Monday, September 23, 2013

Na Na Na Boo Boo?

You know how when you tell someone you love dearly something- like, where you think a lost item is, or that their bike is going to get rusty from being left on the porch because the rain gets there, too or that they can't trust a certain friend, and then it turns out you were completely right and you find the lost item, the bike gets rusty, and the friend commits a blatant act of betrayal, but you don't want to stick out your tongue and gloat about being right because you love the person dearly and you don't like to see them suffering?(Or . That sentence went on so long, I'm not sure whether it ended up being a question or a statement.)  This is like that.  Well, sort-of.  I mean, I don't love Dr. Schmoctor, but I do love running (dur).  I probably don't care that it might hurt his feelings or damage his credibility with his other patients if I limped marched into the office and waved around my MRI results while chanting something like:

You're not a doctor but neither am I
You're not a doctor but neither am I
You didn't want to order an MRI
You didn't want to order an MRI
You said my problem was bur-si-tis
You said my problem was bur-si-tis
That's what we call a swing and a miss
That's what we call a swing and a miss
Sound off!
You were wrong
Wrong Wrong
Sound off!
I was right
Right Right
Na na na na BOO BOO!


I'm not really one to brag, though, about being right.  It is enough to know that I have proof that I told him so.  I told everyone so!  

Since I've been very grumpy whiny busy eating chocolate focused on other things and haven't written a blog post in a while, I'll sum up for you. 
7/4: Flat white flip-flops are the only shoes that match my 4th of July party outfit.  My calves hurt after standing all day in them.

7/8: Marathon training starts, despite my still-hurting calves.
7/9-8/10: Marathon mileage buildup at a totally safe rate.  Seriously.  Calves hurt at the beginning of each run, usually felt better a few miles in.  Around the beginning of August, I took a few days off because my left calf was hurting really bad.  I had a few bad runs because of the pain, but I could still run.
8/10: 12 mile, hilly run.  My left knee started to hurt during the last 3 miles.  Took a couple of days off.

8/21: 1st Chiropractor appointment.  Knee and calf had still been sore, despite only running twice in 11 days. Chiropractor convinced me that the problem was my hips, which makes perfect sense.  She stuck some KT tape under my knee, cracked me from top to bottom, and told me I could run.
8/23: Ran, it hurt.
8/24: Ran, it hurt much, much, much worse, and in a different spot.  My knee felt okay, but my calf and upper shin hurt very badly.
8/27: 2nd Chiropractor appointment.  Same diagnosis, same treatment.  She did check for signs of a clot in my leg since I told her that my left calf was so sore.  Too much pain to run, too much internet reading to ignore the signs of a stress fracture.
9/4: Dr. Schmoctor diagnoses my pain as bursitis, despite the fact that bursitis is usually more knee and less shin.  Injects me with cortisone, says I can run after 2 days, when I should be pain-free.
9/4 (later): Solar Cortisone flare, lots and lots and lots of pain and swelling.
9/6: Pain back to normal level, I run.  It hurts, but I don't care.
9/6-8: Pain much worse
9/10: Pain back to normal level, I run again.  It hurts a lot.  I care a little.
9/13: Second visit to Dr. Schmoctor, he admits that if it had been bursitis, I would be completely without pain.  Orders an MRI.  I don't ask whether or not I can run, because I'm sure that I shouldn't.
9/20: MRI.  It's an even louder "wowd" than I had expected. I fall asleep for 2 minutes at a time, several times throughout the procedure.  Impressive, no?
9/23: Baby's 18-month birthday!  My old friend Will's 34th birthday!  Terrible, awful, frightening migraine!  Phone call on behalf of Dr. Schmoctor with the MRI results.  "Mrs. Knowitall?  You have a stress fracture.  Try to not put any weight on that leg, and come back Wednesday."

Remember my engagement?  It's officially off.  I'm very sad about it, but I'll be alright.  Just like when a relationship ends, it's hard to stop thinking about all the things you're missing.  But then, eventually, you're able to recognize that if the relationship had been perfect, if the other person had been meant for you, you would still be together.  Savannah Rock 'n' Roll and I are not meant to be together.  I'm confident that soon, I'll find my Husband of marathons.  My Race Charming will come along and sweep me off my feet, and those 26.2 miles will feel like I'm riding on a white steed.  

My Prince
Let me ask your advice, for once.  Should I make a big deal about Dr. Schmoctor's misdiagnosis?  


4 comments:

  1. Don't make a big deal, but don't go to him every again! Oh, and that white steed is NOT gonna feel like flip flops. I blame the evil flip flops for the entire debacle. OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!

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  2. I believe you should hold Dr. accountable by having him explain why no MRI after your first visit. Given the possibility of a stress fracture, even if he thought bursitis was more likely, seems like he ought to have ruled out the stress fracture before telling you to run more and see what happens.

    Seems to me at a minimum he delayed your recovery, and put you at risk for even more serious injury. I'd put it to him in those words, levelly and without heat, and ask him to explain why he chose to do so, or explain what part you don't understand.

    Also sorry about Savannah. :(

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  3. I agree that the Dr. should have tried to rule out the stress fracture before proceeding with treatment for bursitis. He should probably be called on it, but I know that if I were in your place, I would not be able to do it.
    Was he apologetic at all? (Never mind. He probably wasn't.)

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