Second Opinion

FLASH BACK... to a blog post I accidentally left hanging in my "edit post" box for about a week.

It seems as though my use of denial as a defense mechanism has slowly crept into life as a blogger :) I guess I've just been keeping myself busy with other silly distractions so I wouldn't have to talk about the big monkey on my hamstring.


He's scary lookin', ain't he?


Okay, so let me explain...



But first we must time travel back to last week....

Unpublished post from June 10:

Going back to seek a second opinion is something that's been on my mind for the past week. I decided to give everything I had to the treatment I was receiving through my Chiropractic office. I needed to believe the treatment was helping the problem in order to focus on getting everything else back in order. It seemed as though I was finally getting things back on track and sticking on a plan that had me both feeling more confident and fit, but the last week sort of flipped things upside down.



Over the past few weeks it had been giving us both a bit of hope that the most painful "trouble spots" were shifting and that I was back out there running 4-5miles about 3times a week (not pain free, but at least able to get through). However the pain worsened last week and the only thing that I threw in (that was different) was a pool running - workout (which my hammy did not like one bit) and a few yoga classes. I also found myself stretching the area a bit more, which seemed to continue to worsen the soreness and tightness I was feeling. grrr... I'm angry just thinking about it (and yes, i just growled out loud!!)



Yesterday marked my eighth visit to the chiropractor over the past six weeks. When I arrived at the office, I was met with the standard question, "how are things going?". I guess the look off defeat spoke for itself because I really didn't have to say too much before my chiropractor sighed and suggested the one thing that none of us like to hear, "you should take off completely for two weeks". Completely!?!?! Well, my initial thought was my initial thought "what does that mean exactly?". Immediately my mind started to race to.. "well, what other things CAN I do?" Basically, I was told not to do anything for two weeks and to seek a second opinion. During the normal routine of treatment yesterday they also located yet another spot (on my hamstring) which was of concern. The Chiropractors expression of concern and frustration did not help my own similar feelings regarding the matter.

TIME OFF!?!? time off? hmmm????

I would have kept going in to the Chiropractor for treatment, but the "well, keep us posted and contact us if you need anything" comment at the end of my visit made things feel kind of final. I suppose I appreciate the fact that they don't want to waste any more of my time if things are working, but I'm so confused about where to turn next.

June 10 and beyond....

So, on my way home I stopped by Coach Cane's studio for some moral support. Jonathan offered some great suggestions and gave me some hope that the answer to this lingering issue might be found by seeking another opinion. He suggested another Orthopedist who is a runner/triathlete himself. This Doctor was recommended to me in the past so I was already familiar with his name. It seemed like a smart next move and overall I was feeling better about going forward in this direction. Yes, everything was fine... especially after I went home and processed the decision over a few glasses of wine. However, after I actually called the Doctor's office the next day I quickly found out that Doctor#2 doesn't take my insurance. All I could think was, "that's cute" as the nurse (very nonchalantly) informed me that my first consultation would cost $375. Ha! So... knowing that I would be out of town for the next week and a half. I decided to back off again from running or anything that will aggravate the area as I try to figure out my next move.

I can't help from thinking about how many more races I'm going to have to miss this summer/ fall. I know getting this whole issue taking care of is the priority, but unfortunately I ran out of patience back in April.