My Race Box

(credit to collider.com)

I held the needle right up to my skin -- and hesitated.  There's always that moment of uncertainty right before something happens.  What will it feel like?  Will it hurt?  Will it be quick?  I've always looked away when getting a shot, or getting blood drawn, but this time I had no choice.  With syringe in hand, I was about to inject myself --

With Forteo (teriparitide), part of my now daily regimen.

That was a week ago.  This morning, sleepy eyed, I injected myself with no hesitation at all, and sure, I felt a pinch, but by now it didn't feel like anything.

But let me back up.

A week ago I woke up in some pain.  No, I didn't get an injection yet.  And no, it wasn't from my running injuries, my left pes anserine bursitis, my right femoral neck stress reaction, my left distal tibial stress fracture .. those are either healed or healing.  It was my right arm.  My biceps were stiff, and in pain, and I couldn't straighten my arm.  Obviously it was from working out the day before, my first "backs and bi's" weight training in a long time.  It felt sore the night before, but the next morning, just wow. Ouch.

Funny how things in life are supposed to get better when you sleep on it, whether it's a decision you have to make, whether it's an untoward situation you are in, you know, "it'll be better in the morning."  But really.  How many times have you woken up in the middle of the night with that wicked sore throat, or that itchy bug bite that damn you just want to cut out with a knife.

I put some Icy-Hot on my biceps and both actively and passively stretched it out, extended it ... afraid that it would pop.  Felt pain for sure, then when I went back to bed to sleep in a bit it just went back bent the way it was before.  Oh well.

It did get better throughout the day, carrying a shopping basket filled with goodies helped out as therapy. :)

Anyway, I saw my endocrinologist for another appointment that day, as a follow up after those labs which he ordered.  Some notes:

Diagnosis: idiopathic hypercalciuria

Great, I'm spilling out some calcium in my urine.  Could be a lot worse.  The other labs seemed to be ok, so he even said "it's good it's not mastocytoma."  Um, well thank god for that!

So, treatment wise:
"Easy," he said -- Hydrochlorothiazide 12.5mg, a diuretic that retains calcium.
Also, since he wants me to build up bone first -- Forteo, basically a pulse dose of parathyroid hormone that would stimulate bone growth.  Great.  Except that it's a DAILY INJECTION! Well, he had a sample there and gave me the first dose right there in the office.  Not too bad.  And looking back now a week later it's not so bad doing it myself every day.
And others -- Calcium 500mg/day and Vitamin D 2000IU/day.  Based on the supplements I have at home I'm doing 600 + 1800 for now.  There is a concern for kidney stones with the Vitamin D given my history, so we'll see.

Other advice for me: drink water so I don't get hypotensive.

I asked about diet restrictions. NONE! he said.  Well, that certainly made me happy.  He said I was drinking milk everyday anyway.  But I'll still be careful.  There's a lot of literature and guidelines regarding a diet for hypercalciuria.  Lots of restrictions theoretically though, like caffeine and alcohol (great, just when I discovered the heaven that is pressed pot coffee and just started getting into fine craft beers.)

I saw my orthopedic podiatrist a couple of days later, and told him that I still felt weak in my left foot.  I was doing my Theraband exercises as often as I could, but I still couldn't lift up on my tiptoes on my left foot without assistance.  There's a little bit of pain on the top of the foot, and moreso when I plantarflex on resistance (like the ground with my weight), but getting a touch better.

He said it could take a month for that to recover, since I just wasn't using it when I was nonweightbearing, but to see him in a couple of weeks if it wasn't getting better, and then he would MRI scan it to see if it was a stress fracture in the foot.  What? Are you kidding me?  But he said it would be ok based on the location.  He said maybe using a stiff dress shoe would help it.

Today, a week later, I feel pretty good.  I'm walking around with a little limp, but it's not bad at all.  Still hurts if I toe off on the left.  I'm walking around basically just by picking up my heels of the ground instead of pushing off ... Chi-Walking if you will ...

Then.

Something hit me all of a sudden as I was going through the files in my closet, getting my finances and taxes together and everything.  I cam across a box.  A box of some running stuff.  I started this blog as a running blog, and was going to focus on running, and training, specifically for the Goofy Challenge.  But because of my injuries my focus has been more on, well, my recovery and healing.

When I started running seriously a little over a year ago, I would put race bibs and whatnot into a box. I figured I loved running and racing so much I could collect a bunch of these bibs, and medals, etc, and just keep them in the box.  My first year old son saw my box one time, and asked me what it was.  "I don't know," I said, "it's my ... race box." He started cross country running as his after school activity last spring, and although we wanted to hang his medals in his room, wouldn't you know it -- he started putting his medals into my race box as well.  I don't believe I have opened it since my injuries.

Well, the other day, I came across the box, and saw that he had drawn a picture and labelled it, without me knowing, and it brought it all back as to what the whole point of all of this was.

Yes.  This is our race box; and we will continue to fill it.

(Disclaimer: as always anywhere on this site, information here is not intended to replace the advice of a medical professional and is not a substitute for your own medical professional's clinical judgment and treatment, and does not intend to pertain to any particular individual's own health situation.)