Yesterday was my doctors appointment. I was a little nervous.
I asked my doctor a few questions
1. Ever since I have become a vegetarian I feel as if I have been getting many injuries and feeling run down at times. Do my injuries have anything to do with being a vegetarian? Her answer: No. As long as you are getting enough calcium and vital nutrients you are doing great as a vegetarian and can stay that way. (Yay!) She had me get blood drawn to see how I’m doing with vitamins/minerals- just in case.
That made me happy!
2. I ate ice cream the other night. I don’t usually eat dairy and I felt pretty awful for a full day. Is it possible that I am lactose intolerant? Her answer: Yes. About 70% of the population has some sort of intolerance to lactose and it is especially possible to develop it if you don’t consume dairy for a long period of time and then try to go back to it. She had me get blood drawn to check for a lactose allergy.
3. Why do I keep getting injuries? Her answer: You probably aren’t letting yourself heal fully. I want you to take 2 months off of running.
So I got a ton of blood drawn, left the doctors office, and got an iced latte to cheer me up! [P.S.: I’ll find out the blood work results in a few days]
(This post has WAY too many pictures of me hahah)
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Anyways, I suppose what you are all wondering is am I going to take 2 months off of running?
My answer: I don’t know. My knee has been bugging me again lately and I have cross country training camp on Sunday. Since the doctor offered to write me an excuse from cross country I am still able to get the scholarship and go to my school (praise God for his blessings!!). But if I use the excuse I won’t be able to run until October 9th. That kind of sucks.
I guess what I am going to do is see how I feel. I’m probably going to cross train until Sunday and see how my knee feels then. I’ll go from there.
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I’m really glad the doctor said it is possible (as long as the blood results come back good) for me to continue to be a vegetarian. I’m interested to find out if I’m lactose intolerant and I’m just going to go with the flow with how my knee feels for running.
Living My Full Life 
Glad to hear you were happy about her answers mainly! I think taking it day by day injury/running wise sounds like a good plan.
Glad to hear you have no problems with being a vegetarian. 🙂 And two months is a long time! Just do whatever is best for your body.
It is good to hear that you can be healthy and fit on the vegetarian diet. Hope your blood tests turn out good! I am sorry to hear you may need such a pause from running, but seeing how you feel is probably the best thing you can do.
get on Floradix! thats a great iron and B vitamin supplement for vegetarians. Rest up a bit and do some cross training. You’ll be back in no time!
Whew! Glad you’re okay on the vegetarian meal plan, but sorry to hear about the doc’s advice on running. With rest and prayer, I’m sure you’ll be fully recovered and better than ever in no time! 🙂
I was hoping you’d do just ffine with the vegetarian question. I am glad you did! Hopefully the blood work will come back fine, but if it doesn’t – then you will know exactly what it is you need more of- and can go from there!
The best thing you can do about cross country – is listen to your body – and that sounds exactly like what you are doing!
Yay! I’m glad you can be vegetarian still! That totally stinks about running though! Keep me updated on what you decide…and if you need prayer for anything specific.
You’re so cute! Iced lattes are the best!
I’m glad you can still be a vegetarian. I’m with you on the no running thing, I don’t like that idea either and would cry if my doctor ever told me that. Did you mention that you run XC, though? I mean, it’s not exactly the best time to be taking 2 whole months off with the season coming up… I would maybe just run a little less and maybe your coach could put you in shorter races/distances instead? Or, talk to your coach about a medical redshirt so that you still have your season of eligibility, but can train with the team just not compete. That way you’d still feel like a part of the team but wouldn’t have the pressure and would have the whole season to improve for next year.
Anyway, keep us posted on what you decide… I’m still glad your visit went okay, I know some doctors I’ve gone to are just horrified at how much I run and I don’t even run that much! At least yours is exercise/vegetarian friendly :).
A.L.
I’m glad it went okay and the doctor answered your questions. I think the blood work can tell you a lot. Don’t be afraid of supplements! I take calcium, vitamin d, and some b vitamins even though my levels are normal. A little extra can’t hurt as long as don’t overdo it.
As for running, I think the doc has good advice but I understand why it’s tough to hear. The truth is that our bodies need a lot longer to heal than we think they do!
I developed lactose intolerance later in life too. It’s a bummer, but as you know, not the end of the world!
Stay strong pretty girl!
Wow that is awful about running. 8 weeks is what they typically say for most injuries to fully heal. I’m in your shoes! I would see how you feel on Sunday but just cross training. I have really taken a step back and done nothing that irritates it all and I can feel my legs getting much stronger and it’s only been about a month.
Crossing my fingers for good news for you!
Praying that your knee will HEAL quick so you don’t have to sit out for the majority of the season. I know how much that sucks! Atleast it doesn’t have to do with the vegetarian thing and you don’t have to change that up too!
Iced lattes do make everything better, atleast temporarily.
Success! I’m sorry your knee is bothering you. I was plagued with a stress fracture three times in the same bone because I came back from swimming to track to cross country too quickly and never let it heal properly or overdid it. I think as long as you cross train for a bit, and back off on the miles, you will be able to run and be injury free. Sometimes it takes mistakes (like training for a marathon with too much mileage in my case) to realize that our bodies are all different and respond to various workouts/intensities in a different way. I have faith in you that you will be able to run! 🙂
Glad to know you’re a-okay as a vegetarian! But bummer about the knee-I have an ankle injury that needs some similar amounts of rest–and I just can’t do it. It’s so hard to sit still! I like your go-with-the-flow idea.
Aw, pray about the running Girl!
God will let you know what you need to do and give you the strength to do it (funny how it takes strength to not run but you know what I mean.
Glad to hear that you are overall happy with what the doctor had to say! Bummer about the knee and injury situation though 😦 Resting is incredibly difficult but essential too! Perhaps you could try taking off 2 weeks to start and then see how it feels? Baby steps!
I’ll keep you in my prayers that you can run! You have such a positive outlook on everything 🙂 Glad to know it’s still okay to be a vegetarian 😀
Allie, I’m lactose intolerant too… I can take a little bit of regular milk, but not too much. I can take tall mocha, but definitely not grande mocha. You can always enjoy sorbet. 🙂 I hope you get to run again. It’s hard not being able to enjoy what you like. But if 2 months off will help you not getting injured at all, then it’s a worth a try. As I get older, old injury starts to hurt and it’s not fun. When I was younger it was fine… well I sound like grandma, but it starts to heal very slow. So take good care of yourself. 🙂
Before i comment about the post, I have to tell you that I love your hair.
anyway, I’m glad you can still be a vegetarian!! I would be so torn about taking 2 months off or not. I definitely think it’s critical to fully heal, but it’s hard to just stop doing something you love. At the same time, you want to be able to do it forever. At least you know you still have the scholarship!
I am sure the blood test result will come out fine and you can heal faster which will make you go back to running. And two months will fly by .. trust me. Stay safe and happy 🙂 cute picture .. not too many for me !
Interesting that she said 70% of the population has some sort of lactose issue. I had heard the number was high, but I didn’t realize just how high it was. Makes me feel a little more normal, haha!
YAY! I’m glad your doctor’s appointment went well!
Hey girl! Glad to hear you can stay a veggie! I am slightly lactose intolerant too, it happened after I stopped eating soo much fat and grease, so then when I eat rich ice cream (which is high in cream) my body isnt used to it and i get nauseous after usually, and tired too. About the running- do what you want to do, the dr. can suggest it but ultimately your best healing process will be whatever u want to do to heal. The fact she suggested it might help you overall. Also the way I like to think of it- i’d much rather sit out 2 months now, be stronger- healthier and able to run longer (meaning in the long run as in like 15 years from now) rather than burning myself out now.
But go with your gut and trust your instincts! YOU KNOW WHATS GOOD FOR YOU.
I hope your knee feels 100% soon!! Definitely better not to push your body! I overtrained with my skating and ended up with a permanent injury! Be careful!!
I have a LOT of friends who are lactose-intolerant! It’s kind of a bummer, but now there are also so many great soy, coconut milk, non-dairy, etc. options… so it could be worse!!!
Happy Thursday darling!
That’s really great news that being veg isn’t necessarily contributing to injuries. I hope your blood work comes back squeaky-clean!
Be good to yourself – taking 2 months for your knee now may mean you can run longer and better in the future.
P.S. Was that a SOY latte?! 🙂
I think you should totally take 2 months off…otherwise you’ll end up like me with a really bad knee wishing she’d taken 2 months off before it got really bad!
This is the nurse in me talking..you ABSOLUTELY need to rest yourself otherwise you will continue to get injured or even worse, have a more permanent injury. Rest is SO important for our bodies and that is why I see SO many athletes with serious injuries. You’re young..save yourself girlie 🙂
Well, I’m glad your appointment helped you with answers, even though they probably all weren’t exactly the ones you were looking for.
Glad to hear you can still eat the food you want. Sorry to hear about taking 2 months off running. : (
Best wishes! Taking a break is so hard for runners! You asked great questions. I love when pts ask questions.
Girl, take the time off of running! You don’t want to permanently injure yourself so that you can never run again.
To be honest, some times doctors are all like, “Running… no… don’t do it.” I have been told to take off running because of my knee. I didn’t. I’m still running fine today. Knock on wood. Many times doctors have told people you shouldn’t run again because of a knee injury. People do anyway. As long as you aren’t running with pain, then run. Maybe just give a month of running completely just to be sure.