The Good News Is...

... the MRI results came back negative showing i don't have a torn meniscus.  Although this is a relief in some respects, i kind of wish it would have come back positive so that at least we would have been able to tell what the hell is causing this pain!

Now... for the bad news.

Monday during my swim workout i tweaked my back somehow, and as a result, not only is my back very sore, but i also have a pinched nerve which is causing an immense pain from my right lower back all throughout my quad and down to just above my knee.  The only thing i can really liken it to is a sunburn.  That kind of ache / pain to the touch.  Went to the hospital this morning to get an xray on my lower back to make sure nothing is fractured or seriously out of place.  Hopefully i can get into the chiropractor tomorrow and she will straighten everything out and that will relieve the pain in my back AND right leg.

Now the REALLY bad news.

I have a left and right inguinal hernia... which is not only painful, but more likely than not requires surgery to fix.  Essentially for those who don't know, its when the layer of muscle gets torn or separates and the fatty tissue / digestive tract organs come through the gap.  Tomorrow, in addition to hopefully seeing the chiropractor, i have an appointment with the surgeon to weigh my options.  

If i do have the procedure, it is a quick 45 minute thing, walk out the same day after they fix the tear, and i can return to "normal" daily activities almost immediately.  Unfortunately, the definition of "normal" for me includes cycling, swimming, lifting, and running (when my body will let me.)  This is NOT the definition for a doctor.  Essentially, i'll be out of serious training commission for up to 6 weeks... which in the grand scheme of things isn't too bad since i was planning on taking off from running until the mid - end of march anyways.

So this is the biggest setback thus far.  I could deal with not being able to run for a bit, but to not be able to train AT ALL... it's going to be nothing short of torture.  If i can't work out for a couple days as it is, i go into a funk and feel like garbage.  I can't even imagine what this is going to be like.