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Posts Tagged ‘yoga’

Surgery 2.0

Posted in CKP, tagged , , , , on April 19, 2015| Leave a Comment »

I would have preferred to have my ankle fixed before the Masters, but that did not happen.  The Masters is a week where no one is allowed to complain, and I wore my giant CAM boot the entire week.  The CAM boot kept my ankle from hurting, but it threw off my gait just enough and weighed enough to make the rest of my body hurt.  I found muscles I never knew existed while climbing the hills at the Augusta National in my boot.  I was also surprised to see how many other people were at the tournament in boots, and scooters, and wheel chairs.  The random comments of strangers was entertaining.  A lot of people told me they were “proud” of me.  I found this to be the most amusing comment.

I returned to Charleston on Monday, only to leave again on Wednesday afternoon.  Robyn was sweet enough to drive me to Charlotte, and to let Kate and me stay at her house in Charlotte. Although Dr. Davis told me that I would be able to weight bear immediately, the post-surgical people at OrthoCarolina called me on Wednesday and told me that the doctor had ordered a knee scooter for me for three weeks.  This freaked me out, but I was able to contact Dr. Davis’s nurse, who re-assured me I would not be non-weight bearing, and that I did not need a knee scooter.   When I mentioned this freak out to several close friends, they all responded with something along the lines of, “It would be terrible if you had to be non-weight bearing, but it would be awesome and hilarious if you had a knee scooter.”

Thursday morning, Kate and I got in the car, and drove to the wrong OrthoCarolina surgical center.  I was vaguely horrified by the traffic in Charlotte.  Once we found the right surgical center, around 9 am, thirty minutes late, everything was exceedingly pleasant and easy, with the exception of the ankle fellowship resident who came in and told me that I would be non-weight bearing for at least three weeks following surgery.  I had another freak out, and I told him that Dr. Davis told me I would be able to walk on my foot immediately, and the resident said he was under the impression I would be non-weight bearing.  I hate that I kept having mini panic attacks about this, but my house is not in the least bit cripple friendly, and I was only planning on being incapacitated in Augusta for a week.  Also, why is everyone telling me something different?

Eventually Dr. Davis came in and told me that I would be able to walk on my foot immediately and that he wanted me to move it as much as possible after surgery.  He said that I would be in a surgical shoe for a week, with my foot in a bandage, and that after a week I would be able to take the bandage off and wear regular shoes, and that I would not have to wear the boot again.  After my last surgery, I had to sleep in a boot for a week, so not having to wear the boot at all is blissful.

The surgery took about 45 minutes, and I woke up from anesthesia feeling like a bazillion dollars.  Dr. Davis said that my FHL tendon was torn, and that he cleaned up the tear and removed all of the scar tissue, and that the tendon would grow back on its own and that it wouldn’t bother me anymore.

Kate took me back Robyn’s house, where I was piled up on the couch with pillows and ice and percocet.  Robyn had to go back to Charleston, but Kate and I spent a lovely evening watching television with Whole Foods lasagna and salad.  I was able to walk in the surgical shoe by Thursday afternoon, and I slept like a professional sleeper Thursday night.  Friday, we returned to Augusta, and I’ve been happily recovering all weekend, and the dogs are taking good care of me.  I’ve been able to taper down the narcotics, and increase my activity.  Fingers crossed the worst is over, and that I will be able to return to the regular scheduled programming soon.  Dr. Davis said I would be able to play tennis three months from now, but I have to admit that I don’t actually believe him, and that I’m going to take things slow.  I would never play tennis again if it kept me from having this problem ever again.  I’m going to try to trust his professional opinion.  I’m so excited about being able to run, hike, swim, ride bikes, and go to yoga.  I am also looking forward to being back in Charleston in a routine and being a normal person again.  I will keep y’all posted on my progress!

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Twenty – Fourteen

Posted in Charleston, Christmas, CKP, dogs, Favorite People, Georgia, Health, Working Out, tagged , , , , , , , , , on January 7, 2014| 2 Comments »

These Twenty Dash years are speeding along rapidly, although I have to admit that I was happy to see 2013 exit the stage.  My ankle surgery in October and the government shutdown were rather disruptive forces, and then in mid November I developed what was inconclusively walking pneumonia or a vicious viral infection.  Either way, by the Friday after Thanksgiving I was in the bed.  Two and a half weeks of antibiotics, a steroid pack, and five sick days later, and it was almost Christmas.  Seriously, I didn’t drink alcohol or coffee for almost three weeks, in December, to give y’all an idea of how ill I truly was. Obviously, ankle surgery and a terrible hacking cold with a racking cough that last a month is not the worst thing that could happen, but it did make me appreciate all the things I take for granted.  Like walking, and breathing.  It made me a little more compassionate towards the subjective complaints of the claimants.  Additionally, in the instance of my ankle and my respiratory difficulties, I was required to see more than one doctor and be my own health advocate to fight for additional treatment options and testing.  Not because my doctors aren’t competent, but because many of them are overworked and jaded and under appreciated, and lacked the time or effort to waste on an otherwise seemingly healthy young person with no real health risk factors.    I’m not going to get into all the nuances involved in health care, suffice it to say, being sick or injured sucks, and if you don’t like the answers you are receiving, keep asking your questions, find additional opinions.

When I woke up from being sick and realized that it was almost Christmas, I had to play catch up on the festivities.  My friends and I threw an oyster roast/skeet shoot, which we’ve decided will be known as the First Annual Christmas Clays.

Here are my friends shooting skeet.

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They were some of the best oysters I’ve ever had the pleasure of destroying.

We had a blue grass band, oysters, skeet, venison chili,ham, Frog Island Punch, koozies, and a lot of fun with all of the frogs.  The party was held at my friend Zan’s family’s property, and Zan and his father are sculptors, and the property is littered with artwork.

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Shannon and me playing in the froggy scrap yard.

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Me and my favorite frog.

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This is Jack, and Briscoe was a really great sport.

Christmas brought the arrival of a new family member at my parents house –

Christmas Day with besties from home.

Christmas Day with besties from home.

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Polar Bear Plunge with some of the greatest friends ever!

Christmas was great, and I got to see a lot of old friends.  New Year’s Eve was Alicia and Bryan’s beautiful wedding.  And New Year’s Day, we all jumped in the ocean to celebrate 2014, and then we ate hoppin’ johns and collards, with mac and cheese, and the best wings in america, washed down with a game changer at Home Team.

Overall, the last two weeks of December more than made up for feeling like I was on restriction from the beginning of October until the middle of December.  And 2013 will always be the year that I really found a home in Charleston, with amazing friendships, a job I love, and an unrivaled picturesque natural setting.

As a side note, I do have to admit that I’m currently freezing to death at my house, whilst wearing an obscene amount of clothing and my uggs, wrapped in a blanket, with my arm warmers.  My power still works, but my house was not designed for the cold, and it’s all my little heater can do to keep up.  This is the coldest weather I’ve experienced since I moved to Charleston in Fall 2010.  The upside is that it’s suppose to be in the 70s this weekend. I’ve started running again, and yesterday I ran two miles, which is the furthest I’ve run since I stopped running in December 2012.  I’m looking forward to my first yoga class since September tonight, and can’t wait to be in the suffocating heat, after this freezing day.

Speaking of freezing, this weather has brought to my attention that I only have the bare minimum of cold weather gear.  I’m going skiing in February, and I think I need some new gear.  You know, like gloves with fingers.  None of my gloves have fingers.  Suggestions?

You kids try to stay warm out there, and if winter ever gets to be too much, come on down to Charleston some weekend, the cold weather never lasts for more than a couple of days.  I promise to take you to Home Team and to an oyster roast.  My new year’s resolutions are obviously to blog more, and to get back into fighting shape.  I’m going to get back on the mat, back on the tennis court, and take some things out on the pavement.

Cheers to 2014 being the best year yet!  Happy New Year!

The Big Bridge

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The spring that never ends

Posted in Health, Working Out, yoga, tagged , , on May 21, 2013| Leave a Comment »

This might be extremely difficult to believe, but I think of things I want to blog about every day. But then I get distracted, and the blogging never happens.  I actually have a note on my iphone notepad that has a list of things I meant to blog about.  For example, the most recent three are as follows:

1.  Standing up in airplanes

2.  Dick’s sporting goods is like a disappointing date that had such potential

3.  Low music and television standards

Hopefully I will get to those topics one day.  Today I’m going to tell you about my foot.  In the past week I’ve seen two well respected orthopedic foot surgeons.  Why two?  Partially because I had the opportunity, and partially because I’m a hypochondriac.  I had an MRI, both doctors read my MRI.  Both surgeons agree on three things, my posterior tibial tendon is irritated, nothing is torn or broken, and I’m not going to further aggravate it with stretching.  One thinks it is entirely too early to consider surgery, one thinks it’s been hurting long enough where it won’t heal on it’s own without surgery.  One said I should walk all I want and go to yoga and not think about it for a while.  The other one said I should go out and run and do whatever I want and maybe further aggravate it so he can better pinpoint the problem.

The one thing I’m sure of is that the boot made my foot feel ten times worse than anything else, including walking all week at the tournament.  I’ve decided that I”m going to not think about it anymore.  I’m not going to take the anti-inflammatory anymore, at least for a little while.  I’m going to go to yoga, and I’m going to ease back into that with a lot of modifications.  I’m going to make a couple yoga classes my goal, and walk around everywhere I want to go.  I might wear heels one night if I’m feeling especially crazy, even though that is probably the worst thing I could do.  I’m going to go to New York at the end of next week, and I’m going to walk my little heart out, but I might tape my foot up if I think it helps.  And I’m going to ignore it.

Wish me luck, I’m off to Cara’s yoga class to get a good sweat in and listen to my friend talk over awesome music for an hour.  It’s good for the soul.  We’ll see about the sole.  Gah, STOP.

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