Somehow

Life moves along. Here I am, early in the morning and not feeling too bad. The left heel pain is absent again this morning and yet the right hip pain remains. It's a 'deep' pain; one that can't be eased with warmth or cooling. I'm back to using ibuprofen regularly again and avoiding the Vicodin when I can.

I did a lot of standing yesterday and that didn't help at all. The hip pain did return quickly and stayed with me for an hour or so.

Here's my take on the epidural injection. It won't work. Yes, the left heel pain is gone and the right leg pain is moderated. But it feels tenuous. Maybe it's early yet and I should wait before making an decisions? What I do know for sure is the fact that I don't want any more epidural injections without sedation. Lots of sedation. Well, I have an appointment to meet with the doctor and review all of this on the 23^rd of this month. I'm sure we'll talk about it.

I found this bit of text written on the 23^rd of February. Back when I didn't know what was wrong with me and was getting ready for the Durham Almond Blossom 5K… "I have taken a dose of ibuprofen early this morning and I will take a few more just before I leave the house. I want to make sure I can avoid the sore hip that has been plaguing me for the past few weeks." The drugs must have worked as I ended up that morning with a plaque that says I was the fastest in my class. But who knows what I did to vertebrae while I was racing? The ibuprofen and the adrenaline masked my pain that morning.

Ha! If only that was all I needed. A few ibuprofen. Close to 9 months later and I still don't have a real solution for the pain of Stenosis. But I've met a lot of the members of the medical community here in the north state! And I feel that I will be meeting even more of them.

But…back to my marathon plans. Yes, I still have them. I still find it hard to describe the incredible feeling of accomplishment that comes with the crossing of the finish line after 26.2 miles. And I want that feeling again.