We're Off To See The Doctor!

So after a spring and early summer filled with ooches and ouches, I finally went for a visit with the doctor today. My original reason was to get a referral for physical therapy, but I was hopeful that this doctor could tell me what I'm doing wrong without making more visits.

The short answer? Nope.

My mom accompanied me on this visit. I prefer to have company. Someone to talk to while I wait, ask questions I don't think of, and remember what they tell me. She's never objected so I keep asking her along.

The nurse who checked us in added an inch to my height. I've been 5'4" for as long as I can remember - where'd that extra inch come from? Must be all the chiropractor visits. She asked me a bunch of questions and took my pulse (84) and blood pressure (124/74). They also calculated my BMI (Body Mass Index) to be 26.63. In case you aren't too familiar (and I had to look it up myself) that puts me in the overweight range. Peachy. I've been there for a while now but every time I hear it I get a bit angry with it. One day I'll be back in their normal range! Here is a handy dandy BMI calculator if you're interested in that, but I warn you, just like a number on a scale you can become obsessed with your BMI. Are you active? Are you healthy? Then keep working towards your goal and don't look at the number.

When the doctor came in she asked if I was having trouble with my knee. Nope, that was March. I explained that I was there mostly for a referral but hoped she could give me some answers. I told her my most recent pain was the thigh/groin so she focused her attention on that. She asked me when it hurts most (Getting out of the car, and mornings, it's like I walk into work like Frankenstein!), if it stops hurting after it's had a good warm up (more or less, except for last Saturday when it felt like grinding), she asked if I stretch good before my runs (I do). She also asked how often/far I run. I tried to give a good estimate but with the injuries it's hard to do. Eventually we settled on "I run 3 miles Saturday and 6 miles Sunday" - she told me to spread out the runs a little better. Maybe take 3 days in between each run, and add only 10% distance each time. She said, "That means if you usually run 5 blocks, run 6 blocks the next time."

She had me push against her with either leg, she moved my leg around and asked, "Does this hurt?" No. "Does this hurt?" Nope.... My injuries come and go and currently, while I can notice a discomfort in my thigh it's really not a pain at all. I did my best to describe this and added that most of my trouble had been lifting the leg/getting it to move out of the car.

My mom pointed out the healing blisters on my feet. Oops, I'd forgotten about those! The doctor asked about my shoes which I had thoughtfully brought along. I attempted to explain that I have two pairs and switch off between them but she was busy telling me that my pink Transcendence, the pair she picked up first, are probably worn out. I've been running since February, yes, but not that much a week, and not always in the same shoe. For the first few weeks I had New Balance shoes that I'd dug out of the closet... I think the Transcendence are ok for a little while. I don't believe Nike has them tallied to even 100 miles yet. She also said something about socks (Which I can't remember so let's pretend she asked, "Do you wear socks?") and I mentioned I'd tried all sorts of socks trying to find something that won't lead to a blister. She didn't suggest anything new there either.

In the end her recommendation was, "I think physical therapy is a good idea." .... Sigh. Me too. She prescribed an anti-inflammatory, Mobic (Meloxicam) that I'm to take once a day for a week, and after that only as needed. As she was searching for stretches in her computer database to print out for me, a thought occurred. She never actually said what she thought was wrong with the leg. "Did I sprain it or something?" "Yes, you seem to have," she responded. Sigh again. The brief I received on the way out states "Hip Sprain, Right, Initial encounter." Well ok then.

At least it's not a femoral neck stress fracture, right?