Wednesday, March 19, 2008

'Brace' Yourself

Or I could have titled this post "Interchangeable Doctors."

First and foremost, I arrived early this morning to see Dr. C, only to be told that he was in surgery and they couldn't reach me. WTF? This proves that they DO NOT ever read the zillions of pages of forms they make you fill out. All THREE of my numbers are clearly listed. Whatever! Hmph!

So back I went at 2 PM. After much waiting, in walks Dr. B -- not Dr. C. That was OK, since I saw Dr. B in 2005 and know him, and he was the one who gave me the torn peroneal tendon diagnosis over the phone when Dr. C was out. He said "How's the foot?" I unenthusiastically said "OK." "OK?" he asked, as if I should have said 'fantastic,' I guess.

Then he looked over my records. As if a lightbulb had just gone off, he asked "How long since you've last ran?" "Sixty-five days," I boldly proclaimed! He was amused by my accuracy. He then proceeded to quip "How long have you been sober?" HA HA HA!

He asked "What are these notes?" making reference to the piece of paper in my lap. "They're my questions," I answered. Here they are with his answers:

1. How will we know when I am "healed"? We'll judge by how I feel, basically. Taking another MRI is not the answer. If we picked 100 people off the street with no known ankle/tendon problems, no two MRI's would be the same.

2. How can we assess my progress? Again, by how I feel and how comfortably I can perform.

3. Will any supplements help? Or Eastern medicine? I'll do anything! Not that I'm aware of, but do take a calcium supplement and a Vitamin C supplement, on top of what your multi-vitamin provides.

He asked me to flex my foot out to the right as far as possible, and then he examined it by pushing on it in all sorts of ways. None of that prodding hurt, and he seemed to be pleased with that. I told him that squatting down no longer hurt, and that used to send me through the ceiling!

Then he left the room and a nurse brought me a brace.


Gameday Ankle Brace (hey that's what it's called!)

She showed me how to put it on; it's a combination of mesh, laces and velcro straps. I anxiously awaited Dr. B's return. I thought "$250 for a boot for only one month?" (That's how much they charged my insurance for it, anyway.) In he walked, and I immediately asked what was up with the brace (DA BRACE, you know). He said in two weeks I can begin to wear the brace when I am doing leisurely things, like hanging out at home, etc. If it's "big stuff," like going out to the store, etc. I still have to wear DA BOOT. Fine, Dr. B!!!!

I go back to see him (or Dr. C, who knows) in four more weeks. He did state that DA BRACE was what I'd be transitioning into anyway. So I have great hope. Maybe, just maybe, in four weeks I can return to some sort of fun activity. That's my take on the situation, anyway. Hooray!

15 comments:

ShirleyPerly said...

Great news!! I'm sure Da Brace will be much more comfortable than Da Boot for just hanging out. And if you want to get out of doing squats for a bit longer, don't tell Tonya they don't hurt any more ;-)

jeanne said...

terrific news! i wonder how they come up with these time frames though. two weeks...but he's telling you it depends on how you feel..

i guess he's the doctor!

Maddy said...

Yay! Da Brace! And before you know it, Da Brooks!

I think you're in a good place. You've done what the doctors have asked and you are healing!

MarathonChris said...

Congrats, it looks like you are making some real progress!!! You will be out running around before you know it :-)

Kim said...

Glad to hear you're making progress. 2 upcoming things to keep you motivated---warmer weather and increased activity!

Bev said...

Progress! Yeah! Now keep yourself under control. You're almost there.

Cheryl said...

Moving forward, that's always a good thing!!

P.O.M. said...

Think: The little train that could! You'll get there... soon!

CewTwo said...

It definitely sounds like progress to me!

Unknown said...

Moving in the right direction! Now, don't forget that when you are doing the heavy duty stuff to get DA Boot Out. If you have to question whether or not you should wear it... imagine me pointing my finger at you.

I am very pleased at the progress on your recovery... steady forward susan steady forward...

Jade Lady said...

Glad to hear it! Da Brace looks so much more comfortable than Da Boot!

Sunshine said...

Best wishes for wellness, running, freedom from pain!

Unknown said...

Da Brace, Da Brace!! Woo-hoo on the no pain with the squats (I think I may be an oddity, I actually enjoy doing squats, walking lunges are another story).

Eating healthy on the road = lots and lots of Subway veggie sandwiches. I also carry a thermoelectric cooler that I stock with fruit, veggies, hummus, and precooked steel cut oats. Also carry peanut butter and tuna pouches for protein and wayyyy too many protein bars (lara bars are my fave). Need to get back to the healthier eating though, while I was sick salty french fries were the only thing I could keep down and I haven't stopped eating them since.

Petraruns said...

Da Brace is also a style improvement on Da Boot - but don't you just love this medical looking into a crystal ball stuff? You know that I know exactly what you're going through on - keep strong..

Jessica said...

Susan,
When I ran my first (not last) marathon, I had all sorts of problems. The doctor I went to actually runs ultra marathons and understood EXACTLY what was up. Does Dr. C or Dr. B seem like the kind of folk that actually are into and understand exteme sport folk like yourself? If you want the name of my doctor, I can look it up. He made a huge difference!