AuburnChick's Adventures

Here we go again . . . a lapse in posting ankle updates last Sunday has led to the need to catch up this week.

Hello fatigue.  It sure didn’t take long for us to get reacquainted this school year.

Let’s talk!

*Disclaimer #1 – This is a LONG post.  I’m sorry!  Bear with me though?  I’ve got some interesting news down toward the end.*

**Disclaimer #2 – I apologize for any grammar mistakes.  I got lazy by the end of this longgggggggg post and didn’t feel like going back to proofread.  If you find something amiss, will you comment or email me so I can fix it?  Thanks!!**

Week 45

I started the week off as I usually do . . . with an early-morning workout . . .

I had physical therapy that afternoon.

I was pleasantly surprised when my therapist gave me this . . .

She’d gone to visit a friend in California during her “escape” from Hurricane Irma.  While there, she went to an antique store and found that stone you see there.  She had me on her mind and brought it to me, along with instructions to keep it in the freezer and use it to roll under the arch of my foot when it hurts (which is nearly daily).  It’s the perfect size and very helpful for working out the kinks that I still get with my tendinosis.

My therapist worked me pretty hard by increasing the number of reps I had to do for each exercise.  I burned a crazy amount of calories . . .

For the record, I don’t recommend breaking your ankle and then doing PT as a formal type of exercise program.

Just sayin’.

Tuesday evening, my ankle was shot, and I found myself trying to make my ankle pop late into the night . . .

Of course, I had gone to the grocery store after work to pick up ingredients for a Creamy Pasta Marinara recipe I’d seen on this site.  The picture does not do it justice.  It was absolutely divine!  The homemade cashew cream made all the difference in the world!

I didn’t let my sore ankle stop me from working out on Wednesday morning (not much stops me, truth be told) . . .

I discovered an issue later that morning (or maybe it was that afternoon) when I went to grab something from my pantry, leaned forward with my right leg bent behind me, and experienced a sharp pain that stopped me in my tracks . . .

See the way I’m leaning forward into that right knee?  My tendon is so tight that it balks, loudly, when I hit an invisible wall and can’t go any further.  It doesn’t happen with my left ankle.

I showed this picture to my therapist the next day, and she imitated the move to understand what I was talking about.  She told me that I needed to train myself to lean down the way she’s been teaching me during my sessions . . . going down fully on my knee rather than angling myself awkwardly like this.

I’m completely awkward though.  It’s hard to retrain a 47 year old on how NOT to be awkward.  I mean, this is probably one HUGE reason why I broke my ankle to begin with.

Sigh.

During Thursday’s PT session, I got to do my step ups with a new variation – raising my knee up when I stepped up . . .

It might not sound like much of a challenge; however, it really was.  Every time we make things more difficult, my balance is affected.  This variation also works on my core, which I need to be strong as well to help me overall.  I absolutely love that I’m making progress, one raised knee at a time.

PT that day was pretty good, but I was sore as crap from the week.

That didn’t stop me from walking four (yes, I said FOUR) miles on Saturday . . .

It was such a beautiful day, as you can see in the picture.  My ankle was sore from the get-go.  I had shin pain on the inside of my ankle, and it never got better, but I pushed on and managed a decent pace (for me) of 15:30.

I was pleased as punch and felt quite accomplished when I finished.

My ankle began hating life immediately, however.  I had to give it a good stretch when I went inside.

Y’all, I really MUST learn to listen to my ankle.  One would think I’d have sat down after starting off my day like that, but NOOOOOOOO, I decided that I needed to make all the things . . .

There was Roasted Red Pepper Hummus to be prepared.  It was divine, by the way.

There were Fudgy Vegan Beet Cupcakes to bake (a recipe I’d had my eye on for a week or two) . . .

I didn’t let any batter go to waste – hence the baby cupcake . . .

I bought the cupcake pans here.  I am in LOVE with them!  Look how easy it was to get these babies out . . .

These are some of the best cupcakes I’ve ever made!  The texture was spot-on.  They are moist and chock-full of flavor!  I’d never heard of beet puree before, and the recipe did suggest applesauce as an alternative; however, I wanted to challenge myself to try something new and attribute the consistency of the cupcakes to the puree.  I took a few cupcakes to school to share with a couple of teacher friends.  A couple of students were also gifted cupcakes.  Everyone LOVED them and couldn’t believe they were vegan.

I also made the Mr. his donuts so he could have something fun to eat over the weekend.

My ankle was so angry when I finished and finally sat down to watch football on TV.  I spent the rest of the day in a lot of pain.

Y’all, it’s so hard for me to sit still sometimes.  This ankle injury has kept me down for so long that I get extremely frustrated and rebellious.

Like the next day when I decided to bake AGAIN because I had puree that I didn’t want to go to waste.

I had at least three more recipes planned out.  I made another batch of cupcakes . . .

I also made Vegan Chocolate Lava Cakes . . .

I had donuts on my mind as well . . . 30-Minute Chocolate Vegan Donuts . . .

As a side note, the donuts wound up not being my favorite.  I don’t know if it’s because I cooked them a little too long or what, but they were dry.  Everyone who tried them said the same thing.  I doubt I’ll make these again.

One thing I did learn from the weekend of cooking was that Aquafaba (the liquid in a can of chickpeas) is AMAZING!  Quite a few recipes have started asking for it as an egg substitute.  It’s so much better than flax or chia eggs!  I loved working with it!

While things were baking in the oven, I had Broccoli Detox Soup going on the stove . . .

After all of that baking, I was in desperate need of these . . .

That combination works wonders on the swelling and pain in my ankle when I’ve overdone myself.

Week 46

So, it’s not surprising that I started off last week behind the eight ball.  After being on my feet all weekend plus walking those four miles, I was done for.  This was going to be one heck of a week, let me tell you.

That didn’t stop me from working out in the wee hours of Monday morning . . .

Monday, I had to administer the FSA Writing Retakes to fifty juniors and seniors . . . all kiddos who are trying to pass this state assessment to graduate.  I was on my feet ALL DAY.

I had physical therapy after school, and boy did I get a workout!  Look how fast my heart was beating after I finished doing three sets of monster walks / squats combinations . . .

I also got to do FULL lunges!!!!!

Do you know how happy I was to be doing something close to what I’d been doing BEFORE I broke my ankle nearly a year ago?

Do be sure, they were tough, tough, tough.  I am constantly surprised by how weak I still am despite months of working out.  The injury really set me back, and each new exercise (or variation) makes me realize how much farther I need to go.  However, I’m also amazed at how far God has brought me.

One funny moment about the picture you see above:  A fellow patient who’s there the same days I am commented that it looked like I was ready to play Twister (the colored mat).  I had a good laugh at that.  You’ve got to find humor in the little things, eh?

One fun thing I got to do was bounce on a mini trampoline . . .

I’d asked my therapist when I will be able to jump again.  She pulled out the trampoline and had me bounce without jumping in the air.  That felt okay.  This was something I couldn’t do a few months ago, so I was excited.  Then, she had me go from side to side, without jumping, to see how that felt.  It too felt fine.  Next, she let me put a tiny bit of air between each foot and the trampoline as I moved from side to side.

Y’all, it almost felt as through I was jogging.  It felt incredible.  I told her that I wish I could have a moving trampoline that traveled down the sidewalk as I jogged to soften my landing.  She chuckled.

Oh, and to make Monday harder, after my physical therapy appointment, I went back to my school for Open House!  I was absolutely exhausted when I got home around 7:30 after being gone from the house for over twelve hours.  It had been a very, very long day!

Despite the hard workout Monday afternoon, I still got up on Tuesday and did my physical therapy exercises.  I make it a point to do them on the days I’m “resting” or only doing abs from my Body Beast program . . .

I used my fireplace hearth to do my step ups.  See how clever I am?!

That afternoon, I made up a batch of One Pot Vegan Minestrone Soup and Easy Vegan Gluten-Free Biscuits (thus putting more pressure on my ankle).  The soup turned out so well!  I ate on it all week for lunch.

Oh my yum!  My ankle may have been dying, but my stomach was quite the happy camper.  Can you say comfort food?

I went to physical therapy on Wednesday because I had a doctor appointment on Thursday.

One of the last exercises I do every PT session is balancing.  On Wednesday, I got moved up to the blue disc.  It’s extremely difficult to stand on one leg and balance for 45 seconds.  I had gotten to where I could do it fairly well by June, but when I had my bad month of July, I regressed.  That’s why we’ve been working so slowly to get me back up to par.  My therapist always puts this balancing exercise at the end of my workouts specifically because it’s more difficult after I’ve exhausted my muscles during the other strengthening moves.

I spent all of this past week sore, sore, sore.  My therapist and I had discussed the “why” of it all, and she explained that I’m going through a building process right now.  Any time we change up the routine by either adding more reps or going up in a move with a harder variation of it, I’m in a transitional phase.  She said that this is when the tearing and rebuilding of muscle occurs, and it can take a week or two for my body to adjust.  Hence, the extra pain.  It’s necessary, though, to get better.

I’m cool with that.

Needless to say, I was mighty glad for the ice and STEM that followed . . .

On Thursday, I drove two hours to visit my ankle surgeon . . .

I was so tired from the week, and I was feeling a cold coming on, but I wasn’t about to let those things deter me.

My doctor’s office is always so gracious about scheduling late appointments to accommodate my work schedule and the time needed to get there.  I arrived early and waited . . .

Someone from the office had called me that morning to ask if I could go in early – that they’d had some cancellations.  I got there at 5:30 but still had to wait a bit.  I didn’t mind though.  This doctor is amazing at what he does.

I did sit back on the examination table and doze off though, but only after I snapped a photo of the x-ray I’d had done in June . . .

A quick explanation.  The right side of the x-ray, with the three long pins, is actually the inside of my ankle.  The side with nine pins and the plate is the outside.  The inside of my ankle is what slammed directly onto the floor when I fell last November.  The plate on the outside was placed there because I broke that side pretty high up my leg.  I also broke a third part of my ankle, but it didn’t require pins.

Crazy stuff.

I’m not sure that the doctor was aware why I was there since I’d been corresponding with his nurse through email.  She wasn’t there that day (ironically, she’d had surgery and was out for a week).

I think that he assumed it was a regular visit.

He asked about my tendonosis.  I told him that it was getting better but wasn’t 100% yet, and that I had to “pop” my ankle frequently when pressure built up.  I told him about my new therapist who’s a miracle worker but had to reset me back in July because of the problems I’d been experiencing.

I told him about the pins that had been bothering me, which was the reason for my visit.

He manipulated my foot around, made me push against his hand and hold it sturdy while he pushed and pulled on it.

At first, he sounded like he wanted to wait to do the surgery I was inquiring about (the removal of three pins on the very edges of both sides of my ankle).  However, once we began talking at length, and when he took a closer look at my ankle, he changed his mind.

He told me, “You’re an unusual case.”

Ha.  I think that’s the understatement of the year.

He said that they aren’t used to seeing people of my stature (i.e., so petite).  Basically, because I’m so small, I can feel every bit of hardware he put in there to stabilize my ankle.  Because of that, I’m in a lot of pain.

He also commented on the swelling in my ankle.

Thank heavens!  I seem to be the only person who’s been concerned about it for months.  He attributed it to the hardware.  Later, when the Mr. and I were discussing this and we looked at my x-ray again, we could see that the long pins on the inside of my ankle are located exactly where the swelling is.  It finally made sense!  It’s no wonder that I’m in a lot of pain and still have limitations.  I literally cannot move fully because I have pins holding me back.

Duh!

My doctor was so nice though.  He said, “I’m going to take ALL of the hardware out.”

My jaw dropped.

I told him, “I’m not trying to be greedy.  I actually like having the other stuff there.  It makes me feel more secure.”

Nope, he said.  If he’s going in there, he’s taking it all out.  He said that this will make the swelling on my ankle go away once everything is healed.

Yay!

I’ll have to wear a boot for four weeks after the surgery, but I’ll be weight-bearing immediately.  I was shocked.  I said, “So, I’ll be walking out after surgery?”

He laughed and said, “Not exactly.  You’ll be woozy from the surgery.”

“So, I’ll be holding onto my husband as I wobble out?” was my response.  He laughed.

He told the PA who was with him to schedule surgery.  That’s when I told him that his nurse had already tentatively put me on the schedule for December 21.  He seemed surprised.  Y’all, I like to have all of my ducks in a row!  Plus, I had been afraid that he’d get booked up, so I went ahead and had the nurse take care of this for me.

Ha!

We have a half day at school on December 20th, which will give me time to mentally prepare for surgery the next day.  By doing it during the break, I’ll have two weeks to get stronger before school resumes in January.

The doctor assured me that recovery will be much easier this time around.  Of that, I’m positive.  I don’t know that anything will ever compare to breaking an ankle and the pain involved with that.  Everything else pales in comparison.

So that was big news . . . a bit surprising and a teensy bit unnerving.  As I said, I actually like having some of the hardware, although going through metal detectors at airports will be a lot easier now!

I then began the drive home, exhausted but satisfied.

Of course, I thought of a number of questions after I got home . . .

I’ll run through these when my doctor visits me before he performs surgery.  He’s always incredibly patient when answering questions.

Y’all, the week wasn’t over though!  I still had Friday to get through!  Oh my!  This past week was Homecoming, so things were even crazier at school with kids getting ready for the dance, themed dress-up days, presentations of candidates and a parade, and the game on Friday.  Plus, I’d been coming down with a cold, so there was that.  Still, I was determined not to let those things stop me from attending the game . . .

It was a humid evening; I’m so glad I didn’t bother to straighten my hair!

The Homecoming queen wound up being a young lady I taught two years ago.  She was dressed up so fancy that I didn’t even recognize her!  I wanted to hug her after the game but couldn’t find her.  I’ll catch her at school.  I’m so happy for her!

We lost the game in a nail-biter than came down to a final field goal by the other team with five seconds left in the game.  Our boys were crying after it was over.  I tried my best to cheer them up as I hugged them and gave them high fives afterward.  I love them so.

Saturday, I got up early and walked three miles.

My ankle felt a lot better than it had the week before.  I know the shorter distance helped a lot.

I did feel pretty yucky from the cold, which had led me to sleep poorly Friday night.  I pulled out my essential oils and kept them going all day . . .

I did some baking, which I think I’ll talk about in a different post since this one could be a book on its own.

Then, I watched college football the rest of the day.

I wound up staying home from church today (Sunday).  I’m still not 100%; the severity of the cold is a bit muted, but it’s still annoying as all get out.

That’s basically it for these past two weeks.

Though I’m progressing, I continue to learn more about myself while making stupid mistakes (like walking too far or cooking for too many hours in a row).

If you would begin praying for the surgery I’ll be having in a scant 81 days, I’d sure appreciate it.  While I don’t relish the idea of having both sides of my ankle cut into again, I am looking forward to hitting the next phase of recovery so that, at some point, I can finally put this part of my life behind me.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: trimalleolar fracture | Leave a comment »

Week 44 of my trimalleolar fracture recovery started off in an interesting way.

We were bracing for Hurricane Irma.

Oh, we weren’t in its direct path, but we still weren’t sure what it was going to do.  If it went into the Gulf, we knew we’d be in trouble.

Because it was such a large storm, the governor had closed all schools.  My district had mandated that schools be closed Monday and Tuesday as well, so I had the day off.

My physical therapist’s office had called the previous Thursday and left a message saying that it would be closed on Monday as well, so that meant I wouldn’t be going in for my regular appointment.

The day was blustery, and the wind howled until mid-afternoon.  We got a little bit of rain, but that was it.

I got on up and did my physical therapy exercises.  I’ve found that my ankle stays flexible if I keep up with these maneuvers even when I’m not at PT.

My in-laws had come over from Big City, Florida to spend Sunday night with us.  They left around 2pm on Monday once they were sure the wind wasn’t going to be an issue.

Now, I am not going to lie.  Not having to go in to school was SUCH a blessing.  This school year is already kicking my behind.  I made the best of the downtime and used Saturday and Monday to get ahead of lesson planning.

That left me to my own devices on Tuesday.

I worked out and ran errands, overnight oats in tow . . .

I randomly texted my friend, Jane, to see if her school was open.  It was (she’s at the private school where we both spent our first year together), but it just so happened that she was on planning and her lunch followed right after, so I picked her up.  We ran to Panera for a wonderful 90-minute visit.

When I got home, I tried to fix a broken sprinkler head . . .

I had purchased a new one back in April, but for some reason, it had popped off, and I couldn’t, for the life of me, get it screwed back on.  I figured it was user error.

Funny story:  My neighbors pulled into their driveway while I was working, and they came over to see if I wanted to borrow their edger.  Y’all, they thought I was edging my yard by hand with that shovel.

We had a big laugh over that!

I headed back to school on Wednesday.  The kids and I were exhausted!  It wound up being a strange week with lots of yawns.  I spent my entire planning period in the copy room making hundreds of copies . . .

After school, I stopped by the business where I get my sprinkler heads and was assured that the issue had not been me but the threads.  I bought another one and went home to fix it for good . . .

Thursday morning, I got on up and worked out . . .

Then, as I got ready for work, I realized that I really did not have shoes to match my dress.  I decided to give flat sandals a go . . .

Now, I’m not going to lie.  This was a bit of rebellion on my part.  I’m not supposed to wear shoes that don’t have support, and I haven’t ever since I got out of my boot, but I’m so flipping tired of not matching sometimes.

When I walked into physical therapy that afternoon, the shoes did not go unnoticed.  Therapists are trained to see every single detail.

My trainer commented on them when I walked past her to the changing room.  I told her that I was pretty sure I’d be hurting later.  She was nice and told me that every once in a while wouldn’t hurt but not to make it a habit.

Ahem.

Physical therapy was hard.  Monster walks are still so tough; my legs need more time to regain the strength I’ve lost over the past few months.

I can’t remember if I did anything new.  I don’t think I did.  We did have a discussion about her upping the intensity of some of my exercises next week while she reduces the number of reps.  I’m glad for this.  It signals progress.

Physical therapy days are long ones for me.  I rarely get home before 5:30 or 6.  Pele had been up to no good . . .

We’d been trying to let him roam free more; apparently the afternoons prove to be too tempting for him . . . or else that’s when he starts missing us.

I will say that I was pretty sore the next day (Friday).  I don’t know if it was from the sandals or the extra hard PT session the day before, but my ankle did not feel good all day.

Pele was feeling my pain . . .

When I got home from school, I hunkered down and got all of the stuff you see in my bag graded.  I even uploaded the grades and sent reports to parents . . .

I went to my school’s football game that evening, and if I could have put my hands on a pair of crutches or a scooter, I would have.

The evening was gorgeous; my ankle was not.

I was limping so bad by the end of the game that I could hardly stand it.  In fact, I could barely put weight on it period.

Ugh.

I’d spent sixteen hours on my feet – way too long.

When I got home that night, I collapsed in my recliner, watched Big Brother, and then dragged myself to bed where I slept until nearly noon.

Sleep did the trick, though, and I was able to work out before I settled in for a day of college football.

Pele didn’t stray far from my recliner on Saturday . . .

Honestly, I don’t think I even walked a mile around the house on Saturday.  That’s how exhausted I was.  I was so glad that I’d done all of my planning and grading beforehand; my brain could not have focused on anything school-related.

On Sunday, I’d intended to get up and walk three miles, but when the alarm went off, I went back to sleep until 8, when it was time to get ready for church.

I did manage to do my PT exercises after church.  I’m so glad too, because when I was doing one of my stretching moves, my ankle – where pressure had been building – popped.  This popping always relieves the pain.

I did some baking . . .

Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel for me . . .

Pele stole one of the Mr.’s donuts when we were Facetiming with Rooster . . .

We caught the pup red-pawed.  Turd.

So, the week was a good one.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that I was able to schedule an eval appointment with my ankle surgeon.  I go in next week.  I am tentatively scheduled for another surgery December 21st.  I want two or three pins removed from my ankle.  These are the pins that are giving me fits when I wear my sneakers and when anything rubs against them.  They are on the boniest parts of my inner and outer ankle.  I am praying that the doctor gives me the green light to proceed.  By the time he does the surgery, I’ll be thirteen months out of my injury, which from all that I’ve read is ample time for healing to have occurred.  By having the surgery during Christmas vacation, I’ll have a good head start on recovering before school resumes in January.  I’ll also have a chance to return to physical therapy to start regaining flexibility in my ankle again.  I have a feeling I’ll be in PT forever!  Ha!

As always, I’m #findingjoyinthejourney and thanking my heavenly Father for the healing He’s graciously allowed thus far.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: trimalleolar fracture | Leave a comment »

Hello, my name is Nathalie, and I’ve been a terrible blogger of late.

The beginning of the school year is always hectic.  This one has me feeling a bit like a new teacher, but that’s a post for another day.

I never got around to blogging about my trimalleolar fracture Week 42 recovery, so I think I’ll combine the past two weeks into one post.

Sound good?

Ok then!

Overall, I’ve had a pretty good couple of weeks.  Week 41 marked six months of being in physical therapy . . .

I’m usually there between an hour and a half and two hours, twice a week.

The time is more than worth it; this is something I could never do on my own.  I knew, immediately after the diagnosis of my fracture (and a Google search), that I’d be in this for the long haul.

My trainer’s plan of advancing me slowly seems to be working extremely well.  She usually gives me a couple of visits before introducing harder moves to ensure that I’m not experiencing extra pain and discomfort.

One of my new exercises during Week 42 was a modified version of the bridge.  I had to get on my back with my knees bent.  Then, while holding my core up in the air in a bridge position, I had to bring one bent leg toward me before returning that foot to the mat.  I alternated legs each time.

Yes, those are pearls you see in the photo.  I wore them with whatever my outfit was that day, and I didn’t want to lose them, so I left them on, with the workout clothes I’d changed into, during physical therapy.

I’m classy that way.

In between physical therapy days, I make sure to do some of the exercises at home to help with flexibility . . .

My second PT visit during Week 41 had me doing a couple of new exercises.

One was partial squats!!!  I cannot even tell you how excited I was about this!  I have not been allowed to do any exercises that resemble my old leg workouts.

My trainer had me doing the half squats between my monster walks.  Talk about butt burn!  I felt amazing!

Then, she showed me another new exercise . . .

For this one, I had to stand on that board (I want one of these so bad), sit myself in a squat position with my rear end poked back, and touch my left heel to the floor in front of me while bending my right knee slightly.

I’m not going to lie.

This was extremely difficult and painful.  By the fifth rep, I was done.

Oh, and I was supposed to do it while balancing myself, but I couldn’t.  We had to move the board beside a table so I had something to hold onto.

I may have teared up.  I felt like I was back at square one – especially after my trainer demonstrated the move for me and made it look super easy.

It wasn’t.

I’d definitely hit a wall in what I could do.  When I tried to do it with my left leg, I was fine . . . evidence of how far I still had to go.

It was discouraging, but hey, if I could do everything, I wouldn’t need physical therapy, right?

I was in a lot of pain the rest of the night, but by the next morning, I was feeling a little better and was back up early stretching my tendon . . .

I don’t normally work out in my pajamas, but heck, I just didn’t feel like changing into shorts.  Ha!

That weekend, I tried, again, to do the one legged bend move, but I just could not do more than four or five . . .

That Sunday, I was determined to get up and walk.  I wanted to start on the newest Hogwarts Running Club’s race, the Platform 9 3/4k race.

I had promised my trainer that I wouldn’t do more than three miles.  I did a bit over that but only because I needed to get home!

It was a beautiful morning; the sunrise made getting up early totally worth the effort!

I kicked up my feet and relaxed the rest of the day.  I was a little extra-happy because I didn’t have to work the next day (Labor Day) . . .

Even though I didn’t have PT that Monday because of the holiday (and the first day of Week 43), I still got up and worked out . . .

I’d finished the Body Beast program, but since I’m limited on the kinds of workouts I can do, I decided to do another round of this program.

I really like building my muscles, and the calorie burn I get each day is rewarding.

I indulged in some pool time afterward – what will probably be the last for the year . . .

The rest of the week saw me working out (duh).  I like to leave things prepped the night before.  This helps speed things up at o’dark 30 in the morning . . .

I had therapy on Thursday where my trainer added some new exercises.

For one, I had to put a band around both of my feet while I was on my back on a table.  Then, with my legs in the air (this was a great move for core work), I had to pull one knee toward me, with my foot flexed upward, and then push it back while keeping the other leg straight out.  The purpose was to stretch the front of my leg, along my shin bone.  This is another area where I experience pain sometimes.  The hope is to increase flexibility.

Another exercise that really excited me was the one where I got to step up onto a box and then step back down.

This may not seem like much, but I have continued to struggle with stairs.  When I go up, leading with my right foot (my bad ankle), I have pain because it hurts to push into that foot.  When I step down, either from my left or right foot, I have problems from either an inflexible right knee or a weak right foot that doesn’t want to stretch behind me.

My trainer said that the box move is a pretty advanced one – that I’m progressing very well.

Y’all, my heart really sang at that.

I left PT in high spirits and attended my school’s football game, which had been moved up from Friday to Thursday because of the hurricane.

Just look at the sunset God blessed us with . . .

We didn’t win, and my ankle was sore after being on it for over seventeen hours.  It’s a good thing that school got cancelled for Friday because I needed to take it easy!

I did manage to get up on Saturday and do the second part of the 9 3/4k . . .

The weather was a bit chilly, but I warned up a half mile into it.

I pushed myself pretty hard during this walk and wound up with a 15:35 pace!

I can’t wait to get the medal for this because I know how hard I worked for it!

I gave myself a good stretch when I got home . . .

That pretty much rounded out my week.

I feel as though I’m turning another corner in my recovery process.  Although I still experience near-constant pain of some sort, it’s manageable.  The biggest thing I’ve noticed is that I am able to get out of bed in the mornings and walk well . . . until the reality of a day on my feet hits.  🙂

I did send an email to my surgeon’s nurse last week to inquire about having a second surgery this fall.  I am pretty desperate to have two or three pins removed.  The ones I have in mind cause a lot of discomfort, and I feel as though having them out will diminish the pain I experience every day and may help me edge closer toward a total recovery.

I will have to go back to the doctor for an evaluation to make sure it’s do-able.  I do know that I won’t be able to have the surgery during Thanksgiving week, as I’d hoped, because the doctor will be off then, so I’m hoping for Christmas, which will actually allow me time to heal before going back to school in January.  I’m just praying he gives the okay because my bones are in pretty bad shape still.

Please continue to pray for me.  This healing process seems to be speeding up, or maybe that’s just the illusion of time.

Either way, I am beyond thankful for every single step I can take without the use of a crutch or a scooter.

I’ve been watching Big Brother, and watching Christmas recover from the foot she broke ON THE SHOW has given me chills.  She’s currently walking with one crutch and a boot, and I totally remember doing that as though it was yesterday.

The struggle was REAL, y’all.  In fact, I was still walking with a crutch when I started physical therapy in January, so it’s fresh on my mind.

I’m kind of glad because it means that I’m not taking anything for granted.  I have much to be thankful for and continue #findingjoyinthejourney.

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Here we are at almost Tuesday, and I’ve failed, once again, to post a timely update.  That summer sun must be doing something to my brain!

So, let’s talk about last week and my continued recovery from my trimalleolar fracture and subsequent surgery.

Last week was a big milestone – 32 weeks (i.e. eight months)!  It’s hard to believe, isn’t it?

When I last left you, I’d had a rough weekend, and my ankle was not looking its best.

I went to physical therapy on Monday and, after completing all of my exercises had a long chat with my therapist.  It was, after all, my last visit for a month (remember the insurance issues I mentioned a couple of weeks ago?).

First of all, he was shocked when I told him about my time for the Superhero 5k I’d walked the Saturday before.  He told me that he knew people who couldn’t run it that fast.  He’s a good cheerleader, let me tell you.

Then, I told him about my leg workout the next day and the exercise I did that I probably shouldn’t have done.  I expected to be properly chided, but he actually told me that it wasn’t the move that had done me in.  It was, most likely, the fact that I’d done a lot of yard work the previous Friday, walked the 5k at a brisk pace the next day, and then had worked my lower body out that Sunday.

He explained that I should have rearranged some of my activities.  For instance, I could have done an upper body workout on Sunday or gone much lighter on the weights for the leg routine.  He said that doing so many things that required a lot from my ankle in such a short span of time led to the swelling and pain.

I also told him that I’d had a lot of tightness in my right knee when I’d done the 5k.  I figured I’d walked too fast, but he told me that it was lack of strength in that leg, which is what my exercises and therapy will continue to improve.

Ultimately, he said that I still need to give myself time to heal.

There goes that word again.

This process has hammered into my head the fact that I am not a very patient person.

Those who know me best would probably agree.

Ahem.

I feel like Ariel, when she sings Part of Your World . . .

Flipping your fins, you don’t get too far
Legs are required for jumping, dancing
Strolling along down a – what’s that word called again?
Street.

Up where they walk, up where they run
Up where they stay all day in the sun
Wanderin’ free – wish I could be
Part of that world.

That’s me.  To a T.

As J and I talked, I got a little teary.  He reminded me of how far I’ve come since January 23 when I first walked into physical therapy.  I was on crutches still, unable to walk properly and in so much pain when I tried.

Now, I’m lifting weights, walking 5k’s, and mowing the grass without the aid of a self-propelled mechanism.

I want to be able to do these things and run again . . . without pain.

Time.

J and I talked about what I can be doing during my PT hiatus.  The Mr. has been very concerned that I’m doing too much.

Ya think.

<insert sarcastic look>

J told me that he wants me to walk as much as I can . . . every day even.  He wants me to be more cognizant of how I’m lining up my activities.  He wants me to stretch my calf muscle on that right leg every day.

He promised that when I get back in there, we will start working on my jogging.

He gave me hope.

Then, he worked on the back of my leg again and actually got two tools out to get the knot out of my tendon.

Some things do NOT change.

I felt sad as I left, but I knew that it was a temporary goodbye.  I’ve already got my next appointment set for July 24th, and I’ll pick up where I left off.

Meanwhile, I started PT at home, following the exercise regimen that he gave me.  I’m supposed to do them at least three days a week, incorporating them into my workouts when it’s convenient or doing them separately if it’s not.

Did I mention the stretching, my favorite (not) exercise?

The rest of the week went okay.  I continued to have good and bad days.

I walked a little over three miles on Thursday.  My pace was a lot slower than the 5k I did the weekend before, but that was okay with me.

I always feel accomplished when I’ve moved my body . . .

I spent time watching the rain . . .

I thanked the Lord for sending the sun . . .

I had a little buddy on Friday . . .

And a different book  . . .

I literally sat in the water the entire time I was at the pool (thanks, Megan, for the suggestion a few weeks ago) and let my ankle do its non-gravity thing, which made it feel better.  Call it an excuse.  My physical therapist chuckled when I told him my game plan.

The sun cooperated on Saturday . . .

I even managed to sneak in an hour of pool time on Sunday before the rain paid another visit . . .

I probably won’t post weekly updates until I return to therapy next month.  We’ve got a lot going on in the next two weeks; it’s going to be all I can do to fit in my PT exercises, and I’m not sure if I’m going to see a drastic improvement in that time (fingers crossed that I magically become pain-free because we know that miracles can and do happen).

Please continue to pray for healing.  This journey is still frustrating.  I am beyond ready to be normal.  I’d love to be able to teach class, come August, without pain.  Maybe that’s a little unrealistic, but one can always dream, eh?

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This past Saturday, while the Mr. was still sleeping, I got up bright and early with a mission in mind.

A couple of months ago, I’d signed up for a 5k . . . a Superhero 5k!

First, I ate a small but healthy breakfast (overnight oats).

Then, I carefully donned the clothes I’d laid out the night before and posed for selfies by propping up my phone on my mailbox.

Yep . . . I’d chosen Wonder Woman attire after seeing previews for and later watching the actual movie.

That lady can kick some butt and really speaks to how I try to face the challenges in my life.

Those are capes on the back of my socks.  I got them here.

This race was a pretty big deal for a couple of reasons.

First of all, I am not a person who likes crowds, especially when I’m going into them by myself.  Cue up my introverted, somewhat socially-anxious self.  I worry so much about getting lost, messing up, and looking plain old dumb.

Sigh.

Second of all, this was going to be my second ever in-real-life race.  It’s a lot different doing virtual races where it’s you versus your mind by your lonesome self.

This event was benefiting our local Guardian Ad Litem agency, which is such a worthwhile organization that provides much-needed services to local children.

I arrived at the race location at 6:30am, just as they were setting up.  I wanted to make sure I got my goody bag and t-shirt.

Then, I sat on a bench as I waited for others to arrive.  There was a gal sitting on the other end of the bench, and we got to talking.  It turned out that she’s the data clerk at the high school right beside my neighborhood.  We spent time chatting all about school stuff.  I learned that she had been in the military and currently has children serving.  My heart thumped a little bit harder at that.

She eventually got up to find her friends, so I began wandering.

I saw a gal I’m slowly getting to know from church.  As I’ve said many times, I am not gifted with the ability to engage in small talk.  It was comforting to see a familiar face, though.

I watched as a group of guys hammed it up with participants.  I borrowed this picture from Facebook, courtesy of the organization that hosted the race . . .

They were the BEST sports!  They posed with anyone who wanted a picture in between helping organizers set up stuff for the race.  They kept me smiling as I bided my time.

I saw a couple of other people I knew and spoke with them as well.  One of them asked me if I’d be running.

To my chagrin, I had to say no, that I was only walking.  I still cannot run; impact exercises do a number on my right heel, so running is still out.

I found a place to stretch my calf and foot shortly before the race.  My physical therapist would have been very proud of me . . .

Now, I’ve got to tell you one thing that bothered me a bit.

Shortly before the race began, a lady got on a microphone and asked for people who had signed up as walkers to go up to her so she could mark the bibs accordingly.

Y’all, NOBODY walked up there.

Nobody.

I’d signed up as a walker, but I didn’t really want anyone knowing this.

Why didn’t they note it on my bib when I picked it up earlier?  They already had my name on it.

I was mortified.

One of my friends had told me earlier that I looked like a runner, so I was very uncomfortable as I went up and got my “W” written on the bottom of my bib.

I wanted to have a sign on my back that said, “Trimalleolar Fracture Recovery Mode – Please Excuse this Walker.”

Sigh.

The race organizers could have done this differently.

Just sayin’.

Anyhoo, then it was time for us to line up.

Before we got to take off, the lady with the microphone made a big point of telling us that if we were walkers, we could not run.  We couldn’t even run ONE SINGLE STEP.

Yes, she said this.

Sigh.

So, the race started, and y’all, I got a little emotional.  I’m so glad that I was wearing sunglasses.

Oh, it wasn’t the fact that my two friends who were there patted my shoulder as they ran past me.

Ahem.

No, I was emotional because I was doing a REAL race, with REAL people, on a REAL course.

When I broke my ankle in November and read about the two-year recovery, I could not envision this day.

I indulged myself for a few moments before earnestly digging my feet in and pushing myself forward.

I love that the first song that popped up on my playlist was this . . .

I had a couple of goals for this race.

First, I wanted to break a 16-minute mile.  That’s slow, I know, but for me, sixteen minutes is actually fast to be walking given my recovery.

My second goal was to not be in last place, thus it was that I set my first sight on an older lady who was jog/walking the race just ahead of me.

Every time I would start to catch up with her, she would take off jogging.

Seriously, though, how in the heck was I supposed to compete with that?

I can be a bit competitive sometimes, even with unsuspecting 70-something year old people.

Ahem.

I did eventually pass her.

I was using my wireless Under Armour ear buds . . . the ones the Mr. got me for Christmas.  They tell me my heart rate, my pace, and the distance.  I got updates every half mile.

Y’all, I’ve got to tell you that my first pace time was between fourteen and fifteen minutes.

What the heck?  I wondered if I’d heard it correctly.

I kept going.

Although it was early, it was humid.  We were supposed to get rain later in the morning, so the air was heavy with moisture.

There were arrows painted on the streets, but I was still worried that I’d get lost, so I kept my eyes on the people way out in front.

There was a point where we had to cross a local bridge.  As I neared it, I had to hold myself back from running.

Y’all, I just wanted to take off.  I told my physical therapist about it this past Monday, and he compared it to a horse being let out of a gate.

Yep, that was me.  Holding myself back was so very hard, especially when I could see others running across the bridge.

Sigh.

There was a water station right before the bridge, but I didn’t get any at that point.  I wasn’t overly hot.  Yet.

The bridge is closed to vehicle traffic; people like to fish off of it.  The view was awe-inspiring.

The bridge increased in elevation; and the sun beat down on my face.

It.

Was.

Hot.

Sweat poured down my face, but I kept walking fast.  I did not want to slow down.

I saw my friends coming down in the opposite direction.  They waved as they passed me by.  This actually encouraged me, because it didn’t feel as though I was that far behind them.

After coming off of the bridge, we had to do a u-turn and run back in the opposite direction.

They really, really needed a water station here.  I was dying.

The good thing was that the sun was at my back on the return trip over the bridge, and there was a lovely breeze that cut through the heat.

I was steadily passing people even at the halfway mark.  There was the cutest little boy running with his dad.  It was pretty impressive!

After I came off of the bridge, I grabbed my cup of water and sloshed it down my neck like a pro.  Ha!  I didn’t even slow down as I threw it in the garbage can.

I was all about the pace at that point.

I had to chuckle when I went to turn the first corner.  Those guys dressed up in their law enforcement uniforms were cheering, “Go Wonder Woman!”  I was a little embarrassed.  I would have preferred to have been running instead of looking like a professional speed walker.

Ahem.

It wasn’t too long before I turned the final corner and headed down the homestretch.  The song that came on was appropriate . . .

I love it when I see God’s hand in the smallest details, don’t you?

My life of late has been quite the journey.

One of my friends had finished his race and was walking back in my direction . . . cooling off, I suspect.  He gave me a high five as he passed by me.

Then, I saw this . . .

People were yelling for me as I got closer.

I know my face turned red.  I really, really wanted to be running.

I almost missed the finish “chute” because of inexperience.  I didn’t realize there was a little tunnel you had to run through.  They had to direct me a bit.

I made it through, though, and someone ripped off the bottom part of my bib to scan it for the time because yes, this was a timed race.

I stopped the time on my Under Armour Record app.

I couldn’t believe it.  I’d completed the race in just over 43 minutes with a pace of 13:49!

I felt every single one of those seconds too, let me tell you!

I got a slice of orange and a bottle of water and cooled off.  Then, I sat on the bleachers (this was held at a park) and waited with people.  Why I waited, I have no idea, but I did.  My inexperience with races speaks volumes here.

Meanwhile, a gal in her early 30’s approached me and said, “I want to tell you that your outfit is the cutest I’ve seen today.”

Say what?

Did she really just say that to me?

Wow!

She made my morning!

She sat down, and we began talking.  It turned out that she’s in the Air Force.  Queue in the love.  We chit chatted, and it turned out that she was waiting for the awards ceremony.

Yep.  I’d had no clue.

Then, this gal invited me to join her team when they do the Color Vibe this fall.  She gave me her name and number too!  Take that, social awkwardness!

Then, they started calling out names of walkers and their times.  It turned out that they were giving medals to the top three finishers.  The first time I heard called out was 48 minutes.

I was confused because I knew I’d finished faster than that, but I never heard my name called out.  The girl beside me encouraged me to ask someone about it, but I was too uncomfortable about doing that.

Runners were handled differently.  They were separated by age groups.  I saw one of my friends win first place in his age group; his daughter, who is Rooster’s age, won for her age group.  My new little friend beside me won her age group, and a lady I’d met before the race won hers!  She had really inspired me.  She had told me about having a couple of surgeries and that she’d run several half and full marathons.  Y’all, I will not let this ankle injury prevent me from accomplishing a big goal I have.

Before I knew it, the event was over, and I headed home.

Still, the time/medal thing bothered me, but I really had to let it go.

Until the next morning.  After church, we went out to eat with friends, and one of the girls who was there was the young lady I mentioned earlier . . . the one I’m starting to get to know.

She sat beside me and pulled up the official times on Facebook.  Y’all, being a novice at this meant that I’d had not clue that the times had been posted.

Well, my name was at the top of the list for walkers.

I felt a little superficial, but y’all, I kind of wanted my medal.  My friend told me that she thought she’d heard them call my name too.

Sigh.

So, I sent a message to the organization that hosted the race and explained that I had seen my name at the top of the list but apparently had not heard my name called out.  I also told them that the race had been especially meaningful given my recovery process.

I was surprised to get a response back immediately.  The young lady told me that I could pick up my medal the next day from her office downtown.

I left my house an extra hour early since I had physical therapy at 9 and got my prize.

I told my physical therapist about the race as we chatted about a few other things.  He was pretty impressed, and I won’t lie – I got emotional.  This journey, as you well know because I keep on repeating myself, has been so hard sometimes.

I knew that it wouldn’t be easy.  I just had no idea.

I am grateful for the work ethic that God instilled in me.  Nothing has ever been handed to me.  It seems like I often get to do life the hard way.

As I told my physical therapist, I am thankful.  I have a story.  Stories are boring if they don’t have highs and lows.

My injury is a big part of my story right now, and this 5k is just one of the many high points.

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