Cleared to exercise (kind of)

I guess I might as well get one post in before the craziness of back to school/soccer season starts and my blog posts suffer more than they already are.

Ankle, ankle and more ankle stuff.  I swear my life revolves around it. 

I looked WAY cooler with one foot on the ground and the other pushing this forward.

• Dr said 2-3 more weeks with the boot (I'm writing this at the end of week 2) but I'll tell you I am hurting tonight after just being at work and walking around for about 5 hrs. The last week, I'm supposed to be working towards transitioning into shoes, but honestly, I don't see it.  I'm going from be a couch potato recovery mood for 6 weeks to standing on my feet for 7 plus hours, without a boot?!  I'm going to baby this ankle for at least a week more. 
  
  
   
• Dr said I could start to exercise on the elliptical (hell NO!) and I could start spinning again.(hell YES)  Yay!  Of course, when I hear "Go" I really went for it.  It happens that they are offering spinning classes multiple times a day this week.  Yep, "overdoing it", 5 classes in 3 days.  It felt great to be back but I'm feeling it a bit too.  My ankle didn't hurt while doing it but it was swollen and tender later.  

• I started PT this week.  Sadly, it was like a homecoming of sorts since I have been going there all spring.  My one PT said I should get a personalized parking spot since I'm there so much.  I shouldn't be surprised that I can't do much, but sometimes I really am.  Today, I had to put my foot on this sliding board and just push it forward and backward.  Holy cow, that hurt like crazy.  Pushing my foot back was insanely hard and did I mention it hurt?

• On top of my celebrating my return of sorts to exercising, my FAVORITE brand for workout shirts is having a SALE which they never have.   YMX Yellowman  has the most amazing shirts.  Normally the tees run about $70 but they are on sale for $30.  I have 2 already and have worn them at least once a week for the last year. They wash up amazing, they have fabulous designs and the maxcool fabric feels like silk yet wicking!  I just bought 2 more and a tank.  I can't wait to see what is up next since they are only doing a few items for 3 days then its on to something else for $30.  Here's my review from last year.  YMX shirt review

Obligatory Ankle Scar photos

This is about 4.5 weeks post op

What an "mini open partial excision" scar looks like. Not as mini as I'd hoped. That's about 1.5".

tiny ankle arthroscopy scar

Yay! PT

Ankle injury update:  

Better than the boot or aircast!

• Dr. said I could start PT, ditch the boot and upgrade to a smaller sleeker ankle brace for 6 weeks.  Yay! 

Can you see that lump in front? 

•  I have swelling still in the front of my ankle which makes my ROM (range of motion) pretty limited but it's way better that it was 5 weeks ago.  I have a nodule in the front that the Dr. spent more time poking at then anywhere else.  He says he sees this on occasion and that it's fluid trapped under something or another.  So technical I know, but it was a week ago. 

• I went back to my PT who helped me with my planter fasciitis.  
•  I get to start with fun things like:
• stretching my calf (BTW- impossible with swelling!), As I sat there, with my toes half way up on of those boards for stretching your calf and trying to hold it for 30 secs. was so hard.  It hurt (was it more than 4 on the pain scale, yes, so technically I shouldn't do it, but I didn't say anything, since that seems to be key for ROM). 
• lovely ROM stuff with the BAPS board (sitting down), 
• scooting around the office backwards on the rolly chair (best part!), 
• marching on a cushy pad 
• stepping up and over a 4" board (and it was tough).  
•  I get to have ultrasound to work on the swelling, manual manipulation of my ankle (trying to get it to move in the right ways) and a nice massage to work the swelling down.
• Then ice for 10 minutes. Fun times! x 3 week, but progress is progress...next time Therabands!  woot! woot!

Only 76 days til the Flying Pig Half.  I'll be ready, right?  Trying to be optimistic, I hoping if I keep up my cardio, then the running won't be too bad to get back, right?  I can dream.  

Cardio of the week:  Spinning 3 days this week, kept resistance down- no pain! 

A few of my favorite Pins of the week:

standing by

Made another appt to see my Dr after my PT urged me to.  My PT suggested that since "we've tried everything" and the cortisone shot only gave me 3 days of relief that I might need to get an x ray.

Part of my PT is stretching and strengthening then I get therapeutic ultrasound on my heel to help with inflammation and topped off with a massage.  Strangely, the ultrasound hurt this time around.  I asked if he'd changed the settings, but they were where they always were.  He turned it down, then after a minute it started to hurt again.  He then got curious and tried using a tuning fork/vibration thingy and touched different parts of my foot and asked if I had any pain.  Nothing with that.  My PT told me that I might have a small fracture/stress fracture since the ultrasound hurt and I haven't had much relief with the cortisone shot. I wonder why the ultrasound hurt this time, when we've been doing it every pt session.  Is it that the cortisone did get rid of the swelling so now I can feel it differently?   So off to the Dr's I go again on Monday...this time demanding a xray.   Seriously? I just want to be able to run.  I'm so done with this.  

Edit 1/16/12:  Negative on the xray for a stress fracture but I'm getting an MRI in the near future.  So, we'll see.  

Merry Belated Christmas!

I can't believe Christmas is already said and done!  We had a relaxing time around here.  Just finishing up some stuff for work, hanging out with the boys, PT and spinning class oh, and of course, shopping!  We had a great Christmas.  Cub and Buster were up at 6 am and there was lots of happy dances of getting the presents that they had hoped for.  The surprise gift of the year was, ready for it...graph paper.  That's right!  $2.30 pack of graph paper for Cub. He loves designing things and had asked for more paper like "the paper with squares on it".  He actually jumped up and gave us each hugs for it.  Santa was very generous with Lego this year and we added up the pieces (which are listed on the boxes) and we managed to acquire 2142 new pieces of Lego!  The biggest set was around 800 pieces.  It has been very quiet around the house as the boys assemble things. :-) 

I managed to get some awesome running stuff from Santa too!  I got a RoadID so my dh can feel better. :-) I got a running skirt and an awesome Nike running jacket.  I am set to start running again!  Speaking of running...

My favorite trail- pix from June race

I managed to give myself the special present of a run for Christmas. I  went  snuck out on Christmas Eve morning to my favorite trail and went for a short 2 mile run.  It hurt (but not bad enough to stop) and I listened to my favorite music and just ran, jumped over rocks, crossed a creek a few times, and smiled the entire time.  Blissed out would be the best way to describe it!  I haven't felt so happy in such a long time. I didn't realize how much of a runner's high you can get!  I also felt pretty in shape.  I've been spinning but I didn't know how it would translate to running but I definitely felt like I could do more.  I stopped myself before I did too much.  I knew that with Plantar fasciitis the pain comes after the activity....and it did.  I could hardly put weight on my foot the rest of the day-even with 3 Aleve!  But it was totally worth it!  Christmas day wasn't too bad, I felt that I was about 85% better then the day of the run.  KT tape helped too.  Today, I feel back to the "normal pain" so not too much damage done.  On the mend...

Yesterday, I tried a new spinning class.  It's at our rec center but it's not one I usually go to since I have to work in the middle of the day.  While we were waiting, I struck up a convo with a girl who had just gotten cycling shoes and we talked about that for a bit.  After the class, we talked about the shoes again and somehow the topic of orthotics came up for in our shoes.  I mentioned that I have PF pretty bad and I have been doing spinning as cross training.  This girl asked me if I'd tried massage therapy on my foot/calf.  She ended up being a medical massage therapist.  Sweet!  I have  an appt. on Thursday to have her work over my calf and foot.  I mentioned this to my PT and he was pretty cool with it and we'll see if it helps!   My pt gave me a new tape job, since I'd brought up my calf massage, and he put KT tape on my calf to lessen the tension on my heel.   We'll see if it works. 

Iontophoresis- week 1

I've been doing these iontophoresis patches now for a week. I'm on patch number 4.  I have to wear them for 24 hrs then off for another 24 before getting another.  I'm not sure if it's really working yet.  I always say that I'm cautiously optimistic.  I tend to have a "good day" then it hurts like hell the next or later in the day.  Saturday was one of those days. 

 I'd gotten my 3rd patch on Friday afternoon and I was feeling good Saturday am.  I'd walked to my spinning class from the car and it felt actually normal- no pain!  Since these classes are so popular you have to get there at least 30 mins before to get a bike, so what do I do until the class?  Usually I go and do my PT stretches and work on my core but since my heel was feeling fine I decided to go on the indoor track.  I am really proud that I didn't run- it was really hard not to "just try it out" but walked instead for about 10 minutes.  It felt great.  Awesome.  Iontophoresis must be working...

...or not.  In the afternoon, Buster and I had gone to do some Christmas shopping for DH and Cub.  I was limping around the entire time.  It was a sharp, stabbing, burning pain.  I came home and cried from pain and frustration.  I've never felt so frustrated.  I like to shop.  And I can't. :-(  I spent the rest of the day "resting" and icing.   

I talked to my PT today about my ankle flexibility and we checked.  I was at 0 degrees with my right and -1 degree on my injured left foot.  Now I'm at 4 degrees on right, 6 on left.  Normal is between 10-20 degrees.  Wow.  Trying to stay positive.  At least I improved! Baby steps. Just another umm 9 weeks to get to 12 degrees? 

As for the iontophoresis, my PT said that it would start feeling better like it did on Saturday am.  I just need to be patient.   Not one of my virtues.

Injury update

So the last I left you, I could barely walk after my half marathon.  My legs were shot, my heel was not happy at all with me.  I woke up Monday after Sunday's race and had to hop around the house.  I had a Dr appt at 1 so only a few hours of not moving around.  Here's a video someone posted and it's so true.  Totally felt this way.

Dr appt took a grand total of 15 minutes, with most of it me waiting for him to come in the exam room.  I told him that I thought it was plantar fasciitis and everything I'd been doing and about my race the day before.  His wife had run the full and was feeling just as stiff and awful as I was.  He basically told me to stretch more and that if I wanted a prescription to physical therapy I could have one.  I decided I might as well try PT and see if it would help.  I go back in 6 weeks for a follow up, if PT and stretching don't help he said he'd give me a shot of cortisone.  I've heard that it's extremely painful shot to get (especially in the foot- and I'm not fond of needles anyways).  So here's to PT!

PT people had an opening that day.  Score!  My therapist did the usual measurements for my ankle and calves. I always knew I had tight calves but I never know how tight.  Basically a normal ankle should have about 15 degrees of flexibility.  Both of mine were at 0 degrees!  granted that was a day after my 1/2!  So, after all the measurements, etc.  I got ultrasound to improve blood flow, a nice heel massage and ice. 
Went back on Wednesday, got to do all sorts of stretching and strengthening exercises.  Got warm up on the exercise bike- felt pretty good to do some cardio.  More ultrasound and ice.  Left feeling better.  No longer walking with a limp.  Ended up going to the gym Weds night to ride the bike since its better than nothing. I did 7 miles but man, my butt hurts still! 

Today, I braved not taking any Aleve and felt ok.  Not 100% but as long as a I walked slowly- only a little pain, but if I walked how I normally do- with a misson!- it still hurts.  I'm still walking more on the outside of my foot, since it acts up if I pronate.

GRRR this resting concept is awful!  What have you done when you can't run?