Pain Patches and Cheese

After my triathlon experience last year I took a long break from working out.  Once the triathlon was finished I felt like I had post partum depression.  I've never had a baby so I am just assuming that is what I was feeling.  Anyway, I took a break and started my life back up again.  I started running again in December and when I would run I would feel tons of pain in my right leg.  My leg would feel dead, my knee ached, and there was this spot that would explode with pain.  It was on the lower part of the front of my leg and to the left of my shin.  I had signed up for a half marathon to do in March and was feeling discouraged not only because I had let myself get to out of shape but because I wasn't having much fun running. 
After a month of procrastinating (one of my greatest skills) I finally called the Sports Medicine Clinic to have my leg checked out.  Going into the appointment I was hoping that they were going to tell me that I was just being a pansy and that there was nothing wrong with me I just needed to suck it up and go.  After I met with the doctor and we did an x-ray, it was determined that I did not have a stress fracture but I was afflicted with Exercise Induced Compartment Syndrome.  What that means is that the fascia tissue surrounding my muscle is so tight that it cannot release the blood and causes pain.  This diagnosis was very bothersome to me.  First of all I have HUGE calf muscles and I had read somewhere that the hugeness of my leg would help to prevent injuries.  I was upset to learn that it would not prevent me from getting a syndrome!  After the diagnosis was made the doctor told me to take Aleeve which is an anti-inflammatory thirty minutes before I begin running and if this did not alleviate my pain then we would have to have more testing done then possible I would need to have a "procedure" preformed.  That was not welcome news.  I even asked the doctor if this was a fancy way of telling me that I was being a baby and he assured me that it was real. 
So after some thought and stressing I was reminded that I had a certificate for an acupuncture session.  I am a fan of alternative medicine, however, I have never tried or been exposed to Chineese Medicine.  So I made the appointment and last week was my first session.  I am not afraid of needles, in fact donating my blood is one of my favorite things to do.  So I fearlessly went to the acupuncturist and let him repeatedly put needles all over my arms and legs.  I really didn't feel a thing.  The hardest part was sitting still and relaxing for the 45 minutes my body needed to sit with a couple dozen needles sticking out of it.  Once the treatment was over my new friend instructed me to eat foods that are anti-inflammatory such as fish, vegtables, and fruits and to avoid foods such as candy, red meats, foods that bring me happiness such as El Herradero and Nutella, as well as foods that are made from animal fats.  This includes cheese.  At that point I almost gave up.  Cheese has been one of my favorite foods lately.  There is nothing more enjoyable for me than having some string cheese in between sessions.  It's like my brain food.  But as long as I am afflicted with my "syndrome" I need to lay off of the cheese.  I have a ton of it in my refrigerator and luckily my roommate loves cheese and may love it even more than me.  He also instructed me to only run two times a week and to do more resistance training.  Good thing I love lifting weights.  I love to see the vein in my neck pop out, I feel like it makes me look like a bad ass.  Just kidding I hate the mirrors, I really hate the facial expressions I make and hate seeing everyone else looking so calm while I am sweating profusely and struggling not to make embarassing grunting noises.  But I really do love to lift weights.  So that night after the acupuncture I went to the gym and did some running on the treadmill.  It was the most amazing treadmill run of my life.  There was no pain at all.  It felt like a miracle.  If I didn't have such a short attention span while on the treadmill I could have run all night.  I was sold on this acupuncture deal.  I felt ten years younger and I didn't have to put any pain patches on my leg that night. 
The second time I ran there was a small amount of pain in my leg and a little aching around my knees and achilles region.  So I went in again today for another treatment.  This time he put about three less needles in my leg and arm, and once again the needles weren't the problem.  The problem was that I was so relaxed that I almost couldn't function the rest of the day.  After the needles were put in me I was told to relax for about 30 minutes in a nice warm room.  I practiced my deep breathing and did a little guided imagery and promptly feel asleep.  It was glorious!  I wanted to stay in that room all day.  Unfortunately all good things must come to an end and I had a staff meeting to go to.  Tonight while I was running there was noticably less pain and aching.  I am not even aching now which means, that's right no need for pain patches tonight either.  The point of this long and drawn out story is to express my newfound love of acupuncture and the hope that it has brought into my life.  I am a believer.  While I was on the treadmill I was thinking of an appopriate haiku that would describe my feelings.  I hope it means as much to you as it does to me.

Body pincushion

Anti-inflammatory 

Patches gone cheese none

I am proud to say, "Patches, I don't need no stinking patches!"    However, I am anticipating the day when once again I can eat my cheese and know that it is not going to contribute to the tightness of my fascia.