I'm not that old!

I took this picture at work the other day.  I needed a new photo for my work google account.  I was tired of seeing an L in a red box so I took a selfie and feel much better about life.



In other news, I have arthritis.  *insert major eye roll*  Seriously, I have osteoarthritis.  I know some people have it that are much younger and really suffer with it so I won't make light of it too much.  But come on!  I'm too young!

I know I shared in a Currently or Wednesday post about my foot injury from a year ago.  Feel free to click the links to review.  I've been seeing a podiatrist since mid January to figure out why I was still in pain.

After the MRI, I found out that, indeed, I had an injury to a ligament on the top of my foot.  It seems that I continued to injure it as I worked out (probably doing my favorite Zumba).  In the meantime, osteoarthritis (OA) attacked and settled in.

The whole podiatrist thing was a bit of a mess.  I saw him at an office near my work and was instructed to get a talk walking boot and call in a month for follow up.  When I called they weren't anywhere near my work or home anymore but I was already invested so I had to drive a bit further.  Not a big deal.  The boot didn't help, so I had the MRI, and then at the next appointment he laid the OA bomb on me.

He dosed me with another steroid pack and gave me a cortisone shot.  The steroids helped but only while I was on them and the side effects were BAD!  The cortisone shot made things feel worse.

I almost canceled my follow up, but it was back to the office close to work and with a different doctor.  I looked forward to a second opinion.  I felt a quite a bit better with this doctor.  He was definitely more decisive.  He had read my files and studies my film.  He pointed exactly to the spot on my foot that hurt and took time to really explain what was going on.

I have arthritis (OA) in my foot.  It's in a tough spot to reach.  Because of where it is, I will need to wear supportive shoes and/or an insert orthotic arch support.  If not, it will cause too much strain on the joint where the OA has moved in and made itself at home.  I've got a new medicine to take for the next month once I get my insert.  Then I'll go back in six weeks.  I will always have to use the insert or get orthopedic shoes/sandals (sounds cute, huh?) and always have something on hand to take in case of pain.

Bummer, but knowing for sure this is what it is is a good thing.  I may not be able to do the high impact Zumba dancing anymore but working out is good.  Walking, swimming, yoga, and strength training are all good.  Could I ask you to pray that I do those things along with healthy eating?  That when I'm feeling unmotivated to work out and do all the healthy stuff that I'm convicted to not give up.  Thanks!