In search of kicks...

I went to the Running Center today in search of new shoes. This place is great! The guy spent time with me and watched me walk and brought out tons of shoes for me to try on. After 30 minutes and about 8 pairs of shoes, I settled on this pair:

I wasn't concerned about how they looked. These ended up being cute enough. They were $100 which was under the $150 budget I had for myself so I ended up splurging on a $10 pair of socks (gasp! but the guy said they were important and I am a sucker :) I was so happy leaving the store. I went back to work and slipped these bad boys on. Within 10 minutes the bottom of my feet started to tingle! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! I wanted to cry!!! All of the other shoes I have purchased in the last few years have had this same problem. Why did I spend $100 on shoes that do the same thing as the $40 ones did??? But because I spent so much on them I went back to the store and told the guy what happened. We tried on some others and I exchanged the shoes for this pair: Its the same shoe but in a Wide and I like the color better, so that was a bonus! They were the same price so that was easy. I wore these on the treadmill and I did have some tingling :( When I explained the tingly feelings to the sales guy he said that I might have Morton's Neuroma. "Morton's neuroma occurs in a nerve in your foot, often between your third and fourth toes. The condition involves a thickening of the tissue around one of the nerves leading to your toes. Morton's neuroma causes a sharp, burning pain in the ball of your foot. Your toes also may sting, burn or feel numb." This is exactly what happens to me. I don't get it when I wear flip flops or when I wore I my old faithful shoes. The guy said that it gets aggravated when my feet get constricted (like in more supportive shoes). Fan-friggin-tatic!! So essentially he said that if this is what I have I am going to have to learn to live with it and use supports and cushions to help alleviate the pain. He suggested some ball of the foot cushions that I have to put under the removable shoe liner. They feel like my sock is bunched up. It doesn't feel good but he assures me that I will get used to it. I also thought about getting some arch supports and see if that helps. I'll keep you posted. I'm going to wear the shoes around my office and see what happens. I think I may also go to CVS and try that Dr Scholls machine that tells you what insert works best for your foot. I have a few bucks left since my shoes were cheaper than I planned. We will see!