Morton's Neuroma

So, today is the day.  I am (hopefully, fingers crossed, Gods willing, and all that) getting my foot fixed.  This weekend, it was really bothering me.  Enough that even Marcy asked if it was bothering me during my lesson.  I'm usually pretty stoic and just gimp along and don't say anything, but a couple of times, I actually had to stop and sit down.  I mean, I moved my entire house with this thing, and with a stress fracture in the other foot, and didn't say anything, just put ice on it when I was done.  It started to bother me in the saddle, which is when I decided something must be done.

I have 80% of the symptoms for a Morton's nueroma.  Mine started feeling like I had a fold in my sock under my toes.  Several times, I tried to straighten my sock, but there was no fold.  Then I had numbness in my toes when I put my foot up on the side of the tub to shave my legs, or while I was riding or walking on the treadmill.  Finally, it started to burn and hurt.  All the time.  I didn't even realize the pressure you put on the ball of your foot when you drive your car.  Of course, this is my right foot.

There is no specifically known cause for it.  It is basically the thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading to your toes, usually between the second and third or third and fourth toes.

This thickening causes nerve pain that radiates down and up.  It's very lovely.  Sometimes it just burns, sometimes it really hurts.  When it started to hurt while riding, it had to be addressed.  And then it did this:

Lovely Vulcan toes.

High heeled shoes are believed to be a contributing factor, as is trauma to the feet, such as that caused by running.  I have not worn heels regularly in years, but have been a heavy person for a very long time, and I have big feet that I often lose track of.  I've never run unless absolutely required (I kind of jogged when I played basketball in high school, and full out ran when being overtaken on the bases when playing softball, but that's it.)  I don't really run unless chased, but I'm thinking trauma all the same.

I did wear these one day in April

For example, last year, I broke my fourth toe on that foot because I stubbed it into the bed frame.  Now, I didn't snap it, I shattered it down the length of the bone.  Yeah, that hurt, but I had a show that weekend, and I managed to get my boot on, even though the top of my foot was purple up to the ankle.  See what I mean about being fairly stoic?  Ice and ibuprofen can fix anything.  (And if they can't give Surpass a try!)

Anywho, I'm basically going to be nerved, for lack of a better way to explain this to horse people.  They are going to make an incision on the top of my foot and just cut it out.  I will lose feeling between those two toes, but that's it.  Provided it is what they expect and there isn't anything else involved, it will be a half hour procedure done under light anesthetic.  Reports on recovery are anywhere from 2 weeks to 4 months, but my doctor is leaning toward the 2 week timeframe.  The iffy thing for me is that they are not sure that is all that is there. We could not do an MRI, because I have a piece of metal in my neck (story for another day) that could come loose and kill me, so no MRIs for me.

So of course, this means no December show for me.  But if we can get my foot fixed, I will be oh so happy. That would mean being able to wear something other than Nike running shoes, and no more wrapping pads to my foot with Violet's vet wrap.  Bear with me.  I may or may not be able to get postings done every day this week.  I will try, and I have some content, but I may be a little out of it.  Here's hoping for good drugs.