Hi, I’m Keaton.
I am a(n):
- Aspiring Athlete
- Peanut Butter Addict
- Pour Over Coffee Snob
- Forever Work-In-Process
This Blog May Include (But Is Not Limited To):
- Workouts I Love
- Mental Health Thoughts
- Auto-Immune Health Tidbits
- Recipes and Meal Prep Ideas
- Injury Prevention Tips
My Story
In the fall 2013, my running career ended abruptly due to inflammation in my Achilles Tendons. After 11 months of rest and intensive physical therapy, it became clear that my situation was not going to improve through conventional treatment.
In the Summer of 2014, I tested positive for HLA-B27, a gene marker commonly associated with auto-immune disease, specifically Ankylosing Spondylitis. While I didn’t have signs of the full-blown condition (and luckily still don’t today), Achilles Tendonitis is a common early sign for it.
With my medical team now alerted to my condition, I began a course of low-dose inflammatory meds to help me limp through the remaining Cross Country and Track seasons of my high school career. While I was able to perform 3 workouts a week on the track, I had lost the carefree happiness I found on runs in the forest with my friends. The sport that had transformed my life had seemingly been locked away by the pain in my heels. Convinced my running days were over, I spent the next few years transitioning into cycling to take my mind off the loss.
Despite my new challenges, I managed to continue endurance training at high volume and participated in the 2016 Seattle to Portland (STP) ride. However, each victory I made was met with an equally opposite outcome.
My Achilles tendons began to worsen, flaring even on short walks. In 2018, I developed arthritis in my left foot between my toes, causing pain during walking and wearing most shoes. With no signs of slowing down, I decided that it was time to elevate my medical response.
Despite our best efforts to keep my side-effects risk low, our first options gave no benefit. After two failed rounds of medications, it was time to make some heavy decisions. With five years of relatively unhindered inflammation, I began to run the risk of long-term damage. In collaboration with my rheumatologist, my family and I weighed the options more powerful medications. From black box warnings to increased cancer risk and a suppressed immune system, the path forward was not looking good.
Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to get one last ultrasound exam of my tendons and feet. Should this test come back positive for active inflammation and damage, I would continue up the chain of immune-modulating drugs until we found a solution or my medical risk became too high.
The days leading up to my next appointment were agonizing. One 15-minute exam would determine my future medical outlook and potentially restructure my life into two-week chunks between injections. On one hand, the risk factors presented by my doctors drove my anxiety through the roof. I would happily continue with the current situation if it meant I wasn’t taking dangerous medication. On the other, I desperately wanted answers to my pain and a positive test result would point me in the direction of relief.
Neither option was ideal.
Upon inspection, my rheumatologist happily reported “Changes consistent with auto-immune activity, but no inflammation present.” The tendons were still damaged, but my immune system had stopped attacking them.
This changed everything – a ray of hope began to shine.
Neither myself, my family, or my rheumatologist had considered this outcome. This was by far the best case scenario. There were cheers and hugs all around, family and doctors alike. While I still experienced pain that day, the result meant that I could restart physical therapy for my Achilles tendons and foot with the goal of running again.
I cried on the car ride home. My mom cried too.
Fast Forward to Now (May 2020)
- I’ve worked with a physical therapist in Portland, OR to build back my running ability. Starting with a 5-minute jog in excruciating pain, I’ve built my body’s endurance up to a 9-mile run at 8:30 mile pace.
- I’ve adopted a ‘building’ attitude to help me craft a body and mindset which prioritize function and mobility through a variety of training methods.
- I’ve set new goals focused on fitness as a feeling and training for the rest of my life, not just for the year-end event.
Looking back, I still have questions about my condition. It all started so quickly and ended without any real reason or warning.
- Did the first round of medications actually help?
- Did my condition have a 5-7 year timeline and now it’s over?
- Was it God/the Universe that stopped it?
- Will it ever come back?
To be honest, I don’t think I’ll ever know the answers. What I do know is that I was given a second chance to use my athletic abilities – and I’ll be damned if I waste it.
#whynotyou
carefree keaton 