the verdict is in

after an ultrasound, an MRI, and an MRA (similar to an MRI except it involves an IV and dye), i have been officially diagnosed with exercise induced compartment syndrome.

there are 4 compartments in your leg. each is in its own "casing" called the fascia. apparently my fascia is being stingy and not letting my awesome calf muscles expand properly. therefore, it caused my deep posterior compartment of my calf muscle to swell, which resulted in lack of bloodflow, pinching of the nerve, and my numb foot.

i had to do the MRA in order to rule out a collapsed or pinched artery because the muscle was so swollen it re-routed my artery. that was a scary day, they thought i might need a stent put in.

it has been 19 days since the "event". i still have a numb foot. my little pinky toe is completely numb. i have even stabbed it to test it out. nothing. the second to last piggy is 90% numb. the other three piggies are all tingly like they are falling asleep. my heel is dead and the rest of the foot just aches. my whole right leg feels achy and tired all day long. sleeping is uncomfortable. walking down stairs is miserable. and i can't cross my legs like a proper lady because it sends horrible lightning bolts down my leg to my toes.

the foot doctor prescribed 4 weeks of physical therapy. he could do the surgery (see blog below, it is pretty much that picture) which would involve cutting open the side of my leg and going into the deep posterior compartment, which is the innermost one, i.e. the most hard to reach one, and physically releasing the pressure. he says he doesn't want to do the surgery because it is unpleasant, messy, and very bloody. fasciotomy, google it. plus there is the chance of no improvement or even a permanent numb foot/leg if they nick the nerve. we will re-evaluate after the physical therapy.

here's the clincher - i can never run again, ever! not like i am a huge fan of it, but darnit, i was just getting better at it. and it is excellent exercise for the non-gym-membership person, like me. he says if i run, i will just make it worse. but, there is a good chance that if i have the surgery, i will be able to run again. hmmm... tempting. but scary!

so i went to PT yesterday, which consisted of some stretching then a lot of massaging of the foot and lower leg. some people might be like, hey, sign me up! i would love a foot massage! but not me. i seriously despise my feet being touched. oh well, just 7 more sessions.