Epiphany

I have witnessed a miracle. My miracle came in the form of shoes. I have suffered from Plantar Fasciitis for about 2 1/2 years. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about...you are very lucky and I want to be you. It is extreme heel pain that is caused by a tear in your plantar fascia (the muscle that runs from your achilles tendon to your toes. It feels like you are stepping on a hot spike every time you put weight on your heel. I've been through physical therapy and all sorts of other remedies including shots in the heel which actually made it worse so I've just learned to live with it.

My problem got even worse as I developed sever knee pain in my right knee (left foot hurts now right knee hurts too!) I thought the pain was from falling down my stairs.

I went to an orthopedic surgeon about the knee pain. He examined me and said that I had more than likely torn my miniscus and he could repair that that surgically but I'd need an MRI to make sure that was all that was wrong. The results from the MRI were not good. I had not torn my miniscus but actually had worn a HOLE in it that could not be fixed surgically. The doctor said the only thing I could do was rest the knee so it could grow back. I try to "rest" my knee as much as possible but...get real ...my life does not allow me to lay in bed with my knee elevated all day. I asked him how long this would take (I'd already been 7 weeks in constant pain that didn't even allow me to sleep at night...every time I'd move the pain would wake me up) ...I was getting about as ugly as when the boys had collic for the first three months of their lives. He said...get this...5-6 MONTHS! I started to tear up. He was very compassionate but told me that maybe next time I hurt myself I could do something that he could actually fix! (he couldn't help me with a fractured elbow 5 years ago either)
He gave me some mild pain meds to help me sleep and I was off.

Last week was particularly bad so I did more research on the internet. It turns out that my plantar fasciitis and the hole in my knee could be related. It turns out that by limping to relieve the pain in my right foot I have probably worn a hole in my left knee...go figure!

I know this is a long story but my husband is skeptical of my internet diagnosis. When I told him about my revelation he said...hmm... I guess if I put something on the internet that says something other than expensive shoes and insoles you'll believe that too. OK...I'm beating him to the punch so since my theory is out there first then it's got to be true so I am obviously going to feel better.

OK...then to the shoe shopping. I have a very wide foot which makes it nearly impossible to find shoes that fit. I'd made two trips to Comfort Plus Shoes. The first time I tried on several shoes and found one pair of Brooks that I thought might work. The problem was that my feet were so sore from trying all of the shoes on I wasn't absolutely sure so decided to come back later just to make sure. On my second trip the salesman had me try these absurd looking shoes called MBT's. I'm a shoe fanatic so the fact that these look so crazy and that I actually bought them and wear them CONSTANTLY attests to what miracles they are.

They are designed so your arch bears your weight instead of the heal and ball of your foot. They also rock back and forth so you are forced to stand straight up. As soon as I put them on I felt better. I have not been able to stand without pain for 2 1/2 years. Instantly my heel and knee felt better when I was just standing. When I walk I have no pain in my heel and just a little in my knee. The only thing that is a little bit of a downer is that in these shoes I am now close to 6 feet tall because the soles are so thick. I've always been self conscience of my height but Kyle says he can still see my roots (nice) so he's still taller than me which is really all that matters.

I wore them to the Pack Meeting last night and was amazed that when I stood up after sitting for about an hour...NO PAIN! Pain free for the first time in 2 1/2 years! This morning when I got up the pain was back. I hate wearing shoes. I want to be bare foot all of the time...but I put the shoes on shortly after I got out of bed and the pain is gone. Definitely going to have to get the sandal version...no matter how ugly they are!