Well, crap...

For all the trouble (Read about it here) of getting iontophoresis for my plantar fasciitis, I end up with an allergy to the medicine dexomethasone.  Really? Yes, really.  Sometimes you have to wonder if it is fate.  I was not supposed to get iontophoresis for this injury. 

So, I called and made my appointment for my cortisone shot.  Totally dreading the day, but I've survived natural childbirth, so maybe this won't be so bad.  Right?  Just have to wait til Jan. 5th now.  Meanwhile, I've got a new fancy tape job on my foot that my PT is trying.  It took about 20 minutes to do and frankly it feels about the same w/ the tape than without.  It does feel more "supported" though. 

Meanwhile, I ordered torture devices for my heel.  Including a calf stretcher/foot rocker and massage ball which came today in the mail. So, maybe, in addition to all the stuff I'm doing, this will help too.  I'll let you know. 

Iontophoresis- week 2

Best image I've found to describe Iontophoresis

I'm thinking that the cortisone shot is in my near future.  I have now done 6 our of 10 treatments of dexamethasone via iontophoresis and my foot is still the same. 

I tried the "other" way of doing iontophoresis yesterday.  Instead of a patch that I had to wear for 24 hours, I had to have the patches on for 20 mins. and have them attached to a "gizmo"-I'm very tech saavy, can't you tell?    I'm hoping that it works better.  I did feel the current, slightly tingling sensation on the patches so maybe? just maybe the medicine is getting in. 

Short post today, must take advantage of kids and hubby out of the house.  More shopping and present wrapping in my future!  

Here are links to my adventures with Iontophoresis:
Iontophoresis day 1
Iontophoresis week 1

Iontophoresis- week 1

I've been doing these iontophoresis patches now for a week. I'm on patch number 4.  I have to wear them for 24 hrs then off for another 24 before getting another.  I'm not sure if it's really working yet.  I always say that I'm cautiously optimistic.  I tend to have a "good day" then it hurts like hell the next or later in the day.  Saturday was one of those days. 

 I'd gotten my 3rd patch on Friday afternoon and I was feeling good Saturday am.  I'd walked to my spinning class from the car and it felt actually normal- no pain!  Since these classes are so popular you have to get there at least 30 mins before to get a bike, so what do I do until the class?  Usually I go and do my PT stretches and work on my core but since my heel was feeling fine I decided to go on the indoor track.  I am really proud that I didn't run- it was really hard not to "just try it out" but walked instead for about 10 minutes.  It felt great.  Awesome.  Iontophoresis must be working...

...or not.  In the afternoon, Buster and I had gone to do some Christmas shopping for DH and Cub.  I was limping around the entire time.  It was a sharp, stabbing, burning pain.  I came home and cried from pain and frustration.  I've never felt so frustrated.  I like to shop.  And I can't. :-(  I spent the rest of the day "resting" and icing.   

I talked to my PT today about my ankle flexibility and we checked.  I was at 0 degrees with my right and -1 degree on my injured left foot.  Now I'm at 4 degrees on right, 6 on left.  Normal is between 10-20 degrees.  Wow.  Trying to stay positive.  At least I improved! Baby steps. Just another umm 9 weeks to get to 12 degrees? 

As for the iontophoresis, my PT said that it would start feeling better like it did on Saturday am.  I just need to be patient.   Not one of my virtues.

Iontophoresis- day 1

My lovely Iontophoresis patch on my heel.

For those of you who are curious.  Here's what wikipedia says about it: 

Iontophoresis (a.k.a. Electromotive Drug Administration (EMDA)) is a technique using a small electric charge to deliver a medicine or other chemical through the skin. It is basically an injection without the needle. (My emphasis)The technical description of this process is a non-invasive method of propelling high concentrations of a charged substance, normally a medication or bioactive agent, transdermally by repulsive electromotive force using a small electrical charge applied to an iontophoretic chamber containing a similarly charged active agent and its vehicle. One or two chambers are filled with a solution containing an active ingredient and its solvent, also called the vehicle. The positively charged chamber, called the anode, will repel a positively charged chemical, whereas the negatively charged chamber, called the cathode, will repel a negatively charged chemical into the skin.

I stopped my my PT office and my therapist put the dexamethasone on the neg. side and a solution (I didn't ask what) on the positive side.  It took about 10 minutes. I have to wear it for 24 hrs.  My PT said it would take about 3 times before I started noticing a difference.   If the patch doesn't stay on-since it's on the foot/ankle- I might have to do the wired version which would require me to stay at for 20 mins at the pt office.  Hopefully this will work!  I'm much calmer going into my Dr. appt tomorrow knowing I won't get a cortisone shot.

More tomorrow...
Edit:  Had my Dr. appt today- told me to stretch more.  Wow.  That's why he gets the big bucks.- He did offer to give me the cortisone shot, I politely declined (for now).   Having my pity party- PF sucks. 

Roller coaster kind of week

The Gemini at Cedar Point.  My first roller coaster.

High & Low What a week of ups and downs!  So last weekend I was completely freaking out about possibly getting the cortisone shot in my heel.  Well, did I get it? Nope.  Apparently, doctors get sick.  I actually had my appointment cancelled on me.  Needless to say, I was relieved that I wasn't going to get the shot but I was annoyed since I have to wait another week to get in to see the doctor.  
High & Low I was having a frustrating day in general and really wanted to workout.  Well, our local rec center doesn't offer spinning on Mondays but they do offer zumba...hmmm...I haven't been to zumba in over 2 months.  I love zumba and I have a ton of friends who are regulars at zumba so I decided what the hell, might as well try it.  I told myself I'd do a song at a time and if it hurt too much I'd leave the class.  I know you are all thinking- gee, Heather, that might actually not be a good thing to be doing...- I know, I know. Anyways, it hurt about as much as normal walking- although I did modify the jumping stuff.  I lasted about 30 minutes and decided that I shouldn't push myself  too much.  Well... apparently 30 mins was too much.... Tuesday I could hardly walk and limped around work the whole day. Can't complain since I did it to myself and it was great to see my zumba buddies again! 

Low I called the Dr's office and left a message about getting the medicine for the iontophoresis that I was going to talk to the Dr about at the now cancelled appointment.  My PT has been trying to get a hold of the Dr office to get the prescription for the medicine for a while- it's been phone tag and a bit of lack of understanding on how iontophoresis works by numerous people.  So I left a long and rambling voice mail with the physician's assistant about the prescription that I needed, and how I was in a lot of pain, and they cancelled on me and now I had to wait another week. blah blah blah.  That was on Tuesday- I didn't hear anything from them and I had given up that they'd actually act on my voice mail.  Figured I was going to have to wait until next Tuesday. 


High I did manage to get spinning in though this week.  I love my spinning class.  There are only 14 bikes so you have to get there early.  There are about 12 regulars and then the random 2 that got lucky to get in who are new to spinning.  Our instructor is great, great music, great conversation (although- important- not too much talking).  The regulars are all really friendly and chatty so it's a nice bunch of people to ride with.  Our instructor named us the Pitbulls named for good ol' Pitbull.  Anyways, our instructor printed off little certificates for the regulars. I didn't consider myself a "real" regular yet since I've only been going for a month.  But he gave me a certificate too!  Nothing like feeling like part of a group! 

Let's hope these little guys are worth all the trouble to get them!

High Yesterday (Friday) I get a message that the PT office got the script and I could come and pick up and get the medicine.  Yippee!  If I start the iontophoresis then I won't get the shot!  So, after work, run over to the PT office, get the script, run over to Sam's club who seem to be the only pharmacy that carries/knows about how to do the medicine.
Low I get there and they don't know how to do this prescription for Dexamethazone. Apparently- when they looked it up they needed a strength which wasn't on the script.   So they call my Dr.'s office (on a Friday afternoon at 4) and left a voicemail.  They told me that if they got the strength then they could order it and get it in by Monday.  Not what I wanted to hear.  I was really hoping to get started this weekend on it.    Call my PT- he's surprised that they don't know/ and he's never needed the strength on the script before since he's sent other patients there and they knew what they were doing.  By this time, I"m in my frustrated/tearing up stage.  Seriously, why is this so hard? 

High So, drive home, and get a  voice mail on my phone (love AT&T) (How'd I miss the call?) Anyways, the pharmacist who does know what this was, happened to stop by Fri at Sam's club and the pharmacist showed them what it was.  Yay! So back in the car I go, back to Sam's to pick this stuff up.   
Low PT is now closed so I'm going to go during work on Monday, since I want to have at the patch on for at least 24hrs before my dr. appt.  I hope this iontophoresis is worth it...  

Anyone else have a crazy emotional week like me? 

Thanksgiving, etc.

Hi everyone,
I've been a complete slacker when it comes to blogging this week.  My life has not been too exciting, except for the fact that my poor dh has been sick, and we had company over Thanksgiving.  Woo Hoo, exciting stuff!

Actually, other than the hubby being sick, we had a great Thanksgiving.  It was the first time in about 5 years that I actually hosted.  My mom and step-dad brought my nephew down to visit.  We had a great time.  My nephew and my oldest son are only 8 months apart so they are into the same stuff and Buster (younger by 2.5 years) was able to join in more of the fun this year.  Lego and Hero Factory galore!

I was a bit stressed since I had to do the bird.  Gulp.  Thank God for the Barefoot Contessa cookbooks.  Everything always turns out golden.  I also have to thank Dorothy Lane Market for their awesome pies and rolls.  That made it a bit easier!  We have a family recipe for rolls that is a "tradition" in our family but frankly, it requires way too much work, and I don't have the kitchen or time to do them.  So dinner was great.  Much relief on my side of things.  My mom and I got out of the house (while the bird was in the oven and went for a walk around the neighborhood.  We probably walked about 2.5 miles.  It was nice to visit and get some exercise outside for a change.  I haven't had a "workout" outside since beginning of Oct.  My heel was bugging me the whole time (not enough to make me say we have to cut it short) but it was killing me when we got back and later at the movies)

We took the boys to see Puss in Boots  in the evening.  They liked it, much cat humor (if you're a cat person), but it was a bit long in parts. Overall, it was  good Thanksgiving.  I was really happy that my stepdad was able to make it since he's been ill this year.

Today I went early to sign up for spinning, then I decided to hop on the treadmill and walk a bit.  Of course, being the treadmills that I was doing some of my training runs on, it was extremely difficult to "just walk".  I was feeling good Friday and Sat am, so figured I might as well try it.  (Even though I knew I had a "bad"day with my heel just 2 days ago) I managed to walk 1/4 mile, run 1/2 mile (at 10:00 pace- slow for me) and walk 1/4 mile.
Overall, one mile.  It didn't feel bad.  I didn't limp, and I went slow enough that my heel didn't bother me! (score!)  I stopped myself from doing more, since the nature of Plantar Fasciitis is pain after the activity, not during, so I didn't want to over do it.  It's been about 10 hrs and I'm still feeling good so, maybe?, I'm on the mend. 

Monday, is my follow dr. appt.  I made that 6 weeks ago, and when I did, I figured I'd cancel it since I'd be better by then.  Hah!  Instead, I'm wondering if I should  go ahead and get the cortisone shot or do the iontophoresis that my PT suggested.  I looked up my insurance coverage- which doesn't cover iontophoresis but I'm still not liking the idea for the shot.  Iontophoresis is less invasive since no long needles need to be shoved under my heel pad and wiggled around, but it takes up to 12 times for it to work.  Both seem to be "temporary" fixes with it only working for a month or so.  I guess that will be convo for the dr.  I'm sure your on pins and "needles" waiting for what happens, right?

ummm, wrong way

Warning: whine-fest

Last weekend we tackled raking our backyard.  Innocent enough, right? That isn't exercise...really.  Well, after raking, hauling tarps of leavings up hill and on lumpy grass, my heel was killing.  I had been feeling great the few days before (really starting like I was getting somewhere in the recovery dept) and suddenly I was back to feeling like I'd run 5 miles the day before (would have loved to have actually done that). 
This whole week has just been a huge step backward.  Walking at work has hurt more than usual.
Tuesday's spinning class hurt when I stood got out of the saddle (which I did modify btw). grumble grumble grumble.

Weds. I had PT and I now believe that the ultrasound actually does do something because I felt way better after.  Weds. night spinning class was back to normal didn't feel anything when I got off the saddle.  

The mornings have been worse too.  I have been wearing a night splint since the beginning of this whole Plantar Fasciitis stuff. (48 days- not that I'm counting) The night splint has been keeping my foot in position so that when I get up in the morning it doesn't re-tear/stretch the plantar fascia.  I version I have has velcro around the toes and the velcro has gotten a bunch of fuzz (flannel sheets) on it recently and it has been unhooking in the middle of the night.  I've woke up and fixed it but I don't think it's as tight as it should be.  I tried wearing the sock splint but that one drives me crazy since it pulls on my toes and the velcro by the knee rubs my skin. 

As for treatment, my PT left a message w/ my dr. about getting a script for the iontophoresis.  Which according to the mayoclinic.com  "Iontophoresis, in which a corticosteroid solution is applied to the skin over the painful area and the medication is absorbed with the aid of a nonpainful electric current".  I really hope I can try this since foolishly I looked up on youtube cortisone shot for plantar fasciitis.  Holy crap- I really don't want it now.  I didn't realize, it's not a normal shot.  1. needle is huge, 2. they move it around while it's in your heel, 3. it hurts like hell (at least for the girl who recorded herself getting one)  I won't post the video since I can't watch it again.  Anyone have experience with a cortisone shot? 

Let's hope next week is better!  Off to stretch! (and unfortunately rake the front yard- as least there are less leaves!)