Stepping up. And Stepping out.

What a week!  A lot of things happening, with me going back to work for a couple days, starting physio AND getting my stitches out.  ( plus a fair few other things not related to running)

So my ankle is still swollen all the time, but its "minor" according to the physiotherapists. I've started using this electrocution-type therapy that's supposed to distract my pain receptors, cause apparently electricity pain is more dominant.  All I know is that it, combined with the heat pack, do help. Then I spend some time having this guy try to bend my foot in ways it should go, but refuses to.

I have to wear running shoes, for the support, cause my foot is flattening  out when I walk,  and that's why my arch has been bothering me lately.  But, as soon as I can get my stationary bike from my place to my boyfriend's, I can start riding the bike. Like when I buggered my knee, I wont be able to  do a full rotation at first, just back and forth within my  ability.  Oh and swimming is okay ( which is good news, cause next weekend I'm going to California and our hotel has a pool)

I'm now walking with a cane outside and most of the time in the house I'm walking by myself. I can do pushups, which is good, cause I'm dying to get into shape.  I don't know if I'm going to be able to play ball hockey this year. I'm going to have to try and remember to ask next appointment. Its depressing, but what can you do?

With the increased activity, I'm finding my body is getting worn down, I feel like I'm at the beginning of fighting a cold or something. I think its because I'm so used to inactivity that my body doesn't know how to catch up. ( my appetite isn't yet increasing, so my calorie intake isn't matching my new burning)

I also weighed myself when I was at the gym a couple days ago. I was kind of afraid of what it would be, but I guess if you count the muscle loss in my leg, it makes sense.  So, for all intents and purposes for goals and things,  if we count this week as week 1 of getting back at it, my start weight is 135 lbs.

Another Twist in the update

Friday finally arrived!  I got a ride down to the hospital from my little brother, found my way back to the cast clinic and was there on time.  The doctor, however, wasn't. He was about an hour behind, but I got the cast off and an xray in the mean time, then sat on an examination bed to wait till he could get out of the OR to come see me.  My skin was red, flaky and covered with dried blood still. ( they did not wash my leg between casts) I'm sure it probably smelled horrible, but I didn't notice it at all.

After an hour wait, the Dr finally arrived, pulled my xray up on the screen, showing me what looked like an ankle xray that someone had spilled toothpicks on, with all the random screws everwhere. He then pulled and pushed my foot back and forth, causing a fair bit of pain, saying I needed to work on it and go to physio therapy. He wrote me a note for that, but indicated my right ankle... all in about five minutes. Then he told me I might be able to get the screw out as early as april and left.

Walking on it without the cast brought back some of the pain again, and my ankle was still swollen, though now I could ice it.  I was shedding skin like a growing snake, but after making it home I exfoliated then moisturized and shaved.  I spent the rest of friday  testing how much weight I could put on it, and walking up and down the short hallway of my boyfriend's house.

Then saturday afternoon comes along, after a couple hours in the basement working and getting ready for work again, I come upstairs to see several calls and a voicemail on my phone. Its the doctor, saying that he can do surgery on tuesday for the screw, and to call his office on monday morning.  Say What? That's crazy fast!

So fast forward to monday,  I get up and get ready for work, and as I'm waiting for my car wind shield to defrost from the thick layer of  ice on it, I call the number.  I have to go in to sign some paperwork, but there's been no mistake, I am going in to surgery on tuesday. So, I go get the paperwork, then go back to work and tell my bosses that after my one day back, I will be in surgery and gone for yet another week.

I hate fasting, by the way. When you wake up dry and parched and you can't even have a drink of water?  Hell.  But, I go in to the hospital just before lunch,  and get a nurse who marks my foot, tells me my ankle is infected and that I wont be able to swim for a month and I'm going to be out for another 6-8 weeks. She goes away though, and I'm left waiting with my mom and boyfriend for two and a half hours until the nurse finally takes me down in the basement of the hospital.

And let me say, thinking about how dangerous it is to be in the hospital with a bum leg if a zombie outbreak happens, doesn't help  time go by very well.  But, at long last they took me into the operating room, stuck needles in me and put me to sleep.

After the surgery isn't much to talk about, I drank a bunch of ginger ale and water, then ate crackers and toast when I got home and now I'm waiting to call for my 'stitches out' appointment time next week. All this talk of starvation and food, and I'm realizing that I am actually very hungry.  So I'm going to go eat, then call my doctors office to see when he can take the stitches out.

Oh,  as for physio plans, the pamphlet says start putting weight on the foot as feels comfortable, and I go back to see the military people on tuesday to see about starting actual recovery.

So, I'm an idiot

 As you can imagine, I have spent the last week waiting and hoping for this day, fingers crossed, wanting nothing more than to get this cast off my foot.  And this morning, I've  been even more excited. So I find my appointment card and look at it.  March 15th. Wait, what? I even put in my computer that it was today... So, I have another day to wait. . .

 What has this last week been like? I've had to start taking pain killers  sometimes, as my foot is aching a bit now, but I am walking around pretty decently. I went to the gym on monday and took twenty minutes walking about 1200 meters.  I've been stretching and walking up and down stairs ( all this with great assistance, I still can't walk independently, which I attribute partially to the cast)  On saturday, I got my Nike+ band, and I have been wearing it every day. I set the daily goal at 2000 fuel points, and seem to be hitting it relatively easily. Sometimes I'm closer to 3000. But it does keep me motivated to move around a bunch more, it shows me my progress throughout the day with a coloured light indicator; shows me my calories burned as well as my steps taken. The band is a bit stiff, and if it is too high on my wrist it ends up hurting a fair bit, but other than that its a pretty neat little thing.

I went and watched my hockey team's first play off game; partially cause it was a block away from my house, partially to get out of the house and partially because it was against the team that broke me. I miss being able to actually get out there and play, but everyone was happy to see me.  Apparently the news of my injury went around the league and to other leagues I don't even play in. The girl got a 2 game suspension from the league and apparently even the referees were asking about me the next time they saw me.

So,  I was going to update this tomorrow after I got all my info from the physio people and all that,  and post some pictures and things. I might wait till monday, cause I don't think I can go into the health clinic at work till monday morning now anyways, then I can update on what my fitness plan is going to be. However, I did find a Youtube channel with Yoga for injured ankles, which I'm going to try once the cast is off.  I might be able to go to a swimming pool on the weekend, to at the very least do some upper body stuff, but I'll see.

Return to Yoga after broken ankle

One Week

Yes, its BEEN one week since I last posted, but that really wasn't the reason why I named the entry that. Its cause its one week left till I have the cast off!  I can't wait, the sun is rising over the dark stormy clouds... 

So, the pain was pretty much gone, except for some twinges here and there, hadn't touched pain killers in I don't know how long. I've been working out ( push ups, sit ups- the girl kind on my knees, using the dumbbells for my arms) I started  pushing with my toes and stuff over the weekend. Someone suggested I scrunch a towel, but the cast is too long to allow me to do it.   I'm not pushing it too hard, but I'm trying to build myself up slowly.

Then yesterday I  started putting weight on it. First just sitting down and having it flat, then standing and resting it on the ground and slowly putting more weight on it. By the end of the day I was in pain, but it did not feel like a bad kind of pain. It was enough pain that  putting it up for a couple hours didn't take it away, so I took an advil and tylenol. I woke up and it feels fine. starting to put weight on it some more.

I'm hoping that by monday, I will be able to move myself around enough that I can go to the gym to start going around the track.  Why, you may ask? Well, its dry and flat and even with benches all over to sit on to.  So I can start getting myself to walk even further on it. 

Then next thursday at 1400 hrs, I will be getting this cast off. Hopefully they just give me a brace or something, and  on friday I will talk to a physio person and hopefully get clearance to do some light stuff, like swimming and possibly yoga.

Also, I got my Nike + band in yesterday. Rather, my parents got it in, ( i ordered it with my BF's  birthday present and didn't want him to see it so I sent it to their house) It keeps track of everything you do during the day. I wanted it for my birthday but my mom accidentally got me the wrong one, so she just gave me money towards it and  I figured I'd buy it for when I'm better. I do have the Nike + running thing,  and the Xbox game, but other than the pedometer, I can't use either of those for now.  

Me and my BF will also be picking up our bikes ( mines at my place, and he just bought my little brothers so its with my parents) and hopefully I can start using that a bit more. 

I have my hopes up, I know. I'm talking a big game, but there's nothing like 6 weeks of forced inactivity to make you appreciate your abilities to do stuff, so I'm really planning on sticking with a work out plan this time.