Post Surgery Update #10

      So Wednesday was what I was hoping and expecting to be my final followup visit with my surgeon and it turns out I was right.  After I got called back to the exam room and got all my vitals checked and what not, I had a 5 - 10 minute wait for the doctor to come in.  Today he had a bit of an entourage with him as he was followed in with one guy that was taking all his notes for him and another guy that was just their to observe what he was doing.  They were defiantly training to be doctors so I would say it seemed like a internship would be for us non medical types.  Anyway he ran through a few questions about how I was feeling and asked me what my activity level has been.  I told him how Alisha had worked me up slowly doing 2-3 days a week of running and slowly progressing the distance.  He seemed pleased with my report and asked me to get on the exam table for a few quick tests.

     He went through a series of leg manipulations that he did pretty much at every other visit I've had with him.  He was checking for any symptoms of my issue still lingering and checking my flexibility as well.    By the end he instructed me to continue to increase my activity level, but stressed to take things slow while reminding me it could take 8 months to a year to feel completely back to normal.  The only thing he found that I need to work on is getting a little more flexibility in one area and gave me a couple of good stretches to do.   It was at that point that he told me to come back and see him if any problems should occur in the future but I was officially release from care.  

     I walked out of that office with a great big smile on my face and just happy that this was all behind me.  If I am not mistaken we are around just a month shy of one year since the first symptoms reared its ugly head.  Looking back now I am amazed at how quickly I was able to recover, but during all this it sure did feel like an eternity.

     Now I have to create a plan for the foreseeable future or I may run myself right into another injury so I called Alisha.  We setup an appointment for this coming Wednesday to create a strength training plan, talk about a running plan and I want to ask her opinion about when I may be able to tackle marathons again and my next big goal of an ultra.    

 

     So how does one celebrate this fantastic news, well with a race of course!  To be honest I in no way planned this it just kind of happened, but I couldn't ask for a better race to celebrate at.  Wednesday was May the 4th which if you are Star Wars nerd or even just a casual fan I am sure you heard it was Star Wars Day - May the fourth be with you, as they say.  The Toledo Roadrunners club put on a fun run called May the fourth be with you 4K and the Wookie 1k Younglings run.  Kids of all ages were encouraged to come out and run and dress up in cosplay.  I ran a solid race and didn't worry about racing it, just enjoyed the privilege of being able to run again! 
 

Post Surgery Update 9.5

     I wanted to give you all a quick update on things, but I wanted to save my 10th and final post surgery update for what should be my final follow up visit with the surgeon.  Training for my leg of the Team Elite Glass City Marathon relay team has been going really well.  I have managed to hit all my longer distance runs with minor soreness. 

     My leg of the relay is 5.3 miles and this past Wednesday my training plan called for a 5.5 mile run.  For the majority of all my runs I have kept my pace between 9:45 and 10:10 per mile trying to be as consistent as possible.  If I am feeling good and my pace out of the gate is faster I tried to maintain that, and if it was slower I tried to maintain that as well.  The other thing I tried to do is keep the elevation changes to a minimum as possible.  Now its not like I live in a hilly place, but I would avoid highway overpasses and other small hills as much as I could.  Wednesday's run I wanted to change things up a bit with my pace and the elevation.

     I headed out on a route that would take me over two highway overpasses and planned my pacing to start out slow and increase my pace as each mile ticked by till I got to the last half mile, then I would shut it down and slide back into a slower pace.  I let my body dictate the pace of that first mile seeing how I felt, which for me was a 10:36 mile.  As each mile went on I was feeling better and better, and by the time I finished mile five I was cruising at 9:24 pace.

     After I slowed my pace back down for that last half mile I took note of where I was in relation to my house and how I was feeling at the time.  It was at that moment I said I want six.  I just didn't want leave a half mile out there that I knew I could do, so I said screw the plan and went for it.  Come on, it's only a half mile, right?  I dropped back to a 9:40 pace and finished the extra half mile feeling like I really accomplished something.  

Post Surgery Update # 9

     So what has been happening?  RUNNING that's what!  Since I was given the green light two weeks ago today things have felt really good.  Despite not doing the distances that I was doing, it felt just like old times getting out there and running again.  

     Last week began with a 3/4 mile run with my physical therapist to see if I was even ready, which by the time you finish this post you'll see that obviously I was.  She instructed me to run one mile each day for a total of five days, so I counted that run as day one.  I then proceeded to run Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday while I rested on Saturday and Tuesday.  Things went smooth with no issues, however I will say when it is still in the 30s when you go for your run, it really sucks getting all bundled up to run just one mile.

     

     Week two started great and finished on a down note.  Since things went well I was to proceed to two miles a day for five day, basically doubling my mileage from previous week.  I set up the same schedule as the previous week running Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  All three of those days went absolutely great!  I was feeling good, I had no pain and I thought nothing could stop me, then the weekend came.  My work has a huge three day event every year around this time and this was the week that it landed on.  In a normal day I probably split sitting and standing 50/50 or maybe 60/40, but during this event I am standing, walking and lifting product 98% of the time for three days straight.  Friday's run didn't seem to bother me at all and Saturday was a rest day, but Sunday the plan was to run before work and I was so tired from the previous two days that I decided I would sleep in and get my run done after work.  When after work came, I should have listened to my body and just skipped the run, but us stubborn runners can't do it so I went out anyway.  That evening after relaxing in the chair, my whole leg was stiff, aching and my knee was bothering me as well.  I decided to take Monday and Tuesday off completely from all running or workout activities and contact my PT.

     Alisha agreed I needed to rest myself from running, but I should do a modified workout on Tuesday.  She also recommended that today I should only attempt a one mile run as well.  After almost two whole days of rest, the modified workout felt pretty good and I was feeling pretty confident again.  Today's run went fine, nothing to write home about, but I got through the mile without any major pain or setbacks.  I reported back to Alisha and she is writing me up a schedule that will vary the days and distance of my runs.  With the Glass City and my Run-aversary right around the corner, I got to keep the momentum going.  

      

Today Was The Day!! P.S.U.#8

     Today was the day I have been waiting for, for what seemed like months and months, I have been cleared to start running again.  Despite my lungs being a little out of it and my legs being a little tired from it, it was awesome to get out there and finally do it again.  

     I got to my physical therapy appointment early and found Alisha hanging outside of the building, which on a day like today I wouldn't think was strange, because it was so nice out.  Here in Northwest Ohio we have finally hit a stretch of nice weather, and today for the most part, it has been in the mid 60s and sunny.  She said we don't need to be cooped up inside on a day like today, and that today we RUN!!  I followed her down to a local metro park that was packed with people, and I can only assume that most of them were playing hooky from work.  We did some light stretches and marching drills to warm up before we headed out on the natural paths through the woods.

     The loop we took was rather short at three quarters of a mile, but had some nice quick elevation changes, for northern Ohio anyway, which allowed me to put my hip through its paces.  We kept the pace nice and easy right around a ten to eleven minute mile, which didn't seem to be to terribly bad for me considering I haven't truly run since the beginning of December.  Alisha kept an eye on my form making sure I wasn't favoring my hip at all and dictated the pace for the entire run.  She told me my form looked good, which means all the marching drills she had me doing paid off and the pace was no problem either.

     When we finished, she had me stretch out and then do some single leg and double leg squats to finish up.  She informed me that unless I have a set back of any kind, the need for in office therapy visits were no longer needed and I could begin running regularly.  What does regularly look like?  Well, I am allowed to run a mile a day for four or five days the first week and I am to add a mile each week following till I am consistently able to run 5-6 miles with no issues.  All of my miles are to be easy pace / easy effort runs also.  I am not to do any speed work or any other specialty training for awhile, which is A-OK with me, because I hate speed work.

     It is amazing how bright things ahead can look when it finally feels like you are making progress.  I don't have any delusions that I will have a few minor set backs and if all I am ever capable of is a nice steady ten minute mile, I am just fine with that too!

     I want to thank everyone for your well wishes and support through this running 2.0 journey.  It has meant a lot to me over the past few months.

Post Surgery Update #7

     Ok so I am not living up to my end of the bargain and posting like I really should be, but to be brutally honest I just haven't felt like it much lately.  I feel like anything I write will be negative anyway, so why fucking bother.  Realistically it was fun to write when the majority of my post were about positive things that were happening to me and lately it just doesn't seem to be a lot of "fun" things to write about.  However I am going to give it a try.

     So if I am correct it has been almost a month since my last update on my rehab, and the big story is I am jumping.  Alisha had me basically go into a squat position and jump straight up, then landing on both feet evenly using my knees to cushion the landing.  I didn't have any pain on the landing, which is where I thought I would have a problem, no my problem was on the take off.  I was getting pain in my upper thigh muscle as I would push up with me feet at the end of the take off.  This is the same area that has been causing me the most issue and pain during this recovery.

     The following week I continued the vertical jumps starting with 10 and adding 2 each day till my next appointment.  Now this is the part when I tell you I was super excited for PT because I could have sworn that she said once I am jumping, the next step is running, but that wasn't the case.  We'll chalk this one up to my selective hearing my wife is always talking about, because it was dual leg jump, single leg jumps and then attempt running.  At therapy we worked on a few more things and did some single leg work as well, but I got no indication that a running attempt is in my future yet.  At this appointment Alisha informed me of her vacation so my next PT appointment will be in two whole weeks, which is now only a week away.  

     Last thing before I go, and I don't want to make a big deal about it, and keep it on the down low because I don't want my Physical Therapist to hear, but I RAN!!!!  We finally got some nice weather here so Mandy and I took the boys for a walk.  As we made the turn for home, Jedi started pulling like he really wanted to run.  It got to the point that he was almost standing up on his hind legs he was pulling so hard.  Now I know he is just a small chiweenie put the little guy has some pull to him when he wants to.  We got to the last tenth of a mile home, if not less and I said the hell with it and took off.  It was like in the movies when two people in love are running toward each other and everything is in slow motion, yeah call me crazy but it kind of felt like that.  I had no excessive pain of any kind following that and I even went for a two mile walk by myself after that without any noticeable difference.  The good news is I now know it is possible, the bad news is all it did was kick start my running addiction into high gear! 

P.S. My therapist reads my blog so she probably will have seen this before my next appointment!

Post Surgery Update #6

     Today was a gut check day for me.  I don't want to go so far as to say I am discouraged, but one might feel that way after having to pump the breaks on therapy.  Today was my 2nd post surgery follow up with the surgeon and since it is so close to my PT's office I scheduled my therapy session so I could go to that right before hand.  

     Since my last therapy visit I have struggled with my workout, mostly because my muscles just were not up to the challenge.  I did to much to fast and my muscles paid the price, which forced me to take a day off from my workouts.  The shitty thing is I was on such a high thinking that once today came we would be on to jumping and then, you guessed it, running! 

     I got to Alisha's office this morning and told her how my week went, in a little more detail.  I could tell she was a little concerned, which was confirmed when she said "maybe we will wait a week or two before jumping."  She had me attempt one jump and immediately I felt pain, but not from my hip joint, from my muscle.  I have this one area of muscle, the upper inner thigh, that constantly feels weak no matter what exercises I have done.  To give you an idea, think if you were to lay on your back with your legs stretched out flat and then keeping your leg straight as you raise it, that will trigger this muscle area.  Well when I attempted the jump, it triggers this muscle and as soon as I took flight I was in pain.  It was that that confirmed to her that we need to postpone jumping.

     On the other side of the coin, she was very happy with how my double and single leg squats looked just a week later, however she could see that I was still favoring my left side just a little bit.  We talked about my routine and where we would go from here.  I told her that the exercises that I am doing were working well for everything but that one weak area.  She added two new exercises with an exercise ball which will really work that area.  I could totally feel it in just the few reps she had me attempt for practice.  The down side to all this is the fact that we are going to give my home workout routine two weeks before my next in office appointment.  The next step is jumping and if I can't jump yet there is no point for me to come to the office.

     As soon as we were done I jumped in the car and headed to my Dr.'s appointment.  The medical campus was packed and it took awhile to get a parking spot.  When I got inside I had to wait in a long line before I was told the Dr required another x-ray prior to my visit.  I headed downstairs to get that done, which thankfully didn't take to terribly long.  Once I was called to the exam room and the nurse took all my vitals and info, I had about a 10 minute wait before the doc came in with two other guys.  One was a med student just taking notes and the other was a white coat that seemed to be just tagging along for learning purposes.  The doc said my x-rays looked good and my range of motion is coming along.  He asked how I was feeling and if I had any pain and I told him everything that I spoke to earlier in this post.  He told me that I would have good days and weeks and bad days and weeks with aches and pains and it will just take time.  Time, always with the freaking time.  Sometimes I really hate time.

     

Post Surgery Update #5 / Vacation

     Hey everyone, sorry this post is a little late due to a very busy schedule and my business/vacation trip to Arizona last week.  So to get right to it, two weeks ago I got to my PT's office and she was excited to get me on two feet with no outside support.  I was a little nervous, mostly because it had been five weeks since the surgery and I haven't taken an unassisted step since then.  When I took my first steps, I was so afraid that my leg would just give out on me, but it didn't.  Subconsciously I think I was babying it a little and wasn't putting my full weight on it.  Alisha quickly corrected me and got me up on the treadmill for a nice slow stroll.  She was monitoring my every step, correcting me when needed so I wasn't limping or favoring it in anyway.  When we were finished we discussed the up coming week that housed my business/vacation trip.

     With me being out of town last week I would not be able to have my therapy session till this week so Alisha gave me two weeks worth of homework to do for each week that would get me to our next appointment.  I have been continuing a lot of leg lifts and stretches, but this week we added standard planks, short squats (meaning I only go down about a 1/4 of the way) and some high knee marching to keep things moving.  Of course I was also informed "NO RUNNING AT ALL" before I left.  She knows me to well and how I like to push myself!

     The first three days of my trip would be at a work convention that would have me doing quite a bit of walking, plus I would be doing a lot of sightseeing with my wife and I was concerned that all that might be to much to quick.  Alisha suggested I take my cane with me because she was concerned that if my hip and leg muscles get tired it could affect my gait and cause more issues that would lengthen my recovery time.  When my convention was over Mandy and I headed out to see her old stomping grounds and do a little sightseeing.  Here are a few pics from our time.

     Anyway sorry for a short uneventful post, but we will see how my next appointment goes this week and I believe next week is my follow up appointment with the surgeon so next week could be a big day for me.  I hope he gives me some good news on my progress.  

Post Surgery Update #4

     It has been just over 4 weeks since my surgery, and to be honest I didn't think I would be where I am right now.  Things are moving along quite well and I am so happy for that.  At my last PT appointment, Alisha was quite happy with my progress in just one week.  She told me she was going to consult with my surgeon on my progress and my case to decide on a continued course of action.

     I worked hard on my exercises each day, getting in at minimum 2 sets each day.  Prior to my next appointment I got an email from Alisha stating she had spoken to the surgeon and had some good new for me.  Fast forward to Wednesday, I had to change my appointment time to 7:30 am due to my work schedule changing.  The good news was, do to the type of procedure I had and that my muscles have reacted so well to my rehab, I was ready to transition to a single crutch.  First we worked on the proper way to use a single crutch, which I was surprised that you use it on the opposite side from your bad leg.  I figured you would use it to give support to your bad leg, which you due, but to keep a normal walking stride you use it on the opposite side and put weight on it when you take a step with your bad leg.  After I got the hang of that, I climbed on the table so she could do a lot of stretching and manipulation of my leg.  We discussed my at home routine and how it was going to change for this week and next, yeah I don't have to come in next week.  If all things go well for the next two weeks, then we will discuss the transition to no crutches!!!

     Most of my home exercise routine has stayed the same, we just increased the number of reps per set, the number of sets or the time to hold a certain move.  I have been feeling really good lately with little amount of pain or the need of any pain meds.  I am still taking the prescription strength aleve type meds, but I have cut it down to two a day instead of three.  I truly think all the strength training I did with Alisha has been the huge key to what seems to be a faster than normal recover.    

Post Surgery Update #3

    Going back to work has been a nice change of pace for me, but man the first couple of days put a toll on my body.  I basically went from virtually doing nothing all day to working 9 hour days, not counting the hour each way of driving time for my commute.  Work itself was fine, and I was able to slide right back into a groove, however using crutches really taxes your whole body.  Every little thing I do takes longer to do and requires more effort from my whole body.  Needless to say the first two days, my body was extremely tired and sore from it all.  The third day wasn't to bad, but it was a really long day.  I had my second PT appointment before work, so I had to get up at 5am because its an hour drive there as well and everything takes me twice as long to do to get ready in the morning.  After PT I headed to work which was another 9 hour day and on my way home I stopped to get my hair cut and pick up one final gift for Mandy.  Phew, I was tired.  I have Christmas Eve off, so I got to rest my body a little, and having Christmas Day off as well gave my body time to recharge.  Plus, I got to go see Star Wars again!!!!!!

     My second PT appointment went great.  Alisha is very happy with the progress I made in just one week.  She told me that other patients she has treated with the same surgery have taken several more weeks post surgery to get where I am at to this point.  She did a bunch of the usually things you expect during a therapy session, such as pushing, pulling, twisting and stretching.  Nothing extreme, just trying to keep things loose and maintain my range of motion.  With my progress she has modified my at home work to include three light and easy muscle building moves like, leg lifts while laying on my back, leg lifts while laying on my side and a super modified plank to work the abs a little.  Again I am to do the routine 2 to 3 times a day till my next appointment a week later.  She again stressed to me that main reason for taking things slow is due to the tissue in the joint needing time to heal properly.  I need to continue making sure I don't put to much weight on the leg which could mess up the repair work and all of this would be for nothing. 

Post Surgery Update #2

     Well a lot has changed in the last week or so since my last post.  Last week I was finally able to get out of the house for a little while, and good thing too because I just couldn't take being indoors anymore.  I had my first follow up visit with the surgeon and it looks like things are progressing nicely.  When I got to the appointment, they had me get some x-rays to check and see how the bone looked after he shaved it down.  After that I was put in the exam room to get my stitches taken out and to discuss the next six weeks.  I'll have to be on these damn crutches for the next 4 weeks, then I start to transition to a single crutch or possibly a cane for 2 more weeks.  When those 6 weeks are up I will have another follow up visit, which I am not really sure what we will discuss then.  He seems optimistic that I will be back to running normally within 4 to 6 months.  I was advised to continue my anti-inflammatory medicine, he prescribed 6 weeks of physical therapy, issued me a temporary handicapped placard for my car and allowed me to go back to work the following Monday.  I immediately contacted Alisha at Elite Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy to get things going.  

     The next morning I headed to PT for my initial visit and evaluation, which went very well.  She told me the two biggest things with this type of surgery is, one, getting your muscles firing and working again, and two, being patient while the tissue in the joint heals.  She was quite happy to see my muscles were already working, which meant I am ahead of schedule with my recovery.  The down side to that is, I still have to wait till the tissue heals, so all my home prescribed workouts are to just maintain and slightly increase my range of motion.  So for now I have a weeks worth of homework to do 2-3 times a day till my next appointment, a week later.

     Friday and Saturday were the first two days my life really felt like I was getting back to normal, despite the fact that I had to figure out how to navigate the world on crutches.  One of my life long friends came into town to be with his family over Christmas, so he and I and three other of my close friends went to see the new Star Wars movie.  Which was AMAZING!!!  I will say this, for all the reports of packed theaters and the box office records, I was a little surprised and how empty the theater was for our showing.  I am not complaining, less people means less noise!

     Saturday, we headed to downtown Toledo to see our local ECHL hockey team the Walleye play.  Our seats were freaking awesome!  We were technically the third row back from the glass, however we were right behind the penalty box so we had the glass right in front of our face and just off from center ice.  I could as for a better game, and the fact that they won with a shutout made it just that much better.

Post Surgery Update #1

     It has now been just over a week since surgery and to be honest I feel pretty damn good.  The first full day was a little rough, mainly because I felt like I had to pee every 5 minutes and when I did get up to go, I wasn't getting very much.  The nurse said it is common and would eventually go away, but when you need all kinds of help to get out of bed, it is pretty fucking annoying.  Thankfully though this has slowly subsided and not really an issue any more.  I am also happy to report that my pain has been pretty manageable to the point I haven't needed to take any of the really strong pain meds.  I have only been taking one which is more of an anti inflammatory than anything.

 

     The majority of my days have been spent laying on my back, which is NOT the most fun I have ever had.  During the day, Mandy gets me up every 2-3 hours to use the bathroom and do a little walking around with the crutches.  6- 8 hours of my day is used bending and flexing my leg in the continuous passive motion or CPM machine that slowly elevates and bends my knee and hip to a certain degree over and over.  My starting point the day after surgery was 0 to 30 and my goal in about 10 days is 0 to 120 degree of bend.  Currently I am laying here with my leg going to 100 and I have zero pain.

     When I am on a break from the CPM machine I get out in the living room to walk around, eat and play some Madden 2016 football.  After the third day I was able to sit for short burst and would stand to eat or do any other activities.  Now I am able to sit and play a game of football without any pain or the need to get up.  Most of my pain feels more like if you have ever strained a muscle and it hurts to use it to say lift something.  My large thigh muscle is very sore when I try to lift my leg in the straight or bent position, but each day feels better and better.

   

     At night when I am laying in bed trying to sleep and not using the CPM machine, I am having my feet squeezed by a machine that is used to help prevent blood clots from forming in my legs.  If anything it is really annoying, because instead of a slow even pressure, it emits a pulse of air that inflates the foot cuffs immediately.  So I will be laying there and all of a sudden puff and they inflate.

Not me, just a image I found online

  
     So far I have been able to maintain my sanity with typing, reading or watching tv, but the urge to go a little stir crazy is starting to settle in.  Today my Mom, who has been helping me during the day while Mandy is at work, told me how nice it was outside and I couldn't take it anymore.  While I was on a break I said fuck it and headed out the back door just so I could feel the sun on my face again.  I stayed out for 10 minutes or so before heading back inside to lay once again in bed.  You know it is easy to stay in bed when you are in pain or feel shitty, but as soon as you feel somewhat better, all you want to do is get the hell out of here.  Maybe I can bribe Mandy into taking me somewhere this weekend, even if its just for a short car ride.

     Anyway my follow up appointment with the surgeon is on Wednesday, I am hoping, no praying that I will be able to start physical therapy and maybe get back to work so I can feel somewhat normal.  Plus I got tickets for the new Star Wars movie on Friday, and I am NOT gonna miss it!