Nerd Rage

It is hard to believe that it has been a whole 3 months since my Lisfranc injury.  3 months since breaking my foot and shattering my navicular, and 11 weeks since the surgery to repair the damage.

People are definitely starting to notice that I've been on my scooter for a long time now.  If it feels like a long time to someone else, you can only imagine how it feels for me.  I get a lot of "How much longer are you going to be on that thing??"  I do a lot of explaining of why this particular injury is so bad and why I have to be completely non-weight bearing for as long as I have.  I still think most people don't understand.  I actually spend a lot of my day meeting strangers and talking to them about my injury.  Nate and I have a running joke of how many people will stop me while running errands and want to chat.  We've never made it one time out in public where at least 1 person didn't chat me up about my scooter or my injury.

The tops of my toes are. still. numb.  I'm hoping that gets better, the doctor said I should get the feeling back once the nerves start to normalize down there.  My range of motion continues to get better.  I'm working on my ankle pumps and marble exercises every day.  I found a new pain sensation as well.  I whacked my exposed foot on one of the wheels on my scooter.  I hit it right where my navicular plate is.  It didn't feel like bone, or muscle pain.  It was a pinching sensation of my skin getting caught between a piece of metal and the rubber exterior of my scooter wheel.  That's new!

The past week has been a bit of an emotional struggle because there were a couple of things I had planned for last weekend that never got to happen because of my injury.

I was supposed to be traveling to San Diego and completing my Spartan Trifecta.  For those of you not familiar with that, there's 3 types of Spartan Races:  Sprint (3+ miles, 20+ obstacles), Super (8+ miles, 25+ obstacles), and Beast (13+ miles, 30+ obstacles).  If you complete each type of race in a calendar year, you receive a Trifecta medal.  I completed my Sprint in February in Arizona, my Super in Salt Lake in June, and had my sights set on the Beast in San Diego (well, Temecula) in September.  It was my fitness goal for the year.  I set one every year.  And not only was it my goal, it was Nate's too, so I am the direct cause of him not being able to complete his Trifecta either and that does make me feel pretty horrible.  But... 2 outta 3 ain't so bad.

The second thing was something that played to my inner geek and stabbed me like a Morgul-blade through the heart.  I missed the Salt Lake Comic Con!  Last year, Nate and I went all-out.  We stayed downtown close to the convention center, so we could get up early and stay out late while getting our geek on.  We decked ourselves out in cosplay; he dressed as Dr. Krieger, from the Archer series, and I went as his virtual anime girlfriend.  We bought VIP passes, took pictures with Manu Bennett, Stephen Amell, and went to every Geekshow panel.  

This year, the Con was bigger and better, and had several actors from Captain America:  Chris Evans (Captain America himself!), Sebastian Stan (Bucky/Winter Soldier). Anthony Mackie (The Falcon) and my very own girlfriend Hayley Atwell (Agent Peggy Carter)!!  I was most bummed about missing Hayley.  I was so frustrated, sad, and angry that I couldn't attend my beloved Con.  But going this year just wasn't practical with my injury.  I'd probably need a wheelchair to get around, and the convention gets really crowded with people so that would have made navigating super hard.  I loved going to all the panels, and finding a spot to fit both me, Nate & the wheelchair would have been kind of challenging.  

I had to stay off Instagram and Facebook for a large part of the weekend, because between that and seeing all of the Spartan posts from California, I was getting pretty upset.  We are determined to make up for lost time next year instead!  My ever supportive husband informed me that this is what I looked like scrolling through Comic Con Instagram feeds this weekend:

Aside from having these emotional outbursts this week, honestly, the 3 months really hasn't been as bad as I'd imagined in my head when I got my initial diagnosis.  I thought I'd be stuck on the couch without a life.  Turns out that wasn't quite the case!  Yes, I'm still on the couch and out of commission more than I'd like to be, but I am doing so much more than I thought that I'd be able to.  I cook.  I clean.  I run errands with my husband.  I go tailgating.  I go to football games.  I workout 4-5 times a week.  I've added 25lbs to my bench press. I go to work.  I go to fancy wine and cheese parties at my friend's house. So while I'm not completely independent and there are still things I can't do, there are plenty of things that I can!

Only 2 more weeks until surgery!

I've Lost My Marbles!

Ten weeks post-op!  And I had another physical therapy session!

I went to see Stephanie (my lisfranc physical therapist) again, and she was really excited for my progress!  My swelling is down a half centimeter in my right ankle, which she assures me is a really big number, as far as feet and ankles go, after seeing my reaction of sheer disappointment.  I'm only 1 cm off from leftie.  Yay!  She also measured my range of motion on my right foot, and I've improved 14 degrees.  14 is a much bigger number that I can get behind.  I've been working diligently on my ankle pumps.

Then, I got a set of new exercises to do for the next few weeks leading up to my 2nd surgery to remove the pins.  My favorite is picking up marbles with my toes (video below)!  My toes were super, super stiff at first but they gradually loosened up and I could pick up more and more marbles with my piggies.  I tested out leftie to see how she'd perform picking up the marbles and she was an old pro.  One day righty will catch up.  Also, marbles are hard to find in stores so I had to get them from Amazon!

My new list of exercises includes 2 hamstring strengtheners and a harder clam stretch.  I definitely am feeling the burn of an unused hamstring when attempting the exercises.  I trust and will obey anything my physical therapist tells me, so she thought that she was hilarious when she told me to crutch over to the treadmill, and then informed me that we will be doing some walking this session.  A look of sheer terror must have came over my face because she grabbed my arm and said, "Just kidding!"  Ha ha.. very funny Stephanie :)  Although I am looking forward to the day that we are able to get up on the treadmill and walk for the first time.  She did give me something to look forward to, however.  She said that the day I get my stitches out from my hardware removal surgery, she will see me back to back from that appointment with Dr. Van Boerum. And, we'll start putting weight on the foot that day!

I also had been having some nagging nasty pain over the top of my foot since getting my stitches out a few weeks ago.  I assumed that it was one of my screws or pins irritating the area and that it would go away once I got them removed.  But, the pain wakes me up frequently in the night, and I take my boot off and massage the area and stretch.  I also can only keep my boot on for a couple of hours during the day before the pain strikes and I need to take it off, massage and stretch.  When I told Stephanie this, she immediately knew the problem, left the room, and came back with a circular piece of foam.  She cut a hole in the center.  She had me point to the spot where the pain was the worst; it was not hard to miss as it was red, angry and puffy.  She placed the foam pad on top of my foot and centered that spot in the hole she had cut, and then had me fasten my boot as normal.  THAT FIXED EVERYTHING.  It turns out that my boot strap was just severely irritating that part of my foot and there was a tiny part of my incision that was not healing because of it.  Since she hooked me up with that extra padding, I have not had an ounce of pain! (at least not in that spot - it still hurts when I bang it around and I'm not careful with it lol) 

Also, last weekend, I was able to make it INTO the stadium for the Utes game!  It actually was much easier than I anticipated, thanks to the help of the hubby and my mom.  I tailgated for several hours beforehand, making sure to ply my body with plenty of alcohol incase it was a bad experience, but not too much, since I didn't want to have to use the bathroom during the middle of the game.  That was what I was most anxious about actually.  My friend had a great idea though, for future use maybe.  He suggested I wear Depends or some sort of adult diaper. 

We got to the stadium very early, about an hour before kick-off, so that I'd have plenty of time to get into the stadium and up to my seat, without encountering too much of a crowd.  It was a complete success.  The floor inside was nice and smooth with no cracks at all so I cruised along on Trumpy ringing my bell at people that got in my way.  I couldn't believe it actually worked and people got out of my way as I was rolling by!  Usually I do that just for the humor aspect.  Anyway, Nate helped me up the 35 rows to my bleacher seat, and much to my delight, there were people cheering me on in the stands as I hopped.  

"Way to go girl!"  "That's dedication!"  "That girl is still going to the game... awesome!"

I scooted on my butt along the bleachers to my seat, while Nate went back down and he and my mom took Trumpy to Guest Services to hang out until the game was over.  It was the 9/11 tribute game, so there were 3 paratroopers that dived onto the field before the start.  So awesome.  The only problem I had during the game, is when something exciting was happening, everyone stood up.  It completely blocked my view of the field and the jumbotron, so I had to ask what was happening every time.  But, that was the worst of it!  The Utes won over Utah State, and I DIDN'T have to go to the bathroom the whole time!  Despite of all that tequila I drank...

We waited a few minutes for the crowd to clear, and Nate left to retrieve Trumpy from Guest Services.  My mom stayed behind with me.  I didn't really want to hop down the stairs, so I used my l33t tricep dipping skills to dip myself down 35 rows of bleachers to the entrance.  I hopped on my scooter and off we went out the exit.  I had a group of guys following close behind me because I was going pretty fast, and people were scrambling out of the way for me to pass, and they used me as a crowd clearer.  At least I'm good for something!

I had a ton of fun, my team won, and there were no casualties.

Although, Trumpy was left unsupervised in a room full of other mobility assistance devices at Guest Services during the game.  Who knows what kind of trouble he got into.....

Just Do It

8 weeks post-op this week!!  

I got the cutest card from my co-workers in the mail.  Cheered me up for sure!

If I'd had a less severe Lisfranc injury, I think I'd be able to start bearing weight this week.  But that damn little navicular had to get in the way of my potential!  It is the reason I am still not walking yet.  I guess that's what happens when you shatter it into 11 different pieces.

That's OK though, I still have had a week of progress so I can't really complain.  I've been doing my range of motion PT and it's to the point now where the foot is not really stiff anymore (at least when attempting those exercises).  My therapist said when I am pointing and flexing my toes that I should try to point and curl them like a ballerina as much as I can.  

So in my mind I visualize I look like this: 

                                             

                                          When in reality I look like this:

                                                                                  

Meh.

I also successfully made my goal of going in to the salon and getting my hair done.  I had been so nervous about it because I was just afraid how I was going to navigate on my scooter.  Turns out though, it was really easy!  I'm much more pro on my scooter than I give myself credit for.  I had to get into the chair once, out for a wash, and then back into the chair.  I shouldn't have been so nervous about it because I conquered it like a boss.  My hair stylist, who is FABULOUS by the way, gave me a stool to elevate my foot, and then I just sat there for a couple of hours while she played with my hair.  I got it darker for fall, and felt like I needed a change since I myself am going through so many changes in my life.

Bam!  I love this new color!

I am starting to use my crutches a little more.  I keep them down in my basement for when I go down there to workout in the home gym, so that I don't have to butt scoot around.  I've found that I'm about 100 times better on the crutches than I was when I first injured myself.  I guess I'm just really comfortable hopping around on my left leg, and I'm sure that it's super strong now so I can do a lot more with it.  I'm not going to use them as my primary mode of mobility but there are definitely nice to have around now that I'm not so afraid of them.

Perhaps the most exciting thing this week was the opening college football game of my Utah Utes against Michigan! Spoiler: the Utes won :)

(me and one of my best girls, Aimee - who made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies JUST FOR ME!... love her)

I have season tickets, but was really worried about having to hop up to my seat on the 35th row of the stadium.  So, we decided not to attend this game, but it didn't stop me from tailgating!  I got to get 12 hours of good, clean & dirty tailgating in my system.  I saw lots of friends.  Ate lots of food.  And drank lots of booze.  The only challenge was getting in to the port-a-potty on my own, so I needed help with that, but otherwise I just sat in my lawn chair with the foot elevated on my scooter.  People brought me food and drink as I requested it.  The port-a-potty trips definitely got more challenging as the night went on, the sun set, and I consumed more and more alcohol.   I have a light on my scooter so that helped.  At one point, it was so dark, that Nate lifted my scooter up and shined the light into the port-a-potty window for me so that I could see what I was doing.  How sweet is he?

It was the most depressing thing to see all of the other patrons heading to the game!  I met a couple of other people in casts, and one guy who had a boot like me, and was being pushed by friends in a wheelchair.  So, I'm determined to go to the game next week, and actually go inside the stadium to watch the game instead of from the tailgate lot.  I also bought some cute new boot accessories to decorate with my team colors.  

(my "Ute Boot")

YEAH!!  Go Utes!

I think I'd say to anyone out there reading this, debating on whether or not to do something with your broken foot (like go to a game, or a hair salon, or visit friends, or a road trip, or what have you)...my advice is to JUST DO IT!  It's so worth it in the end.  I immediately regretted selling my tickets once I got to the tailgate and found how much I was able to move around and do things (even if I required help).  I am done putting my life on hold or settling for less just because I've got a Lisfranc injury!

All The Pains!

Well, my first session of physical therapy is in the books!  I went to see the Lisfranc specialist and she is going to help me get range of motion back in preparation for walking again.  

I scheduled my 2nd foot surgery to remove some of my hardware for October 13th.  Once those are out, I can start bearing weight on my foot.  My doctor is conveniently out of town when I would have hit my 12 weeks, so I will be delayed by a week, but I'm still really excited!

I'm no stranger to physical therapy visits.  Nate had a piriformis issue in 2013, I had a pulled trap muscle in 2015, so I've become very familiar with it.    The specialist practices at a clinic in Holladay, a bit of a drive from my house but not too bad.  I talked to her before she started to examine me and even though Lisfranc injuries are rare, she sees a lot of them because that is her field.  I felt really comfortable with her and the treatment she's going to give me.  She used to work at the TOSH hospital and is very familiar with my doctor and his PA, who I've become great friends with.

She was very impressed with my scooter and how pimped out it was.  She even called some people over to see it because she thought my headlight was hilarious.  It is so important to stay positive and give off a positive vibe with other people.  It makes things feel so much better!

First, I had to fill out a bunch of standard doctor forms.  Health history, medication, etc.  There was a chart in the very back that had a diagram of the body and I was supposed to draw on it where I had pain.  There was also a chart to code the type of pain I was having (ex. ooo - pins and needles, xxx- sharp pain, /// - stabbing pain, etc.)  I started to draw on my foot on the paper and realized I had all of those things, so I wasn't going to waste my time drawing it all out.

Then the therapist examined me and took measurements of the ranges of motion on both my left and right feet.  I didn't know what all the numbers meant, but she had a protractor type ruler that measured angles when I pointed and flexed my foot.  She also measured my foot for swelling.  My left foot was at 46 and righty was at 47.5.  Whatever that means. 

She then wanted to know what type of activities I wanted to get back to post-therapy, and went over some things I already knew, like running.  I learned that while I physically will be able to run, it will just make arthritis set in that much faster and eventually I will need a fusion when that occurs.  I'd rather prolong that as long as I can so I should keep running to a minimum.  It is still not recommended for me to move my foot side to side at this point because of the navicular stress.

After my measurements were all entered and we had a nice discussion about the injury, we started to work on exercises.  I got a list of them to take home to complete as homework, and made another appointment again in 3 weeks.  I won't need to see her that often until I actually start weight bearing.  For now I get to practice these well modeled exercises.  I actually have been doing some similar stuff at the gym, but now I at least know what exercises to target.

  

Here's also a cute foot video of how the little piggies are looking and *gasp* wiggles!!!

So, I probably should tackle this whole "learning to walk" thing first, but I've already set a fitness goal for 2016.  I want to complete the Wasatch Back Ragnar.  What?  Thought you said you can't run, missy?  You're right, but my goal is to walk it.  Speed walk it!  It's a little under a year away, and I think I could train pretty hard to be a really fast walker.  I was a slow runner so I may be able to even match my pace if I work really hard at it.  I'm not going to be a 9 minute mile like my superstar husband, but I can do a 12 minute mile perhaps!  One of my regrets was not running Ragnar with Nate this year.  It was a week before Spartan and I didn't want to push it that much before the race. But, Superman over here did it.    I should have just done it!!  Grrr.

Milestone for next week:  getting my hair done.  At the salon.  Haven't done that since the injury.  But I need it.  So.  Bad.

Scooter Girl

While I certainly love riding around on Trumpy (remember, the name for my scooter), it certainly is a conversation starter with strangers.  For those of you that don't know me, and maybe it comes as a surprise for those of you that do, I am a very introverted person.  I am incredibly shy and often cringe at the thought of new social interactions.  Once I befriend you, however, you'd never know!

So, when I'm riding around on Trumpy out on one of my adventures (remember, these are things like grocery trips), I am constantly getting stopped by people.  Some people just want to ask about the scooter itself.  An elderly couple approached me in the parking lot of the grocery store, and the man was nervous about using crutches because he had to have toe surgery and would be non-weight bearing.  I talked to him about where I got my scooter and how I liked it a lot better than crutches, and think he'd be able to handle it.  I gave him the place of the medical supply store in Utah where I'd originally rented mine.  He said he was glad he'd came over to talk to me and got my opinion on the scooter.  I felt like I'd done a good deed for the day!

Sometimes, this causes me to make new friends.  A cashier at the grocery store that I frequent almost weekly, gave me props on all of my scooter pimping.  She said that she had to have bunion surgery and was also non-weight bearing for three months.  We shared scooter stories (hers wasn't nearly as cool) and she showed me her foot scars from a year post op.  We talked about the dangers of crutches and various other hazards only having 1 leg and limited mobility can cause.  We also talked about the surgeries themselves and how painful (mine) and painless (hers) they were.  All while in the checkout line!  I'm sure she'll remember me next time she sees me, as will the other grocery store patrons....I'm scooter girl.

I also get lots of stupid comments.  Like, "WOW you must be having so much fun on that thing!"  Yes.  Yes, I'm having the time of my life.  I can't walk.  I have to rely on friends and family for mostly everything.  Stairs?  Forget about em.  Going to the bathroom and taking a shower?  Pain in the ass.  Yes, this is the most fun I've EVER had.  Glad you've reminded me of this fun-ness.

However, this also warrants plenty of unsolicited advice, and this annoys me.  While celebrating my mom's birthday dinner at Texas Roadhouse, we were seated in an out of the way section so that I could have a place for Trumpy.  There was this older man and his wife sitting across from us in another booth.  As we were leaving, he came over to talk to me, and proceeded to give me a lecture about drinking alcohol with a broken bone.  Look, I was having a small, overpriced cocktail with my steak dinner, and which by Utah standards, has less alcohol content than a sip of Grandma's cough medicine.  Not boozing it up like a silly college girl.  He told me a story of some friend who had to be in a cast for twice as long because he drank and how it stunted the healing process.  While I do appreciate the concern, if you don't know someone or their particular situation, you may find that they don't want your advice, no matter how helpful you are trying to be.  I take really good care of myself.  I'm still (carefully) working out with a broken foot to keep my heart healthy.  I'm taking hordes of vitamins and supplements to stimulate bone growth and healing.  I eat tons of fruits, vegetables, and protein to fuel my body while in recovery.  Who are you to judge?

Then again, maybe he did think I was boozing it up like a silly college girl because of the company I was keeping.  Since it was my mom's birthday, they gave her free ice cream and had her get on some sort of birthday saddle (remember, introvert....cringing) and hooped and hollered to the whole restaurant about it.

As much as it triggers my anxiety when a stranger approaches me, I try to see the good in it.  Whether that is giving someone advice (who's actually seeking it), making a new friend, or taking the opportunity to practice patience with others.

Ready to Work! Kind of.

This week, I started going back to work.

I say kind of, because I've spent the week telecommuting, working virtual, being remote, whatever you'd like to call it.  I feel lucky that I have the flexibility in my job to do that.  I'd say that I have an awesome, understanding boss, but while I was out on medical leave she abandoned me for another position.  So now she's just a good friend. :)  I got the news that she was leaving at a really bad time in my recovery (emotionally) so I spent the whole day crying about it.  I look back now and blame that on the drugs and the after-effects of the anesthesia.  I've read on the internets and from fellow bloggers that it can really mess with your emotions those first couple of weeks, and that is NO lie. 

But, the rest of my team has been really understanding of my situation and I am grateful for that!  I went back to work on Monday morning, and as soon as I logged in online on my work laptop, I was flooded with IM messages from my team mates welcoming me back and sending good words of encouragement, wanting to catch up, and just wanting to chat with their co-worker that has been missing for a month.  It felt so good to here from them again.  The majority of my team is based in Phoenix (I'm in Salt Lake City) so it's kind of a bummer that I won't be able to see their faces when I am able to return to the office.

I hope that it's soon.  I've been trying to take every opportunity to get out of the house when I can, even if it's just a car ride with the husband to fill up gas in the car.  I start to have anxiety attacks about what awaits me when I do return to the office.  I've never thought about how handicapped accessible the building is and how well my scooter will work.  Can I get to my desk and into my office chair without assistance?  How am I going to elevate my foot during the day?  It gets very painful, swollen and turns purple if it hangs down like a normal foot.  How am I going to stay comfortable for 8 hours a day?  Are both my scooter and I able to fit inside conference rooms for meetings?  How do I stay comfortable with minimal pain when I have long meetings?  Will my scooter fit in the bathroom?  Is it going to be a pain using the toilet?  What if someone is in the handicapped stall when I need to go?  I'll just have to sit and wait around?  How do I carry stuff from the lunch room, like a hot cup of coffee or bowl of soup?  Are my co-workers going to get sick of me asking for help with normal, everyday tasks that people should be able to do on their own?  I guess I'll figure that out as I make the eventual trip into the office.  It may not be as bad as my anxiety is making it out to be.

I really am trying to stay positive otherwise.  I've been making it down to my basement gym every other day to activate my beastmode and bust out some workouts.  But, I've found myself getting kind of bored with my exercises.  All I can really do is upperbody and core.  I tried to do some knee squats, and my right quad is SOOOO weak!  Nate told me that my right leg is looking rather wimpy.   I think it is too. It's hard to absorb because right before Spartan, I was deadlifting/squatting 100+ lbs.  I'm trying to get creative with my workouts and keep it interesting, but I haven't quite figured out how to do cardio with my home gym.

Bleh.

I am hoping that once my cast comes off, I'll be free to do a little bit more, like biking or swimming!

All in all, going back to work was a good thing.  I'm absolutely swamped with work and playing catch up, so it keeps my mind occupied, and off this whole pity-party-I-only-have-one-leg scenario that plays over and over in my head.

4 Weeks Post Op - Operation Get Swole

It has been 4 weeks post surgery today!  In some ways, I look at the time has passed, and it has flown by.  In other ways, I look at it and it seems like it has taken forever to get here.  Doesn't matter, I hit the milestone and am a third of the way through my non-weight bearing phase.  Hooray!  In two weeks, I'll be halfway - I have to keep breaking it into manageable chunks to keep it from feeling overwhelming.  Kind of like weight loss!

I haven't noticed a ton of changes to my foot.  It does bother me that I can't see what's under there and how it's actually looking.  I can't say that it necessarily feels "good" but it doesn't feel bad either.  I don't have a lot of pain when I'm simply sitting or laying around, aside from the random nerve firings or cramps that I feel.  My incisions do itch from time to time so I am very aware that they are there.  When I'm up and about and/or don't have it elevated, I definitely feel my foot becoming angry and swelling up.  And of course, when I bump my foot (especially when my toes get pushed) it still does hurt quite a bit!  The biggest offender has been my cat.  He frequently likes to "kiss" (aka rub his face all over) my foot and sometimes he gets a bit overzealous and his expression of love causes me shocking pains.

My cast is also starting to loosen up as the swelling has gone down.  It doesn't feel quite as snug and supported as it used to, mainly in my ankle area, so I feel like I actually have a little bit of motion and wiggle room inside the cast.  

My left ankle is still hurting, and it is becoming quite annoying.  I'd like to be able to get up/pivot/hop/put weight on that foot without much pain but I haven't been that lucky yet.  It does feel a lot better when I put the lace up brace on, but if I wear it, I'm pretty much limited to flip flops because it doesn't really fit into any of my other shoes.  I have very much not been caring about fashion these days though, just whatever is comfortable and practical.  Zero F*cks Given!

I did make an actual physical trip in to the office yesterday!  It felt great.  It was a rainy and gloomy, and I kind of wanted to just stay home under my couch blanket, but I REALLY wanted to go in.  So, Nate loaded me up into the car and off we went.  I'm really lucky I get to work in the same building with my husband!  I had an easy enough time getting in to the building (thanks handicapped parking), and I found out the building is pretty accessible, so I didn't have any issues getting around or through doors.  As luck would have it, the handicapped accessible door right by my desk is broken, so I have to take the long way to get out of my area.  I see it as an opportunity to get a bit more exercise worked in to my day.  The biggest challenge I've come across that keeps me from wanting to go in everyday is the comfort issue.  In my 8 hour day, I couldn't find a way to sustain comfort.  I was able to elevate the foot on my cube desk, but it was awkward and put a lot of pressure on my back and on my other joints.  I could only stay in that position for maybe 45 minutes, before I'd have to get up and scoot around and stretch my muscles.  I had a lot of people make a comment to me that I didn't look comfortable... they were absolutely right.  It sucked.  Here I am resting uncomfortably at my desk (and shhh... I haven't updated my calendar since June)

But, along with going in to the office, I also had access to the office gym.  Pre-injury, I visited it everyday and I have a strong band of gym buddies that I have been really missing!!  So of course, I had to make a trip in.  Ever since Spartan, Nate has been undergoing.... 

"Operation Get Swole"

.....and he is doing an amazing job!  He is focused on bulking up and hitting his "glamour" muscles.  Basically he is hitting the weights pretty intensely and eating a billion calories a day.  He makes his daily uber shake, which consists of more calories than I eat in an ENTIRE day.  I can see his body transforming and his shirts are getting too tight in the chest and shoulders!  He is so sexy... I just enjoy looking at him :D  I hope to have some progress pics of him soon!

So, I went along for an Operation Get Swole workout session with Mr. Stud Muffin and activated the beastmode.  

















I got a lot of stares and some funny comments about working out in my cast.  But ya know, Zero F*cks Given!  My favorite part was getting to see my trainer, I hadn't gotten to see her in a month so we had a lot to catch up on!!  She's had her fair share of injuries and offered lots of advice, coaching and encouragement for getting through the injury.  The most important of that is just allowing my foot to heal and not try to start doing things too early.

My office visit was a success and a break up of the monotonous couch life.  I can't say that I was super productive that day because of all the socializing I did with my co-workers.  I need to get the comfort situation figured out, so that I can go in the office more.  It was also exhausting spending an entire 8 hour day there, I need to work up my strength for being back full time.

Pimp My Scooter

I am coming up on 3 weeks post-op, and I'm feeling pretty good about things.

My new scooter arrived via Amazon, and the first important order of business was to pimp that sucker out!

Sheepskin cover for my knee pad?  Check!
Headlight (recycled from Nate's Ragnar gear) for nighttime bathroom trips?  Check!
Basket for carrying stuff and things?  Check!
Purple bike bell for warning both husband and animals to get out my way?  Check!

Now I can scoot in style.  I've also lovingly named my scooter "Trumpy" ( Mystery Science Theater 3000 - Pod People reference for all you non-nerds.)

This week, I found an inspiring blog post from one of my favorite female athletes, Amelia Boone. http://raceipsa.blogspot.com/2014/12/on-being-broken-rehab-and-recovery.html She injured her knee training for the Spartan World Championships and had to have surgery, and was out of the sport for a while.  I think a lot of things she said resonated with me.  When a huge part of your life revolves around being active, and you are sidelined with an injury, you feel like a part of you, a part of your personality and identity, is gone with it.  You have to find the things you love and have passion about that don't revolve around being active, whether that is taking up a new hobby or simply changing your routine.  It can be so easy to have a pity party, and sit around feeling sorry for yourself, but you've got to push through that and find ways to keep yourself happy.  Which is exactly what I did.

I have a home gym in my basement, with a TRX and a set of powerblock dumbbells.  I knew I couldn't do one of my typical workouts, but I just got a little creative and managed to work up quite a sweat!  I figured this foot injury was a chance to focus on some upper body strength, so I worked on my chest press, rows, shoulder press, 1-legged push-ups, tricep kickbacks and bicep curls.  I also found a ton of core exercises to do, included some 1-legged planking!  It actually felt really great to get back to some physical activity, after a couple of weeks of being couch-bound.  It's pretty amazing what a good workout can do for your body AND your mind.  And most importantly, I still can activate beast mode!

I also had a lot of outings (Nate calls them adventures!) this week too.  It's pretty important to get out of the house.  I saw three movies (Terminator Genisys, Ant-Man and Inside Out), went to two grocery stores and even cooked a meal.  My cousin Mark came through with my 3rd treat-of-the-week from Spain, which included chocolate covered figs with brandy, fig preserves, breakfast muffins, and tabasco infused olive oil!

A while back, I'd posted if there was a medal for the LisFranc injury, and all the bones I broke in my foot.  Turns out, there is!  Cuca, Todd, and Clara made me my very own personalized medal!

 

It's now been given a permanent place on my medal hanger!

All in all, Week 3 has had more ups than downs, which is a good thing.  My foot is healing, and I can feel it getting better each day.  Each morning, I test my toe wiggling skills, and they are improving bit by bit.  I am starting to get some movement back in my big toe even!    The cast hasn't been too bad, it feels like my foot is more protected than in the splint.  My toes are exposed though, and when I'm out in public I have severe PTSD of my toes getting bumped and sending pain shockwaves up my leg, so I try to keep them out of the way as much as possible.

Next week, I start returning to work, but I'll be mostly virtual.  I hope to make it in the office soon though, even maybe next week, because I miss my co-workers so much!  It was nice having actual, live, physical people to talk to.  I also miss all of my gym buddies at work.  I plan to still make gym appearances, but all my exercises will be above the waist.  Which, I'm finding, is a TON of stuff!  I think my mood will improve once I start to get back to "normal life" which includes going in to work AND the gym.  I'm still just really bummed that I haven't been able to hit the mountains this hiking season.  I had dreams of doing Olympus and Timpanogos.  I'm still hoping I can do the Color Run in my wheelchair though :)

FrankenFoot!

I had my 2 week follow-up appointment at TOSH today.  They removed my splint, and took some x-rays to see how my foot is healing.  When the nurse peeled back the splint, I got my very first glimpse of my tootsie since going under the knife.  It looked like...FrankenFoot!!  It was not pretty.  I also have a pretty serious case of the furs, since I haven't shaved in almost a month.

First, the x-ray.  I ended up with only one plate (at one point the doctor thought he would need to do 2) and a myriad of pins and screws.  My navicular was the worst injury, and therefore has the most metal.  

And now, I present Frankenfoot, in all it's glory (not for the squeamish):

 I am going to have the most wicked scars.

It felt pretty liberating to have the splint off.  As a fun side trip, I also had my left ankle x-rayed at the doctor's office today.  When I had my accident, I sprained my left ankle.  I was so preoccupied with my right foot and it's injury that I never thought of getting the left foot looked at.  Almost a month later, I still have pain in my left ankle.  The Doctor examined it, and the x-ray was negative so no fractures.  Phew.  I had horrid worst-case scenario nightmares of needing my left foot operated on as well.  He thinks it's probably just a sprain taking it's time to heal.  I got a spiffy lace up brace for my left foot.

Now for the most important question of the day:  what color will my cast be?  Hot Pink, of course!

I'd never gotten a cast before, so the experience was educational.  The nurse came in with a basket of wraps and padding, two buckets of water, and some torture looking device on wheels.  She had me sit on the edge of the table and place my foot flat on the bar of the torture device.  Turns out it was just a way to help align my foot into a "neutral" position.  She got it aligned, and although uncomfortable, it wasn't too bad, she started to wrap my foot, and I started feeling kind of dizzy.  I have been getting dizzy spells ever since the surgery when I am in a vertical position for any extended period of time.  I also hadn't eaten.  I tried to continue on, but was on the verge of passing out, so I told her I needed to lay down.  She immediately returned with an assortment of juices and granola bars which I shoved into my mouth.  I laid there, pretty embarrassed, and she said not to worry - the body has ways of dealing with trauma and sometimes this happens.  I rested for about 15 minutes, then she came back and we started again.  This time, it went smoothly.  After the padding layer, she took the first layer of the cast and dunked the wrapping in water, then wrapped that around my leg.  By some sort of magical science, this caused the material to harden into a very sturdy cast.  She did the same with the hot pink layer - dunked it in water and then wrapped it over my leg.  I guess the chemical reaction causes some heat, because my leg was pretty darn toasty inside.  And that was it!  Good to go.

I am sure glad I got that pedicure right before Spartan, otherwise my toes might be just as scary as my FrankenFoot is!  I made another follow-up appointment in 4 weeks.  At that time, the cast will come off, we will take another set of x-rays and see how healing is progressing.  If all is good, we will start working on some range of motion exercises and graduate into a boot.

I still feel pretty bummed.  The doctor plainly told me today that "my days of running and high-impact exercising are over."  I'm not sure if he is just playing it very conservatively at this point, or if it really is true.  Maybe I can still run, just not long distances?  I'm trying to focus on all of the other things I can do, like hiking, biking, and swimming, but it is easier said than done.  I'm determined to make the best out of my physical therapy and stay positive.  I'm only 2 weeks down, there is plenty of healing left to do.