I have Abs. I have proof.

Not sure if I've blogged about this, but some of you know I was suffering from a weird hip pain even when we were in Chicago. It's been about 2 months since it first came on. A month ago I broke down and went to an osteo and he said it looked like trochanteric bursitis. He prescribed rest and Arcoxia (more on that in a bit).
I rested. And I rested. Then after 2 weeks I went back to boot camp and ended up being in excruciating pain for a day and a half. Since then, the pain seems to be progressing to the point where even just daily walking about hurts.

So I decided to go ahead and get the cortisone shot which is the next step in treatment if rest and meds don't work.

Well that doc is off island until October 31st so I managed to weasel my way into another, figuring I'd sweet talk him into giving me the shot and I'd be on my merry way.

He didn't think it was the bursitis.... the spot I'm now definitely feeling the pain in is too high up. He thought it might be the muscles around the hip flexor being too tight and sent me to a physiotherapist for an evaluation and pilates style stretching.

I met with her today and after a lot of pushing, poking, pulling and prodding, determined that there is absolutely nothing wrong with my hips. amazing flexibility and range of motion and the ball is gliding effortlessly in the socket.

Her diagnosis - a torn abdominal wall muscle of all things!!!!!!!!

But makes sense when I told her I feel pain when I sneeze and when I do push ups or burpees.

She says we've been doing all the right treatments, just in the wrong place!!!!

So the orders are more rest (no running, no pushups, nothing, basically, that engages my lower abdominals). Ice 1 or 2x a day and ultrasound while in an extreme ab stretch position involving a stability ball.

I cracked up when she said it was abs, because I always swear at bootcamp that 'i ain't gat no abs'. well, she said, 'clearly you do, because you've torn one!

She seems to think I'll be ok to run the half marathon in February, it will just be a matter of whether or not I can actually train for it.... because as we all know, I am NOT a RUNNER!!!

On the matter of arcoxia.... it's a pain killer and anti-inflammatory. She asked how that was going down.... I said it's been iffy because my stomach has been very irritated of late..... she seems to think the arcoxia could be the culprit because she says it tends to be very abrasive on the stomach..... She gave me some excellent advice that I pass on to all of you..... she said whenever another doctor prescribes anything, I should consult with my lapband surgeon before even getting the prescription filled because he may want to change it or prescribe something I can take along with it to ease the irritation..... she said other docs prescribe assuming a normal physiology, but I no longer have that. Mine has been compromised.

Word to the wise.