Since my birthday back in August, it's been a bit hectic for the Lowes. We headed to Park City, UT for a week in the middle of August to meet some of my in-laws relatives who I've never had the opportunity to meet. It was a great trip and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. Ben and I rode some of the rides at the base of Park City's ski resort, I'll try to dig up the video of our alpine coaster ride, it's pretty funny. Other than that, it was mostly rest and relaxation. We took some scenic drives, ate at some great restaurants, and just enjoyed the company. My mother-in-laws relatives (something like 40+ people) all showed for a BBQ in the park one day that we were there. They were nothing but gracious, friendly and kind. They were interesting, each and every one of them. And for Ben and I...well, we were fresh meat! It was great to connect with them, even though I'm not sure when we'll see them next.
After Park City, we returned to Denver with the "anticipation" of moving again. We decided of all places that we liked, the place that the people who were buying our house would work. So basically, our move was a same day housing swap. In general, nothing went wrong, except that the people who moved out of our new place didn't clean - not one bit. I was so irritated, considering I'd spent that entire morning cleaning their new place top to bottom, all while the new homeowner watched me do it while she organized her closets and bathrooms. Talk about a slap in the face. Ben and I agreed we'd wait to see if they offered to come clean or not, but alas, no. So we waited a week or so, then sent a nasty-gram email telling them we weren't happy with the condition of the house based on our agreement we'd clean as we moved each place, and that she'd watched me do all the cleaning at her place. Believe it or not, they offered to send a cleaning crew over and they paid for it! Let's see...we moved the last weekend of August, and here it is the first week of October, and I can say we are finally settled. A couple of pictures need to be hung, but nothing major. All in all, it's a good fit for us. We like the neighborhood more, and except for the living room, we have plenty of space.
Other than that...let's see...I'm still doing my PT about once ever three weeks. Mostly I'm just doing the stuff at home that I've been doing at PT, increasing my cardio and walking, working on my muscle building and still some flexibility stuff too. Not quite able to bend fully, but that's to be expected. Some people get it back, some don't. I don't really notice it much, except when I bend down to get something that's fallen on the floor or rolled on the couch. I can't quite sit on my knees and lean back all the way, but we'll see if I can't get there.
So really, that's pretty much it for now. More good things to come, I promise. I will be better about blogging (I hope). Take care!
Showing posts with label physical therapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label physical therapy. Show all posts
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Update from PT yesterday - more things ending with “-itis”, tornadoes in Denver, and my 30th Birthday…
So I’ve been kinda sore these past few days with no real culprit that I could come up with. I’ve been riding the bike for half an hour the past three days, so I thought maybe that might be it, but turns out it wasn’t. I went into PT yesterday and showed Brandi where I was feeling sore and describing that it felt more like tenderness around some of the bones in my knee and right below, and she pushed on the soft spot right below my knee and made me jump. Turns out I have patellar tendonitis (goes well with my pes anserine bursitis). Brandi did more of her “famous” massage yesterday, and yes, I managed to cry again. I feel like such a baby, but man, it hurts! Big old crocodile tears rolling down my cheeks….wimpy girl that I am. (Side note – I’m really not wimpy. Wade, an attorney I work with here, sees Brandi for his shoulder and he tells me every day after he sees her how much it hurts!!) Anyway, she showed me how to massage it so I can do it at home. Then she proceeded to tell me that I need to cease all exercises this weekend, no bike either, and just do stretching and lots of ice. Oh, and I can use the stim machine (the electric shock therapy thing that was delivered to my office this week - we tried it on Ben - he didn't like it too much!). So yesterday at PT was an “easy” day, so to speak. I did tons of stretching and then an ice massage for my patellar tendon. Then I was out the door. First time in weeks I haven’t left there dripping with sweat.
After work, we drove home in the rain (yes, rain!!). We haven’t had rain in months! I went to take Tanner out and Ben was making dinner. As we were playing in the greenbelt by our house the lightning and thunder seemed like it was starting to get closer, so we headed back to the house. Ben was listening to the news while he was cooking and 9News had the running line on the bottom with “Tornado Warning” and listed Denver as part of the area in that warning. Ben goes and gets online to check the radar and there is a huge storm right over us, moving to the northeast (toward my mom’s house). Then we hear the TV say that there were funnel clouds spotted and a possible tornado moving to the east from the Dacono area, which is just north of Denver. So I called my mom and Kari to see if they were moving to a safe area. My mom answered, sounded a bit frazzled, and said they were, but she’d have to call me back. I ran upstairs to grab something, and as I came down Ben said, “The tornado sirens are going off.” I didn’t believe him cause I couldn’t hear anything. He turned the sound off on the TV and then I could hear them. In all my time living in Denver, I’ve NEVER heard tornado sirens! Very eerie sound! Well, of course, being the smart girl that I am, instead of going to an interior closet (no basement at our house), I decide to go outside to see if I can spot anything. Duh – not smart. But I got outside and didn’t see crap! I was kinda disappointed. Ben will tell you, I’ll watch any show in Discovery or National Geographic with tornadoes and weather stuff. I still have never seen a real funnel or tornado. So the sirens are going off for about 5 minutes and then they go off. The tornado warning expired about 10 minutes after that. All safe and sound. I talked to Kari and she told me that as they were trying to wrangle the cats into pillow cases (they have a plan already discussed), my mom proceeded to go in her bedroom and change clothes!!! Kari and I were laughing so hard. Of all things to do, that would be last on my list! I’m sure Mom was just a bit out of sorts. They get warnings up there a lot, but I don’t know if they’ve had actual sirens going off or not. Anyway, just a funny story to go along with the crazy weather. There are some photos below of the weather that I grabbed from Channel 7's website...
After work, we drove home in the rain (yes, rain!!). We haven’t had rain in months! I went to take Tanner out and Ben was making dinner. As we were playing in the greenbelt by our house the lightning and thunder seemed like it was starting to get closer, so we headed back to the house. Ben was listening to the news while he was cooking and 9News had the running line on the bottom with “Tornado Warning” and listed Denver as part of the area in that warning. Ben goes and gets online to check the radar and there is a huge storm right over us, moving to the northeast (toward my mom’s house). Then we hear the TV say that there were funnel clouds spotted and a possible tornado moving to the east from the Dacono area, which is just north of Denver. So I called my mom and Kari to see if they were moving to a safe area. My mom answered, sounded a bit frazzled, and said they were, but she’d have to call me back. I ran upstairs to grab something, and as I came down Ben said, “The tornado sirens are going off.” I didn’t believe him cause I couldn’t hear anything. He turned the sound off on the TV and then I could hear them. In all my time living in Denver, I’ve NEVER heard tornado sirens! Very eerie sound! Well, of course, being the smart girl that I am, instead of going to an interior closet (no basement at our house), I decide to go outside to see if I can spot anything. Duh – not smart. But I got outside and didn’t see crap! I was kinda disappointed. Ben will tell you, I’ll watch any show in Discovery or National Geographic with tornadoes and weather stuff. I still have never seen a real funnel or tornado. So the sirens are going off for about 5 minutes and then they go off. The tornado warning expired about 10 minutes after that. All safe and sound. I talked to Kari and she told me that as they were trying to wrangle the cats into pillow cases (they have a plan already discussed), my mom proceeded to go in her bedroom and change clothes!!! Kari and I were laughing so hard. Of all things to do, that would be last on my list! I’m sure Mom was just a bit out of sorts. They get warnings up there a lot, but I don’t know if they’ve had actual sirens going off or not. Anyway, just a funny story to go along with the crazy weather. There are some photos below of the weather that I grabbed from Channel 7's website...
We’ll be working a half day tomorrow, and then heading to my friend Bonnie’s wedding up in Granby. I think the weather should be nice, hopefully no sirens up there! Then Saturday, we’ll be having the BBQ for my big 30th! Can’t believe I’m 30…oh well, I still feel young. That’s all that matters, right!?
This is near E-470 (highway east of Denver)
This is near Harvey Park in SW Denver - caption says "Possible Tornado"
So, being that Ben and I live in Central Denver, we were right between these two weather related photos...fun stuff!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
OMG – I’ve been bad, shame on me…
So I’ve been really, really, really bad about blogging. But my excuse – my dad was here for 11 days so we were busy spending time with him! We did lots of great stuff, had tons of fun and quite honestly just got wiped out by all the goings on that I just didn’t feel like logging on to the computer at all. My apologies…
First and foremost – rehab. Still doing well, I think. I still have some of that bursitis which Brandi massaged again last week and PT. Not comfortable, but getting better. Riding the bike more and more and continuing with my exercises as diligently as I can. I did take last Wednesday night off since Brandi and Kate had me do tons of hamstring exercises during PT – I was sore before I got home at the end of the day. But for now, that’s our focus, strengthening the hamstrings and quads. I still do my range of motion exercises at home in the morning to get me loose after sleeping, but at night it’s all strengthening exercises. Sometimes I feel like its working, other times I don’t. I still see a difference in the size of my quads, so I know I’m not there yet, but each day is better, I think. Back to PT tomorrow, more strength stuff. I need to get a list from Kate of any exercises I can do at home. Sometimes when I’m doing them I literally draw a blank as to what I can do next…..I’m losing it. I remember like 4-5 of them and just repeating those over and over, and I’m getting bored with them, so I need to see them all and pick and choose and give myself some variety. Note to self – get that list tomorrow!
So, back to my dad’s visit. On the second day he was here we went to the Mile High Nationals for some good old fashioned drag racing. It was so hot, but we had a great time. I forgot my camera, so no photos….sorry. Then on Sunday we went to the US v. Brazil (women’s soccer game). Ben wasn’t really into it, so I took my friend Ann and we headed out with Dad and Kari to the game. HOW FUN! I’d never seen a national game before and we all really got into it. US won 1-0. Photos of that day are below. Sadly, the very next game, Abby Wambach (#12), the US’s leading scorer and top forward broke her leg in two places so she’ll miss the Olympics! I feel so bad for her; I can’t even imagine training for your whole life, with World Cup or Olympics as a goal and then getting hurt three weeks prior. Very sad….The following weekend we headed to Lake Granby to camp with Anthony, Lisa and Hugh and the kids. So even up in the mountains, it was fricking HOT!!! Luckily we had a boat (thanks, Jason) and we were able to get out on the water. Ben tubed with Kari and the kiddos, and he tried wakeboarding. It looks hard. He wasn’t able to get up, but he tried his best until he was just exhausted and couldn’t do anymore. He’ll try again, I’m sure. We all hung out, drank some beer, eat too much food, and roasted in the sun. Overall, a very fun weekend! Dad left yesterday, the house is quiet without him….he’ll be back in September for Kassidy and Brian’s wedding, so it’ll be good to see him again.
So that’s it for now. Here are the photos from the soccer game. I will try to post more often, just no promises……it’s hard when you sit at a computer all day and then go home and think about sitting there again. I guess if I do the mini-updates more often, it won’t be so bad. Adios!
First and foremost – rehab. Still doing well, I think. I still have some of that bursitis which Brandi massaged again last week and PT. Not comfortable, but getting better. Riding the bike more and more and continuing with my exercises as diligently as I can. I did take last Wednesday night off since Brandi and Kate had me do tons of hamstring exercises during PT – I was sore before I got home at the end of the day. But for now, that’s our focus, strengthening the hamstrings and quads. I still do my range of motion exercises at home in the morning to get me loose after sleeping, but at night it’s all strengthening exercises. Sometimes I feel like its working, other times I don’t. I still see a difference in the size of my quads, so I know I’m not there yet, but each day is better, I think. Back to PT tomorrow, more strength stuff. I need to get a list from Kate of any exercises I can do at home. Sometimes when I’m doing them I literally draw a blank as to what I can do next…..I’m losing it. I remember like 4-5 of them and just repeating those over and over, and I’m getting bored with them, so I need to see them all and pick and choose and give myself some variety. Note to self – get that list tomorrow!
So, back to my dad’s visit. On the second day he was here we went to the Mile High Nationals for some good old fashioned drag racing. It was so hot, but we had a great time. I forgot my camera, so no photos….sorry. Then on Sunday we went to the US v. Brazil (women’s soccer game). Ben wasn’t really into it, so I took my friend Ann and we headed out with Dad and Kari to the game. HOW FUN! I’d never seen a national game before and we all really got into it. US won 1-0. Photos of that day are below. Sadly, the very next game, Abby Wambach (#12), the US’s leading scorer and top forward broke her leg in two places so she’ll miss the Olympics! I feel so bad for her; I can’t even imagine training for your whole life, with World Cup or Olympics as a goal and then getting hurt three weeks prior. Very sad….The following weekend we headed to Lake Granby to camp with Anthony, Lisa and Hugh and the kids. So even up in the mountains, it was fricking HOT!!! Luckily we had a boat (thanks, Jason) and we were able to get out on the water. Ben tubed with Kari and the kiddos, and he tried wakeboarding. It looks hard. He wasn’t able to get up, but he tried his best until he was just exhausted and couldn’t do anymore. He’ll try again, I’m sure. We all hung out, drank some beer, eat too much food, and roasted in the sun. Overall, a very fun weekend! Dad left yesterday, the house is quiet without him….he’ll be back in September for Kassidy and Brian’s wedding, so it’ll be good to see him again.
So that’s it for now. Here are the photos from the soccer game. I will try to post more often, just no promises……it’s hard when you sit at a computer all day and then go home and think about sitting there again. I guess if I do the mini-updates more often, it won’t be so bad. Adios!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
Pes Anserine Bursitis - I have it...
Yea, say that three times really fast! Basically, I have some irritation in the bursa sack on the inside side of my knee, where the three muscles that come from the hamstring connect into my tibia. The bursa sack is full of fluid and keeps everything moving smooth in thru there, but mine is really irritated and we think that's the cause of most of my pain on the inside part of my knee. Well, that and my MCL. Brandi got back from Alaska, so on Monday I was back with her. She did some manipulations with my sacrum (the lower part of your back) and then started to massage on the side of my knee that hurts the most....and the second she started I could tell it was not going to be fun. I hadn't cried in a while at PT, and before I knew it huge tears were rolling down my cheeks. There was this nice lady on the bed next to me and she was trying to talk to me and make me laugh, which kinda worked. So imagine me crying, laughing and squirming all at the same time. Fun stuff....luckily Brandi could see how bad it hurt, so she didn't go for too long, and then it was off to more exercises. I did a lot of work with balance and strengthening Monday and again today (Wednesday). I still cannot believe how tired I get after the exercises that I do there. Mentally I know it's not a lot, but physically, I get so drained. I know it's working though - after each session, I start to get sore in my butt, hammies, groin, and hip flexor, which means I'm working the things that I haven't worked in a long time. Getting all of those stronger will help my knee and leg get stronger overall. Today Brandi couldn't get a muscle near my knee to contract at all, so she hooked me up for some good old fashioned shock therapy! Seriously, it's these electrode pads that as the intensity is increased, whatever the power source/mechanism is is, it shocks your muscles into contracting. Such a weird feeling and even weirder to look at. She is going to see about sending me home with one so I can contract that muscle as much as I need to. We'll see how that goes. So, other than the bursitis, a really good week at PT. Oh, Brandi also gave me the go ahead to ride the bike as often as I want and as long as I like. Very excited about that!!
We were in Estes this weekend at Connie's place. We had such a great time, very relaxing, quiet. It's always too much food, but we enjoy it! We watched the fireworks over the lake on Friday, and then spent Saturday on scooters tooling around Estes Park and Rocky Mtn. National Park. We had so much fun! Here are some photos from our weekend:
Tanner living it up at Lake Estes Dog Park
Handsome fella
My two boys
Stacey and I on our scooters
Ben in Moraine Park
Just a pose, we really didn't ride together
Lookin' hot!
Danny getting ready to peel out
Ben showing off
I literally ate this dust
We were in Estes this weekend at Connie's place. We had such a great time, very relaxing, quiet. It's always too much food, but we enjoy it! We watched the fireworks over the lake on Friday, and then spent Saturday on scooters tooling around Estes Park and Rocky Mtn. National Park. We had so much fun! Here are some photos from our weekend:
This is how Tanner and Ben roll...
Tanner living it up at Lake Estes Dog Park
Handsome fella
My two boys
Stacey and I on our scooters
Ben in Moraine Park
Just a pose, we really didn't ride together
Lookin' hot!
Danny getting ready to peel out
Ben showing off
I literally ate this dust
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Happy 4th of July!
We are heading up to Estes Park tonight to stay with Connie, Stacey and Danny at their cabin. I cannot wait to get there. Today dragged at work, no one is here, just doing clean up stuff now, wasting away time. Half hour to go....
Went to PT as scheduled on Wednesday. Had another really good session doing exercises with Kate (biking, shuffles, more weight machine mixed with balance stuff, good stretches, wall sits - holy cow, I kept realizing there is no quad muscles left when I got to 15 seconds of a 30 second sit). Then Erika did all my measurements (got to 132 degrees flexion; still need 2 more degrees for full extension) and then she stretched and massaged me. Her little trick with the plunger is awesome! It doesn't hurt like the regular massages, but I know that it's completely necessary to do that. It can only help me, so I try to just go to my happy place and relax. One of these days I will be dropping down to once PT session a week, just not sure when...
Went to PT as scheduled on Wednesday. Had another really good session doing exercises with Kate (biking, shuffles, more weight machine mixed with balance stuff, good stretches, wall sits - holy cow, I kept realizing there is no quad muscles left when I got to 15 seconds of a 30 second sit). Then Erika did all my measurements (got to 132 degrees flexion; still need 2 more degrees for full extension) and then she stretched and massaged me. Her little trick with the plunger is awesome! It doesn't hurt like the regular massages, but I know that it's completely necessary to do that. It can only help me, so I try to just go to my happy place and relax. One of these days I will be dropping down to once PT session a week, just not sure when...
Have a great 4th of July!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Weekend and more PT (it's my life folks!)
Ben and had a pretty chill Friday night, met up with some friends for happy hour and then went out to dinner with them. It was nice - low key and good company. Saturday we had lunch at our fave restaurant, Cherry Creek Grille, and shared their tuna burger - yummy! Then I went and got a pedicure - it was FANTASTIC! I hadn't been able to do my own toes since before surgery and they were in dire need of some help! Believe it or not, I couldn't get my knee/leg bent enough to paint my toes without throwing a kink in my back, so they polish was totally worn off and my feet were looking pitiful. Mom and Kari got me a gift card to use for after surgery and it came in handy - thank you to them for a wonderful post-surgery gift.
Saturday afternoon Ben went to a BBQ with some work buddies and Kari and I picked up Shelley and we were off to Colleen's to begin the festivities for Kate's bachelorette party. I can't share many details, after all this is a family site, but we had such a great time! We drank champagne, shared some naughty cake, went out for drinks and shared a bunch of food, went dancing, and I took about 160 photos - I went a little nuts at the end of the night. Part of the reason was that Kate said she didn't want to go dancing, so when she started to tear up the dance floor, I felt like I needed some proof. I'll post a few photos at the end of this post, but they will be the tamer ones. We closed the bars down! It was seriously a good time, and we are all so excited for Kate and Matt we just wanted to celebrate some with just the girls. Really, everyone was on their best behavior. I've found as I've gotten older, yes, these are some words of wisdom, that you can have more fun hanging with the girls than dealing with drunk, random guys. Congrats Kate and Matt!
Sunday was recovery day - I was a tad hungover. Kari and I went to get some breakfast, then we came home to veg out. We watched the Euro Cup soccer finals, Spain v. Germany. Spain looked awesome. The entire second half they just pounded at Germany's goal, and Germany looked as if they were just completely beat. Spain won 1-0 (goal scored in the first half), but Germany is lucky they didn't get completely blown out. Ben took off on Sunday morning for Milwaukee to meet with some clients. Really, they are just going for fun - a concert and cruising on someone's boat, but I guess it still does help his client relationship. I'm just jealous!
Monday -- back to work. But I did go to PT today and saw Erika. Brandi is on vacation in Alaska this week, so I was a bit worried today because I'd not seen anyone but her. But Erika was wonderful! I did all my exercises with Kate before I saw Erika. I did the bike, more shuffles, some new stretches for my hip flexor (oh my gosh, those felt awesome), and then I did some balance exercises using a weight machine. The more the better, I feel! Then Erika did some massage for me and stretched me out really good. I measured just TWO (!!) degrees short of full extension today, but I was still around 130 degrees for flexion. Only 11 more degrees to go on that -- I CAN DO IT! Soon, hopefully. The best part of PT today was the way Erika massaged my IT band. She could still see bruising from where Brandi pummelled me on my IT band last week (I'm told by everyone that works at my PT it's completely normal to bruise, so don't anyone freak out), so she decided to take it easy on me. She slathered on some baby oil on the side of my quad, then got out a plunger. Yes, a plunger! She got it all suctioned on my skin, then gently pulled away from the skin without breaking the suction seal, and just kept pulling up a little bit and moving it all around. It felt so good, and I was so relieved not to be squirming. I am still tight there and in my hammies, so I know once Brandi gets back she'll be all over those again. I am telling myself the easier massages this week is a reward for living through brutal ones!
Okay, here are some photos from Kate's party:
Peace out...notice the shirt? I made that...
Shelley and Kate
Kari and Kate fooling around at Spill
I knew the night was only going to get better when Kate left Spill with her beer in hand and no one stopped her...she's mighty proud of herself as you can see.
I can't tell if she's smiling or grimicing at the sight of more shots?
Nearing the end of the night. We don't look too hideous.
Kate said she didn't want to go dancing. Yea, I didn't believe her either. Do you see that look on her face - she's totally rocking out! (And she managed to keep her "straw" all night!)
Still standing...and smiling...
Friends help friends stand up (actually, I think they are only barely standing up) 
I truly love this girl and am so happy for her!
Saturday afternoon Ben went to a BBQ with some work buddies and Kari and I picked up Shelley and we were off to Colleen's to begin the festivities for Kate's bachelorette party. I can't share many details, after all this is a family site, but we had such a great time! We drank champagne, shared some naughty cake, went out for drinks and shared a bunch of food, went dancing, and I took about 160 photos - I went a little nuts at the end of the night. Part of the reason was that Kate said she didn't want to go dancing, so when she started to tear up the dance floor, I felt like I needed some proof. I'll post a few photos at the end of this post, but they will be the tamer ones. We closed the bars down! It was seriously a good time, and we are all so excited for Kate and Matt we just wanted to celebrate some with just the girls. Really, everyone was on their best behavior. I've found as I've gotten older, yes, these are some words of wisdom, that you can have more fun hanging with the girls than dealing with drunk, random guys. Congrats Kate and Matt!
Sunday was recovery day - I was a tad hungover. Kari and I went to get some breakfast, then we came home to veg out. We watched the Euro Cup soccer finals, Spain v. Germany. Spain looked awesome. The entire second half they just pounded at Germany's goal, and Germany looked as if they were just completely beat. Spain won 1-0 (goal scored in the first half), but Germany is lucky they didn't get completely blown out. Ben took off on Sunday morning for Milwaukee to meet with some clients. Really, they are just going for fun - a concert and cruising on someone's boat, but I guess it still does help his client relationship. I'm just jealous!
Monday -- back to work. But I did go to PT today and saw Erika. Brandi is on vacation in Alaska this week, so I was a bit worried today because I'd not seen anyone but her. But Erika was wonderful! I did all my exercises with Kate before I saw Erika. I did the bike, more shuffles, some new stretches for my hip flexor (oh my gosh, those felt awesome), and then I did some balance exercises using a weight machine. The more the better, I feel! Then Erika did some massage for me and stretched me out really good. I measured just TWO (!!) degrees short of full extension today, but I was still around 130 degrees for flexion. Only 11 more degrees to go on that -- I CAN DO IT! Soon, hopefully. The best part of PT today was the way Erika massaged my IT band. She could still see bruising from where Brandi pummelled me on my IT band last week (I'm told by everyone that works at my PT it's completely normal to bruise, so don't anyone freak out), so she decided to take it easy on me. She slathered on some baby oil on the side of my quad, then got out a plunger. Yes, a plunger! She got it all suctioned on my skin, then gently pulled away from the skin without breaking the suction seal, and just kept pulling up a little bit and moving it all around. It felt so good, and I was so relieved not to be squirming. I am still tight there and in my hammies, so I know once Brandi gets back she'll be all over those again. I am telling myself the easier massages this week is a reward for living through brutal ones!
Okay, here are some photos from Kate's party:
The start of the night at dinner (L to R: Kate, Lauren, Shelley, Colleen, me, Kari)
Peace out...notice the shirt? I made that...
Shelley and Kate
Kari and Kate fooling around at Spill
I knew the night was only going to get better when Kate left Spill with her beer in hand and no one stopped her...she's mighty proud of herself as you can see.
I can't tell if she's smiling or grimicing at the sight of more shots?
Nearing the end of the night. We don't look too hideous.
Kate said she didn't want to go dancing. Yea, I didn't believe her either. Do you see that look on her face - she's totally rocking out! (And she managed to keep her "straw" all night!)
Still standing...and smiling...
Friends help friends stand up (actually, I think they are only barely standing up) 
I truly love this girl and am so happy for her!
Friday, June 27, 2008
Dr. follow up, more PT, and weekend plans
Thank goodness it’s Friday! I’ve had such a long week - I think because I’m still having trouble getting a good night’s sleep. If I lay on my side (either side), even with a pillow between my legs, I get sore right on the inside of my knee (I think I found out the cause…more about that later). The only way to not be sore sleeping is to lay on my back, and I’m really not a back sleeper.
I had my follow up with Dr. Gonzales on Tuesday. He was on vacation immediately after my surgery, so I hadn’t seen him since June 4. He said everything is looking really good, scars healed nicely. He was impressed by my flexibility and extension and just told me to keep plugging away at physical therapy. I told him that my only concern was the amount of pain I had on the inside side of my knee, and he said, “Oh, well that’s not really uncommon considering you sprained your MCL as well.” I was kinda dumbfounded – NO ONE had mentioned that to me since I’d been seen this whole time. So he pulled up my MRI report from the radiologist and it was right there, clear as day, “Grade 1 Sprain of MCL.” (Grade 1 is the lowest amount of injury.) Hmmm…the only thing I can possibly think of was that with tears to two meniscus and my ACL, but no tear to the MCL, they just overlooked it. Or maybe he thought he’d mentioned it. I have no idea…Regardless, he said that my pain is likely from that. I asked how long before it gets better and he said a while. I was thinking maybe a couple more weeks, he said a couple more months….wonderful. Eh, nothing I can do at this point. More Advil, I think.
I went to PT on Wednesday as scheduled, and man oh man, what a day – highs and lows. Wednesday was also three weeks since I had surgery. I rode the bike for 15 minutes when I got there since Brandi was finishing with another patient. Kate got me started on some more shuffles with the resistance band around my ankles. Hello, tired! Then I did some squats and calf raises on the total body machine, along with some hamstring curls. Absolutely love doing all of those. I’ve really, really been craving doing stuff since I’ve been so limited since I hurt myself. Then I went over to the table of death. It really is I’m convinced. Brandi flipped my on my stomach and noticed that I had some bruising where she “massaged” my hamstring on Monday. So she conceded that she didn’t need to do that again at least for Wednesday’s appointment, so I lay on my side and she got right to work on my IT band. How do I explain this – bluntly, she was killing me!!! No tears though…still, she kneaded and pushed, over and over. My leg was all red by the time she finished, I’m not kidding. She did some massage around my knee itself and also on my scars (stellar feeling too…). Then back to more stretches and exercises. I love everything there except those frickin' massages. I remind myself that it’s all for the good of my rehab, but it’s tougher to buy that each time. Especially when I woke up on Thursday morning and had a bruise from just above mid-thigh all the way down to my knee. Yes, a really big bruise from that massage. I have a photo at home to upload later.
So, Ben and I are going to dinner and movie tonight. I think we’ll hit the Cherry Creek Grille and then maybe see “Wall-E” the new animated movie. It got good reviews. I wanted to see “Wanted” but Ben wasn’t too into that. Weird – action flick, Angelina Jolie….yea, weird. I’m sure I can convince him to go see it with me sometime. Saturday we are taking Kate out for her bachelorette party with her Denver friends - I’m very excited for that. It’ll be my first night out since surgery. We’ll see how it goes. I may be the girl crashing someone else’s party just to have a place to sit by the end of the night. Ben leaves for Milwaukee on Sunday, and I’ll be watching the finals of Euro Cup ’08 (Spain v. Germany). Have a good weekend everyone!
I had my follow up with Dr. Gonzales on Tuesday. He was on vacation immediately after my surgery, so I hadn’t seen him since June 4. He said everything is looking really good, scars healed nicely. He was impressed by my flexibility and extension and just told me to keep plugging away at physical therapy. I told him that my only concern was the amount of pain I had on the inside side of my knee, and he said, “Oh, well that’s not really uncommon considering you sprained your MCL as well.” I was kinda dumbfounded – NO ONE had mentioned that to me since I’d been seen this whole time. So he pulled up my MRI report from the radiologist and it was right there, clear as day, “Grade 1 Sprain of MCL.” (Grade 1 is the lowest amount of injury.) Hmmm…the only thing I can possibly think of was that with tears to two meniscus and my ACL, but no tear to the MCL, they just overlooked it. Or maybe he thought he’d mentioned it. I have no idea…Regardless, he said that my pain is likely from that. I asked how long before it gets better and he said a while. I was thinking maybe a couple more weeks, he said a couple more months….wonderful. Eh, nothing I can do at this point. More Advil, I think.
I went to PT on Wednesday as scheduled, and man oh man, what a day – highs and lows. Wednesday was also three weeks since I had surgery. I rode the bike for 15 minutes when I got there since Brandi was finishing with another patient. Kate got me started on some more shuffles with the resistance band around my ankles. Hello, tired! Then I did some squats and calf raises on the total body machine, along with some hamstring curls. Absolutely love doing all of those. I’ve really, really been craving doing stuff since I’ve been so limited since I hurt myself. Then I went over to the table of death. It really is I’m convinced. Brandi flipped my on my stomach and noticed that I had some bruising where she “massaged” my hamstring on Monday. So she conceded that she didn’t need to do that again at least for Wednesday’s appointment, so I lay on my side and she got right to work on my IT band. How do I explain this – bluntly, she was killing me!!! No tears though…still, she kneaded and pushed, over and over. My leg was all red by the time she finished, I’m not kidding. She did some massage around my knee itself and also on my scars (stellar feeling too…). Then back to more stretches and exercises. I love everything there except those frickin' massages. I remind myself that it’s all for the good of my rehab, but it’s tougher to buy that each time. Especially when I woke up on Thursday morning and had a bruise from just above mid-thigh all the way down to my knee. Yes, a really big bruise from that massage. I have a photo at home to upload later.
So, Ben and I are going to dinner and movie tonight. I think we’ll hit the Cherry Creek Grille and then maybe see “Wall-E” the new animated movie. It got good reviews. I wanted to see “Wanted” but Ben wasn’t too into that. Weird – action flick, Angelina Jolie….yea, weird. I’m sure I can convince him to go see it with me sometime. Saturday we are taking Kate out for her bachelorette party with her Denver friends - I’m very excited for that. It’ll be my first night out since surgery. We’ll see how it goes. I may be the girl crashing someone else’s party just to have a place to sit by the end of the night. Ben leaves for Milwaukee on Sunday, and I’ll be watching the finals of Euro Cup ’08 (Spain v. Germany). Have a good weekend everyone!
Monday, June 23, 2008
'Twas a good day at PT on Monday
Had a great day at PT yesterday - not kidding! The massages are starting to hurt a little bit less, and it's probably because Ben has been helping me out at home and doing some of the massage and stretching with/for me. I ended my PT session last Friday at 121 degress flexion, and starting out today after only one flexibility exercise, I was at 128 degrees - proof that the boring, painful, at-home sessions actually do work! I was able to do some different types of exercises today (in addition to the normal and customary ones) including "squat" shuffles with a resistance band, a one-legged (bad leg) modified squat on the total gym, calf raises (straight leg and bent leg) and then some hamstring curls. Oh baby, the burn feels so good!! When you haven't done anything remotely close to exercise in two months, you crave it. Brandi watched me walk and said each time I go in it's better and better, so that's encouraging. My extension today was better too, and it's taking much less work at the start of a PT session to get my leg straighter. Still, when she pushes my kneecap straight down, I feel like I want to cry! But, in the end, all things considered, I can't complain about yesterday's PT. If I can be this positive about it, I think I can follow through and end up with a successful rehab program.
We didn't do much this weekend, as I was still focusing on RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation). My swelling is still there, but gradually improving. Brandi thinks that maybe I can ditch the compression sock starting next week - I hope so!!! It's so hot and uncomfortable. On Saturday, we did go to a friend's BBQ, and had a really good time. I was getting sore and having a hard time finding a good position (stand vs. sit; or both...), so we left around 9, but it was good to see our friends for a while. I feel like I say no to a lot right now since I can't possibly go to a bar and stand for four hours. On Sunday we went to my cousin's baby shower via internet camera (she's in North Carolina) and had a great time. She looks so cute!!! I can't wait to see her newest one. They are naming him Owen.
Last night for dinner Ben and I made some grilled ginger chicken, with cucumber and red onion salad for dinner. I also tried this recipe from Rachel Ray that was lemon chive noodles, which was so good (whole grain noodles and all). Ben even liked it, and he is P-I-C-K-Y. After dinner I rode my bike - a serious woo hoo is needed here.....I never realized how much I needed that damn bike. I never got the mountain bike bug, but it's been a lifesaver before and after my knee surgery. Ben and I even contemplated selling it earlier this spring, and I am so glad we didn't.
I have my first follow up with my surgeon today. He was out of town after my surgery, so I'm super interested to hear what he has to say. Brandi told me to ask him if he did any microfracture repair since I'm still pretty sore in one certain spot when he did work on my medial meniscus. And she is dying to know why he put me in a straight leg immobilizer - she's never seen one of his patients come to her with one of those on. I will post more after I meet with him this afternoon.
Wade, an attorney I work for sent me this article about knees - I'm getting a label as the knee girl!! But I can't complain since the articles I've read so far that people have sent to me are really informative. http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_9595969
Adios for now.
We didn't do much this weekend, as I was still focusing on RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation). My swelling is still there, but gradually improving. Brandi thinks that maybe I can ditch the compression sock starting next week - I hope so!!! It's so hot and uncomfortable. On Saturday, we did go to a friend's BBQ, and had a really good time. I was getting sore and having a hard time finding a good position (stand vs. sit; or both...), so we left around 9, but it was good to see our friends for a while. I feel like I say no to a lot right now since I can't possibly go to a bar and stand for four hours. On Sunday we went to my cousin's baby shower via internet camera (she's in North Carolina) and had a great time. She looks so cute!!! I can't wait to see her newest one. They are naming him Owen.
Last night for dinner Ben and I made some grilled ginger chicken, with cucumber and red onion salad for dinner. I also tried this recipe from Rachel Ray that was lemon chive noodles, which was so good (whole grain noodles and all). Ben even liked it, and he is P-I-C-K-Y. After dinner I rode my bike - a serious woo hoo is needed here.....I never realized how much I needed that damn bike. I never got the mountain bike bug, but it's been a lifesaver before and after my knee surgery. Ben and I even contemplated selling it earlier this spring, and I am so glad we didn't.
I have my first follow up with my surgeon today. He was out of town after my surgery, so I'm super interested to hear what he has to say. Brandi told me to ask him if he did any microfracture repair since I'm still pretty sore in one certain spot when he did work on my medial meniscus. And she is dying to know why he put me in a straight leg immobilizer - she's never seen one of his patients come to her with one of those on. I will post more after I meet with him this afternoon.
Wade, an attorney I work for sent me this article about knees - I'm getting a label as the knee girl!! But I can't complain since the articles I've read so far that people have sent to me are really informative. http://www.denverpost.com/search/ci_9595969
Adios for now.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
I ain't gonna lie - physical therapy sucked on Wednesday
Brandi was just mean yesterday at PT (I have permission from her to write this). No joke! I was almost in tears a couple different times. The massage on my hamstring still hurts like a S.O.B., we skipped the IT band massage (thank goodness), but then she worked on my kneecap. She was sliding it all around, moving it back and forth, pressing, holding, etc., until I was absolutely convinced that she was going to dislocate my kneecap. It was all I could do not to cry! No mercy tap-outs allowed on that one, so I just suffered through. After that torture, she had me work on my extension, using the blood pressure cuff and pushing my knee down toward the tabletop about 10 times. Each time I had to get push down enough to register '20' on the dial (not sure of the exact term for the measurement - lb. or psi, maybe??). Those aren't bad and I feel really loose afterwards. But then Brandi takes it a step further - she pushes my knee down for me....and not lightly either. The past two appts. it was tolerable, but this time, I swear my leg would just snap in half. I said that out loud and she deadpanned, "It's only happened once." Then she waits about 3 seconds to see my reaction, starts laughing and says, "I'm only kidding!" Honestly though, it hurt so bad, I really thought she meant it! The pain didn't stop there...so after she almost snaps my leg in half, she starts to "massage" my incision scars. I was finally able to remove my steri-strips (no stitches or staples on any incisions) this morning after my shower. Four of the five incisions are healed nicely (I thought...), no scabs, just small scars, with the largest incision where they inserted my cadaver graft still a little scabbed over and very sore. So anyway, this "massage" is not a massage - NOT EVEN CLOSE. Picture this: you have a really bad bruise on your thigh, like you walked into the corner of your desk or something. Now, imagine that someone takes their finger and digs in there really good, just digging and digging away, making tight little circles, pushing harder and harder....let me tell you - it feels fantastic. Hardly. Again, I almost cried and it was all I could do to not just jump off the table and run for the door. And again, no mercy tap-outs on this one either....she's getting tougher with me! Finally, after what feels like forever, she's done and I get to move on to my exercises. More stretches, and then I got to do some leg presses on a sliding bench/weight machine for my calves and squats for my quads, followed by sets of hamstring curls. Who would have thought I could pull my own weight up using my hamstrings only only two weeks after surgery? Not me, but I did it and I LIKED IT!
So my at the start of my first visit at PT appt. I was at close to 60 degrees flexion; end of same visit I was at 84 degrees. Man, I thought that was awesome - turns out not so much! At the end of my second day of PT I was at 104 degrees flexion - I was completely and totally stoked, but Brandi still wasn't too impressed (in all honesty, she's very encouraging, and I really appreciate it.). Starting yesterday's appointment, Brandi told me the goal was to get to 120 degrees; at the end of yesterday's appointment I was at 121 degrees! Woo hoo!! Sounds fantastic and all, but the problem is that once I get back to work, sitting at my desk, I get stiff all over again and unless I go through a complete set of my exercises, I couldn't possibly get to 120 degrees right off the bat. I keep reminding myself that this is all progress in the right direction, but it does get discouraging at times. So while I'm at work, I have to force myself to change positions of how I'm sitting - sometimes leg bent, sometimes propped up straight on my CPU unit. I also have to make myself get up from my desk and walk around (I'm so busy at work, so I have to consciously have to think about getting up), so once I get some of the stiffness out in the first few steps, I start to walk on my heels. People here have been watching me walk like that and I know they think I'm crazy, but oh does it feel good!
So reallly, Brandi is mean and wonderful all at the same time. This PT stuff is mostly mental, I think. Yes, it's hard to work muscles that aren't wanting to respond, but when I get discouraged, I remind myself that people do this everyday and really do return to normal functionality in time.
On a different note, here is a video my good friend Kate sent to me that made me laugh. Every single time we feed Tanner, sure as $hit, both Milo and Andy (our cats) are both right in there, eating out of his dish. Tanner never seems to mind (he's a good boy), and it's not like they eat much more than a couple kibbles of his food, but I could honestly see Milo pulling this crap on Tanner one of these days:
So my at the start of my first visit at PT appt. I was at close to 60 degrees flexion; end of same visit I was at 84 degrees. Man, I thought that was awesome - turns out not so much! At the end of my second day of PT I was at 104 degrees flexion - I was completely and totally stoked, but Brandi still wasn't too impressed (in all honesty, she's very encouraging, and I really appreciate it.). Starting yesterday's appointment, Brandi told me the goal was to get to 120 degrees; at the end of yesterday's appointment I was at 121 degrees! Woo hoo!! Sounds fantastic and all, but the problem is that once I get back to work, sitting at my desk, I get stiff all over again and unless I go through a complete set of my exercises, I couldn't possibly get to 120 degrees right off the bat. I keep reminding myself that this is all progress in the right direction, but it does get discouraging at times. So while I'm at work, I have to force myself to change positions of how I'm sitting - sometimes leg bent, sometimes propped up straight on my CPU unit. I also have to make myself get up from my desk and walk around (I'm so busy at work, so I have to consciously have to think about getting up), so once I get some of the stiffness out in the first few steps, I start to walk on my heels. People here have been watching me walk like that and I know they think I'm crazy, but oh does it feel good!
So reallly, Brandi is mean and wonderful all at the same time. This PT stuff is mostly mental, I think. Yes, it's hard to work muscles that aren't wanting to respond, but when I get discouraged, I remind myself that people do this everyday and really do return to normal functionality in time.
On a different note, here is a video my good friend Kate sent to me that made me laugh. Every single time we feed Tanner, sure as $hit, both Milo and Andy (our cats) are both right in there, eating out of his dish. Tanner never seems to mind (he's a good boy), and it's not like they eat much more than a couple kibbles of his food, but I could honestly see Milo pulling this crap on Tanner one of these days:
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Just call me "Tiger" - grrrrrr....
An interesting article about Tiger Woods: http://msn.foxsports.com/golf/story/8258466?MSNHPHMA
If he can do it, I can do it. And I have a head start on him - awesome! Maybe I can convince him to read my blog and we can do therapy together. Ha ha!
If he can do it, I can do it. And I have a head start on him - awesome! Maybe I can convince him to read my blog and we can do therapy together. Ha ha!
I did it! I earned my way onto the stationary bike!
I spent the weekend reminding myself that I really, really, really do like physical therapy. Well, let me rephrase that….I hate when she’s “mean” to me – like her not so nice, but necessary, massages L - but by the time I leave there, I am actually walking almost normal and feel stellar. All loose, no pain, no limp! But then, within about an hour or so, I get stiff and tight all over again. I remind myself that it’s not as bad as before I head to physical therapy, and that each time afterwards, the stiffness isn’t as bad as the day before. I did all of my exercises this past weekend with more ice and elevation, and even more bitching and moaning about my compression sock. I keep hoping that she’ll tell me this week I can take it off…please?!?!
Monday was my second physical therapy appointment. Brandi thought it would be beneficial if Ben came with me so that she could show him some stuff to do with me at home. He said he believed me when I told him how bad it hurt sometimes, but until he actually saw tears in my eyes, I don’t think it really set in for him. So we started on Monday with more massage – both hamstring and IT band. When I got uncomfortable, she tells me to go to my happy place. Here's what I imagine (Maui!):
She had Ben do some of the massages on me, and I just loved how they laughed when he realized that with such a small amount of pressure, he could get me to squirm. In all honesty, we laugh a lot there, thank goodness! Brandi then showed Ben how to help me stretch my quad and at the same time work on my flexion. I am convinced it is the best stretch in the world…so far! I did all of the same exercises I did on my first visit, plus a couple of new ones. One is with a thera-band around a table leg, standing up, band behind my knee, contracting my quad, straightening my leg, the release a little bit, do again. Feels good, but man, do I get tired! Weird that doing so little can drain me. I also did some heel slides on the wall, and my flexion was much better than last Friday. I measured at about 84 degrees (bent) Friday, but today, after exercises, I measured at 104 degrees!! Since I’m past 90 degrees now…here comes the really good part --- they let me try the bike! Kate (another therapist there) put the seat way up high and I got on, really expecting to just rock back and forth without going all the way around. However, surprise, surprise…all the massage and exercises really do work! I got all the way around on my first try. I was so happy! I did about 20 rotations in all (sounds silly to say I only did 20, but what a milestone for me!!) Riding the bike was like a gift before my surgery; I would feel so good after riding it. So now that I can do that from this point on, I only see good things for PT in the weeks to come.
Between physical therapy sessions, I’ve been really diligent about doing my home exercises. I thought I would dread them; of course they would be boring and painful. But in all honesty, I feel so good after doing them, I couldn’t ask for a better incentive. I just wish I could do everything at home that I do in PT since I feel so good after leaving there. I get close to that feeling at home, but it’s not quite the same. Still, I will stick with it knowing that what I do now directly impacts my recovery down the road. And I still am super excited about being able to get on a bike now. Our friends, Tom and Colleen, had a bike trainer they let me borrow before surgery, but Colleen is having some issues with her knee now and she’s in PT as well and having to use the bike daily. I was sad when Tom came over to get the trainer last night, but excited to go pick up the used one I found on Craig’s List. When Colleen said she would need it back, I hopped online to see what they were selling for. New trainers cost anywhere from $80-$200. Considering my health insurance sucks and we’ll be paying $3,000-4,000 for my surgery and physical therapy, I couldn’t stand thinking about dropping that much on a bike trainer. So I checked Craig’s List and found a lady selling one for $25! I checked it out online and used ones of this same model were going for $125 on eBay! I totally scored getting the one I did. Now I just have to wait for Ben to get home Saturday to set it up – I’m mechanically clueless. Or, maybe I can ask Tom to come over and do it?? He was so nice last night when he came to get the trainer. He asked me if there was anything around the house I needed help with since Ben was out of town. He’s had three ACL surgeries himself, so he knows it can be rough, but seriously, what a gentleman! Colleen – he’s a keeper! Kari was there last night to help me with walking Tanner and Tom even asked her if she needed anything (I’m sure Ben’s told him that he often gets “conned” into helping with stuff for her too…), and she was like, “Well, actually, I could use a neck massage.” Tom was speechless….and I said, “Oh seriously! It’s not like Ben would do that for you if he was here, so you can’t ask Tom to do it!” We all laughed, and then Tom immediately headed for the door! Just kidding, it was all in good fun.
So, back to PT today for my third appointment. Maybe this time I won’t get tears in my eyes!
Monday was my second physical therapy appointment. Brandi thought it would be beneficial if Ben came with me so that she could show him some stuff to do with me at home. He said he believed me when I told him how bad it hurt sometimes, but until he actually saw tears in my eyes, I don’t think it really set in for him. So we started on Monday with more massage – both hamstring and IT band. When I got uncomfortable, she tells me to go to my happy place. Here's what I imagine (Maui!):
She had Ben do some of the massages on me, and I just loved how they laughed when he realized that with such a small amount of pressure, he could get me to squirm. In all honesty, we laugh a lot there, thank goodness! Brandi then showed Ben how to help me stretch my quad and at the same time work on my flexion. I am convinced it is the best stretch in the world…so far! I did all of the same exercises I did on my first visit, plus a couple of new ones. One is with a thera-band around a table leg, standing up, band behind my knee, contracting my quad, straightening my leg, the release a little bit, do again. Feels good, but man, do I get tired! Weird that doing so little can drain me. I also did some heel slides on the wall, and my flexion was much better than last Friday. I measured at about 84 degrees (bent) Friday, but today, after exercises, I measured at 104 degrees!! Since I’m past 90 degrees now…here comes the really good part --- they let me try the bike! Kate (another therapist there) put the seat way up high and I got on, really expecting to just rock back and forth without going all the way around. However, surprise, surprise…all the massage and exercises really do work! I got all the way around on my first try. I was so happy! I did about 20 rotations in all (sounds silly to say I only did 20, but what a milestone for me!!) Riding the bike was like a gift before my surgery; I would feel so good after riding it. So now that I can do that from this point on, I only see good things for PT in the weeks to come.Between physical therapy sessions, I’ve been really diligent about doing my home exercises. I thought I would dread them; of course they would be boring and painful. But in all honesty, I feel so good after doing them, I couldn’t ask for a better incentive. I just wish I could do everything at home that I do in PT since I feel so good after leaving there. I get close to that feeling at home, but it’s not quite the same. Still, I will stick with it knowing that what I do now directly impacts my recovery down the road. And I still am super excited about being able to get on a bike now. Our friends, Tom and Colleen, had a bike trainer they let me borrow before surgery, but Colleen is having some issues with her knee now and she’s in PT as well and having to use the bike daily. I was sad when Tom came over to get the trainer last night, but excited to go pick up the used one I found on Craig’s List. When Colleen said she would need it back, I hopped online to see what they were selling for. New trainers cost anywhere from $80-$200. Considering my health insurance sucks and we’ll be paying $3,000-4,000 for my surgery and physical therapy, I couldn’t stand thinking about dropping that much on a bike trainer. So I checked Craig’s List and found a lady selling one for $25! I checked it out online and used ones of this same model were going for $125 on eBay! I totally scored getting the one I did. Now I just have to wait for Ben to get home Saturday to set it up – I’m mechanically clueless. Or, maybe I can ask Tom to come over and do it?? He was so nice last night when he came to get the trainer. He asked me if there was anything around the house I needed help with since Ben was out of town. He’s had three ACL surgeries himself, so he knows it can be rough, but seriously, what a gentleman! Colleen – he’s a keeper! Kari was there last night to help me with walking Tanner and Tom even asked her if she needed anything (I’m sure Ben’s told him that he often gets “conned” into helping with stuff for her too…), and she was like, “Well, actually, I could use a neck massage.” Tom was speechless….and I said, “Oh seriously! It’s not like Ben would do that for you if he was here, so you can’t ask Tom to do it!” We all laughed, and then Tom immediately headed for the door! Just kidding, it was all in good fun.
So, back to PT today for my third appointment. Maybe this time I won’t get tears in my eyes!
Friday, June 13, 2008
GRILLZ....
On an unrelated ACL surgery matter....here is an email I got from my wacky hubby today: (word to the wise, marry someone who makes you laugh...)
First the email: (and yes, this was all I got in the email)
Got 30 down at the bottom, 30 mo at the top
All invisible set in little ice cube blocks
If I could call it a drink, call it a smile on da rocks
If I could call out a price, let's say I call out a lot
I got like platinum and white gold, traditional gold
I'm changin grillz errday, like Jay change clothes,
I might be grilled out nicely (oh)
In my white tee (oh),On South beach (oh) in my wife beat.
V V and studded you can tell when they cut it
Ya see my granmama hate it, but my lil mama love it
Cuz when I...
And now for the photo:
And now for the explanation:
Grillz...it's the bling that people wear on their teeth to flash their dough and to look tough, I guess. Sometimes silver, sometimes gold, now they do platinum and even diamonds!! Mainly hard-core rappers do this, which means of course, Ben is a hard-core rapper. As if we didn't already know that.
Have a great weekend. I will post about my first physical therapy appointment this weekend. I'm still in pain and it was 4 hours ago...
First the email: (and yes, this was all I got in the email)
Got 30 down at the bottom, 30 mo at the top
All invisible set in little ice cube blocks
If I could call it a drink, call it a smile on da rocks
If I could call out a price, let's say I call out a lot
I got like platinum and white gold, traditional gold
I'm changin grillz errday, like Jay change clothes,
I might be grilled out nicely (oh)
In my white tee (oh),On South beach (oh) in my wife beat.
V V and studded you can tell when they cut it
Ya see my granmama hate it, but my lil mama love it
Cuz when I...
And now for the photo:
And now for the explanation:
Grillz...it's the bling that people wear on their teeth to flash their dough and to look tough, I guess. Sometimes silver, sometimes gold, now they do platinum and even diamonds!! Mainly hard-core rappers do this, which means of course, Ben is a hard-core rapper. As if we didn't already know that.
Have a great weekend. I will post about my first physical therapy appointment this weekend. I'm still in pain and it was 4 hours ago...
Physical Therapy - horrible, yet wonderful - is that possible?
So I had my first physical therapy appointment last Friday. I work downtown, and as it turns out, my doctor's preferred physical therapist is downtown as well, so that is convenient for me. Headed there during my lunch hour and stayed for about an hour an a half. (Much thanks to Bonnie and Kelly from work, who were gracious enough to chauffeur me there and back as I'm not quite driving yet.) I was in pain for four hours afterwards, but at the same time, my knee felt better than ever....I was all stretched out and feeling not as stiff as I have been.
First thing we did was to measure my good leg and compare those numbers with my bad leg. In short, I've lost mucho inches: 1.5" off my right calf, and at least 3.0" on my right thigh. I'm just wasting away!! But my therapist (Brandi) thinks she can get me back (even stronger) by the time she's done with me. I'm so glad we hit it off. I had read that if you can find a good physical therapist, it makes a world of difference with recovery.
After measuring me, she laid me on my stomach and began to brutalize me. I'M NOT KIDDING. (She did warn me that I was going to hate her.) She was giving me a hamstring massage on my bad leg, and oh my gosh, it hurt so bad! I had tears in my eyes and basically had to "tap out" a couple of times -- I couldn't handle the pain. She showed me the amount of pressure she was using on my good leg, and I couldn't believe that's how little she was pushing on my bad leg to make it hurt that bad! She told me I have some atrophy and scar tissue there, hence the massage, and hence the pain. But in order for it to go away, I have to continue with the painful massage. Then she flipped me on my side and did my IT band on the outside of my right quad muscle. HELLO!!! OUCH!! Aren't massages supposed to feel good?
Then it was on to my exercises. 5 new ones, so I can stop the ones they gave me at the hospital after surgery. I do wall heel slides (got to 84 degrees after 10 of them - need to get to 90+ degrees in order to earn my way to a stationary bike), IT band stretch on a foam roller (basically more painful massage stuff), hamstring stretch against a wall (feels AWESOME - not kidding), knee extensions (leg straight out, pushing my knee down on a towel or blood pressure cuff; move knee cap toward hip while squeezing quad muscle), and then I do prone hangs. THAT IS THE WORST. You lay on your stomach, legs hanging off the end of the table, allowing gravity to pull your foot toward the floor. I can't relax enough to know if my foot moves toward the floor, as my extension isn't 100% yet. Eventually she'll push down for me....I can't wait for that one. And then eventually she'll bend my knee and push my foot up towards my butt. Thinking "happy" thoughts about that as I write this...pain, pain, pain!!!
At the end, I got some ice along with some good old fashioned shock therapy. I still have quite a bit of swelling and I've developed Pitting Edema (basically excess fluid is still there, and when you push your finger down on the swelling, the impression of the finger stays there for a few seconds.) To help with the edema, I have to wear a STUPID compression sock again on my right leg. Hopefully that will be short lived, as you all know, I HATE THE COMPRESSION SOCKS with a passion. Maybe I'll luck out and when I go today she'll tell me I don't have to wear it. Ben is going with me today so that he can do some massage at home with me. The more the better, she says. I just hope he doesn't brutalize me too! Once is enough, but more...I just don't know about that.
First thing we did was to measure my good leg and compare those numbers with my bad leg. In short, I've lost mucho inches: 1.5" off my right calf, and at least 3.0" on my right thigh. I'm just wasting away!! But my therapist (Brandi) thinks she can get me back (even stronger) by the time she's done with me. I'm so glad we hit it off. I had read that if you can find a good physical therapist, it makes a world of difference with recovery.
After measuring me, she laid me on my stomach and began to brutalize me. I'M NOT KIDDING. (She did warn me that I was going to hate her.) She was giving me a hamstring massage on my bad leg, and oh my gosh, it hurt so bad! I had tears in my eyes and basically had to "tap out" a couple of times -- I couldn't handle the pain. She showed me the amount of pressure she was using on my good leg, and I couldn't believe that's how little she was pushing on my bad leg to make it hurt that bad! She told me I have some atrophy and scar tissue there, hence the massage, and hence the pain. But in order for it to go away, I have to continue with the painful massage. Then she flipped me on my side and did my IT band on the outside of my right quad muscle. HELLO!!! OUCH!! Aren't massages supposed to feel good?
Then it was on to my exercises. 5 new ones, so I can stop the ones they gave me at the hospital after surgery. I do wall heel slides (got to 84 degrees after 10 of them - need to get to 90+ degrees in order to earn my way to a stationary bike), IT band stretch on a foam roller (basically more painful massage stuff), hamstring stretch against a wall (feels AWESOME - not kidding), knee extensions (leg straight out, pushing my knee down on a towel or blood pressure cuff; move knee cap toward hip while squeezing quad muscle), and then I do prone hangs. THAT IS THE WORST. You lay on your stomach, legs hanging off the end of the table, allowing gravity to pull your foot toward the floor. I can't relax enough to know if my foot moves toward the floor, as my extension isn't 100% yet. Eventually she'll push down for me....I can't wait for that one. And then eventually she'll bend my knee and push my foot up towards my butt. Thinking "happy" thoughts about that as I write this...pain, pain, pain!!!
At the end, I got some ice along with some good old fashioned shock therapy. I still have quite a bit of swelling and I've developed Pitting Edema (basically excess fluid is still there, and when you push your finger down on the swelling, the impression of the finger stays there for a few seconds.) To help with the edema, I have to wear a STUPID compression sock again on my right leg. Hopefully that will be short lived, as you all know, I HATE THE COMPRESSION SOCKS with a passion. Maybe I'll luck out and when I go today she'll tell me I don't have to wear it. Ben is going with me today so that he can do some massage at home with me. The more the better, she says. I just hope he doesn't brutalize me too! Once is enough, but more...I just don't know about that.
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Met a girl last night who just had ACL surgery
We went to a BBQ last night at Matt's (Ben's buddy from work) and in walks this girl on crutches, huge brace on her leg and I just knew she'd had ACL surgery. So I walked up to her and said something along the lines of I don't know you, never have met you, but at some point you and I are going to need to chat tonight. So we sat down and she filled me in where she is in recovery so far. She tore her ACL skiing at the end of March, had surgery at the end of April, so it's now been about 2 1/2 weeks since her surgery date. She was still on crutches! I was kinda discouraged. Dr. G. told me that he expects I'll be able to ditch the crutches within about 7 days at the most. So...Ben in all his wisdom, reminded me that every person is different and I can't gauge my recovery on what she said. Which is true. And different surgeons, blah, blah, so I really can't tell for sure what it'll be like for me. But she did tell me it gets easier over time. She and I are actually going to be at the same physical therapy place downtown, so I'm sure I'll see her there at some point. It'll be good for me to see someone a few steps ahead of me, improving each week, to know that it will get easier! She also told me that her parents flew out from D.C. to come stay with her and help her out. She said she definitely needed it. So - Mom and Kari - be prepared to help me out when Ben is back to work!
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