts to the side. Genius!

The volunteers were amazing! I carried a handheld so each time I needed a refill I stopped at the aid table and the volunteer was very happy to fill my bottle with either water or Gatorade. When asked what I’d like I said whatever is in your jug.

I hadn’t run Twin Cities Marathon since 2012. Many memories came back to me of the past 9 TCM’s I’ve run. People along the route, aches and pains, joys of Boston Qualifiers, tripping over a rake..running Ann’s first TCM where she noticed her tumor in the bathroom stall next to me..…I miss her so. RIP sweet friend, 9 years this February. I was going through the snippets of memories as they were flashing before my eyes.

After Hennepin we ran up the hill through Kenwood and onto the Lakes. Lake of the Isles, Calhoun and Harriet. As I was running Calhoun I looked over and saw Bonnie’s apartment of years gone by towering above the tree line.  I remembered the morning we met at her place  and ran 10 hours around the lakes in prep for McNaughton 100.  The trails were too icy so we ran the roads. Good times. Great memories. Man, we’ve shared a lot. I miss it.

Running around Harriet I thought about all of the fat ass 50Ks I ran with so many friends who no longer run. I never thought those days would end. We are now only a few. Wonder who will be there this December?

I looked to see if Jeffrey would be standing in the spot that I’ve come to see him so many years running TCM.  Nope..I didn’t see him there. No Cowbell.

My foot began to bark at me. Not badly, but it was getting there.

Minnehaha Parkway. A nice long stretch before we hit the River.  Lake Nokomis-too many memories to list!  Forefront in my mind was my FANS 116 mile run. What a day! I thought of the people I shared that day with. I love them so.

By the time I hit  West River Road I was a hurting unit.  I tried to stretch out my toes, give them a bit of space. I had just purchased a brand new pair of my favorite road shoe in a wide this time for more space. Ascis Kayano. I had plenty of support and cushion. I popped an Advil. It took the edge off.

Well, I wasn’t going to stop at 18 miles. No thanks. I’d finish this.  Put the pain away. Disconnect. Ignore. I’m good at this.

I was realizing about this time that I wasn’t really having that much fun. I really wasn’t digging the asphalt and I remember thinking hmmm…this might be my last marathon. I realized I much rather spend my time on trail. I was tired of buildings and concrete and crowds of people whom I didn’t know.

As I neared Summit Avenue I looked for John. I normally see him here. Sure enough, I managed to yell out to him!  It was really nice to see a friendly face.

I continued down Summit, taking in all of the people and their signs, tiring of the large crowds. I knew I was approaching Mile 24 where the TCRC (Twin Cities Running Co)crew would be.

My eye caught Nancy and Alicia in the crowd!  I couldn’t believe it. I ran over for big hugs. So nice to see them along the course! More memories!! So many, too many to list!

I could see the TCRC RV up ahead.  I waved to Kurt, shouted out and moved on.  Two more miles!

The final push is so much fun at TCM. The bells were ringing in the St Paul Cathedral, the flags were flying out about the finish line, the State Capital in view.  I looked at my watch: 4:38. 

We all met at the “O” Sign for our finish photos and our ride home. It was so much fun to hear the adventures each had. What a splendid finish!  I was so spoiled, I had a ride home, too! 

My foot is still not right. It isn’t too bad with a shoe on, but barefoot it feels like I am walking on an acorn.

I’ve had a great come back year for 2014 and the goal was Superior 100.  I did it! A year ago I was walking around with a boot upon my broken ankle.  I feel so blessed. I may just take some time off and heal my running body, lift heavy stuff, recoup and recharge for my next training cycle

After Wild Duluth on Saturday? Not sure, yet.