| Author |
Topic: Morton's Neuroma ARGH! |
ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
 posted Jul-15-2007 06:43 AM
   
That's not bad, since right now I am at $2000.00 with my pod visits so far. Luckily they are covered by insurance.
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postgirl
unregistered |
posted Jul-16-2007 07:12 PM
To everyone who has written on this site. Take my advice and seek out the nearest pranic healer in your area. If you need my help please email me. For the canadian thinking about travelling to Tampa,please take my advice and save yourself a ton of money and grief, I promise you will be pleasantly surprised.
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Jul-20-2007 04:43 AM
Got my 2nd injection yesterday. The doc said that the reason it hurt so much last time was because it is killing the nerve. It's not bad this morning. Not very swollen, and not as much bruising. He said I should start finding comfort somewhere between the 3rd and 5th shot.Sorry, postgirl, but I think I'll stick to regular type healing. I'm not much into the natural stuff. It never helped my stomach problems.
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JLFleet
Member |
posted Jul-22-2007 05:20 PM
Hi all, I am new to this board. I found it while trying to find info on Morton's neuromas. I have two in my right foot, in both the second and third webspaces.I noticed this thread finally turned to cryosurgery. I had it performed on both neuromas on April 4th by a podiatrist in Tampa. It did not work. I have the same amount of pain as before. Now, to be fair, the pod did warn me that some people need two, or even three, treatments before they find relief, and some people never get relief at all and have to go to surgery. I have done the cortisone injections before the cryo and got no relief from those either. The problem is that my neuromas are about three years old (that I am aware of) and when they've been growing for that long, conservative treatment usually doesn't work. So now I'm wondering if I should try the cryo again, or just go for the surgery. Surgery has about an 80% success rate (failure I guess means stump neuromas form) so that doesn't thrill me. But either does paying for more cryo and not having that work either. Since cryo is rather new for this condition, I haven't read any success stories about it. Anyone here have one to share? I'd be much more willing to try it a second and maybe a third time if I knew there was hope. I used to be an avid speed walker and now can barely walk my dog around the block. And forget any type of high heeled shoes, or any shoes that enclose my forefoot except my new Saucony running shoes. They have an extra wide toebox which is tolerable, but I still feeling the tingling when I walk. Anyway, sorry to ramble, but really, if anybody here has had successful cryo, please post about it! Jennifer
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Jul-24-2007 05:58 AM
Jennifer-I can't help you on the cryo surgery, but I can sympathize with you! I was running up to 40 miles per week, and it has been a year now since I have been able to run. I am biking now, and that hurts too. In my opinion, you should go ahead with the surgery. Why do a 2nd round of the cryo, when surgery is probably what you really need? If these alcohol injections don't work, I'll probably go for the surgery.
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randyolson
Member |
posted Jul-24-2007 06:42 PM
quote:
Originally posted by IRS:
So, I've made it almost all the way through the Couch to 5K program twice now and I've had to quit one time due to laziness (I love the holidays! Or the weight-gaining time as I like to call it) and the second time due to my foot condition. I've been diagnosed with Morton's Neuroma and my podiatrist injected the neuroma and that made things better for a while (I also got pads and inserts for my shoes). However, since early January I have been trying to run again and my left foot is KILLING ME. I'm even starting to have trouble walking longer distances. Is surgery my only option here? I really would love to find another way out of this. And the big question - will the Neuroma go away if I treat it properly or will it always exist until I have surgery (which I *do not* want)?
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randyolson
Member |
posted Jul-24-2007 06:45 PM
quote:
Originally posted by IRS:
So, I've made it almost all the way through the Couch to 5K program twice now and I've had to quit one time due to laziness (I love the holidays! Or the weight-gaining time as I like to call it) and the second time due to my foot condition. I've been diagnosed with Morton's Neuroma and my podiatrist injected the neuroma and that made things better for a while (I also got pads and inserts for my shoes). However, since early January I have been trying to run again and my left foot is KILLING ME. I'm even starting to have trouble walking longer distances. Is surgery my only option here? I really would love to find another way out of this. And the big question - will the Neuroma go away if I treat it properly or will it always exist until I have surgery (which I *do not* want)?
with any metatarsal pain one needs to check the flexibility of the hip flexors and external rotators of the hip especially these rotators since they cause a rotational force on the metatarsal. also check the flexibility of the big toe. Randyolson
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-01-2007 07:59 AM
Going for my 3rd alcohol injection tomorrow. Right now my 2nd and 3rd toes are somewhat numb and my foot is still a bit swollen....
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RunTimRun
Member |
posted Aug-01-2007 10:46 AM
I joined the alchohol injection club yesterday. The ball of my foot is fairly sore today, but it normally is anyway, although not as much as today. A bit of swelling, but I'm able to hobble around. I'm trying to stay off of it as much as possible.I really like my podiatrist and have a lot of confidence in him. He and I had run in the same group up until last year, when I had to quit because of this problem. He has put me in orthotics and may do some surgery eventually. My Dr. is doing a couple of things that I think are different from some of the rest of you. First, he made the injection from the bottom of my foot. I get the impression that a lot of the others have had the injection from the top, but that may not be the case. I don't know if all of mine will be that way. The other thing he is doing is giving me the injections more frequently, about 3-5 days apart. I go again next Monday and Thursday, then the same thing the following week. Will keep you posted. Tim
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-01-2007 04:14 PM
Please do, Tim. My first cortisone injection was in the bottom of my foot. It did absolutely nothing for me. It will be interesting to see if the injections closer together make a difference.
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bboywannabe
Member |
posted Aug-02-2007 07:07 AM
JLFleetDarn. I'm sorry to hear that cryosurgery wasn't successful. for you. I've heard nothing but good news about it so far until now. Did you get your cryosurgery done from this place?
http://www.tampacryosurgery.com/
Did the cryosurgeon use a nerve stimulator? From this article about cryosurgery it says: "Another limitation of this procedure appears to be the size of the neuroma and excessive fibrosis from previous neurectomy. If the neuroma is 3 cm diameter or greater, the 1 cm ice ball may not be able to penetrate the entire mass.
In my experience, patients with very large neuromas and excessive scar tissue have also failed all previous treatment including alcohol injections." http://www.podiatrytoday.com/article/2691 Are any of those problems that you have?
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-03-2007 05:51 AM
Tim-I asked my pod yesterday about me getting injections closer together. He said the main reason was that insurance won't pay for them unless it is over 10 days. I didn't need to hear anything else. I am totally dependent on my insurance! Actually this time I am not as swollen. He said he would use a less solution so that my swelling would go down. The shot didn't hurt any less, though! Maybe running again is in my future.....
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RunTimRun
Member |
posted Aug-03-2007 11:11 AM
Isn't that crazy! Why is your insurance company allowed to decide that rather than your Dr.? Maybe Michael Moore is on to something.My foot has remained slightly swollen; enough to be uncomfortable when I walk and make me limp a bit, but it doesn't bother me otherwise. Today is my normal day for doing the elliptical trainer and I was able to do that without any discomfort at all; I guess it puts more pressure on the back part of the foot.
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bboywannabe
Member |
posted Aug-04-2007 09:01 AM
Just wondering, where are your guy's neuromas?
Between 3-4 or 2-3?
Or some rarer location?
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-04-2007 10:57 AM
Mine is between 2nd and 3rd toes.
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RunTimRun
Member |
posted Aug-04-2007 01:30 PM
Same here. Between 2nd & 3rd
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JLFleet
Member |
posted Aug-06-2007 03:00 PM
bboywannabe:Haven't checked the board in while - sorry about that! Yes, that is where I had it done. By Dr. Marc Katz. He's a great guy, by the way. He had originally warned me that cryo sometimes takes 2-3 times before it works - depending on how big the neuroma(s) is/are. They have no way of knowing how big it is so they would rather err on the side of caution, rather than risk permanent damage to the actual nerve, not just the neuroma and nerve sheath, so they limit the amount of freezing they do at each session. I had already scheduled my second treatment, when they called me today to tell me that he would perform the second treatment free of charge because when he did my first one, he did not yet have a nerve stimulator and now he does, so he feels he will have a better result this time. I thought that was really nice of them - I was prepared to pay for the second procedure, even though I'm going broke with doctor bills already.  I'm still paying off the $1200 MRI that another POD insisted I get (before I went to Dr. Katz) and I have since learned that MRI's are useless in diagnosing Morton's neuromas.  To answer someone else's question about location, I have two. One between 2&3, and the other between 3&4. The one between 2&3 actually showed on the MRI, but the one between 3&4 can be felt by manipulating my foot. I can feel the "click". Will let you all know if I have success with the second cryo treatment. To make all this worse, I am now developing a problem on my other foot, on the bottom of my big toe. Not in the first joint, but in the second (distal) joint. I think I've been favoring my right foot so much, that I must be overstressing and walking funny on the left, causing problems there now. A vicious cycle. 2nd cryo is on Aug 23. Wish me luck! Jennifer
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bboywannabe
Member |
posted Aug-06-2007 09:17 PM
JLFleetYea, Dr. Katz is really nice. He's been answering all my questions online so far. I also forked over big bucks for an MRI, and it didn't even find the neuroma. MRI's are pretty useless for this condition. I'm getting some pain in one of my ankles cause I'm overcompensating so I know how it is. You just have to be careful because you might become susceptible to even more injury. You're right about the vicious cycle. Good Luck on the Cryo
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RunTimRun
Member |
posted Aug-07-2007 09:55 AM
One of the frustrating things about this condition for me has been the difficulty of diagnosis (re the MRI). It's not like there is a blood test or scan that will clearly identify the problem & treatment need. Seems to be a lot of "Let's try this first, and if that doesn't work, we'll try this." (Not the fault of the doctors; just the nature of the injury.) Maybe someday there will be better diagnostic technology.I also have had similar experiences with compensating injuries. When I was trying to run with the neuroma last year, I developed a problem in my other knee. That's what made me finally decide that I had to shut down until the foot problem was fixed. I noticed yesterday, after my 2nd injection, I continued to limp even though my foot was numb. Once this is cleared up, I think I may take some yoga classes and try to get my body in better balance. Speaking of my 2nd injection, not much to report. It does seem less sore this morning than after the 1st one. At one point during the injection, if I had not been watching, would have sworn that he was sticking the needle in the end of my 2nd toe. Definitely found the nerve!
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bboywannabe
Member |
posted Aug-08-2007 07:59 PM
Even though you know where your neuromas are now, could you have guessed the general area on your own?I'm scared of multiple neuromas cause I can't pinpoint a specific spot. Do you think 1 neuroma could be causing the radiating pain all over?
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-09-2007 05:23 AM
I didn't know exactly until the dr pressed on the spot that was excruciating. That's when I knew! Now that I have had 3 injections, the pain is now radiating over to between my little toe. My 4th will be next Tuesday.
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RunTimRun
Member |
posted Aug-09-2007 07:31 PM
Read an informative article that provides some basic understanding of what is going on with a MN. Thought I would pass it on:http://www.myfootshop.com/detail.asp?Condition=Mortons%20Neuroma
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runawayjesse
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-13-2007 08:34 PM
I struggled with mortons neruma my whole life. thy these-http://www.mortonsfoot.com/posturecontrolinsoles.html Pain most of my adult life and these things instantly took the pain away.
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bboywannabe
Member |
posted Aug-14-2007 01:49 AM
I think a change of footwear can help if the condition isn't too serious. Otherwise, it's probably better to get rid of the neuroma for good.
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-14-2007 05:51 AM
Going for my 4th injection this afternoon. Right now, my foot is back to hurting again. This stinks!
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