Went to the ortho yesterday (01/03/13). Doc: “I saw you on the schedule and thought, ‘What’s she doing back here?’” Me: “No offense, but I never wanted to see you again, either.”
Anyway - He thinks the problem might be circulatory. I’m having nerve issues in the foot, it’s colder than the other foot, and the color doesn’t bounce back as fast when you put pressure on the skin. There’s a main artery that runs along the top of the foot and takes a dive deep into the foot as it heads between the big toe and the next toe. He thinks that might be part of the problem - maybe it’s getting pinched.
I’m being scheduled for an MRI to rule out the possibility of the beginnings of a stress fracture or bony protrusion pinching the nerves or that main artery. If nothing shows up on the MRI, he is thinking of referring me to a vascular surgeon. Also, he has a doctor friend in Mammoth Lakes who not only deals with ultrarunners and their foot issues, but is an ultrarunner himself (Mike Karch, M.D.). Depending on the results of the MRI, he may call and consult with him. Mammoth Lakes a 9-hour drive from here, but if Dr. Walter thinks I would benefit from seeing his friend, I will be there lickety split.
As for what I’m allowed to do - basically anything that doesn’t hurt. If I want to try running, try. If it hurts, don’t do it. I asked about still running WS 3-day training camp and Mt. Hood, and he said he doesn’t see either of those being an issue (although he did hesitate for a micro second re WS).
So I will forego my race plans in Feb/Mar/April (for now), concentrate on finding out exactly what’s going on with my foot, and make WS , Mt. Hood, and (hopefully) Headlands 50 my main goals. I plan to do some power walking tomorrow to see how things feel before I contemplate running again.
PS - I looked up Dr. Karch on the 'net. He works with a lot of world class athletes.
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