Here's what the doctor said yesterday...4 more weeks in the cast and then physical therapy. Doc wants me to start trying to walk around my apt. at night w/o the cast in a couple weeks so I can gauge my pain level, since I don’t really have any pain in my cast because that will gauge the healing process for her since she’s basically trying to keep things as cost effective for me as possible. She did say that she was impressed with the taping job I was doing on my ankle by myself though and that felt nice because, if you've seen my last post on the topic, she was very insistent that I have someone else do it for me. She also gave me the names of a couple island associations that may be able to help offset the cost of my PT, which I hope will be able to help. Also...on the plus side, the doc did say she wanted me to go & buy some boots to help support my ankles when I do start walking again. You gotta love a doc that prescribes shoe shopping as part of the healing process! Just saying. SO all in all that's where my healing stands for now. I'll be very thankful come Thanksgiving this year if I get to walk on 2 unassisted feet.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Ankle update
Here's what the doctor said yesterday...4 more weeks in the cast and then physical therapy. Doc wants me to start trying to walk around my apt. at night w/o the cast in a couple weeks so I can gauge my pain level, since I don’t really have any pain in my cast because that will gauge the healing process for her since she’s basically trying to keep things as cost effective for me as possible. She did say that she was impressed with the taping job I was doing on my ankle by myself though and that felt nice because, if you've seen my last post on the topic, she was very insistent that I have someone else do it for me. She also gave me the names of a couple island associations that may be able to help offset the cost of my PT, which I hope will be able to help. Also...on the plus side, the doc did say she wanted me to go & buy some boots to help support my ankles when I do start walking again. You gotta love a doc that prescribes shoe shopping as part of the healing process! Just saying. SO all in all that's where my healing stands for now. I'll be very thankful come Thanksgiving this year if I get to walk on 2 unassisted feet.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Post Injury Update
I realized that while I updated my other blog. I had failed to update this one about my current ankle issue. I was sidelined from my 5K training 2 months ago because of a sprained ankle. I'm hoping that the healing will continue, but here is what has been going on so far. *Caution the below photos might not be for the faint of heart. You've been warned*.
I wish there was a more epic story to share. You'd think so after all the random adventures that I enjoy. Think about it I've been bungee jumping...sky diving...whitewater rafting...horseback riding...hiking on Mt. Etna...and at the time of this event I was training for my first 5K. Well all that came to a halt and all those events happened without any major harm coming too me, well I did fall out of the raft but I didn't drown...but that's another story. However, this injury happened simply because I was walking. Go figure. Gravity held me down that day, but it pulled me far lower than I wanted to go.
I had to park my car up the hill from where I work because it's been tourist season where I live and the parking lot was all full. I got out of my car...started walking towards my office...took a drink from my water bottle...stepped down on the asphalt and BAM!!! Rolled my left ankle and then subsequently fell in the opposite direction turning my right knee into "knee pizza" (it wasn't pretty).
Here is my ankle right after the fall...
Brutal right?! I can't even explain how painful it was. And since I don't have insurance I tried just getting the necessary rest and elevation for a week, until my Dad, who was visiting the following week, told me to go to the Dr. & that he would pay for it. Well it's a blessing that he did because the night before I went I was in the most wretched pain that I'd ever experienced. It's really indescribable. Lets just say it's been the only time that I've ever cried solely because of pain, no other emotions were coming from me just pain. So the following Monday I was in the ER and they gave me this stirrup brace (as seen below). Which felt good because of the compression taking place, but really didn't do a whole lot to keep it from moving. But I was headed to MD for a wedding and I needed something to help make it better. Ironically a few days after my accident I was watching the Doctors TV show and Dr. Travis Stork said that the #1 reason for ER trips were people falling...go figure.
So the ER docs orders were wear it for 2 weeks (I actually wore it longer) and then it would be OK to start wearing tennis shoes and try to start walking around. Well that wasn't going so well. My ankle was popping, yeah not fun, and when I came home on Wednesday night from church my ankle had re-swollen up to the size of a tennis ball. That really concerned me, as well as my other friends, that thought the joint might have actually gotten infected. After a month the swelling should have subsided more than it had. And I knew that, but was chicken to find out that my ankle could be worse off than I thought. But yesterday, after a lot of coaxing, I went to the ankle doc in town after work and was able to get into see her today...at 930 in the morning...because someone had cancelled just 5mins before I came in. Yeah...that's kind of a sign right?! So here is what the doc said as she was showing me how to tape my ankle up for compression purposes. But what she also told me was that when I sprained my ankle all 3 of my ligaments were involved, making it a class 3 sprain and that the ER should have put me in a boot to begin with. She also reiterated what everyone has been say, which is that this is going to be a long recovery and that my ankle may not ever be the same again.
I'm not sure this type of compression is working for me at the moment, but it was nice to hear, and more importantly I know I can't do this taping on my own because of the angle that my foot needs to be taped at. I need someone else to do it for me and at this moment in time that person isn't in my life that can tape it up at 7 in the morning. So I'm going to probably just wrap it in an ace bandage before I put it in my boot. And below is finally the boot that I had to go and get today.
So here are a few things that I have been thankful for during this time...
First, that I have a friend that has been allowing me to use his car while he's on deployment. Seriously....I can't say it enough. I would be in such trouble if I didn't have a car right now since my vehicle is a stick shift and his is an automatic.
I wish there was a more epic story to share. You'd think so after all the random adventures that I enjoy. Think about it I've been bungee jumping...sky diving...whitewater rafting...horseback riding...hiking on Mt. Etna...and at the time of this event I was training for my first 5K. Well all that came to a halt and all those events happened without any major harm coming too me, well I did fall out of the raft but I didn't drown...but that's another story. However, this injury happened simply because I was walking. Go figure. Gravity held me down that day, but it pulled me far lower than I wanted to go.
I had to park my car up the hill from where I work because it's been tourist season where I live and the parking lot was all full. I got out of my car...started walking towards my office...took a drink from my water bottle...stepped down on the asphalt and BAM!!! Rolled my left ankle and then subsequently fell in the opposite direction turning my right knee into "knee pizza" (it wasn't pretty).
Here is my ankle right after the fall...
Brutal right?! I can't even explain how painful it was. And since I don't have insurance I tried just getting the necessary rest and elevation for a week, until my Dad, who was visiting the following week, told me to go to the Dr. & that he would pay for it. Well it's a blessing that he did because the night before I went I was in the most wretched pain that I'd ever experienced. It's really indescribable. Lets just say it's been the only time that I've ever cried solely because of pain, no other emotions were coming from me just pain. So the following Monday I was in the ER and they gave me this stirrup brace (as seen below). Which felt good because of the compression taking place, but really didn't do a whole lot to keep it from moving. But I was headed to MD for a wedding and I needed something to help make it better. Ironically a few days after my accident I was watching the Doctors TV show and Dr. Travis Stork said that the #1 reason for ER trips were people falling...go figure.
So the ER docs orders were wear it for 2 weeks (I actually wore it longer) and then it would be OK to start wearing tennis shoes and try to start walking around. Well that wasn't going so well. My ankle was popping, yeah not fun, and when I came home on Wednesday night from church my ankle had re-swollen up to the size of a tennis ball. That really concerned me, as well as my other friends, that thought the joint might have actually gotten infected. After a month the swelling should have subsided more than it had. And I knew that, but was chicken to find out that my ankle could be worse off than I thought. But yesterday, after a lot of coaxing, I went to the ankle doc in town after work and was able to get into see her today...at 930 in the morning...because someone had cancelled just 5mins before I came in. Yeah...that's kind of a sign right?! So here is what the doc said as she was showing me how to tape my ankle up for compression purposes. But what she also told me was that when I sprained my ankle all 3 of my ligaments were involved, making it a class 3 sprain and that the ER should have put me in a boot to begin with. She also reiterated what everyone has been say, which is that this is going to be a long recovery and that my ankle may not ever be the same again.
I'm not sure this type of compression is working for me at the moment, but it was nice to hear, and more importantly I know I can't do this taping on my own because of the angle that my foot needs to be taped at. I need someone else to do it for me and at this moment in time that person isn't in my life that can tape it up at 7 in the morning. So I'm going to probably just wrap it in an ace bandage before I put it in my boot. And below is finally the boot that I had to go and get today.
So here are a few things that I have been thankful for during this time...
First, that I have a friend that has been allowing me to use his car while he's on deployment. Seriously....I can't say it enough. I would be in such trouble if I didn't have a car right now since my vehicle is a stick shift and his is an automatic.
Second, that my friends have been available for me to call on for all kinds of help. They've helped with everything from dinner making, to dog walking, to yard work and house cleaning, and making me go to the doctor. I truly would not have been able to get through this past month without you.
And three that the Lord has used this to slow me down, a little bit. Even if this injury is irritating. I'm sure that there will be a clearing through this forest at some point.
So that's the update, hopefully as I start to get better I will feel like writing more. Especially since I'm pretty sure that this incident will garner some PT (physical therapy). In the mean time you can keep up with me at my other blog. I plan on posting over there about all the crochet that I've been able to do because of my injury.
So that's the update, hopefully as I start to get better I will feel like writing more. Especially since I'm pretty sure that this incident will garner some PT (physical therapy). In the mean time you can keep up with me at my other blog. I plan on posting over there about all the crochet that I've been able to do because of my injury.
Saturday, July 28, 2012
5K on hold
Well my 5K training had been on point, but a couple days ago I took a bad fall and ended up twisting my ankle really bad. So training and 5K participation is on hold. If it's better in time maybe I'll walk it but running is way out of the picture. I'm bummed, but something else good will come out of this.
Monday, July 9, 2012
My first 5K in 5 weeks
I've actually known about it for a while, but I just finally decided to do it. Five weeks doesn't sound like a lot of time to train, but I found a running workout at Sparks People that is supposed to help get a person ready and so I have nothing to loose right. Anyway, here is the link for the 5K I'll be in, Race the Reserve. So what is Sparks People? Think of it like a free version of weight watchers meets myspace. It's pretty neat. And since I need to look at actual progress to be motivated to work out and accountability for my calorie intake it's been working really well for me. If you need that kind of support maybe you might want to try it too.
In the past I've really always hated running, but I don't really want to and so the dichotomy of the two factors has me pushing forward. I think that I've realized that the reason I always hated running in the past was because I was doing it for others, when I was in school and because I had to in the Navy. But those times were always timed and made me stressed out. I think if I work on running for myself and no one else I may turn that issue around. Here is the training I'm following in these final weeks, 5K Walk/Jog program.Thoughts, advice and experiences are welcome!
This afternoon I did the day one run and you know what I didn't die! Yay, for life!!! But seriously my calves are killing me.
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