Haven’t posted in a few weeks, but that’s to be expected with all the stuff I had going on! So, a quick recap:

1. I ran and survived the Turkey Day 5k. It was cold, but I had a lot of fun! Thanksgiving dinner turned out brilliantly and delicious, but I ate most of it myself because…
2. Tim was hit with a debilitating flare up of TMJ the night before Thanksgiving bad enough that I took him to Urgent Care the day after Thanksgiving. Thus, he could only eat squash and mashed potatoes. Anything else, and he was in crippling pain. A prescription of Vicodin (and no shortage of Dr. House jokes), doctors orders to not talk (meaning he couldn’t work) and about 5 days later, he could at least eat again. Then…
3. Tim had a tooth infection and needed a root canal. Luckily, that went smoothly.
4. Both huge events at work went off without a hitch…and a ton of OT.
5. I’ve been putting in extra time in at Ye Olde Part Tyme Jobbe, due to the holidays (it is retail, you know). But, I think the extra standing, along with the Turkey Day 5k and the Santa Run to Benefit Legal Aid on 12/5, caused my own bit of trouble…

Periodically, when I run, I would get a pain in the ball of my foot, in what feels like the first metatarsal knuckle of my fourth toe (the “ring finger” one). In the past, I just reduced/cut back the running, took ibuprofen and iced it down and usually it would work itself out. I attributed it to 1) being old, 2) a side effect of crushing my pinky toe in the Summer of 2005 and 3) all the running I do.

But ever since the Santa Run, the pain has gotten worse, despite the fact that I haven’t been running on it since the 5th. It got so bad that I made an appointment to see a podiatrist on Wednesday for the next day.

Fast forward to my appointment and after an examination and some x-rays, she determined that I don’t have a stress fracture in my foot, but a neuroma. Here’s a non-gross picture to illustrate what’s going on:

Yesterday, before my appointment, it hurt so bad to walk on it. It felt like I was stepping on a twisting knife with each step. The doctor decided that I need a corticosteroid shot in my foot to alleviate the swelling, pressure and extreme pain that I was experiencing. The good thing was that the doctor (also a runner) has the EXACT same problem with her foot, so I felt good about the diagnosis and treatment.

Speaking of the treatment, I must have a high tolerance for pain because before she gave me the shot she said “now this is going to hurt A LOT, so just remember to breathe.” So I sat there, not jumping or flinching, breathing in and out through my nose and making one “hmmm” sound when it got really bad. I must’ve impressed the doctor because she said “Wow. I screamed like I was insane when I got that shot!” I just shrugged.

Today, the sharp pain is gone (replaced by a dull ache) and I can once again walk normally. However, because of the shot (a powdered, time-release steroid in an inert liquid), it feels like I have something in my shoe – it’s a weird feeling. After 10 days, if the pain isn’t completely gone, I’ll need to go in for another shot. The doctor said that was pretty rare, but that I should keep track just in case.

Next week, I’m taking Tim to the airport for him to fly home to spend time with his family for a week, so I’ll be alone for Christmas Eve and Day. (My family’s Christmas is the first weekend in January) But, I’m looking forward to it as I’ll have two glorious days off where I can do absolutely NOTHING but take baths, wear my PJs all day, watch movies Tim doesn’t like, play video games and eat whatever and whenever I want! I’ll miss Tim terribly, but it’ll be nice to indulge myself in some “me time” as well. Besides, we have phones and video chat, so it’s not like we won’t talk. It’ll be like old times!

I’m debating on putting up my tree – it just seems to be more work than it’s worth this year, especially since it’s already a week before Christmas.

Hope you and yours have a fabulous Christmas!