For fifteen consecutive years, without fail, I got up every single day and did a run without much complaint. Nowadays, I whine of pain and discomfort – not the same person. There is no more running, just limping while wishing I could turn back the clock. My wife is sick of it, insisting that I’m not being proactive enough in dealing with the doctors. They too, seem to ignore my pleas for relief. 

My chiropractor is at least sympathetic, saying that I’m a good sport about it. With my pessimistic nature, I rarely hear that about myself anymore. He called my doctor, requesting an MRI of my lower spine, where the pain seems to originate, before it radiates through my left leg. Sometimes, it feels like a cramp in my thigh, while other times it can be debilitating. As the day goes on and it loosens with activity, the intensity diminishes, until I start to relax on the couch before bedtime. It’s been going on now since I stopped running, just before my open-heart surgery in mid-January. Ever since then, my body has resisted recovery by rendering my left leg stiff and useless.

The Ultrasound revealed no circulation problems, and the pelvic MRI showed arthritic deterioration in my lower spine, but the report suggested a second scan, as was initially recommended by the chiropractor. The doctor didn’t think so, consulted a neurologist, and they stubbornly proceeded with looking primarily at my pelvic area. Wrong – thinking like too many others that chiropractors are uneducated quacks! 

The doctor did put me in a pain management program, but it’s been three additional weeks of pain, and I’ve yet to have gotten in to see him. The chiropractor’s steroid doctor, another futile side-step, provided some pills that gave only temporary relief, but didn’t solve the problem. So, I wait another week for my consultation, where he will probably suggest getting the second scan and I’ll have to struggle another two weeks waiting for insurance approval. I was simply trying to get that process moving forward before the consultation, but my doctor once again ignored me in favor of waiting for her man to see me. Easy for her to patiently recommend, while my pain persists!

My body is slowly falling apart, fulfilling the fear that this would happen if I stopped running. I have out-patient prostrate surgery tomorrow, a taped-up right shoulder from a bicep tendon strain, and an injury to my right heal from apparently overcompensating from the pain in my left leg. That leaves just my left arm that I’m typing with this morning. At least, I can express my frustrations though this blog. Thanks for listening, hopefully your hearing isn’t getting worse like mine!