Went to the podiatrist today. X-rays came out okay, but he diagnosed me with Morton's Neuroma. Basically my nerve is wacky at the second metatarsal. Normally, this occurs between the 3rd and 4th metatarsals, which is why I initially dismissed morton's, even though it most closely matched what I was feeling based on descriptions I read from google searches. The pod said it can be treated with a cortisone shot, surgery, or a series of alcohol injections. I told him to do whichever one worked. So he stuck a needle in my the top of my foot and shot me up full of alcohol. Now my foot is quite drunk and happy, but I imagine it will be cranky and sensitive to light in the morning. The pod said this treatment has about a 90% success rate. The idea is that since the nerve is the problem, then we will just kill the nerve. Problem solved. Gotta love American medicine. I asked him if this was a running injury. He said running probably made it come on faster, but I was doomed to get it anyway. That's always nice to know. Then I asked him how long I need to stay off of it, and he said that I didn't. 'So I can run?' I asked. 'Run to your heart's content,' he said. Not the answer I was expecting but I'll take it. When I got home, I ran to the gym, then did 20 minutes on the elliptical, 2x10 4-way hip @ 100 lbs, and 2x20 lunges @ 20 lbs. Ran home. The forefoot is pretty numb, and handled running fine. But we'll see how it feels in a bit. At this point, I figure any running I can do this year is bonus, so if I can do it, great, if not I'll just focus on getting ready for our baby and not worry about it.
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