In Limbo

I am in a very crappy no running limbo.  By early March my heel pain had escalated to the point I couldn't walk for days after a long run and I wasn't pain free by the time my next run came around.  I started doing some research and came to the conclusion that it was plantar fasciitis.  My doctor soon confirmed.  UGH!

I had been having the pain since late December so it was pretty bad by this point.  I managed to determine that the cause was tight calves (probably initiated by my 5K clinic pace) and moving to a house with ceramic floors in the kitchen.

The prescription: no running or walking, stretching daily, icing and a special sock to keep my foot flexed at night.  And orthotics.  I added gel cups to shoes and began wearing my sneakers daily.  6 weeks later, the pain was still there and although it was improving, something as simple as groceries or running errands caused the pain to flare up. 

I saw another doctor to get a cortisone shot and once again heard the orthotic suggestion.  The cortisone helped slightly but not as much as I've heard it can. Boo! 

I'm not sure why, but I'm seriously resisting orthotics.  I feel like I managed to train for a marathon without them and without encountering any problems, so if I can just heal up I should be able to deal with the causes and run again without them.  It doesn't help that they are not covered by our insurance, they are super expensive and I have heard many stories where they didn't help at all.   So I'm meeting with a physiotherapist next week to discuss a plan of attack.  If she strongly recommends orthotics I will bite the bullet and do it.

Surprisingly enough, my weight has remained pretty stable through all of this. Even more surprising, given that I am back on sugar and self medicating through food :(  I gained 5 pounds in the first month but have lost it again through very little effort.  I need to find the effort...