If only the answers to my numbness could be snappy!!
Thursday morning after my first class, I headed to the running store, hoping against hope that they would have the answer to this problem with the numbness in my feet.
I spoke to the owner, and he said that my shoes were the right ones for my needs, they fit me well, had plenty of room for the normal swelling that occurs during long walks, and that they were laced properly.
When I described that my numbness began at the bottom of my feet and then spread upwards, all the way to my hips, he said that he really didn’t think the shoes were the issue. He said that he wasn’t a doctor, but it sounded to him like I had some nerve “issue,” and that I should go see a podiatrist. He recommended “Dr. Doug,” who actually came to one of the TNT track practices a couple of weeks before. This podiatrist specializes in sports injuries, and also participates in marathons, so he understands the unique concerns of endurance athletes. (Every time I refer to myself that way, I have to laugh, because I definitely don’t feel like an athlete of any kind).
I went back to my classroom and called Dr. Doug’s office. Since I have Kaiser, I knew that any visit to a private podiatrist would be paid for out of pocket. The receptionist told me that the visit itself would run between $150-200 and each X-Ray would run $75. That’s over $300. I made an appointment, but the earliest day he had that I could fit into my schedule was March 30th.
In the mean time, I decided to call Kaiser and see what they could do. I explained to the advice nurse that I was experiencing numbness whenever I fitness walked. That usually the numbness began around the 2-mile mark, but that Wednesday it began after only 3/4 of a mile. She seemed very concerned and wanted to get me in to see my primary doctor ASAP. I couldn’t make an appointment for that day, because of my summer school after school class, but she really stressed that I try to make the appointment they had for the next day at 9:50am. I was going to tell her that I couldn’t miss school, but then I said to myself, “why not? This is exactly what sick days are for.”
I made the appointment, filled out my substitute request, wrote my sub plans, and hoped for the best.
Bella on the Beach 
Leave a Reply