Hurts So Good...

Yes, this is the actual needle that penetrated my skin, went into my hip and injected my inflamed bursa with the magical stuff I call Cortisone. Sure, the Good Doc and Good Nurse thought I was a complete weirdo for asking if I could take a picture of this ginormous needle but after telling them about my blog, they were happy to oblige. The Good Nurse even held it against the light wall so the metallic luster of the needle would really show well. They are so good to me there.

I had looked forward to this moment for the last 2 weeks. I could tell the benefits of the first shot were wearing off and I could not wait to get the relief this one would be providing. There's just one catch...and one that I had forgotten about: The pain.

I was cheerfully yapping to the Good Doc and Nurse about my training progress and how I could not believe I had done five miles. As I began to lay down on my left side I happily went on about why I was wearing knee high, bright red reindeer Christmas socks (I'm sure they also found me a complete weirdo for that one but they're the only ones that go up high enough with my knee high boots so I have to wear them).

Before I knew it, the Good Nurse yanked my pants down on the right side and covered me with one of those paper sterile cloths. Hmmm, I don't remember this part, I remember thinking. I also didn't recall the sterile wipes cause I don't recall there being any blood last time.

So I'm caught mid-sentence by the Good Doctor saying, "Small stick," after which I felt a small stick. And just as I was thinking, Oh, that was just a small little stick, I then felt the needle slide through my bursa sack and begin to fill it with the medication that's supposed to hurt worse before it gives any relief. If I had to describe it, I'd say it felt like sticking a needle into a water balloon. Only the water balloon is an irritated, inflamed, angry balloon from which all leg pain radiates from that single, pinpoint area. And then one finds that exact, bruised, irritated area and jams a sharp needle into it.

The pain radiated all throughout my hip, thigh, leg, and butt. There was blood. It's like I wanted to punch the Good Doctor in the face but I also wanted to hug him cause I knew it was going to feel SO good later. All I could do was squeeze my eyes closed, make a fist, and bang it down next to me on the padded table. I had to lay there and take it until he was done moving it around inside my hip to cover all the areas. This was Friday and I spent the rest of the night Friday and all day Saturday limping around the house with strict instructions to take it easy.

Today (Sunday) I got back on schedule and got to the gym for a 40-minute cycle workout. This put absolutely no stress on the hip so it was perfect for getting in my cardio and my mandatory cross-training. I'm feeling much better today but will still be taking my anti-inflammatory meds before my runs this week.

More to come later! Hope I didn't gross you guys out too much!