Prolotherapy (injury update 3)

It's been a bit of an emotional roller coaster this past week. At first, I thought the extreme soreness was due to another chemical imbalance. My knee was killing me after the Chicago half in 2008 but it turned out to be nothing more than a chromium/manganese deficiency. That would have been really hurtful. After having been free from the pills for more than a month and have that taken away from me yet again is very distressing. However, as the week progressed, it was becoming increasingly clear that this issue was NOT due to a thyroid/adrenal issue. I am still very interested in seeing the results of the hair test as I suspect that the report will show moderate-severe tendencies toward inflammation. I declare that I am still free from dependence on pills. If I have to take a supplement to keep my inflammation in check and keep my blood sugar in balance, I'm fine with that so long as I don't crash if I miss a day or two or crash because I took 1 too many pills. I do not see that happening again. Praise God. When people were critical of me for placing too much emphasis on my running, I responded by stating that I would be willing to trade my talent in this area for freedom from dependence on pills. I stand by that statement today.
The pain is extremely localized at the top of my left kneecap. I had bad tendinitis as a teenager but back then, the pain was all below the knee cap and had spread to the side and the bursa (just below the knee area). This is a totally different injury. I am still walking with a limp but it is not too noticeable and I have to take my stairs one leg at a time or it would feel like my knee would give way. Even after the appointment, I am still unsure of the nature of the injury. Is it a tendon or a cartilage issue? Was it due to overuse or simply a freak issue such as a sprain by taking a bad step? I do know that the injury likely occurred in the 11th mile of the race. I simply did not feel it because I was so locked into the PR attempt that appeared as if it would come down to the last .1 mile. I completed the remaining 2.5-3 miles on an injury, which explains why my last 5K sucked so bad.
So, I woke up around 8:30 on Sunday morning then took a shower and headed to church. While I was there, my heart told me not to give up the dream of a BQ just yet but my brain tells a different story. As of now the plan is to try again at the age of 34 and stick to 5Ks, 10Ks and halves for the next 3 years. I fooled around online for a bit then hit the road to Atlanta. Nick and I had dinner together and watched some football. From Nick's place, it was about a 20 minute drive up to Marietta and I was fortunate to get an early appointment. Upon examination, the doc seemed to think that it may not be an overuse injury at all but just a nasty sprain. Because the pain was localized, he was optimistic about my prognosis but unsure if one treatment would do the trick. If not, I have my Nashville appointment in 2 weeks. The injection itself was not as bad as expected but the post injection pain was extreme as expected. I'll take it one day at a time. The pain will begin to subside by tomorrow evening and my first attempt to run could be as early as Thursday. Of course, I'll have to ease into it slowly but 10 days off will not kill my fitness and there is still hope for a good time in Huntsville.