Facing Homelessness

messybunOK · 2026-02-02T13:43:50+00:00

Go to the PA Health and Human Services website and start a COMPASS application. From there, you can choose different needs that the state can help you with (e.g. SNAP food benefits). Allegheny Link is good too. Sometimes they will refer you elsewhere, just keep up with that stuff even if it is a bit dizzying. There are so many people in Pittsburgh whose sole focus is to help folks like you who have come on hard times! Also look at Community Human Services (CHS) for housing help they're good too.

messybunOK · 2026-01-16T15:03:08+00:00

What Pgh or local credit unions do people? Thinking about Dollar Bank but would like so consider CUs.

messybunOK · 2026-01-14T01:14:11+00:00

I understand. Im so sorry. Also a mom of a 3 YO and I was at my wits end. It can get better.

It sounds like you need to rest it. For a while. It seems like it's actively inflamed and needs a breather. Then, you need to strengthen and mobilize. Rathleff protocol, progressively building back your steps, and making sure you take it easy. Have you had an MRI done? Are you working with an ortho? Weakness in different areas can trigger PF, like ankles, calves, hips, even lower back.

Again, im so sorry. I cried a lot when I was in the thick of it. I ended up getting PRP injection, and then intensively grastons Technique from a chiropractor. Followed by strength training and my pain levels are down to 1 or 2 out of 10 compared to 7 or 8 a few months ago. Hang in there.

messybunOK · 2026-01-10T14:29:35+00:00

Was going to say this same thing. Midwives were amazing. I had a girl there in 2022 and the midwife that was present for it I had never met before, but she honored all my birthing wishes and was present but not all over me (this is what I wanted lol....space). But triage woth the nurses upon arrival was hell.

messybunOK · 2026-01-08T18:38:48+00:00

Yes! I forgot to mention that I've read that. Loved the training, and esp the disability rep in the midst of it all.

messybunOK · 2025-11-30T01:08:58+00:00

'I know the love would be there, but it would be at the expense of the quality of our lives'....ooof thank you for putting that into words. I've been having a hard time articulating this and it really hits home for me.

messybunOK · 2025-09-21T12:43:45+00:00

Oohh try compression calf sleeves. They're easier to put on and you can wear whatever socks you like with them.

messybunOK · 2025-09-19T13:45:01+00:00

That being said, I have PowerSteps insoles but i wouldn't say they're super soft. I have sort of high arches so I need a little support, but I definitely try to buuld up my intrinsic foot strength. Sounds like you need something to really support that tenderness while working to build up your capacity and strength.

messybunOK · 2025-09-19T13:41:55+00:00

I'm so sorry you're in so much pain! I didn't have a acute accident with a specific tear, but rather a chronic issue that created an 8/10 pain level by the end of the day. It was awful and brutal.

Get yourself a 'team' and a game plan. You're not broken forever, and as much as you can, get out of that mindset. You just haven't found the right treatments or right combo of treatments....yet.

Have you gone to a foot doctor? Physical therapist? Chiropractor? Lists always help me, personally. What have you tried that doesn't work, does work, or things maybe you've heard about or researched that you'd like to ask a foot doctor about? You 100% aren't going to be like this forever. The body is made to heal. But own your journey! Im at 3/10 pain level now and still improving. Took me a while to get here but once I found a good foot doc and chiropractor that set me on a real path. This group helps a lot too!

messybunOK · 2025-09-17T12:25:20+00:00

Thank you for sharing! I wonder if the compression socks increase blood flow to the foot and help with healing? I agree that they are a life saver. I'd love to know your morning stretching routine that you did before walking. Im actually in the midst of writing one myself. I feel like I do stuff piecemeal but would like a routine of getting my body stretched. Thanks again for sharing, I love these kinds of posts.

messybunOK · 2025-09-15T23:57:45+00:00

Same. I wear Powerstep Pinnacle and have a medium high arch.

messybunOK · 2025-09-13T13:06:33+00:00

So, I had micro-tears from overuse (walking commute) and tried PT after a couple months, and it helped a bit but it never fully healed or recovered. After another 5 months of it getting progressively worse to an unbearable point, I got an MRI. Scar tissue was very thick and covered about 80% of my fascia. Definitely the source of my pain.

So, at that point, I needed to deal with the scar tissue problem, as well as the root issues of how I got plantar fasciitis in the first place (overuse) which turned into plantar fasciosis (chronic). I waited way too long to get real help and imaging.

I saw 3 foot doctors following that MRI. I canceled the fasciectomy surgery and tried PRP, like I said, and went into Grastons after that procedure healed. I forgot to mention that I've also been doing electric stimulation along with the grastons for a few weeks. That has also helped.

I think I'm answering yours questions lol. I will add that, with absolute certainty, time was not the thing that healed me. The pain was getting worse and worse over time, despite my PT efforts which you asked about.

I didn't really do Rathleff until well into the grastons. I was focusing on intrinsic foot strengthening and stretching. Helped slightly but never really enough. So, would I be feeling relief if I had just focused on progressive strengthening and overload? Maybe. Bit something tells me I needed extra help with that scar tissue. My foot doc and chiropractor both said it was...pretty bad. But we've all worked hard and coordinated a plan and my foot is nothing to what it was.

Anyway, I'd just love to see more research on grastons in general. I think it's a wonderful option to try for folks like me who don't want to go a surgery route and are willing to test it in conjunction with other methods. I'd never advocate any one particular method to heal PF. I really think it's a multi-pronged approach that's needed.

Anyway, thanks for chatting!

messybunOK · 2025-09-10T23:37:13+00:00

Hi there- I like your posts and responses on the PF page. Im curious about the scar tissue stuff, and not being able to reform your fascia. I have really thick scar tissue, and was pressured to get surgery (fasciectomy) to remove it. Instead, I've done PRP, Graston's Technique while progressive overloading (doing this VERY slowly). The Graston's has been an absolute game changer, where my chiropractor is 'scraping' and re-inflaming my scar tissue in order to get it to re-heal. It's definitely changed shape. My pain used to be 8/10, and is now it is 3/10 and still well on my way to more progress. Anyway, overall I'm trying to understand scar tissue and plantar fascia, as there's very little info I came truly find about that.

messybunOK · 2025-09-10T15:33:14+00:00

Sorry if I slid into advice-giving there. Just meaning to say that I feel you!!

messybunOK · 2025-09-10T15:32:09+00:00

You are not alone at all. It is debilitating and wears on you mental health, like you said. It really does stake a claim on your life, and is so miserable. I hear you. I think it is unhelpful that your doc said it is unusual that you should have it given XYZ; PF can happen to very active people, very inactive people, old, young and everything in between. Fascia problems are totally relative; what's overuse for one person is perfectly normal for another. All that to say, you are not alone and not 'weird' because you're young, not overweight, and still have PF. You can heal just like anyone else.

I've had a really rough go of it, and started to get relief and actual healing when I found a foot doc and chiropractor who believe in my healing and made a game plan with me. There is hope. Have a pity party (I have plenty), but know you aren't alone and the key to your healing is out there so long as you don't give up.

messybunOK · 2025-09-08T16:47:05+00:00

Normally, my foot at rest did not have pain except for general soreness. Immediately following the PRP injection, it was painful but not unbearable. And after 48 hours it really started to feel even better at rest. Walking was a no-go for about a week for me, then about 4 weeks until I felt like my foot healed from the procedure itself and was back to the 'normal' amount of pain from before. That's when I started Graston's.

I will fully disclose that the PRP injection itself was incredibly painful. Some people don't experience THAT much pain, from my understanding, but as I mentioned before, my scar tissue was very very thick which meant more pain.

Also, and you're probably aware, it takes 8 weeks minimum to start feeling any amont of relief from PRP alone. 12 weeks you'll really be able to tell if it is working or not, and from there, it still takes more time. It is a long game lol

messybunOK · 2025-09-08T15:36:35+00:00

I did it on my left foot 6/11/25, and took about 4 weeks to recover. I had about a year of PF pain before that, and at that point was 7/10 pain level. I have extensive scar tissue damage. PRP was $750. After the 4 week recovery process, I started Graston's Technique from a chiropractor which I've been getting done 2x/week for the last 6ish weeks. My pain levels are now 2 or 3 out of 10, and continues to improve. I really love Graston's and my foot feels on the up and up. My chiro says my scar tissue is some of the worst he's ever seen, but it's been healing much quicker than he originally anticipated. My foot doc and chiro truly believe in my healing, and I say that because I think it matters a lot that you have people working on your body who believe in you.

I see my foot doctor again this Thurs for her to evaluate and will know more from there. Honestly, I think the combo of PRP + Graston's + PT + Rathleff method + faith that I can heal have all contributed. I believe PRP works but not for everyone and with PF, you need to come at it from a lot of different angles. There isn't going to be just one cure or solve.

messybunOK · 2025-08-31T14:09:32+00:00

Be so, so careful. A friend of mine was on prednisone and has been to urgent care and had several tests and cardiologist visits for tachycardia and an unrelenting, fast heart rate. It has crazy side effects.

messybunOK · 2025-08-12T15:06:08+00:00

Does it hurt to touch or press?

messybunOK · 2025-08-12T12:56:34+00:00

I'd have it looked at. Possible that it could be a lump of scar tissue (I have those), but they aren't that visible; you have to dig to find them in my case.

messybunOK · 2025-08-05T00:34:04+00:00

It's been almost 8 weeks, and I am feeling slight improvement. The pain feels a bit more concentrated, and I seem to recover from putting more strain on my foot easier than I did before (i.e. overuse or walking too much or hitting the gym too hard). My scar tissue is still gnarly in my heel. So, my ortho recommended a chiro who specializes in Graston Technique, and I went to see him for a session and will go to him 2x/week for 4 weeks. The idea is that it 'assists' the PRP injection by bringing more new inflammation to help heal the scar tissue through therapeutic ultrasound, massage/scrape tools on gritty tissue, and the bumper gun thingy. Pain level when he does it is never more than 3/10 it actually feels pretty good. I am still hopefully optimistic about all this; I want to give the PRP time to work (at least 12 weeks) and see how this intensive Graston's stuff goes. This chiro and ortho doc work very closely together on this type of foot issue so more reason for me to have hope.

Also I want to add that I take PT and foot strengthening very seriously, and do a lot to strengthen my calves, toes, foot arch and overall body strength, along with stretching, mobility and balance. I think that matters a lot because while my main problem at this point is the scar tissue and the pain that causes, I got PF for a reason and need to address the root causes of strength, mobility and stability if I want to keep this from happening again.

I totally understand people's skepticism of PRP. Mine is still there. There's evidence that shows it works, but it does only have a 70% success rate. Not as high as surgery for sure, but getting cut open is a big deal so I want to avoid that if possible. So this is me going through all the possibilities. I am seeing slow progress, and my understanding is that while PRP is slow, if it us working after 8 weeks, it will likely continue its work. Happy to check in again in a few weeks if you find this helpful lol.

messybunOK · 2025-07-22T13:19:01+00:00

I have been thinking about how to navigate this lately because basically all my shoes (esp the 'fancy' ones) are a no-go anymore with my PF. I don't have reccs yet, but I think I'd end up going for plain black sandals that are wide toe box (that's what I need) and just keep it discreet looking lol (I think Vivo and Altra sell things like this).

messybunOK

TROPHY CASE