Nothing Like a Shot of Alcohol!

So, it was time for a follow-up appointment with the podiatrist to look at my foot and see how that neuroma is doing. My foot hurt for a good week or two after the cortisone shot, but has felt pretty good since. Of course, I am not doing a lot of miles – no more than 4 or 5 at a time, and most of those are my fast walking pace rather than a lot of running.

The doctor said that while the neuroma is a little smaller, it is still very evident, and he recommended another injection, this time with alcohol. The idea is that the alcohol will “short circuit” the nerve in the irritated area. The nerve will stop sending pain signals to the brain, the brain will stop sending inflammation signals to the nerve, and the neuroma will be absorbed and disappear. That is the principal, but of course, only time will tell if it works that way. Time, and a lot more miles. I will probably have to repeat these shots for several months.

One of the key things will be whether it hurts when I hike. I am not going hiking this weekend, but will hope to next weekend. I also want to start adding training miles and add running back in as the cooler weather approaches. If I am doing all that, and the pain isn’t coming back, then things are headed in the right direction. If the pain comes back, surgery may be the ultimate answer, but that will leave a little part of my left forefoot without sensation.

I am getting a little taste of a triathlon Sunday morning. I am going to volunteer to crew the “Pink Power” sprint tri. All the participants are women and all the volunteers are men, so it is a fun event for everyone. There will be a lot of pink, lavender, and purple out there. I will wear a purple TNT shirt to fit right in, and maybe my pink “energizer bunny” ears. It should be fun, and plus I am helping out fellow athletes. I will blog about that Sunday.

I will also blog in a few days about an interesting experience with Wellsphere. That may be of interest to other bloggers, and make them more aware and alert than I was, not to say less dumb!