Good Morning!

Phew, I’ve been busy these past few days.  Unfortunately it’s been due to doctor’s visits regarding my foot.  Total bummer.

My foot pain has always been around since November, but I thought it was getting better.  However, Last week it started to get more severe to the point that standing too long was painful.  I decided that I needed to go back to the doctor to have him take a look at it again.

I had an MRI done a couple of weeks ago, but my doctor said there was nothing significantly wrong.  I had no fractures, no tendonitis, and no broken bones.  I did, however, have some inflammation as well as some bursitis and neuromas in my toes.  This made a lot of sense to me since for the last week my toes have felt like they were on fire all day.  It was so painful!  He injected cortisone into my toes (which actually didn’t hurt much at all!) and it has made a big difference.  I no longer feel that burning feeling in my toes.  I hope it lasts!

Though my toes were getting treated, I still  had this nagging lateral foot pain.  The doctor seemed puzzled since my foot was functioning well and didn’t hurt in the slightest when he was moving it around and pressing on it.  That is until he pressed on what is called the “cuboid bone” and OUCH, that was the spot that hurt!

The doctor thinks I have what is called “Cuboid Syndrome”:

Cuboid syndrome is a problem on the outside of the foot where the cuboid bone is alleged ‘subluxed’ in relationship to the bone around it. This subluxation is caused by the pull of the peroneus longus tendon which uses the cuboid as a pulley. If the cuboid is not fixed firmly in place, then it can be ‘moved’ or ‘subluxed’. This results in pain on the outside of the foot. Source

This made sense to me since it is where I feel the discomfort.  The only problem is that I went so long with being improperly diagnosed that it’s become a chronic condition for me.  Usually this is very treatable if found early.  Cuboid Syndrome is often misdiagnosed since it’s not as common as other foot conditions.  My doctor said he probably sees this only 3 or 4 times a year out of the 4000-5000 people he treats yearly.  Though I am happy that I may have a possible diagnosis, I’m still worried that it’s going to be yet another long road to full recovery.

For now, the doctor has placed a piece of fabric in my shoe that supports the cuboid bone. It’s very uncomfortable, to be honest, and feels like a rock in my shoe.  He said that was normal though and to see how I feel in a few days.  I’m also going to be seeing a Physical Therapist in a couple of weeks to be evaluated so I hope to find out more about what is going on with my foot.  It’s been frustrating, yet enlightening.  I’m learning more about the foot that I ever thought I would. It’s all interesting (but I still want to be out of pain and free to move as I want!).

So what does this mean for me in regards to working out?

I am yet again taking a break from most exercise besides upper body lifting and Pilates.  I’m even taking a break from Yoga classes, as I need to give my foot a rest from all the standing postures (I will do my own seated postures at home so I can still maintain a Yoga practice). With teaching group classes at work, I still mainly coach the classes and don’t participate.

Walking the pups is also out right now.  Luckily they enjoy stalking squirrels in the backyard just as much, so they don’t seem to mind:

This reminds me, I need to scrub the fence to remove their muddy little paw prints before we move out of our rental!

I will keep updating on my progress.  Anyone out there ever have Cuboid Syndrome?

*****

Aside from foot pain, I have managed to complete the Green Drink Challenge that I was participating in.  I even made a couple of new smoothie recipes.  One was good and the other…not so good.  But I’ll share both and give options on making the not-so-good one better!

Chocolate Strawberry Green Smoothie:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup frozen strawberries
• 1 big handful of fresh spinach
• 1 cup of milk (I used 2%)
• 1 scoop of chocolate protein powder
• Ice
• 1/4 cup of water (or as needed to thin out a bit)

This was the good one. Combining chocolate and strawberries is always a winning combo!

I had good intentions with this next one, but it just wasn’t as good….

Honey Vanilla Banana Green Smoothie:

• 1 banana
• Handful of fresh spinach
• 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
• 1/2 cup of 2% milk
• 1/4 cup of water
• Squirt of honey

This just had an odd taste. I still drank it because I didn’t want to waste it, but it was not nearly as enjoyable as the first one.

I think what made mine have a weird taste was the mixing of two different types of protein powders:

The rice protein gave it a chalky flavor. I think I’ll leave that out next time!  The hemp protein powder is good, but has a more spicy flavor.  It’s good in small dosages.  The flavor was just a bit too intense in the smoothie.  I think just a plain vanilla whey flavor would work wonders in this recipe.

I’m glad I did the challenge and I can’t say enough about how much better I feel since incorporating more fruits and veggies into my diet.   My energy is amazing! I do get enough sleep and don’t over exercise, so those both contribute, but I really do feel so much better.

Along with the addition of fruit and veggie smoothies, I’ve been trying to add more nutrition to both my lunches and dinners.  99% of the time I pack my lunch since I only get a 30 minute break and I work far away from any type of restaurant.

Lately I’ve been making couscous salads, which fill me up and taste delicious.

In this salad:

• Parmesan couscous
• Kalamata olives
• Chick peas (canned)
• Orange peppers
• Spinach
• Feta cheese
• Red wine vinegar
• Olive Oil

I love couscous because it cooks in only a few minutes and I get at least 3 servings from it.  This salad mix lasted for a few lunches during the week and I put it together ahead of time which makes it easy to pack up to take to work.

I’m still on a Greek kick this week with including feta and olives into my salads, but I did change up my salad bowl and added some more flavors:

In this salad:

• Curry couscous
• Pinto beans (canned)
• Red pepper
• Kalamata olives
• Artichokes (canned)
• Guacamole (made in the Vitamix: avocado, tomato, onion, salt, pepper)
• Feta
• Red wine vinegar
• Lemon juice

I love all the different flavors of this one! I’ve been eating it all week. Speaking of which, It’s about that time to chow down!

I will leave you now with a link to check out Boo and Sophia’s adoption story that I wrote for the blog From Alone to Home.  It’s a great resource to promote animal adoption! If you have your own adoption story you’d like to share, contact Kate who runs the website.