Foot pain. Not to be confused with plantar fasciitis, I was just diagnosed with plantar fibromatosis, or what I call “foot pain.” I’ve had some left foot pain for a while now, in the arch. It’s one of those things I kept putting off, thinking it would heal itself. When it started keeping me up at night, it was time to get some help.
With plantar fasciitis, which is what I thought this was going to be, foot massages can help loosen it up and make it feel better. Unfortunately, the opposite is true with plantar fibromatosis (although that is debatable). All those times I’ve talked Tim into a foot massage have more likely been hurting more than helping. He was happy to hear he could forego any future foot massages 😂🤣.
Since we are in our “home” area in Texas for a while, still living in our Airstream, I scheduled a visit with my regular foot specialist out in the Lake Conroe area. That’s what the sign by TX-105 outside his building says, “Foot Specialist.” His office is as modest as the sign, as is the strip mall where he is located. It’s always clean and his staff are very professional and pleasant. Every time I see Dr. Ehret for a foot problem, I learn something new. And I come away feeling glad that I went in to see him.
This particular foot specialist has been at this profession for quite a while (since the early 90s), and he doesn’t hesitate to diagnose. He immediately saw what I was dealing with, gave me a diagnosis, talked about how it likely got started (it’s usually more than one thing), and offered me some options for treatment. In addition, he talked to me about the neuropathy, explaining how the muscle, tissue, cartilage, and nerves all interact.
Plantar fibromatosis, per Dr. Ehret, is scar tissue related to some injury to the connective tissue in the foot. Maybe I stomped on the shovel too hard when we were putting down sod in our yard, getting it ready for sale. Or, perhaps I stepped on a rock the wrong way or landed on a ladder with poor soles, or hit the curb on my arch. It could be a multitude of injuries. Once it is injured, the connective tissue keeps building up scar tissue with constant re-injury, resulting in a “ball” of scar tissue beneath the service. As previously stated, he did indicate there are typically multiple causes, and not one singular reason this condition develops.
He said I could look it up online, which I did, but “don’t pay attention to the pictures,” he said, because they always show off the worst-case scenarios. I was interested in what Dr. Google would say, and I was mainly there for the text anyway. Wikipedia calls it an inherited disease, also known as Ledderhose’s Disease, named after the surgeon who first described it. The disease can remain dormant for many years, or even generations, but then show up in the form of benign nodules unexpectedly. Once it shows up, it will likely recur throughout life. I wonder if any of my family members have had issues with this? This article from the National Library of Medicine was also helpful.
Fortunately, mine is in a “good spot.” It’s right in the middle of my arch, which we don’t use as much to walk on. The two primary options in my case are inflammatory medicine, or surgery. Most doctors, Dr. Ehret included, like to take the more conservative approach first. So, we agreed with the inflammatory approach.
We aren’t talking about Ibuprofen. He marked my foot, had his assistant hold my foot and big toe with a strong, death-grip, and then gave me a shot of numbing medicine followed by the injection. When I said “OW, OW, OW!” toward the end of the shot he indicated, “Got it!” with a smile. He had to hit the exact spot, apparently, which he knew he had found when it hurt. But it also felt better. In the words of John Mellencamp, “It hurt so good.”
If the problem persists, especially to the point where I have trouble walking, we can do the surgery option. I hope a shot every year or two will suffice. Also, he handed me a hand-written note in his “best doctor script” which reminded me to walk in shoes and slippers with memory foam, not bare feet, stay off my toes, and baby the arches. The cute black boots I wore into the office, which I got at Walmart for $16.00, have memory foam soles; he was very surprised to see that. They don’t typically see shoes with good soles walking into their office. I’m proud to say my boots are officially podiatrist-approved 😊.
I walked out of there (yes, I can still walk) with some new knowledge and a whole lot of relief. God is so good. We prayed for foot relief right before I went in there, and He answered that prayer almost immediately. He has connected me with the exact right physicians at the exact time I needed them. And of course, He is the Greatest Physician of all.
One final thought. As I was contemplating Jesus as the Great Physician, I did a little Bible Study. He never calls himself that. He became known as the Great Physician because of all the miraculous healings he performed. But the reason he healed people was not just so they could see, hear, touch or dance again. It was to draw them (and others) to Him. He came to “seek and save the lost” (Luke 19:10). That was his mission. If you are in need of healing, perhaps he is waiting until the opportunity for that healing to draw you closer to him. To save you. To become Lord in your life.
À la prochaine à bientot…hasta la próxima vez…until next time!