Official diagnosis

I started Tuesday with a CT scan of my abdomen and pelvis. The hope was that we were finally going to get to the cause of my long-lasting groin pain. The scan was quick and uneventful, and by the afternoon the results had been sent to my doctor's office. The doctor wasn't there, but Kay called me with the results: mild inguinal hernia.

I know I've had this hernia for a few years. Every so often I'd do something to aggravate it, but for the most part it didn't bother me much. Last September I loaded about 1,200 lbs. of large rocks into my pickup, and the next day I had a big flare-up. It faded a little over the next week or so, but I was also in the final stages of training for an October marathon that featured 55-mile weeks. I began to feel it again, and eventually I think it got bad enough to cause severe groin pain. I ran the marathon with that pain, and spent the next 3.5 months recovering.

Eventually, I was running again, and by the time I closed out the month of April of this year, I was back up to 35 mile weeks. Without really training for one, I'd gotten into marathon shape, and if I could have found one, I would have entered.

Then, out of the blue one day on vacation in Arizona, I suffered debilitating back and hip muscle pain. I quit running, and when I got home I visited my physical therapist/chiropractor, and discussed it with my MD. They had different opinions, but I used parts of each doctor's advice. It took over two months to work through all the muscle pain, but after it was gone, what was left was the groin pain. No matter what I did or didn't do, it would not go away.

My doctor couldn't detect a hernia and suspected a pelvic stress fracture. He wanted me to have an MRI, but the insurance company said it had to be a CT scan. I was skeptical that the scan would find anything, but of course had no choice. In the end, the scan provided the information we needed to go forward.

I expect a discussion shortly with the doctor on a course of treatment, but it doesn't take much reading to find out that the only effective thing is surgery. Also, I think I remember that Bill had similar surgery.

I know this is a minor malady compared to the problems many people have, and I thank God for that, but I've dealt with it for so long now that I am ready to get it fixed no matter what and as soon as possible. -- Rob