Yesterday afternoon, I went back to the doctor to get my foot re-looked at because it seems like the healing process has stalled big time.


Remember when I was so excited that it wasn't broken...

All the swelling and bruising disappeared in a week or so, but I still can't walk well and I certainly can't run or even put a lot of weight on my foot and it's been more than a month since I originally hurt it.

To say I'm frustrated would be an understatement.

So I went back yesterday, now that the swelling is gone, so the doctor could get a better look and maybe find a better answer as to what might be going on.

I explained how the pain seemed fairly localized in one area of the foot, the outside of the left foot along the bone and then sometimes right underneath the ball of my pinky toe.

The X-ray didn't show a break initially, but as my doctor and the physician's assistant did some more poking, prodding and general examining, he was starting to wonder if maybe there was some sort of stress injury or fracture going on that didn't show up.

He's sending me for an MRI so that he can get a clearer picture of what's going on.

In the meantime, we talked about what some of my options were. The first was clearly just more rest. But the doc could tell I was frustrated with just resting. He asked me if I had any races coming up, and when I told him yes, he and I started talking about more aggressive treatment options.

He mentioned two things specifically.

The first is Platelet Rich Plasma. This is an option a lot of professional athletes use to bounce back from injury. The doctor draws blood and then spins it in a centrifuge to separate out the platelets. Then they're re-injected back into the site of the injury. The theory goes the platelets encourage new healthy cells to grow at a quicker rate, thus speeding recovery.

This option sounds pretty awesome. Except for the part where it requires a lot of needles....oh and isn't covered by insurance and costs about a grand.

But the doctor told me to research it anyway. So I did.

I read a lot about it last night, about all the people that have had success with it. And then I watched a video of YouTube about the process. People, I don't like needles. And the like six inch one they use to re-inject the plasma might just be a dealbreaker.

Check it out (unless you're squeamish...in which case don't...I ugly cried a lot after watching this)

http://youtu.be/RsT6SB1q2vA

The other option we talked about was bone stimulation, where electrical and ultrasound pulses are sent to the injured area to stimulate cell growth and speed healing. This option is covered by some insurances in some instances. I tried to find out if my insurance would cover it in this case and I just couldn't get figure it out. So if we decide to go this route, I'd have to call and ask specifically.

But for now, I just need to get through the MRI and get the results back.

If something comes back funky, I'm seriously considering the PRP, despite the needle and the insane cost. It's worth taping into the ol' emergency fund to be able to run again right?

Have you ever had PRP, know someone who has? Thoughts, suggestions, general comments?