Elbow and foot update

Lots went down today....

I have a rental car right now because of a minor fender bender almost 2 months ago.  It was the other driver's fault and his insurance is covering the damages.  So, I finally dropped off my beloved Chase (aka my Honda Civic) this morning to get it all pretty again and have a functional trunk back.  I have a silver Kia something or other that luckily has satellite radio.  I love the alt nation station!

I had my first OT (occupational therapy) appointment after my left elbow surgery today.  I have this weird love/hate feeling towards therapy because since I've been to NRH so much they are like family, however being there means I'm injured.  It went well,and it also kinda hurt like a monster....which was what I was expecting.  It will be interesting to see how the measurements will differ from my right elbow, if they will, as the swelling goes down and as my range of motion improves.  It was so exciting when my right arm hit that zero angle (aka straight!) for the first time, and I am hopefully that will happen as well with my left elbow.

Last but certainly not least...as per Dr. Kindschi's (my sports med doctor) I went to a podiatrist that specializes in sports related injuries- specifically running.   He was humbling...a tiny bit of sugar coated on the brutal truth....and I'm so grateful.  These items were a bit hard to swallow yet necessary:

1.  This injury is because I switched to a minimalist shoe....

Hello Merrell Dash Glove

2.  That is because I weigh too much to wear a minimalist shoe without resulting in the exact foot injury I am plagued with, and that he sees all the time.  Apparently the average weight that would be appropriate for a woman to wear these shoes is 110-120 lbs. Really?

my thoughts exactly

Yeah...so that was a bit of a harsh pill to swallow, however it's a little reassuring that there aren't many women that would even fit that category

3.  So I need to stick with these shoes that I was wearing before that give me stability.  According to him these are mid-range shoes, as he doesn't think I need motion support shoe, just a stability shoe.   O yeah, with these cool super feet inserts in them.

Welcome back Asics 2170

4.  And I will be gradually building up over a ridiculously long time to get to long mileage again.... Also I will be doing ample stretching, strength training, and yoga.  With a good dose of cross training thrown in.


My mission is to be extremely slow with building back up my fitness, hone a good strength training program with lots of focus on core, stretch a lot, and throw some yoga in there for good measure.  Luckily I have support to help me, and some time to find the perfect shoe.

Post from the Air....

An entry written on the flight to Portland.....

Hello, internet friends!  Right now, I am looking out a little airplane window at the Cascades Mountains, and it is surely a beautiful sight to behold.  It really takes your breath away.

I’m trying to keep in mind the beauty in life, but it’s hard when pain is an ever present and constant friend.  Right now, my feet have calmed down from their previous flaring pain that had me limping slowly and painfully through Chicago Midway airport to catch this flight.  My left elbow though….I awkwardly fell asleep as people will when they got less than 4 hours of terrible sleep the night before 8+ hrs of traveling. In coordination with my elbow, I have the searing lower back pain that will come from that nasty and awkward sleep that my brain seemed so desperate for.  I’m confident that a good stretch and some movement of both will make me feel better- which will only exasperate my foot.

Sometimes….life just doesn't seem fair.  For the past 2 days I've been feeling like a shell of myself.  Going through the motions but not able to focus very well and having a hard time being happy.  I haven’t felt this sluggish and low spirited in years….and I HATE IT.

A visit with my physical therapist and lots of foot manipulating and prodding has her thinking I could potentially have a stress fracture on one or both of my feet.  Of course it could be something else, but that’s a possibility.  Can you say SCARY?  The funny (really not so funny, duh) thing was that my feet weren't feeling too bad till my feet got poked and prodded and my pt when searching for pain.   I know it was important, and in reality it has brought me back to reality about this injury.  Because not even 6 hours after the apt, I was walking in Target for 10 minutes and by the time I got to my car both of my feet were throbbing and all I could think was of how fast I could get home to ice them.

Actually those exact thoughts were screaming in my head 4 hours ago before this long flight.  I was thinking that maybe I should ask a restaurant for some ice….but then I needed to get on the flight because it took so bloody long for me to hobble around and find some oatmeal and then get to my gate.  I guess if I was smart I would have just asked the flight attendant for 2 bags of ice when I got on board…..  Maybe it’s something I can do on the way home.

Frankly….it sucks being in pain like this. And I’m really concerned about having a full work week in Portland for a big conference.  Then next week….a new hospital opening where I will be on my feet for 8+ hrs each day.  Ugggggh.  I will get through it, I'm just not currently sure exactly how without exercise....and it's the mental struggle I'm worried about with not exercise.

So, fast forward, I am now at the hotel and am being a good patient: RICE time. Aka rest, ice, compression, and elevation. I have my feet currently in compression socks (as they have been all day), elevated, and with ice on them.  They are all tingly and thanking me for the ice after what would normally be a small amount of walking but right now feels like I ran a marathon. No joke....

What do you do to keep sane when you can't exercise?