Friday, January 8, 2010

Insert expletives here: _________ !

I received this e-mail from an orthopedist this morning:
A presumptive diagnosis of stress fracture is accurate. Ordering a bone scan might be considered, not likely to have results back for 10-14 days, and would not change management. The protocol would be to place patient in a firm or rigid soled shoe or a CAM walker depending on the degree of disability, limit weight bearing and activity and do a repeat plain xray in 2-3 weeks. Treatment is symptom-driven. Continued running will provoke continued symptoms. Patient could have pain for 4-8 weeks depending on activity and weight bearing , probably less if he reduces activity now.

So I have an appointment for a bone scan on Wednesday at 12:30.

15 comments:

Trev said...

In the film "Spirit of the MArathon" Dena Castor overcame a stress fracture to take the win in Chicago Marathon:
http://www.marathonmovie.com/athletes.html#dkastor

It seems that she found a way to train through it.

skatona said...

I'm confused. I thought the x-ray was no cause for alarm, no stress fracture....

Lucho said...

Trev- I just got off the phone with an athlete of mine who is a doctor and has studied orthopedics... she said it's possible to heal a stress fracture while running. So basically run through it. I had a tibial stress fracture years ago that I ignored completely (the bone was bulging). I cut my mileage down to ~30 mile a week and it just went away. I will probably be trying to run through this.

Skatona- Mary was correct in the comments from a couple of days ago and the X-ray didn't show the fracture, which isn't uncommon at all. But if you read the e-mail, the diagnosis is based on symptoms only so the bone scan will be definitive. I'll find out Wednesday I hope! And I won't be waiting 10-14 days for the results. I'm actually only slightly bothered by all of this and will probably continue to train.

Eric Bart said...

Tim,

10 - 14 days is ridiculous, I had my scan on Friday and results on Monday. Actually, you can read them yourself if you insist on them giving you a copy of the results on the spot. If you want I'll send you mine and you can easily see how to read one.

This is why I thought you should push for one right from the start.

Just hope it isn't the Navicular, this will be more of an issue...

Sorry to hear about this.

Eric

Lucho said...

Eric- I was told (of course) that the process starts with an X-ray, then goes to bone scan. I think because my foot doesn't present as a stress fracture the doctor was reluctant. Hell, I don't know! But you're right that the 10-14 days is BS and maybe they are just taking pressure off themselves in saying this. I will push (nicely) for the radiologist to look at it with me afterward.

Gangels said...

I think you are losing focus of the big goal, Leadville. If indeed you do have a stress fracture (which you may not) and you train through it, the fracture will never heal thus likely becoming aggravated running 100 miles.
Basically, if you do the math most people run 180 step per minute, so if you run 20 hours at Leadville you would contract the ground like 220,000 times. I would vote to be conservative until you have the results, heal up and kick some ass at Leadville. Good luck with the scan. I also agree if you bug them enough you can get the results faster.

Brett said...

"Insert expletives here: _________ !"


Shit on a stick.

Eric Bart said...

The technician probably wont help you read it, liability issues... But, they will give you a cd with the images on it if you ask them. Then you can fire them up on your computer screen and take a peek.

Trigirlpink said...

Not the greatest news for sure. I had NO real discomfort when I was diagnosed with mine but you could clearly see the radiolucency. I was told, "don't even think about an elliptical machine" I was PISSED.

Everyone will give you their 2cents but ultimately, you will figure out what your body is telling you:
Stay off or train through.

GZ said...

Its all about M-O-N-E-Y.

Bone scans cost them more than x-rays. So they look to not do such things, defray costs as much as possible. Sounds like a lot of the crap that I went through with my "sports hernia."

Which, like you, I got to a point where I said f*ck it and ran anyway.

David said...

"I will probably be trying to run through this"

You are like the black knight from Monty Python, but only if the black knight had his legs chopped off, then got up, stopped talking, and slayed all of his enemies.

Sorry to hear the news, and hopefully everything will work out for the best in the short term!

Lucho said...

Thanks everyone!
GZ- You did run through your hernia-phantom- mysterious-groin- stomach- tear- fracture thing didn't you!? Science tells me that mild stress to a bone will strengthen it. If I don't run at an extreme level, just maybe 20-30 miles a week, I think I will heal just as quickly...

Lucho said...

Team G- That is probably the comment I will look back at in a few months and wish I had listened to.

Anonymous said...

Tim, I am regular follower of this blog, and I really enjoy reading it. My question is: will you be taking shoe selection, and amount of milage you put on a pair more seriously after this happening? From my view, it seems like it may have something to do with why this happen? I thought it was pretty "durable" how you would a put a 1000 miles on whatever kind of shoe the thrift shop had! Then this happen.

Chris Coffey
Vermont

Lucho said...

Chris- I suppose I'll need to now. I've been doing that for ~10 years and this is the first time I've had problems. I'm pretty sure my poor choice in shoes for the 50 mile race is why my foot is messed up. I'll still do the thrift store shoes but not run them to death.