Friday, March 9, 2007

What is a neuroma and how did it get in my foot?


When you have as many animals as we do, there is always someone to feed, a water bowl that needs scrubbing, or someone asking for a game of fetch. I NEVER sit down. I mean, NEVER. I even stand up to fold laundry. So my feet hurt, alot. Well, I assumed it was my shoes that were making my toes numb. I quit wearing the church shoes. Then I quit wearing the "go to Chili's " shoes, then I quit wearing the flat sandals, and then,,,,,,,, I was down to the New Balance tennishoes. So, I did what any busy woman would do. I wore those tennishoes 24/7. Then the numbness turned into pain. So I took Motrin. Then the pain was unbearable, so I diagnosed myself with Mortons' Neuroma and went to the podiatrist. 3 cortisone injections later, it was time for surgery. Morton's Neuroma is basically a non cancerous tumor that grows between your third and fourth toes, making walking, running and standing painful, if not impossible. I told my doctor, "I wanna see that thing after you get it out." "You won't remember, but I'll show you." So we did and he did, and that thing was as big as a man's pinkie finger-WHERE did it fit in my skinny foot? So my wonderful hubby took care of our kids and animals for THIRTEEN days. And no, he did not do a "decent" job- he did an AMAZING job. He cooked, he cleaned, he changed the bedding in the dogs' crates, ( a feat not to be believed) and kept the children quiet while I kept my foot up in the air. It's been three weeks and according to the WEB, I should be running a marathon by now, but alas, my doctor said, " Anne, it was a monster of a tumor, be patient." Look buddy, you don't understand. I've got a zoo to run.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

You're not a doctor! What are you doing diagnosing yourself?! Love the graphic pictures!

Love, Belinda

Anne said...

Belinda- I diagnosed myself and then the doctors said, " Yep, that's what you have alright." So THEY diagnosed me, but I already knew what it was, thanks to the super de duper WEB!!! Thanks for the support.

Anonymous said...

I had a neurectomy for Morton's neuroma in Nov 2006. The neuroma removed was very large also. To complicate matters more, I had three nerves splitting out of the nerve that goes to the 2nd and third metatarsal. My doctor had never seen that condition before and advised me that my left foot (which is also painful, but I'm trying the orthotic treatment to avoid another surgery. Almost five months later, the pain in my right foot is now WORSE than before the surgery. On the bottom of my foot, to the right of where the neuroma was I cannot even put my full weight, with or without shoes.

I have purchased custom orthotics for my sports shoes (which I rarely wear) and some comfort shoes for work (Finn's of Germany) to the tune of $200 a pair.

Trying to get back into see the surgeon to find out what's going on is impossible. My appt is 4/23 and I'm not sure I can handle the pain that much longer.

Hope my story hasn't alarmed you, we all have different situations (me, I have chronic foot issues). In my 20's I wore stilleto heels every single day, had bunionectomies on both feet, then instead of wearing orthopedic (or old lady shoes, as I put it) I opted for Birkenstock's. That was probably my mistake, as now I am wearing "comfort" shoes (I haven't experienced the "comfort" part yet, though.)

Have you heard of a drug called Lyrica, which is for nerve pain associated with Diabetic Neuropathy or Shingles Pain? I'm going to ask my doc about that drug for the pain, if this is just something that will eventually heal.

Hope you have better luck than I!

Brenda