6 Weeks Post-Op Update

Well, here we are....6 weeks post op! Wooooooooo hooooooooo! Sorry that I haven't updated lately, it's just that, well....there hasn't been much to update!
I went to the Dr on Monday for my 6 wk check up, everything looks like it's healing nicely! I am now allowed to put weight on my foot (in the boot) while using my crutches. That is a nice break for my armpits! I also started Physical Therapy this week.....it was eventful to say the least.....
Everything was going fine, like a normal PT session (stretches, massage, resistance exercises,...) and then it was time for the hot/cold contrast therapy. We started off with the hot moist packs, that felt great. Then it was time for the ice pack.....I put my foot on it and one was wrapped around my ankle, I lasted for about 12 seconds then the pain was SO INTENSE I seriously started to freak out, it felt like someone was stabbing me in my arch, the physical therapist came into the room and I was like "OMG I can't take this" (he promptly pulled the packs off and called in the other PT guy), my face got all red, I busted out into this major sweat, got all dizzy, my heart was RACING!!!!!! Seriously, I almost passed out. He explained that what was happening could potentially be RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy). According to the linked website "RSD/CRPS appears to involve a complex interaction among the sensory, motor, and autonomic nervous systems, and the immune system. It is thought that brain and spinal cord (central nervous system) control over these various processes is somehow changed as a result of an injury". Basically, the capilaries in my foot are staying dialated, sometimes after a surgery and being non-weight bearing for so long there is damage to the smooth muscle fibers (**NOTE- I could have some of this wrong, if you know something more...TELL ME!), so when my foot had the cold on it, it didn't react properly. The "sympathetic" part ties into the "Fight or Flight" reaction I had, it's like it's confused on how to react. It scared the s&*t out of me....BIG TIME! I was wiped out for the rest of the day.
The good news is that we caught these symptoms early. Now that I am partially weight bearing that will help to stimulate everything, and hopefully get me out of the "danger zone" on this.
When I went back the next day we did the hot/cold contrast with just a cool towel and I was fine. Then we tried the ice pack and I made it about 45 seconds, then the same thing started to happen. It's a good sign that I made it longer, it shows that I am adapting...yippeee!
Hopefully by the end of next week I'll be allowed to take my boot off and drive, then put my boot back on when I get where I'm going, and hop around.
I just want some of my freedom back. I want to drive. I want to go to the grocery store and not make someone carry all of my shit. Not to mention.....I WANT TO RUN!!!!! But for now, I'll settle for being able to just go for a WALK!
**And one more thing, my bday is next week, exactly 1 week from today and I'll be 33.....I'll have more thoughts to post about this over the weekend.....

Race to Any Place

This past weekend was the Eighth Annual Race to Any Place, it is the largest stationary bike race in Western Pennsylvania, and an important team fund-raising event benefiting the Western Pennsylvania and West Virginia Chapter of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Before I knew I was going to have surgery on my ankle, I volunteered to be the Captain of the Team in Training Alumni bike. Each bike has to raise a minimun of $500, and there are over 80 bikes (I'm not sure exactly how many, but A LOT!). Hopefully you'll get the idea from this picture...

This was one of the coolest events that I've ever seen! They hold it in this huge office building in downtown Pittsburgh, they basically take over the ENTIRE lobby with spin bikes and teams. It is a six-hour relay race, comprised of twenty-four 15 minute heats. Each rider must complete a minimum of a 15-minute heat, and teams may only change riders as new heats are announced. Here is our team cheering on Tracy! She and I did the Marine Corps Marathon together (not like "together"...she was much faster than me!)!

They keep track of how far each team bikes and give out prizes for the top distances. While we didn't win any prizes, we still biked 169 miles! Wooooo hooooo! And, our team only had 6 people (you could have up to 12) so some people did 3, 4, or even 5 heats!
My friend Char was in town from Maryland to visit me (and she is a TNT Tri Alumni), so she was my "stand in"!

It was a great event and it raised over $100,000 for the LLS!!!!! How cool is that???

In other news, I got my kitty's bloodwork back and it didn't show anything! Yay! He has been totally fine since his episode, so hopefully it will stay that way! Thanks for all of your messages about him!

Almost 3 Weeks Post-Op Update

First of all, thank you to everyone for your continued support, encouragement and caring! It means so much to me to check back every couple days and see the comments that have been left, you are really helping me to feel like I'm not totally "out of the loop" and the fact that you take time out of your day to check in on me and my progress means the world to me.
I am finishing up my first week in the boot and it is of course WAY better than the cast! Everyday when I get home (or to my parents house) from work I take off the boot and move my foot up, down, side to side, pretty much continuously until it's time to go to bed. I have managed to make it to the gym with my Dad several times. It felt great to work out! I basically did an upper body circuit and tried to superset as much as I could to keep my heart rate up.
I did have a scare on Saturday monring. I was home by myself waiting for my friend from Maryland to visit (he wasn't due to my house until about 5pm). So around 10am I was going to take a shower, I was sitting in the bathroom getting my stuff together, my little cat "Joey" came in the bathroom, snooped around, then walked out (he was only 3-4 feet away from me), then he stood up on his back legs, made weird sounds then sort of rolled over, and his eyes rolled back, then he sat up and a little bit of drool came out of his mouth and his breathing was very labored and he was still making weird noises. I seriously lost it. I had to get down the steps to get the vet's number, couldn't carry him with me, by the time I got down there and made it back upstairs I couldn't find him. I talked to the vet and they said to take him to the emergency clinic (keep in mind I CAN'T DRIVE!!!!!), I called my mom in hysterics, still couldn't find him, not under the bed, not in the closet (his 2 regular hiding spots), at this point I am full on balling, I go back downstairs and look under the couches, not there, crawl back up the steps and look more, FINALLY find him behind this dresser that is WAY TOO heavy for me to move. He was curled up back there and looked exhausted. I was able to wedge my arm behind the dresser to pet him and he started purring. Finally my Mom got to my house and we took him to the vet. As more time went on he started acting more and more normal. They did blood tests and I'm still waiting for the results, but most likely it was a mild seizure. By the time I took him home he was totally fine, just very hungry and tired.
I was so thankful that he was ok, now I just have to wait for the results and hope that he doesn't have another one. I was so scared, and to not be able to scoop him up and carry him downstairs and just take off to the vet was the worst feeling.
Other than that everything has been going ok, I am going back to my house tonight and can't wait to see "my boys" as I call them.
If anyone has had any experience with cat seizures, please share!

Cast Off, Boot On!

Just a quick update to let you know that I got my cast off yesterday (woooooo hoooooo!) and got my boot! Yeah! I can take it off to shower, and can take it off as much as I want while I'm sitting at home to start moving it around! Yipppeeee!!!! Still on crutches (non-weight bearing) for the next 4 weeks, but I am allowed to start putting weight on in when I'm standing still (like brushing my teeth).

So, here you go....a picture of my very stylish boot!

Thought you could use a VISUAL......

Ok, so as I have said before I've set up "house" at my parents house due to the fact that I will not be able to drive for the next 6 weeks, and I'm stuck on crutches (non-weight bearing) for that entire time. I have to say, I totally under estimated what a pain in the ass it would be to do simple things (pour a cup of coffee, put milk in it, then go sit on the couch). At some point I will go back to my house for a couple days (for sanity and to see my Kitties), but then I'll be back. I am staying on the first floor, more specifically in their living room on their couch (and sometimes the recliner), my Dad's "office" has turned into my "changing room".

So, my parents live on 40 acres with horses, dogs and cats. There are 3 dogs and 1 cat in the house, the dogs believe that the couches belong to them. As you can imagine this could cause I problem because I can't have a golden retreiver (or 2) trying to lay on the couch with me and my cast. SO, we came up with a way to keep them off of my "bed".....check out the sheet from the very early 90's!

And yes, those are the "gates" off of the side of a crib leaning against the coffee table (which now holds all of my important belongings!). I am "protected" from the dogs once I'm behind the gates! For those of you that are thinking "Come on, would they really bother you?"....here are pictures from when I ventured out to the kitchen. The first one is of Spike and Buster...

The second is of Maggie....As you can see, they would actually like to sit in my lap, but since they can't they'll just lay their heads on me so that I can't go back into my cage!

Last but not least, in an effort to stay positive, today I'm wearing my Staten Island 1/2 Marathon T-shirt....that was one of the best days of my life. It was the first time that I really felt like I was "a runner". Here I was in New Jersey for work and I was able to rent a car and drive to Staten Island and do a 1/2 Marathon....something that only 6 months beforehand was completely out of the question. That is a day/event that I am so proud of, it was a huge turning point for me in many areas, it is my goal that the rest of my life is more and more like that day - everyday. I am proud that I had the confidence to enter the race, the confidence to rent a car and drive there on my own even though I had no idea how to get there and no GPS (and there are way too many bridges and opportunites to end up in the wrong state), and to just GO on my own, and make new friends, run the race, and have SO MUCH FUN DOING IT! So, here I am in my T-Shirt....I love you Staten Island!

*Sidenote - I just re-read my post and got totally teary eyed reading about the Staten Island Half.....I really can't wait to run again.....

Day 3 Post-Op

First off, thank you everyone for your kind words, they really mean a lot to me!
So far everything is going pretty good. My nerve block wore off slowly and combined with the percoset every 2 hours I was able to make it through the first 12 hours pretty well. Right now I'm just taking the pain meds as needed during the day (which seems to be just 1-2 times) and then 1 before I go to bed. This morning I woke up with a HORRIBLE stomach ache (from the meds I'm sure) so I hopped into the kitchen and had some sugar free vanilla pudding, that totally helped. Then I hopped back to my couch!
Before my surgery I ordered this "wedge pillow", it has been a life saver! It keeps my leg elevated very comfortably, I can also imagine that I will like using it even after the surgery.
Today I also tried out the recliner, it was a great change from the couch! I'm on the couch now but I think I'll head back to the recliner soon.
I'm also thinking that I'd like to take a bath today (really, I'd like to take a SHOWER, I hate baths, but a bath would be better than nothing)! I'm starting to enter the "I feel like a sloppy pile of $hi#" land....this is never a good place to be during recovery. I do look a little "crazy" (hair in a wild pony tail, tank top is all twisted and crumpled, purple sweatpants have some dog hair on them) all around I feel like "ick".
I think I'm going to attempt to lay on the floor and do some abs, maybe try stretching a little bit, or maybe I'll just stay on the couch....oh the choices that I'm faced with.....LOL!
I go back to the Dr in 11 days to get the cast off. That will be FABULOUS!
Well, I'm going to figure out what to do now. Hopefully I'll write more later.
Oh, just want you all to know that I have really enjoyed catching up on your blogs! I'm trying to catch up and get in some comments, but I've decided to just comment on your most recent post (even though I'm reading the old ones too).
Hope you all have a great weekend!

Anke Surgery

Just a quick update, my surgery was this morning and went very well. I'm "home" (on my parents couch!) taking pain meds every 2 hours in preperation for my nerve block to wear off. I went with the general anesthesia and nerve block from the knee down. The general anest. went pretty good until we were on our way home and I had roughly a 4 second warning that I was going to puke, good thing I had an empty bag in the car and were only 5 minutes from home!

Several years ago I had surgery on my other foot and had a nerve block, it was great until it wore off, then it was HELL.....I had to be taken back to the hospital for morphine. I'm just hoping that this time will go a little smoother.

Here are a few pics for your viewing pleasure!

Just thought this was funny....

Me in the O.R. before surery, obviously feeling a little "happy" already!

My BIG cast!

Well, I'm exhasted now....time to sleep again!