| Author |
Topic: Morton's Neuroma ARGH! |
foxyw
Cool Runner |
 posted Aug-23-2007 11:56 PM
  
I have been battling neuromas in both feet for the last 2.5 years and tried to avoid surgery at all costs. The neuroma in my left foot was the first to flare up. Three cortisone shots gave me about six months of relief. The neuroma flared up again and a series of seven alcohol shots, each spaced two weeks apart, provided almost complete relief from the pain. The clicking is still present on occasion. The neuroma in my right foot was less severe, had one cortisone shot and then went ahead with alcohol shots in this foot too because of the success with my left foot. The alcohol shots in my right foot overall made the situation worse. I had relief for about two weeks after the seven shots and then it was painful on a regular basis. A few months later I had excruciating toe pain in my right foot after tweaking my foot just the wrong way. Shortly after that, the same toe pain appeared in my left foot! It was bad enough in my right foot to warrant two cortisone shots. This calmed the problem down but I still had periodic severe pain in my toe. I couldn't take it anymore and finally had surgery in my right foot three months ago. I am still recovering. The surgery was rather extensive (they mentioned something about "adhesions" in there, and serious swelling) and I think this is contributing to my long, sometimes quite painful, recovery period. My understanding is that the cortisone shots and probably the alcohol shots too, compromise the integrity of the tissue in your foot. If the neuroma is big enough, the shots will reduce the size but the sometimes painful clicking will likely not go away as I've experienced with my left foot. Overall, the alchol shots themselves were quite painful in the beginning but became less painful toward the end of the series. I experienced some numbness on the bottom of my foot and a little bit of burning at the injection site (always through the top of my foot) with some of the shots but that resolved itself within 12 or 18 hours. A few of the shots caused some bruising as well. I never experienced any swelling to speak of. Since the shots were two weeks apart, there was enough time for the pain to subside for the most part between visits. Sorry for such a long posting. I hope that my experience helps others decide how to proceed with their treatment. Best wishes to all!
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-24-2007 05:28 AM
Fox-Thanks for you post. I am still experiencing the burning in my toe. I don't think these injections are going to help me at this point. I haven't been able to wear the inserts enough to tell, since they don't fit in my dress shoes. I am beginnng to think this will be a lifetime thing, and I'll never be able to run again.
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foxyw
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-24-2007 06:50 AM
My doc had recommended if the alcohol shots weren't helping to stop after 3 or 4 of them. I went for the full course of 7 shots in each foot. As I mentioned, it was quite helpful for my left foot and made matters worse on my right foot. In retrospect, I should have gone for surgery earlier but I was doing all I could to avoid surgery. I've had good luck and still like my Footmaxx orthotics. The custom orthotics have helped my general foot comfort and lessened the neuroma pain. I even used the orthotic in the surgical bootie I wore following surgery. My doc has switched over to Solo Laboratories orthotics and I'm considering getting a pair of those too.
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bboywannabe
Member |
posted Aug-24-2007 06:58 AM
I read somewhere that alcohol injections could cause a stump neuroma
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foxyw
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-24-2007 07:24 AM
I read about that possibility for the first time last night.
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RunTimRun
Member |
posted Aug-24-2007 10:57 AM
Shelley- So sorry to hear things aren't going well. I can relate to your discouragement.Foxy- Thanks for your input. I had a better day yesterday. But this morning I had trouble with the elliptical, which I normally can do ok. Had planned to do an hour but had to stop after about 45 min. Was using my mortons foot insoles. Wish I had brought my orthotics too just to see if that would have made a difference.
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JLFleet
Member |
posted Aug-24-2007 11:25 AM
Update on cryotherapy - had my second session yesterday.I went to see Dr. Katz for my second round of cryotherapy on the two MN's in my right foot (2nd and 3rd webspaces). This time, he used a nerve stimulater to make sure we were on the correct nerves before he froze them. First, let me warn everybody....they cannot numb your foot before the procedure if they are going to use a nerve stimulator. You have to be able to feel everything so you can let him know when he has found the painful nerve. So...it is a very painful procedure. I had no idea - I thought it would be a similar experience to the first time, where he numbed my foot first and that was the most painful part of the whole thing. Hah! If I'd known, I'd have taken drugs before I came and had my husband drive me. You basically are having a steel rod stabbed deep into your foot and then the Dr has to probe and dig around in there, searching for what he hopes is the right nerve. When he finds a nerve, his assistant turns the nerve stimulator on, which sends an electric current to the nerve. All this is happening with the patient totally awake and no anesthetic in the foot. The probing around hurts bad enough, but then when the electric current starts shocking your nerves....ugh. I was almost screaming most of the time and was gripping the chair so hard my fingers hurt afterwards. And because I have two neuromas, I had to go through it twice - he had to bore two holes in the top of my foot and search around and do the electric shock thing, then once I told him i could feel the neuroma pain, he'd start the freezing process. It was torture for about 30 minutes straight. When he was done, he then was able inject my foot with anesthetic so I could drive home, as the pain in my foot was quite bad, even with all the instruments pulled out. When I came out of the room, his staff up front said they could hear me in there...we had a good laugh because his waiting room was empty and I said I probably scared all of his other patients away. LOL Okay, so that was the bad news. The good news is that this time I'm pretty confident we were successful. When he hit the affected nerve in my second webspace, the pain out to the tip of my middle toe was excruciating - just like when I'm trying to walk and the neuroma is hurting....which was a good thing, because it meant he was at the right spot. So he froze the heck out of it, over and over again. So, I'm hoping that this time, that whole nerve and tumor growth is DEAD. My middle toe (the painful one) is now pretty numb. I still have some feeling a little on the sides and top...but the most of it is numb, including the very tip. This is a good sign. The theory here is that the nerve will grow back, but with the use of orthotics and proper shoes, the neuroma will not come back with it. I'll keep you guys updated on how this all turns out. I sure hope it works, because I don't think I can go through that again. Dr. Katz was very kind and kept talking me through it, but still....it was awful. He said some patients tolerate it quite well, but others don't... I'm not usually a wuss, but to have someone rooting around in your foot with sharp things that send electric shocks and freeze stuff without anesthetic...well I guess that's my limit. Maybe I'm more of a baby than I thought. Will post back when I know for sure if it worked. Jennifer
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foxyw
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-24-2007 04:04 PM
Thanks for your update Jennifer! I hope everything works out well for you!
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bboywannabe
Member |
posted Aug-24-2007 04:30 PM
Hahaha darn. Thought it was gonna be smooth sailing.I saw this video of Dr. Katz http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fqalM4EjVE&eurl
and the woman looked like she barely felt anything. He told me that during the time of this news segment, he didn't have the nerve stimulator, so now I see why she's all fine and dandy. Thanks for the warning.
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runawayjesse
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-24-2007 05:47 PM
quote:
Originally posted by ShelleyM:
Fox-Thanks for you post. I am still experiencing the burning in my toe. I don't think these injections are going to help me at this point. I haven't been able to wear the inserts enough to tell, since they don't fit in my dress shoes. I am beginnng to think this will be a lifetime thing, and I'll never be able to run again.
Hmmm, something jumps out at me here. I wonder what you dress shoes look like? If the inserts don't fit in your dress shoes I wonder how well your feet fit in your dress shoes. Improper footwear is known to cause Mortons neuroma.
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Vtoes
Member |
posted Aug-25-2007 10:40 AM
I was dx'd with Morton's neuroma between my second and third toe about 6 months ago. I had two cortisone shots, had my foot wrapped with a pad under my very high arch that I wore for three days each visit and bought the custom orthotics. I also switched to New Balance shoes in extra wide (because I'm wide). The pain has pretty much gone. But even though the inflammation is gone the neuroma is still there and it has caused my second toe to wack out in its position. I have a V between the second and third toe and sometimes the secod toe almost stands up. I have no control over it. My pod said since I have relief from pain he doesn't want to do surgery and that the toe acts like this because of "muscle imbalance". The only way to fix this, he says, is surgery. But at this point he says it's mostly cosmetic. BUT, it is uncomfortable..not painful. Has anyone else experienced this? Any relief without surgery?
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-26-2007 04:28 AM
Jesse-I'm sure my shoes helped develop the neuroma, but also bunion, running, etc.I've been wearing these Fit Flops and they are the most comfortable around the house thing I've found. I love them. I am going to ask the pod if they are okay to wear. They are supposed to make you stand straighter. My toe hasn't been hurting. Today I will be wearing the morton's insert, since I'll be moving furniture. If so much pain is involved in the Cryosurgery, I don't think I can handle it. The painful shots almost knocked me out. I must really be a wuss.
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JLFleet
Member |
posted Aug-26-2007 07:23 AM
Another update - 3 days since 2nd cryo w/nerve stimulator.Well, since I horrified everybody here with my account of a very painful experience, I thought I should post back to say that I believe, this time, we have acheived success! While my foot is sore in general from the procedure itself, the neuroma pain is gone. It was our annivesary Friday night, and we went out to a very nice restaurant, so I just HAD to wear high heels with a pointy toe, don't ya know. Well, I hadn't been able to wear any of my shoes like that in about a year, without horrible electric shocks and shooting pain with every step. I wore them all night - the very next day after the cryo - with no pain. Like I said, my foot is sore, but more in a bruised-feeling kind of way, and not in the toe area. I must admit that my foot does feel odd, with that one toe so numb. Feels very weird walking barefoot. But weird or not, I'd rather have that toe numb than on fire all the time. We don't know yet whether the numbness is permanent - we're hoping the nerve will grow back normally. So....after what I described the other day....would I do this again? Yep, I guess I would if I knew it was going to work (how quickly the painful memories fade, eh?). Going through some pain (and it's not as painful for some as it is for others I guess) was worth being able to walk again without feeling I have a dagger in my foot with every step. I had a feeling that it worked this time, because when Dr. Katz had that nerve stimulator on THE nerve, I knew we were obliterating the correct one. It was weird...it hurt like heck when he was on that nerve and when he was freezing it, but it was also a satisfying kind of pain as it was happening, because it was so obvious we were attacking the exact source of my ongoing pain. So far so good...if there are any other changes, for better or worse, I will report back. Jennifer
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runawayjesse
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-26-2007 07:27 AM
quote:
Originally posted by ShelleyM:
Jesse-I'm sure my shoes helped develop the neuroma, but also bunion, running, etc.I've been wearing these Fit Flops and they are the most comfortable around the house thing I've found. I love them. I am going to ask the pod if they are okay to wear. They are supposed to make you stand straighter. My toe hasn't been hurting. Today I will be wearing the morton's insert, since I'll be moving furniture. If so much pain is involved in the Cryosurgery, I don't think I can handle it. The painful shots almost knocked me out. I must really be a wuss.
I would consider NEVER wearing a shoe that doesn't fit your feet. Aim for a flat shoe with enough room in the toebox. If your inserts aren't fitting in the shoe chances are your feet aren't fitting good either. Shoes with higher heels even just a little eleavated transfer your weight all to the forefoot and this alone can cause Mortons. Their isn't much you can do about the bunion but aim to stop the overpronation in the forefoot. Chances are thats how it formed in the first place. BTW their is sugery to remove that bunion. It's rather simple, they just shave it down.
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foxyw
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-26-2007 10:43 AM
I bought a pair of Crocs in the "Patra" model. They are wonderful to wear around the house and out and about as well. They are plenty wide, have decent arch support, and a well cushioned sole. I found them at a large sporting goods store but they are also available from the Crocs web site. It was 3 months to the day Friday since my surgery. I still continue to feel a change in my foot each day. There is still some minor swelling around the surgery area so going barefoot is out of the question at the moment. The hot weather causes my foot to swell a bit, especially if I am on my feet a lot. I spend a lot of time in the Crocs and my Tevas on the weekend. Sneakers with my custom orthotics or Keen Presidio during the week. ------------------
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bboywannabe
Member |
posted Aug-26-2007 12:46 PM
Congrats on your success Jennifer.It's great to hear someone get their life back. I still think you should try to keep your foot as comfortable as possible and maybe hold off on the heels.
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JLFleet
Member |
posted Aug-26-2007 04:34 PM
Hi bboy,Just wanted to say that I don't wear high heels very often - just special occasions.  I'm usually in my Saucony running shoes, crocs, or Tevas (like the other poster). Although I have to say that the Tevas made my neuromas hurt pretty bad sometimes. Anyway, I didn't want to leave the impression that I was going to start cramming my feet into bad shoes just because I can. Jennifer
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foxyw
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-27-2007 06:17 AM
Hi Jennifer,That's great news that you're cryosurgery was a success the second time around! Cheers,
Pat ------------------
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Elizabeth78
Member |
posted Aug-27-2007 11:10 AM
I've had my second set of injections and they are working well. QUESTION: Did your area of pain ever transfer from the top of your foot to the ball of your foot? My pain was always on top of my foot, but for some odd reason, now it hurts on the ball of my foot, and the pain on top is gone. It's like the neuroma sunk down further into my foot, if that's possible? Can these things move around?
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-28-2007 05:30 AM
Elizabeth-That hasn't happened to me.Unfortunately, my boss doesn't let us wear anything but a dress shoe to work. What I've been doing is wearing my dress shoes, then changing in the afternoon if I have been on my feet too much. She is very particular and makes comments if someone is wearing comfort shoes, even with a dr's note. Jennifer-It sounds like you are doing wonderful. I still don't think I could suffer through that much pain. I wonder if it is possible to take a pain killer before the surgery?
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Elizabeth78
Member |
posted Aug-28-2007 08:52 AM
Shelly, that is just wrong! What about shoes from places that specialize in comfort shoes. Like the Beautifeel brand or something? Or, and this is somewhat drastic, what about getting one of those medical shoe/boot things? That's similar to wearing a cast, and then I highly doubt your boss could tell you not to wear it!
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RunTimRun
Member |
posted Aug-28-2007 10:04 AM
I have had some progress the past few days. The pain when I walk is slowly decreasing. I was able to walk almost limp free yesterday. Last evening I mowed for about 45 minutes and did ok; not much soreness afterwards.I still have the sensation of walking on a marble, but it just doesn't hurt as much. But the swelling inside my foot does seem to have decreased some. I wear the morton's foot insoles all the time now because I have less pain with them than with the orthotics. Jesse- Did you have that same sensation of walking on a marble before you started using the mortons foot insoles, or was it just pain? Pat- Please continue to update us on your progress. My pod. says surgery is next if the injections don't work, although Jennifer has picqued my interest in cryo. Shelley- Is surgery an option for you? Tim [This message has been edited by RunTimRun (edited Aug-28-2007).]
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motherof4
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-28-2007 02:44 PM
Ok....I keep checking this thread and am discouraged that so many of you are thinking about giving up running or suffering through this for many years. If after a few shots it doesn't work, do the surgery.....it isn't that awful and you are back at it in 2 months. Schedule it during your bad season (dead of winter or hot August when you don't mind missing those bad days). If any of you had done this when the thread started it would be over and you would be back to your normal running.In the big picture 2months off of running isn't so bad and you run the risk of hurting another part of your body more by over-compenstating,. Just food for thought! Good Luck!
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runawayjesse
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-28-2007 07:23 PM
quote:
Originally posted by ShelleyM:
Elizabeth-That hasn't happened to me.Unfortunately, my boss doesn't let us wear anything but a dress shoe to work. What I've been doing is wearing my dress shoes, then changing in the afternoon if I have been on my feet too much. She is very particular and makes comments if someone is wearing comfort shoes, even with a dr's note. Jennifer-It sounds like you are doing wonderful. I still don't think I could suffer through that much pain. I wonder if it is possible to take a pain killer before the surgery?
Than I'm afraid you may be right. Thats a shame. If improper shoes are the cause of your Mortons Neuroma and you continue to wear them no matter what the treatment you will not get better. If your boss can't understand this situation I would seriously consider finding another career.
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Aug-29-2007 04:54 AM
I'm going today for another injection. I am going to ask him about surgery. We haven't even discussed it at this point.
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