Friday, May 19, 2006

My Left Foot

I haven't been out on a run in two months. This is not by choice, mind you, but because of my dodgy left foot [insert joke about Academy Award winning movie here].

I've taken Nurofen. I've put ice on it. I've applied anti-inflammatory cream. I've tried to rest, but as any mother will tell you, that's impossible to do.

After two trips to the doctor and one X-ray, I finally hobbled to the orthopedist today. His diagnosis was that it was either a stress fracture or an inflamed joint on my toe. But first we must take an MRI.

"Ooh! An MRI!!" I thought. "They get those on ER all the time. I know I must bring my iPod because I have to sit still for a long time. I've always wanted one of those. This is exciting!"

The doctor went on to say that if it was an inflamed joint, I'll need to get a shot of cortizone. Then I said, "Just like a real athlete!"

Now I have to wait until the MRI in two weeks' time, to find out what exactly the problem is. I will keep MarathonMum fans posted.

In the interim, there will be no running (Obviously, since I can hardly walk, but still...Boo! I'm really, really starting to miss it), rest, and more Nurofen. Crucially, I need to stay off my feet as much as possible. We'll see if that can be done as a mother of two.

2 comments:

Kathy K said...

Sorry to ruin your fun, but the only thing the ipod will be good for is sitting in the waiting room. Even though they may only MRI your foot/leg, you can't have anything with any metal at all in the room....it is a giant magnet! Metal would be bad, very very bad. Although the ipod is a lot of plastic, I don't think it is MRI-rated. The docs might pipe in some "musak" for you...or if it is a really, really modern medical facility, maybe they have an ipod hook up at the control panel. (I'm laughing at the thought of the UK having that...) If you have to go into the entire tube, and have any fear of enclosed spaces, a sedative might be in order. So the good news is...it will be quiet...forced stillness, and no multi-tasking allowed. Have fun! -Kathy

Kathy K said...

Alas, there is still hope for some fun here. You could show your MRI to all your friends on your IPOD!

Taken from RSNA News -December 2004
http://www.rsna.org/publications/rsnanews/dec04/ipod-1.html

"The iPod is not just for music any more. Radiologists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and their colleagues at other institutions from as far away as Europe and Australia are now using iPod devices to store medical images."

Once again, not sure about the UK and the likelihood of a firewire connection to download to your ipod. -Kathy