AuburnChick's Adventures

Wow!  The first week of summer vacation was so busy, and that extended even into my recovery from the trimalleolar fracture I suffered way back in November.

I changed up my schedule and went to physical therapy in the mornings instead of the afternoons.

During Monday’s visit, my ankle wasn’t nearly as sore as it had been the previous week.  Then, I went home and completed a slew of chores, which I posted about here.

On Tuesday, I got up pretty early and worked out.

Leg Day

My physical therapist had advised me to go lightly with the weights when doing lower body work.  I still managed to burn a ton of calories!

Then, I hopped in the car and headed over to Bigger City, Florida, where my surgeon is located, for the appointment I’d scheduled the week before.

Y’all, it rained ALL THE WAY there . . . from the moment I left my garage.  I was so nervous as semis passed me on the interstate and flooded my windshield with extra water.

I grabbed a sandwich from an eatery that we don’t have in Podunk, FL, and then drove to the doctor’s large office center.  There are a bajillion doctors in this practice; they are quite popular with people like me driving there from hours away to get treated by their wonderful staff.

First up was an x-ray . . .

It still boggles my mind to see all of the hardware that is surrounding my ankle.

The doctor came in and began pushing and pulling on my ankle while he listened to me describe the symptoms that had led me there.  You see, we had both thought that I was done visiting him for this injury.

He asked a few questions, squeezed a few places up and down my ankle, and then explained that I have Achilles’ Tendonosis.

Yeah, you read that right.  It’s not tendonitis.  I later googled to be able to adequately understand the difference . . .

Here’s what’s going on.  When I injured my ankle, I was bound up for nine total weeks.  During that time, I wasn’t able to use that tendon.  Once I began using it again, it had to recover from the trauma.  It’s very weak and becomes irritated very easily because it’s not flexible either.

Then, the doctor told me about the treatment . . . “heavy eccentric loading.”  This is a different physical therapy protocol from what I’ve been doing up to this point.  Whereas, we’ve focused on flexibility, mobility, and strength, now my exercises will center around working the tendon to the point of tearing it down.  I already have microfiber damage as it is.  When it repairs itself, it will be stronger.  It’s akin to what your muscles do when you work out with weights and are sore for the next few days.  They are rebuilding themselves.

Did you just cringe?

I wish I could have taken a picture of my face when the doctor described it to me.

“Sounds painful,” I told him.

He smiled and nodded.

Perspective kicked in immediately, though, and I told him that considering what I’ve already been through, I could take it.  Nothing beats the pain of breaking three bones, having your ankle immobilized in a temporary cast with no room for swelling, and not getting strong enough pain medicine those first two days.  Thank heavens for THIS doctor, who quickly remedied my early woes.

He went on to explain that my new exercises would stress the negative movements . . . i.e. the going down motion when doing calf raises or seated leg presses.

I asked him to explain how I would know if I was getting better, and he told me to ask myself the question, “Do I feel better today than I did a month ago?”

But, I told him, I can only focus on a week (and sometimes a day) at a time.

He repeated the question, “Do I feel better today than I did a month ago?”

But, but, but . . .

“Do I feel better today than I did a month ago?”

Yes, he actually said it three times.

I am slow that way.

He told me that I have an 80% chance of making a full recovery from the tendonosis if I follow the protocol.  I should be able to tell a difference in six to eight weeks.

I walked out of there with a new PT prescription and a mandate to call his nurse if I needed anything.

On Wednesday, I went back to physical therapy with the RX in hand along with the notes I’d typed into my phone.  My therapist and I had a chat; he had basically started the new protocol that Monday when he’d added a standing calf raise and an extra set of stretches to my list of exercises.  On Wednesday, he added a couple more.

That right there is me going down a step . . . over and over again.

I have had a LOT of trouble going down sets of steps.  I haven’t been doing impact things with the ankle, but it’s time.  My therapist wants to help me become fully functional; this is part of that process.

It felt wonderful, although I need to, upon reflection, practice stepping down more than one step.  As it is, I can only step down one at a time (putting my left foot down on the same step before going to the next one).  I need to learn how to walk down multiple steps in a more fluid motion.  That will come.

Now, I need to take a second to talk about that new RX.

My insurance plan allows me to have a certain number of visits every six months.  Once I use them up, they don’t cover.  I’d mentioned this a couple of months ago when I ran out.  Fortunately, my PT’s office has a special program that they allowed me to use that didn’t break the bank.  I’m on my third session of it; however, they won’t allow me to sign up for another one.  I will finish on June 19th with the session I’ve already paid for.

On Wednesday, I learned that my insurance company won’t start doling out my new visits until the end of July . . . six months after the first time I went to physical therapy (January 23).

So, there will a gap in my physical therapy.

My physical therapist went ahead and printed out home exercises, even though I still had three more visits.  He wants me to start working on them from home.

Just the front page . . . the packet is at least three pages long. Be jealous.

My home now looks like a physical therapy site . . .

I was not a happy camper that day; having all of my ducks on a row is important to me, and having a fluid treatment program is integral to my healing.

BUT . . . I prayed that God would work it out, and I believe that He has.

Honestly, the break in therapy is probably a good thing.  The Mr. will be having a big surgery the end of this month, and I was going to miss a week of therapy anyway.  I’ll also need to be home with the Mr. at least a week after we get him home from the hospital; we just don’t know how he’s going to do with it being such a major surgery.

I’m going to plan on starting therapy again on July 24th, which is only about a month from when I will have stopped.  I’ll do my exercises from home, and then I’ll finish up the last six weeks at my PT’s office with my ultimate goal set at being able to jog/run again.

I had to email the nurse to find out if the doctor would write me a new script for the therapy because I’d heard that scripts are only good for thirty days.  She quickly replied to my email and assured me that it wouldn’t be a problem, so we’re good there.  I also called my insurance company to verify when my new visits would be dropped back into my account, and it looks like I’ll be ahead by one visit after that first week since I went to therapy three times the first week I started in January and I’ll only need to go twice a week once I start back.  So, I’m good there.

God took care of the details.

I guess you can see why my week was so nuts!  It was emotionally draining.

All I want to do is make a full recovery; kinks in my progress frustrate me as much as not being able to physically do the things I was doing before I broke my ankle.

I still trust God and praise Him for the way He is taking care of me.

There is still so much #joyinthejourney.  I am grateful for the people I am meeting, the things I am learning about how the body works, and the inner strength that God is cultivating inside of my heart as He heals the physical brokenness of my ankle.

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

Ok, so that’s not my foot, but isn’t that tattoo awesome?  I found this image when I was searching for a “Finding Joy in the Journey” graphic.  I need this tattoo in my life.  Seriously, though.

So, can you believe that today marks 29 weeks (seven months and one week) since I broke my ankle?

I’ve had a lot of ups and downs along the way; this week wasn’t much different.

Monday was a holiday, so I switched up my PT days a bit by going in on Tuesday and Thursday instead.

I’d been in some pain last weekend.  I suspect that this was due to working out and going on two four-mile walks.  The Mr. keeps trying to get me to slow down, but I insist on living my life.

When I went in on Tuesday, I gradually began experiencing more discomfort as I went through my exercises.  It became almost unbearable, so I mentioned it to my physical therapist.

He felt my Achilles’ tendon and was immediately surprised at the knot that I had.  I knew it was going to be a “tool” day.

He also mentioned that I should get in touch with my surgeon . . . that I might need a shot of cortisone since the tendon keeps getting inflamed.

In between the time I finished my exercises and got on the table to be worked on, I googled “cortisone” and “Achilles’ tendon.”  The results did not look promising; some sites mentioned that getting such shots was often discouraged because they could lead to ruptured tendons.

Whoa!

Meanwhile, my therapist got to work, even calling over a student who works at the office to feel my tendon.

I knew it wasn’t good.

He got her to compare my left tendon, which was “loosy goosy” with the right one, which was tight and unyielding.

Then, he got out the “tool” and began the process of rubbing out the knot.

The pain, y’all.  It was a real thing.

Meanwhile, he talked and told me that this would be something I’d probably be dealing with for awhile . . . a side effect of my injury.

I maintained my sense of humor by joking that I already had scars to remind me of the trauma . . . I didn’t need extra pain to boot.

He chuckled.

When he got done, he gave me the terminology to use when contacting my surgeon.  Apparently, I have “myofascial restrictions” and a thickening of my tendon.  I found some interesting information here.

My PT suggested that I walk after my session, which I did because I had to go to Walmart anyhow.  He wanted me to move so that blood flow would increase to my ankle and tendon.  I was also told to ice it after I got home.  The ice, STEM therapy, and the “Prison Break” finale combination set me up for a comfortable evening.

Later that night, I sent an email, with the above notes, to my surgeon’s nurse.  She had been a gem when I had follow-up questions after my surgery and had always responded quickly to my messages.

She answered early the next day, suggesting that I might have Achilles’ tendinitis and that it would more than likely require a specific physical therapy protocol.  She also said that she’d be talking to my doctor the next day since he was in surgery all of Wednesday.  When she got back to me Thursday night, she said that the doctor wanted to see me for a re-evaluation before he prescribed further treatment.  I’m going in on Tuesday for that.

Meanwhile, Wednesday proved to be a very painful day for me.  That’s usually the case after I’ve had my ankle worked on.

By Thursday afternoon, the pain had subsided a lot, and physical therapy wasn’t nearly as painful.

Yes, I’m aware that I mixed Under Armour and Nike. Don’t judge.

Friday wasn’t as bad either.

To be sure, I am still having nearly constant pain . . . usually in my heel and the back of my ankle and tendon, but since the heel and tendon are directly linked, it’s not a surprise.

The Mr. keeps reminding me that I am only a quarter of the way through my recovery and to be patient, but it’s hard, y’all.  I sound like a broken record each week, but it’s the truth.

I am praying that my doctor doesn’t tell me to stop working out.  I just don’t know if I’d take that well.

Ok, I know I wouldn’t and would still find a way to exercise.  I am hoping that being on summer break and doing different exercises at physical therapy will be “just what the doctor ordered.”

I sure would appreciate it if you would continue to lift me up in prayer.  I desperately want to be pain free.  Chronic pain is for the birds.  I also want to regain full use of my ankle.  I am sooooooo not there yet, and it sometimes stresses me and always frustrates me.

Sigh.

Meanwhile, I am still #findingjoyinthejourney despite the challenges that continue to plague me.

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

Let’s catch up with Week 26 of my recovery from my trimalleolar fracture.  I was going to write yesterday, but I had a busy Mother’s Day and was pretty tired by the end, so, um, yeah.

So, last Monday, when I got to physical therapy, my therapist decided to have me try something new.

Yeah, that’s me . . . on a mini-trampoline.

My task was to bounce on my toes, without letting my feet leave the trampoline.  I had to land on my heels and pop back up on my toes.  He told me to do this three times for thirty seconds.

I lasted two times through and just about died twenty seconds in.

The pain was so bad that I had to get off.

I immediately talked to him about what I was feeling to see if it was normal, and after figuring out exactly where the pain was coming from, he decided that I wasn’t ready for the impact yet.

So, the exercise had to be shelved.

For the time being.

It was one of those frustrating moments of this process, but I’m working hard, so it’s not a “me” factor but a time factor.

Part of my recovery process has involved building up my bones.  I’ve been drinking smoothies on a regular basis.

I ran out of the Juice Plus brand I’d been using, so I tried the one in the canister instead.

All I can say is NO.  It was tasteless and pretty gross, even with the homemade vegan fudge I put in it.

I’ve got more of the Juice Plus on the way.

On Tuesday, I was pretty sore from my trampoline adventure the day before, so I took it easy.

On Wednesday, I had to go to a classroom upstairs.  Going down two flights of stairs was not fun; stairs still give me problems.

I held onto the rail when I went down, I promise.

My right knee still won’t bend well when I step down, and my hip does a weird misalignment thing too.  Strength on that side is not up to par quite yet, but I’m working on it.

That afternoon, I had therapy.  My therapist and I talked about getting inserts for my shoes.  He’s been pretty concerned about my pronated foot and the lack of an arch, so to speak.  He did some research on the computer while I did my exercises, sans the trampoline.

This is what I wound up buying on Saturday . . .

Icing down was wonderful.  While I was sitting there, I talked to another patient.  He and I have been at therapy for many weeks together.  Our therapist jokingly told us that we are now “lifers.”

Say what?

He explained that we’ll have other injuries that will have us returning to them for rehab.  My jaw dropped.  I insisted that I have no plans on getting injured again, but my therapist told me that the odds are ever in my favor that I will have some other body part go out on me.

So the skeleton below, in full view of my chair, was apropos.

Overall, my week was actually a good one for my ankle.  I’d had a rough start, but I was determined not to overdo things.

I did a virtual 5k on Saturday, but I want to save the details about that for a separate post.  The good thing was that I did not feel tremendous pain, so it was, pun intended, a step forward.

I also hit the beach on Sunday, again – another post for a separate day, and I even pulled my beach wagon from the car to through the sand and back at the end of the day.  My ankle hurt some, but it wasn’t too bad.  More steps forward.

It’s so strange how I can have horrible weeks of pain and then, randomly, have a good week.

It’s as though the good week I’ll have here and there is a rainbow of hope I need to see that God hasn’t forgotten me . . . that the rain will stop one day . . . that beauty is being woven from the many trials I’m going through.

I saw the following posted recently on Instagram, and boy, did it hit me hard . . .

Writing these posts is part of the telling of my story; however, I’m not at the part where I can do it without crying.  I still have so much healing to do, literally and figuratively.  I hope that one day, I’ll be able to go back and read these posts without getting emotional.  For now, I continue to document my highs and lows, remembering always God’s grace, provisions, and blessings throughout the journey.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: trimalleolar fracture | 2 Comments »

Today marks five months and one week since I broke my ankle and just about twenty weeks since I had surgery.  Last week, I finished week eleven of physical therapy.  It was a BIG week for me, but more on that later!

You might recall that the previous week, my physical therapist added a new exercise…the Star Excursion Balance Test.

Well, on Monday, he added another, new-for-me, mat exercise…

For this exercise, I had to balance on my bad foot…the right one, while reaching with my left hand to touch the cone on the furthest right.  Then, I had to stand up straight, bend over again, and reach with my left hand to touch the second cone on the right.  Next, I had to stand up straight, bend over, and reach down with my right hand to touch the middle left cone.  I had to repeat the process, with the right hand, and touch the last cone on the left.

Then, I got to do this nine more times.

Oh.

My.

Gosh.

First of all, I felt so awkward.  My PT is young and coordinated, so when he demonstrated, it looked easy.

Not so for me.

I am most definitely not young and 1,000% not coordinated (which is how I got into this whole mess to begin with).

This exercise was incredibly difficult.

It was also painful when I reached with my right hand across my body to touch those left cones.  The burden of balancing myself fell to the outside of my ankle, and that’s currently where I have the least amount of strength.  It’s also the side of my leg that houses the most hardware…the plate and nine pins.

I am always telling my therapists to push me, though…a promise they made me during my first visit.

But still…did I mention that it was HARD???

Another big thing was that I got to change the color of the band I use for my various flexion exercises.

Yep.  I went from blue to black.  The black band is much tighter and tougher to work with.  It only took me a couple of months, but hey, who’s counting (except for me)??  Progress is progress!

I didn’t have therapy on Tuesday, so I ran to Sam’s and Publix.  Although I had not been sore at school, by the time I hit Sam’s, my ankle was starting to hate life.  I got an associate to push my buggy to my car and load it with the heavy bag of dog food and cases of water I’d purchased.

Publix was a mini-nightmare for me.  My ankle was completely shot by then; the mere act of walking back and forth across the store was a form of torture.

I was able to get most of the groceries put away at home, but then I had to rest.  The Mr. kindly took us out to eat that night, because there was no way I was cooking.  Not only was my ankle sore, but it was pretty swollen.  I figured it was the effect of the new exercises.

In all honestly, I think it might have been the looming bad weather that we were getting.  The forecast was so bad that my district canceled school the next day.

I think I might have had enough energy to do the happy dance.  Just sayin’.

Because the weather wasn’t going to be coming in until the next afternoon, I went ahead and got up early Wednesday morning, called my PT’s office, and asked if I could go first thing rather than my normal time, which would be when the worst of the storms would be passing through.  They gave me the green light, and away I went.

That’s when I asked my therapists about my ankle pain.  We all agreed that it was probably a combination of the new exercises and the weather.

I did get to warm up on the treadmill that day…at a whopping speed of 2.0 mph.  Y’all better start training for your races, cause I’m coming for you!  Ha!

Wednesday was a repeat of Monday, and then I went on my merry way.

Thursday, though, was a BIG day for me.

After teaching my first two classes, I greeted my substitute.  She would be filling in for the rest of the day.  Then, I got on the road…a bit of a drive ahead of me.  At least the weather was gorgeous!

I listened to a podcast that Rebecca told me about…

My destination?

Well, first if was Shoe Station…

Ok, first let’s be clear.  This was NOT why I’d gotten a sub.  It just so happened that I had enough time before I needed to be where I was going to stop in.

Funny how things like that work out, eh?

I found a pair of sandals that I instantly fell in love with.  I waited to get them until after I was done with my original reason for my travel because I had to find a discount code (the cashier upgraded it from 15% to 20%).

Aren’t they just adorable?  Yes, they are Vionic.  I’d been missing “regular” looking sandals.  These fit the bill.

Ok…back to the point of this part of my post!

So, I went to Bigger City, USA, for more than shoe shopping.  I actually had a follow-up appointment with the surgeon who had fixed my ankle way back in November.  Yes, the actual surgeon…no PA this time.

I love this practice.  So much.  They are timely and professional.  They are, quite simply, exactly what you’d expect a doctor’s office to be…and then some.

I had to get an x-ray.  This didn’t surprise me because I’ve had to get one every time I’ve gone.  I took a picture of it when the nurse put it on the screen in my room…

See…I wasn’t lying about the hardware.

I was so happy when the doctor came in.  The last time I’d seen him, I was about to go under the knife, and he was drawing a smiley face on the big toe of my right foot.  I never saw him afterward since I was in recovery.

He seemed pleased with my progress and noted that everything was going according to the normal time table.

He checked the flexibility in my right foot, comparing it to my left.  I told him that the physical therapist had told me that I probably wouldn’t get back all of my range of motion because of the hardware.  He surprised me by telling me that the hardware would not impede me at all.

Wow.

What he told me to do was get even more aggressive with my physical therapy.  He showed me the exercise that I need to do more often…stretching my calf…the exercise I absolutely loathe because it hurts so much.

He also reminded me how important it is to continue therapy at home on the days I’m not in the PT’s office.

Honestly, I’d been slacking a bit in this area because I’d been allowing my ankle to rest on those days.  After being on my feet all day teaching, my ankle is usually shot.

I guess this is a classic example of “no pain, no gain.”  I am still a little confused, though.  My therapists keep telling me that I could regress if I push myself too hard.

Sigh.

I asked the doctor about possibly having some of the pins removed at a later date.  The ones that protrude the most on the inside and outside of my ankle bones hurt a lot when I rub something against them.  He told me to wait until my one year mark, and then we could revisit that.  He also told me that my brittle bones will not impact the removal of the pins.

Yay!  I am praying that scar tissue forms over the pins, thus acting as a cushion, so I won’t need to go through another surgery.  We’ll see.

I also asked about pain I’m having on the inside of my ankle around the scar.  He began to rub the scar quite hard and cross-ways and told me that this is what I needed to do…that there was scar tissue underneath that needed to be rubbed out.  Ouch!

One other question I asked was about the amount of bone pain I’m still having and how long I could expect to continue having it.  It’s not that it’s terrible.  It’s just always present at varying levels depending on the day.  He said to expect it to level off around the one-year mark.  That’s exactly what one of my physical therapists had told me.

He told me that unless I have any further issues with my ankle, he didn’t see the need for me to return.

That was another wonderful moment!  I’d been back and forth to this office a total of six times in the past five months.  I would have gone as long as I needed to, but not having to drive five hours every few weeks certainly was something to cheer about!

I drove home tired but happy.

And so I sit here at 21 weeks.  The things I couldn’t do last week are still an issue…no going down stairs without great discomfort…my knee bending is still an issue (I forgot to ask my surgeon about this)…etc.  So, a week didn’t necessarily make a difference.

But…I did go walking two days this weekend.

On Saturday, I walked the last two miles of my 10k and S.P.E.W. Hogwarts Running Club race.

I also started on the next race’s distance, a ten miler, by walking 2.5 miles today.

Yes, there was pain both days, but there was also progress.  I increased my pace both days!

I also did a Piyo workout each day this weekend.  The lower body was tough when it came to doing Warrior 3 on my right leg.  I couldn’t do it without holding onto a chair.

As always, I cannot keep my mind parked on the things I cannot do.  Instead, I try to focus more on what I can do.  My doctor commented, after asking me how I was doing, that I was much better than a month ago.

That was definitely an understatement!

I am still so amazed every time I walk across the house barefoot.  I remember when I couldn’t do that…when it hurt to put weight on my foot…when my heel hurt so badly that I cried…when my foot got so swollen that I could hardly distinguish one toe from another.

I am still so grateful for God’s healing touch and for the love and prayers of family, friends, and complete strangers.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: trimalleolar fracture | 1 Comment »

Oh my goodness, but can you believe that tonight marks FIVE months since I broke my ankle?

Truth be told, I can believe it.

In some ways, it feels like it happened a long time ago.  Other times, it feels like it was just yesterday…the memories are that fresh.

Monday marked the start of my tenth week of physical therapy.  It was also my first day back to school after Spring Break.  I don’t remember that we did anything new that day.  The therapist was going to talk to my main therapist after he returned from his honeymoon.  He’d be back when I returned on Thursday for my next appointment.

Meanwhile, I plodded through the week.

I wore my regular shoes three or four days last week; my slippers and sneakers were in my teacher bag just in case my ankle started hurting too badly.

On Wednesday, I got a text from a former student who now works at my therapist’s office.  There was a problem with my insurance, and she wanted me to call.

My heart fell, y’all.  It turned out that I’d been through the 21 allotted visits per six month period.  I wouldn’t be eligible for coverage again until June 23rd.  She told me I could go in and talk to my main therapist…that he had options to discuss with me.

The Mr. had gone back to Jacksonville to meet with his doctors.  I wound up not being able to go because our dog sitter had to work some crazy hours, so I didn’t have a car.  I’d gotten a ride to school from one friend, and my other other friend had agreed to pick me up.  She did one better and took me to my PT’s office that afternoon.

My heart was in my throat, y’all.  I’d spent part of the day in tears.  I did not want to stop therapy.  I was afraid it would be too expensive to continue.  My ankle wasn’t ready.  It won’t be ready for a long time still.  I’d even made a list of the things I’d noticed that I still couldn’t do.  I didn’t want to be pushed out the door.

Fortunately, I have an AMAZING PT office.  My therapist told me I could do exercises at home and consult with him over the phone once a week, or that I could do a special payment plan and continue as I was as a patient in the office.

I ran the numbers and discovered that this was do-able because I’d only have to spend $20 more that what I’d been paying with my co-payments.  I will continue to use this payment option until my insurance kicks back in.  My therapist agreed that I needed to stay in the office to work on my ankle…that I wasn’t nearly ready to be released.  Boy, was I glad that we were on the same page!  We discussed small goals and my BIG goal…to run again.  These will happen, in time.

The most important thing was that God had provided, just as He had been doing ever since I broke my ankle.  I don’t know why in the world I ever doubted.

With that load off of my shoulders, I left…or should I say floated…to the parking lot and my waiting friend.  She had gone and bought me a bottle of wine because I’d been so stressed.

She’s solid, let me tell you.

I returned to therapy for a regular appointment on Thursday, and my therapist had a couple of new exercises for me.

But first…the stretch.  This board is pure evil to me, but I need it so much.  I’ve considered buying one for home, but they are expensive!  I need to use it regularly to stretch my calf and work on flexibility.

Then, the fun began.

Yep.  It’s the leg press machine!

I have not used one of these in a longgggg time!  I started out with twenty pounds, but it was too easy, so we bumped it up to 40.  I had to do 30 reps.  By the time I hit seventeen, my legs were crying.

Ugh.

I am so weak right now.

I pushed through happily, though.

Then, J, my therapist, showed me a new exercise.  It’s based on the Star Excursion Balance Test, which is used to test the stability of ankles after injuries.

Even though my therapist modeled how to do it, boy, was I awkward.  I didn’t know where to put my hands (I watched a video after, so now I know to put them on my hips), and I didn’t know if I should bend my knee.  My therapist said no, but I’m not so sure.

It was sooooo hard…especially the move where I put my left foot behind and to the side of my right (my bum) ankle.

I think I did three of them before I had to rest.

It was also painful, which either indicates muscle weakness or healing that still needs to occur.

I’m tough, though, and did as much as I could.  Then, I proceeded with my regular exercises.

I really, really love my therapy.  I feel like I am making progress when I’m there, and the therapists are so encouraging.

On Saturday, I pushed myself a bit and first did a Piyo workout.  I’d decided that because I’m lacking in strength and flexibility, I could probably do a round of this program.  It was the first Beach Body program I completed a year and a half ago.  I did the upper body workout.

I want to keep my arms defined.  I worked too hard to lose that muscle too!  I’ve already lost so much in my legs.

I also noticed that I still cannot put my right knee on the floor when I cross my legs.  This is not good.  I’ve always been flexible, but that knee hurts something terrible if I try to bend it too far.  I suspect this is happened because I was restricted for nine solid weeks and then had to learn how to walk again.  Talk about frustrating!

After I finished, I went for a walk.  I’d signed up for the 10k and S.P.E.W. Challenge, a virtual race hosted by the Hogwarts Running Club.  I knew I wouldn’t be able to do six miles at a pop.  I aimed for three but completed four by the time I’d finished my route.

I was so pleased!  The walking wasn’t nearly as difficult as the last time I’d attempted it…back on February 11th.  I increased my pace about six minutes per mile!

I did have some ankle pain that radiated from the inside of my ankle around the back to my other side.  My heel also hurt a little.  I think that’s a sign of my Achilles tendon or calf muscle being a little tight.  I’m going to have to mention that to my PT on Monday.

I spent the rest of the day pampering myself at the pool.

That’s when I was reminded, again, that I still have a ways to go with my ankle.  It froze up on me while I was laying out, and I limped to the steps to the pool.  I had to grab tightly to the rail and ease myself down the steps.  I still cannot walk down steps without pain.

Note to self…remind the therapists about this.

Sigh.

Today (Sunday), I’d planned to finish the last two miles of my 10k, but as we were leaving a restaurant after church, I had some pain in my ankle, and I noticed that it was more swollen than usual.

Sigh.

No walking for me.  I decided to rest up by the pool.

Darn.

Looking at that picture, I think my right leg is smaller than my left…probably the result of my injury.

Oh well.

Every week comes with its own set of lessons for me.  This week, it was about trust.  First, I had to trust God to provide, even when I didn’t see a way.  Second, it was about reaching out for help, which I did…twice…when I needed rides to school, to physical therapy, and back home.  Third, it was about recognizing my limits and not pushing myself too hard.  That third lesson is one that I’m not learning very well, I’m afraid.  I am trying, though.

As always, I am so grateful for a God who loves me and sees me in the midst of every need.

I am thankful for family and friends who pray…who fill in the gap when I feel like I’m stepping into an abyss.

There is so much #joyinthejourney, even when the path is rocky (boy, this week sure was) and the way is sprinkled with pitfalls.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: trimalleolar fracture | 1 Comment »