Foot issues

Recently I have been noticing more issues with my feet, well I shouldn't say "more" as in additional I guess a better word might be heightened. I have experienced numb feet at some level for 2-3 years. It sort of comes and goes. At its worst during the height of my last relapse a year and a half ago I couldn't even feel my feet. I remember going into work at an agency and being really worried about getting off the bus. I just had to hang on as I got off and trust that my feet had hit the ground, very disconcerting. I had two desperate incidents like this about a year apart, since getting on the rebif these seem to have stopped for the most part or I should say it's been a year and a half since it has happened again.

As I said the numbness has been sort of off and on and mostly in the background, there but not quite there. And that is still how it is. It definitely isn't at the level it has been. But I have noticed and increase in the discomfort recently. This morning when I went out for a run my feet felt the numbness pretty strongly (again, not nearly like before, just increased). As I ran (say after 15-20 mins) it did appear to lessen. My shoes felt a bit tight in the front part of the shoe today (even though they aren't) as they have for the last two runs. My version of the ms hug apparently, I call it the ms shoe too small.

I think this is something I will just need to live with. The good thing is I can convince my brain that even though it doesn't feel my feet like normal that my feet are there and that they are doing their job. It is that confidence that keeps me going just fine. I concentrate on my foot strike and everything seems to be ok. I actually think the repetitive nature of running is training my brain to operate normally when it comes to my feet. More reason to keep running!

Finally back from another break

Ah yes, back to the roads again after a cleaning marathon and the ensuing visit from the in-laws. It felt really good, though I was feeling some numb foot issues returning. I also woke up with a huge rebif hangover. I am not sure why it is that sometimes I feel totally fine in all regards after injecting, and others I feel like crap. Crappy nights sleep, hangover in the morning, chills... Gads. But the run felt really good.

It was really humid this morning and I am finding that to be a very troublesome for my runs. I had a similar reaction to the humidity that I felt in Seattle. Good thing for me this was only an hour as opposed to 2.5.

I have another run planned for tomorrow, easy run I hope.

Lungs are still heavy

I am finding myself feeling a lot better, but I still think my lungs need a bit more rest before I send them out on the road. On the one hand I know it would be good to help clear them out, but not yet. Plus who wants to watch my hacking and spitting? Throw in a sweaty 42 year-old and we have a recipe for disaster.

It has been a good thing to give my body a rest though for this week. I was having that little twinge in my one knee (not even sure which one it was now) but that appears to have been recuperated by rest. My feet also seem to be a little less bothered by the numbness issues, though it is still there. I think the pounding does have an effect.

As for the healing powers of bee stings, I'm either going to have to call it a bust or say that I need more for anything to happen. I would have loved to have been able to convince myself that the bee venom worked miracles. I could have finally had a show I could do for cable access! I have always wanted some reason to be on. I would have to come up with a crazy bee outfit I suppose.

Last night was injection night. I was again worried how the rebif would react with my cold/flu symptoms. Well I may have found a solution. As I setup the injector and placed it on my planned site, I pressed the button. I felt nothing and thought, wow the hot compress really works. Then I realized, crap, I for got to take the cap off again. I popped it off and quickly jammed it in my stomach, hoping to get as much as I could. I did manage to get a partial injection and that seemed to mitigate the flu-like symptoms. Makes me wonder if I could get some half injections for when I was sick. I'll have to ask the doc about that.

Numb foot

Numb feet actually, probably my most pesty symptom of the moment. The numbness has been in my feet since I did the Portland Marathon two years ago. At first I attributed it to training and some sort of nerve injury, then I attributed it to a side effect to the cholesterol meds I was taking (it actually went away when I stopped the lipitor, but then it returned about a year later) and now finally we are attributing it to the ms. I guess I am happy (happy?) with that, seems to make the most sense.

It really isn't that bad and often I forget all about it. But then I remember it is there and I focus on it for awhile only to once again forget about it. Running with it isn't a problem at all and it doesn't bother me one bit. I don't know if it is the pressure on the feet of running that makes me feel them more acutely and therefor allows me to forget the numb feeling or if it is that I am concentrating on other pains instead. Maybe a combination of the two. But it doesn't cause any sort of coordination issue either. I think at one point I yacked about how the momentum of running carries me along and allowed me to run through my spells. Well it may sort of be the same thing with the numb feet, the momentum carries me along and I am able to move forward just fine.

I am glad to not have any pain when I run. Occasionally my feet will ache a bit after running and ice helps a lot. But at least it isn't the sort of persistent pain that some folks with ms have. Stretching my feet back and forth while laying down on my back seems to help this as well. I'll pull my toes forwards with one foot and push them down with the other. I do the movement slowly and then hold them for a few seconds. I generally try to do ten repetitions of this. I have also heard that placing a marble down on teh ground and covering it with a small towel then picking the marble up through the towel is a good exercise as well. I don't like it much thouhg, it cramps up my toes!