Woods Lady that is very encouraging news about Ben. I sincerely hope his recovery continues along.
Regarding Jlynne's doctor I am certainly not going to defend his bedside manner! It is pretty awful. It is too bad he has no understanding of what it means to tell a runner not to run for a month. Jlynne, I do hope you get better. FWIW, having you off your feet for a month can help the doctors diagnose you. If it does not work it tells them what it is not -- eg. minor strain. If it does work and after a month you are fine you will be giving the doctor a big hug. Well, maybe not. Nobody would hug Gregory House. But getting better sans drugs, surgery or unnecessary tests is worth something. Best of all, a month off from running has really high cure rate; as frustrating as it may be.
Regarding the discussion of piriformis; I have no doubt the pain is real. However, it is just the same pain one gets with any number of ailments that have been clinically verified. If anybody wants copies of the review articles I collected on piriformis just leave me a message on RA with your email and I will send them along. Reading the medical details is quite a challenge. I certainly did not understand them! But, the overall conclusions and reviews of the evidence can be understood without a medical degree or a great deal of statistical sophistication. You can then judge for yourself whether the evidence does not does not indicate whether the pain associated with piriformis syndrome is in fact due to piriformis syndrome. I do want to add that if you have the symptoms and stretching, icing or other non-invasive treatment makes you feel better then by all means do it! For us it is irrelevant why we feel better so long as we do.
Speaking of feeling better I ran 10 miles yesterday some of which included a call from our very own Mariposai the result was 7:55 pace. Nothing like having someone to talk to during your run to speed things up! Today, per my PT's instructions, I have to take off. Running every other day is all I am allowed. Tomorrow, it is back out on the roads. Funny, my PT was asking about my running plans. I did not realize it but she considers me something of a miracle client. It seems that she thinks given what I have (had is certainly the wrong tense) running 10 miles should be pretty much out of the question let alone at a sub 8 pace. All I can say is that I am one stubborn son of a gun!
Live like you are dying not like you are afraid to die.
Drunken Irish Soda Bread and Irish Brown Bread this way --> http://allrecipes.com/cook/4379041/
I'd just like to thank everyone for their input and best wishes. And truly, when I read about Ben's miraculous recovery, this is a pretty stupid reason for being down in the dumps. I know in the big sceme of things, I am very fortunate to have run until the age of 58 with really no major problems. But that's also an issue, ya know? You work soooo hard to maintain your ability to get out and run - even if it's only a couple of miles. And gosh, I wish I could do that right now. Because of my age, every week away from running is going to make coming back a little more difficult. And, as the doctor so wisely told me today, "you're not a professional athlete." But I take so much pleasure from that daily run, and it's been especially good for my mental health too. Running has gotten me through some pretty tough times in my life. I'm not telling you guys anything you didn't already know. I'll get through this. Thanks everyone.
And Twocat? It's so nice to see you running again.
MM #6177
Jlynne, you might not be a professional athlete, but you are a professional "you". You are who you are for a "living", figuratively and most literally. And while the news about Ben (TERRIFIC NEW, BTW!!) stands out in the big picture, the little pictures matter too.
Keep up the faith. Things will be better.
who says life doesn't have a soundtrack?
Marathon Maniac #957
. And, as the doctor so wisely told me today, "you're not a professional athlete."
Oh I just want to slap him!
You've already heard lots of good stuff, so I won't add to it, other than to say, find another way to exercise in the meantime so you won't go crazy. Bike trainer? Pool running? Yoga? P90X? Something, anything, to give you a daily dose of wellness movement.
Yay for Ben!!!!!
Life is a headlong rush into the unknown. We can hunker down and hope nothing hits us or we can stand tall, lean into the wind and say, "Bring it on, darlin', and don't be stingy with the jalapenos."