One year ago...

At this time in the evening one year ago today, I was laying in a hospital bed waiting for the orthopedic surgeon to read my xrays and determine if I was having surgery that night or the next day.

What a difference a year makes!

This afternoon as Rob and I headed out on our walk, I commented that it was about that time that we'd been setting off on our bikes (my last bike ride, by the way) and on what would turn out to be the night of my big wipe out. Here's what I wrote about the accident last year.

My co-workers always remember that I had surgery on April 1 -- they thought it was a joke when I called in. I tried convincing them today that the whole bit has been an extended April Fools joke from last year -- the cast, crutches and scooter were all an elaborate hoax. ;)

Kankles

When I broke my ankle last March, I kind of knew there would be shoes in my closet that I would probably not wear ever again. I had a feeling that I'd be bidding some of my cute, strappy heels farewell.

I did not expect that I'd be bidding my boots goodbye, too.

Turns out that I now have kankles.

Correction, I have a kankle.

My right ankle is wider and chunkier than my left ankle. It's very attractive, if I were a table.

I decided to order some new tall black boots from Zappos. I ordered two sizes (I feel like I can do that with free shipping and free returns), and they came last week. They are soft and stylish!

They do not fit.

I can zip up my left boot with no problem. My right boot won't zip up past the top of my foot.

They are going back and I will be bootless.

Goodbye, cute heels. Goodbye, comfy boots. Sigh.

PT Graduation

I finished my last physical therapy session yesterday. Hooray! I have to say that my eight weeks there (probably 15 sessions or so) have been so, so helpful in my recovering the majority of mobility. When I started there in July, I walked with a gimp and was a total chicken to try anything that might remotely hurt.

Now I can run, balance on my bad leg and play catch, jump with two feet, walk at 4/miles per hour on the treadmill and do pretty much everything else I used to do. Jumping on the bad ankle (just on one foot) is still a little tricky, since I can't really push off solely on that foot yet, but I'm working on it.

What's next? Keeping up with the stretches and exercises recommended by my therapist. She said it can take up to a year to regain everything, and she feels confident that I'll regain 90-95% of my mobility. I'm thankful for that!

Feeling Better

We are both feeling better after a day of rest for Rob, and day 2 of the Z-pack for me. Hopefully we are on the mend!

Did you get your free Baja Fresh burrito today? Free coupon for any burrito with the purchase of a drink is floating around Facebook. We cashed ours in tonight for a cheap dinner -- less than $3 for both of us!

I had my fourth physical therapy appointment today, and it continues to help. I did some of the same exercises and worked with the therapist, and today I added two new exercises involving the steps. Going down stairs is one of my toughest things, so hopefully I'll get the hang of moving my foot forward like I need to and will cease to be the clumperama that I am today. :)

It feels much later than 6:46 p.m.... this has obviously been a long day.

PT, Day 2

Today was my second physical therapy appointment, and we did much more this time than last. (The first appointment was mainly an evaluation.)

I started out with 5 minutes on the stationary bike. Bike?!? I have absolutely no interest in riding a bike -- at all. But since this one wasn't going anywhere, I agreed to give it a try. Apparently riding your bike stretches out lots of muscles and tendons in your legs. From personal experience, I can also tell you that it can break your ankle.

Anywho... then I met with the therapist and she did about 10 minutes of deep tissue massage and then about 15 minutes more of tugging and stretching and pulling. Apparently I have the greatest deficiency in pushing my foot down, like you'd do on the gas pedal of the car. The range of motion there is an average of 70 degrees, and I can do it at 34 degrees. So obviously that's somewhere where they'll focus. She said that's also the reason I clump down the steps -- my broken ankle doesn't bend forward as much as it should when it's leaving the step above.

Next I worked with one of the aides, and they kept me busy with picking up a tub of marbles with my toes, simulating walking a tightrope (forwards and backwards), using the balance board and standing on my bum leg while throwing a ball against a trampoline and catching it. Good times.

Last thing I did was the 15 minutes of ice treatment. Basically it's a soft boot that wraps around my foot, and FREEZING ice-cold water shoots around inside it. It feels weird, but actually very soothing.

The therapist feels pretty confident that I'll get back to normal, but she did say that my ballerina days were behind me. :)

PT

I started physical therapy yesterday. My orthopedic surgeon thought my ankle was still a little too stiff, and I have the most trouble going down the steps and doing little things, like kicking off my shoes. My toes are too weak! (Sounds pitiful, doesn't it??)

So I met with the PT group yesterday and they gave me some new stretches. Plus, they'll do some massage therapy and work on getting the skin around my incisions back to normal (it's super dry, mainly because I'm too chicken to really touch it). I'll go twice a week.

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Thanks to those who share good recipes for all of the veggies we got from the CSA. I ended up making a delicious gratin with the potatoes, grilled squash marinated in the herbs, and Erin's cabbage recipe with olive oil, butter and a diced apple. Delicious! I'm still munching on the cucumber, and last night I used the last four potatoes to make cheesy smashed potatoes, using the Laughing Cow Light Swiss cheese wedges. I'm glad we used all of the veggies.


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I'm reading "Perfectly Imperfect: A Life in Progress" by Lee Woodruff. Recommend it for short chapters covering different areas and stories in her life. Some are super funny, and some are super moving. It's a good read so far.

I have a giant stack of books to get through in the next few weeks: After Etan, The Time Traveler's Wife, Plain Truth by Jodi Picoult, and about a half-dozen more.


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We had another stellar experience with Lowe's in-store pick-up this evening. Rob placed an order at 10:45 a.m., and we arrived to pick it up at 5:30 p.m. They looked at us at customer service as if we'd walked up to the counter and ordered a Big Mac. Totally confused. After 15 minutes, they finally tracked down the item and brought it to the customer service desk. This is the item that was supposed to have been ready for pick-up at 12:45 p.m....

Catching Up

This has been a busy couple of weeks, with us being gone for my grandfather's funeral and the fourth of July last week, and a busy week of work and appointments this week. I'm finally sitting down, and I'm delighted that the premiere of Big Brother is tonight. It's a total train wreck every year, but we still love watching it all unfold.

Tonight we went to Manassas to pick up a bag of fresh veggies as part of a community supported agriculture (CSA) group. Our friends actually belong to it, but they are on vacation this week and offered their week's share to us. We got a head of cabbage, a giant squash, a cucumber, 10 potatoes, an onion and a bunch of herbs. We are glad to try it out to see if we'd like to participate in one, maybe next year. Now I need to find some good recipes -- anyone ever buy a cabbage before? I never have!

My dear friend Kelly got engaged two weeks ago, and I'm happy to be her matron of honor! I'm meeting her tomorrow for dress, cake and invitation shopping. Bring on the cake samples!!! :)

I should update on my ankle... I went to the orthopedist last week, and he thought it all looked good. He would like me to do 6 weeks of physical therapy, so I start that next week. I also bought some scar cream to put on my two slices --- both are pretty dry and itchy, so I'm hoping that the cream will help.

This weekend is a picnic with good friends, and not much else on the radar. We are all bringing a dessert to share at the picnic, so I'm bringing peanut butter chocolate-dipped rice crispy treats. YUM!

Hope you are having a good week --

Not Much New...

Nothing new is happening this week... just plugging along with work and stuff at home. To Rob's delight, I'm mostly back to making dinner and am able to do some stuff around the house. Everything, that is, except laundry because I can't balance well enough to carry the basket up and down three flights of steps. Boo hoo for me. :)

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Do you watch American Idol? I know Adam strikes a cord with many of my friends (maybe its his guyliner?), but I like him and hope he wins. He just more dynamic and more entertaining than Kris.

Something about Kris rubs me the wrong way. He's like every bad devo leader rolled up into one, with his cheesy smile and "aw, shucks" attitude. Sorry, Kris fans!

And how about that little Olympian Shawn taking DWTS?? I thought for sure Gilles would win, and I could barely keep my eyes open for the winner to be crowned.

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My ankle is doing better every day. I bought a brace to wear that supports it, but wouldn't you know that our crazy cat made off with it last night? I left it on the table, and this morning it was gone. Rob and I turned the place upside down looking for it, but to no avail. Guess I'll have to buy another one.

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I love Tootsie Roll Midgies. The perfect little treat.

Picnic Planning

Rob and I are going to a picnic tomorrow hosted by the geocaching club members in Northern Virginia. I'm intrigued to meet some of these characters. These are people from our area who enjoy placing and finding caches, so I'm imagining a unique collection of fun people who enjoy puzzles, challenges and being outdoors. And since my hubby fits that bill, I'm hoping I like everyone else too.

It's a potluck picnic (they are supplying burgers and hot dogs), so we're taking a pasta salad and a mocha chip bundt cake. Yum! I had more batter than fit in my bundt pan when I was baking today, so I put the rest in a small dish and baked us up a sample cake. Delish.

Not much else happening here.... we finally made it to a burger place tonight for dinner that we've been wanting to try, and while it was good, it wasn't much what I'd expected. I'm walking a little bit better and managed to cram my swollen foot into a different tennis shoe today. Whoo hoo.

Hope you're having a good weekend!

Cast Your Cares to the Wind

Or in my case, my cast to the wind. :)

Yesterday was my six-week check-up with the orthopedic surgeon, and he was very pleased with my healing. So much so that he's taken me out of the cast. Wow!

It does feel really strange to not be wearing it, and because of the swelling, I can only get my lovely gray New Balance sneaker on my foot. These are the shoes I was wearing when I fell, so I guess I've come full circle.

Walking is a little awkward and it's still pretty achy, but I'm doing my exercises and am grateful to be on the mend. Thanks to you for your good thoughts along the way!

I'm a Walker!

I've gone up and down the steps a few times, and walked from our living room into the kitchen, just using one crutch. Whoo hoo!

I can't tell you how much more enjoyable going up and down the steps is, not on my backside. Although I do think I was giving my upper arms a workout with that maneuver!

We celebrated with dinner at Red Robin. We hadn't been there for ages, and it was so good. Love those fries.

As another punishment reward , Rob rented The Wrestler to watch tonight. Oh, boy. :)

Walking Day

Today is walking day for me. This is the day that my surgeon said I can begin walking on my cast.

The only problem, you see, is that I'm a total chicken.

I don't know if I've psyched myself out or if I'm just crazy, but I'm petrified.

I have dreams where I'm walking all over the place, but when it comes time for me to do it in real life, I freeze.

I know it's going to hurt. I've accepted that. But I know that it's not going to get any better by not testing it out and stretching what I can do.

I'm taking baby steps. In the last two days, I've gone up the steps in our house on my feet. Granted, I pushed down A LOT on my crutch and the banister, but I did it. And this morning I took two steps (right next to my big, comfy, padded armchair, in case I wiped out).

So, wish me luck. Cluck, cluck.

Four Weeks

Four weeks ago tonight, Rob and I were riding our bikes along the trails when I wiped out. What a hassle this whole thing has been. Honestly, I can say that this broken ankle and impairment in getting around has really challenged my attitude. I try hard not to get down in the dumps, but it's so hard when I feel like I'll never be the same.

And, in my heart, I know that I will be. I'll be walking in no time, and I'm super lucky that my injuries weren't more serious.

But all the same, I wish it had never happened.

I think I've said before that it's given me a better appreciation for the physically impaired and the handicapped. Lots of little things have crossed my mind, like I vow to never use the handicapped stall in public bathrooms - you never know when a girl on crutches or on her knee-scooter (this is the model I have; renting from a local supplier) is waiting to get inside.

I'll be patient when I'm behind someone moving along the best they can, and I won't be too hurried to help a handicapped person reach something in the market or carry something to their car.

I'm so, so thankful that I'm on the mend, but I'm also thankful that I'm more aware of the blessing of health that so many of us take for granted.

Summer in April

It was 90 degrees here in D.C. this weekend! Nuts. I think the average temps are supposed to be somewhere around 65-ish, so this heatwave is a surprise to everyone. I think it's going to stay this way until Wednesday, when it cools back down.

Here's what I've learned: I am so, so glad I'm not wearing this cast in July. It's only been hot two days, and my foot is SO HOT in my cast. Hopefully it'll stay a little cooler until I get this thing off at the end of May.

Nothing too exciting this weekend... Rob went out for a hike and to do some caching on Saturday. He deserved a break! I've been reading my book and watching a lot of Food Network. :)

We did venture to Trader Joe's after church today, and I got around pretty well. I'm actually working on putting more weight on my foot, but it hurts and I'm a total chicken. I'm trying, though.

Three Weeks Down

It's been three weeks since the big fall and my surgery, and I have to admit that I'm feeling better. I definitely think that the first two weeks were the hardest and most painful, but now it's not as sore and I feel a little more steady.

It swells the most the days I go to work. I try to keep it propped up under my desk, but it's a little awkward and I don't want to look like a total schlump. :)

I've been trying to do some standing, since I can put 50 percent of my weight on my ankle. Figuring that out is a blast -- I'm supposed to put my cast on the scale and push down until the number reached half of my weight, and then I'll know the amount of pressure that equals 50 percent.

Except that means my husband might find out how much I weigh, and I have a goal to avoid that happening. :)

All kidding aside, at least I can put down my foot now to steady myself. At church on Sundays, I practice standing as we sing, and I also stand to brush my teeth. I can feel that my ankle is stiff, so I've been trying to move it around some when I have the cast off.

Hopefully, the physical therapy I'll do when the cast is gone will ease that.

So, three weeks almost down (as of Friday), and either three or five more weeks to go. I hope it goes twice as fast!

Crutchin' Around

I found this Web site that shows the different ways to walk with crutches. At this point, I'd say I'm walking mostly like this: Swing-to Gait

Unless I'm in a hurry. Or out in public where I feel like everyone is staring at me. Then I walk like this: Swing-through Gait

In two weeks, I will hopefully hopefully hopefully be able to do this: 4-Point Alternate Gait

After that, it's just me. No crutches. I hope so!

Two Weeks Down

My surgery was two weeks ago yesterday, so that means I'm either one-third or one-fourth of the way through my time in the cast. Whoo hoo! Depending on whether I have to lug this thing around for six or eight weeks, at least I'm making progress.

I'm working from home today, and I'll be in the office again tomorrow. I was there Tuesday and Wednesday too. It was so nice to be around people! It's a little exhausting and difficult to prop my leg up, but it's doable.

My parents are coming down for the day on Saturday, so I'm really looking forward to that. My mom is taking me to get my hair cut, and we'll go out for an early dinner before the crowds build up. They'll head home in the early evening. I'm glad they are visiting!

The bad news is that we aren't going to my good friend's wedding reception in Western Maryland on Saturday (they had a private ceremony in February and are celebrating now with a bash). It's just too hard for me to get around, and I don't want to run the risk of someone bumping me or a kid slamming in to me in the reception hall. Plus, there's no chance I'm getting in and out of my parents' house -- steps are not my friends. I'm disappointed not to be going up for it, but my girlfriend understands. We'll see them next time we are in the 'burg.

Off to prop up my swelling foot.....

Out and About

Hope everyone had a happy Easter! It's been a pretty good weekend for us. We missed getting to head west to see our families, but that was okay.

I worked from home again Friday, so I was pretty stir crazy by the time Saturday morning rolled around. It was raining, but we decked out and headed to Trader Joe's. We took my knee scooter so I could get around the store. It wasn't too crowded when we got there, but it seemed to get more and more busy.

Only a couple of people looked at me like I was a freak or made me feel like I was in the way, but everyone else we encountered seemed pretty nice. One little kid said really loud, "Did that lady break her leg?" He was a mess.

I tell you what -- I have a whole new perspective on things, and a whole new appreciation for handicapped people.

Today, we headed to church. We'd planned to maybe go the sunrise service that our church was hosting in a local park, but we didn't know how far from the car we'd have to go, so we decided to just go to the first service at the building. After the sermon, about 20 people or so shared a "cardboard testimonial", which I found really powerful. I'd never seen that before, but apparently they are all over the Internet.

We came home for a bit (have I mentioned that getting in and out of my house is the most difficult thing I have to do?), changed clothes, packed a lunch and headed out for Rob to do some geocaching. I took along the book I'm reading, so I'd read a few pages when Rob would hop out of the car to find a cache. It was such a nice day that I enjoyed being out, and we celebrated Easter lunch with a picnic of pb&j and granny smith apples.

So Rob did four loads of laundry today (whoa!), made us a terrific dinner of carne asada, roasted potatoes and mushrooms, and now he's running the vacuum. Do I have a keeper or what?? :)

Working from home tomorrow (and the cleaning company is coming to give me an estimate - yeah!), then in the office Tuesday.

Trader Joe's berry pie time! Happy Easter!

Friday, Friday

I used to be super excited about Fridays -- the start of the weekend, being able to sleep in, spending time outside with Rob. Now it's just another day on the couch. I'm so stir crazy I could scream. :)

Next week, I'm vowing to go into work three days. I need to be around people, and I really like my job. It's been nice being able to work from home, but I need meetings and ringing phones and people popping into my office to chat or complain. I'm thinking I'll do Tuesday, Wednesday and Fridays in the office.

A couple of good things are happening... I'm finally getting a cleaning lady! Whoo hoo. I've been lobbying for one for y-e-a-r-s, but really couldn't justify it. Rob is doing a terrific job of taking care of me, he can't take on this whole house. I called the place our neighbor uses, and they are coming Monday to check us out.

More good news is that today I can get my foot wet. Hooray! I can't wait to take a bath, put lotion on my legs, etc. Yay!

Yesterday brought a visit at home from a good friend, and another pal brought us dinner one night this week. Thank goodness for friends. :)

Have a good weekend!

Still Here

I'm still here, sitting on my couch with my leg propped up. The big fall was one week ago this evening. Sometimes it seems like a long time ago, yet I swear I can still feel that bike slipping out from beneath me. I think it will be a while before I'm ready to ride again.

I have to say that the last week has been a good lesson in humility. Dear husband probably never imagined that he's have to do so much for me, and although I know he doesn't mind, I'm just not the type of gal who is used to sitting down all day or having to ask for help. It's tough.

Tomorrow I'm going to try to go to work. I think I can do it, but I'm a little worried that my leg will swell up like crazy. I need to figure out a way to prop it up in my office. I've been luckily working from home yesterday and today, so I won't be too far behind.

The good news is that I've gotten to catch up on some good TV.... I've enjoyed seeing the full Today Show, watching Rachael Ray and checking in on some of the shows I DVR and never watch. Anything to pass the time!