This morning was our third walk in 5 days! It feels great to be back outside enjoying the spring that’s just started!

Physio has been intense to say the least. 4 days a week, an hour and a half each session. Everything from stretching exercises to strengthening, and some bike, elliptical and treadmill work! The first time I broke into a sweat, I think everyone in the gym saw the smile beaming on my face! It felt so incredibly good to be doing something! Anything, as long as it means movement again!

I stated back at work half days last week and will add an hour a day each week until I’m back to full duties. My target is May 16th. It seems like such a long way away, but I have to keep reminding myself surgery was only 6 weeks ago. I have pain everyday mostly all day, but it’s a different kind of pain than what I had pre-surgery. I’m hoping it will eventually go away, along with the fluid and swelling that still comes and goes. The doc is cautiously optimistic that I will be able to resume life to what it was pre-accident. He did say that there is a small chance the pain will not go away but we won’t know until it happens…

So now, we wait until I’m at a place where they figure it’s as good as it’s going to get, then it’s back in for another MRI, and a decision on surgery #2. Hopefully I will have enough time in between that I can get in some good training outside! I should be getting the go ahead fairly soon for getting on a bike outside… that will be awesome! Walking is great, but I already know I will be allowed to bike before I can run. Some silly thing my physiotherapist keeps saying about having less stress on the knee joint. Anyway… it is what it is.

I’ve got an awesome app on my phone that tracks me by GPS when I do get out for walks. It keeps track of time, distance, speed, calories burned etc. Then once you’re finished your workout, it uploads to a map and graph so you can see your course. Pretty cool. Works for anything outside. I can access the information from either my phone or my laptop. A pretty cool workout tool for anyone on the go either on their feet or on wheels!

Anyway… I’m going to go spend the rest of my afternoon relaxing on the patio. The sun is shining..finally! Things are starting to dry up after the worst precipitation year in decades. The birds are singing… and I need a beer!

Until next time, be good to yourself, and remember:

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

- Bishop Desmond Tutu

]]> http://trijessitri.wordpress.com/2011/04/24/almost-home/feed/ 0 trijessitri 132000_1592621293887_1186541889_31436823_5178160_o http://trijessitri.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/recovery-really-2/ http://trijessitri.wordpress.com/2011/03/13/recovery-really-2/#comments Sun, 13 Mar 2011 16:57:46 +0000 trijessitri http://trijessitri.wordpress.com/?p=840 ]]>

Post Drain Removal

So this is it… I’m finally post surgery! 2 weeks already actually. I’ve been contemplating dumping this blog and just carrying on with life without it, which is why there have been zero posts for a while now. I just didn’t feel like doing any writing.

Life had been pretty frustrating pre-surgery. Once I finally saw the doc and we decided that yes, surgery was needed, things kinda went downhill from there. I was at a place where I was in pain daily. I was in physio 3x a week and all it seemed to do was flare things up… but I kept going anyway. We needed to know what my thresh holds were. Apparently they were pretty low!

Just a quick note in regards to the surgery itself, the doc did a complete scope and a bursectomy. I have no clue how many bursa were removed, but the ones that were, were trashed. I haven’t seen the doc since surgery. I do see him day after tomorrow however to discuss where to go from here. Ie… back to physio and eventually work… and life! At least for a while anyway. Part of our discussion will be surgery #2 to remove the cyst in the back of my knee. It’s putting pressure on some nerve in there that’s causing numbness in my foot. But…I’ll deal with that when it comes.

I had a Jackson-Pratt drain that was removed 2 days after surgery. At that point, there was little fluid remaining or draining from the site. That’s all changed rather quickly! A week later, the fluid was starting to build up again. It now looks like I have a portobello mushroom sitting on top of my knee cap! I did call the docs office, but was told “some fluid is normal”. I’m not entirely certain if 400-500 ml is in the “normal” range or not, but I do know it is majorly holding me back! Bending my knee at this point causes not only pain, but also causes all the fluid to push outward against the incision….which is also still seeping at this point.

So…I’m doing as little as possible. The more I move, the more the fluid. So, I’m keeping myself fairly restricted between the couch, the bed and my anti-gravity chair. I would advise anyone having any type of leg surgery to purchase one of these babies before your surgery!  It has truly been a godsend! Yes, it’s an outdoor lounge chair, but it makes it so easy to get your legs elevated!

One bright side to this whole experience…I’ve actually managed to lose a few pounds! I’ve been really trying to be careful with my “cheats” while I’ve been off. It’s not too difficult considering I can’t control what food is being brought into the house right now! Thanks to T for doing all the grocery shopping…and helping me to stick more to a “Paleo lifestyle”.  I refuse to call it a “diet” because it really isn’t one. It’s quite simply a healthy eating lifestyle. Knowing what is and isn’t good for my body based on what my body does with it once I consume it. Best of all…no counting anything!

Anyway… that’s about it for now. I won’t know any more until after Tuesdays appointment. I will have an even better idea of where I’m at once I get back to physiotherapy. I’m hoping to be back to work in a couple more weeks…we’ll see I guess. After normal life returns, I can look forward to the exercise I really want and need to get back to! Spring is around the corner, and I want to run! I want to bike! I want a better, healthier existence than what I’ve lived since the accident! Until then, be good to y0urself…and remember:

“Determine the thing that can and shall be done, and then we shall find the way.”

- Abraham Lincoln

Day three was a typical day for the most part. It’s difficult to get things done outside working hours now as since I’m right smack in the middle of the prairies…it’s dark when I leave for work, and dark by the time I get home now! And here… we don’t follow daylight saving time. Go figure. The one place that needs it most…doesn’t get it!

So for brekkie yesterday, I had a baked chicken breast with some veggies. Had absolutely zero time for my mid-morning snack, so I saved it for extra lunch. Lunch was roast chicken with carrots, celery and sweet potato. My snack from the morning was a boiled egg. So that was desert today!  Afternoon snack was a “Power Stick”. A dry cured smoked sausage. Really good for making you feel like you had to get something in your belly. Kinda like a Paleo version of a Snickers! My undoing today was that I had a nice mug of hot chocolate mid-afternoon. Supper though was something special. Homemade beef goulash! Topped the night off with a couple ounces of white wine. Damn it was a nice finish to a day of nothing but meetings, getting absolutely nothing else accomplished at work!

So…onto day 4 on Nov.4 (today) We’ll see what life decides to throw at me today. But I’m getting better at ignoring the munchie machine! I have physiotherapy tonight, so I’ll get some upper body exercise again. YAY!

Have a super day….see you all tomorrow for another bit of dribble on a day in my life to recovery.

So it’s the morning of day 3 now, and I’ll go over yesterdays stuff. Yesterday was an interesting day regarding my physiotherapy workouts. I’ll tell you why later…

Breakfast was nothing special. Quick and easy actually. Left over beef from yesterday with a mix of carrots, broccoli, onion,beans (although I try to stay away from legumes) and finally red pepper. Again with a tsp of Teriyaki for added taste….oh yeah..can’t forget the coffee!
Morning break was celery and almond butter….and another coffee!
Lunch was another stirfry. This time with fresh ground extra lean turkey and veggies with a tsp of  sweet Thai chili sauce for flavour…
Afternoon snack was a boiled egg and a cup of herbal tea…no caffeine.
Dinner was a bit late cuz of physio, so I didn’t want to eat heavy. I had a baked chicken breast with ranch seasoned shake and bake!

Yeah, so the shake and bake wasn’t quite Paleo, but until I can get my imagination going with quick and easy recipies…sometimes you just need the flavour! Besides, it’s not like that crap coats very well anyway…

Back to the interesting part of my day…physiotherapy. Ever since I’ve been going, all they’ve been doing has been working on my leg. Since I’ve had daily pain since August, all I do at physio is a few stretching exercises and some work on a stability board. (They didn’t want to aggravate my pain) Hmmmm, I think pain is pain, and when you have it daily anyway…it’s already aggravated! So, now that they know I’m waiting for surgery, they’ve decided to do some upper body strengthening!  No clue why I haven’t been also doing the upper body stuff all along…but hey, I’m not the professional right! I’ve only gone without exercise for six months and let my belly droop over my waist line because I like it that way!!! Grrrrr. It felt so good to exercise again. Nothing spectacular. A sitting bike where I get to pedal with my arms instead of my legs, and an upper body weight machine for my forearms and biceps.

Regardless…it felt great! And I’m now going to be late for work if I don’t get my butt out the door! Have a great day everyone and more tomorrow!

Oh yeah…when I checked the scale this morning… an additional 2lbd off the scale! That’s 3lbs total already!!!!

Yesterday was a long day for me all the same. Off to work for 0830. Actually off to the dentist at 8, then race to work right after. Of course what was supposed to be “oh, it’ll just take a quick 15 minutes”, turned into “I’m afraid we’ll have to freeze you to get this finished. It’s not quite going the way we planned”. Then again, an hour in the dentist chair is certainly enough to curb anyones appetite!

Work was crazy as usual. I’m still playing catch up from having taken a month’s vacation, so I really don’t have the time to think about food a whole lot right now! Then once work was don (5:30) it was off to meetings for 4 hours to brainstorm on how we can make work better! Gotta love those strat planing sessions…(insert sarcasm here). Needless to say, my meals had to be done and ready for the entire day. Here’s what I managed to put in my mouth yesterday:

Breakfast:
Beef stirfry with fresh veggies topped with 1 tsp of Teryaki sauce
1 cup coffee with 1 tsp honey and 1 ounce cream
Morning snack: 1 boiled egg
Lunch:
Roast chicken with roasted carrot and sweet potato
1 cup coffee with honey/cream
Afternoon snack:
celery sticks with almond butter
Dinner:
Salad with chicken, green onion and tangerine
Snack when it was all said and done:
1 boiled egg and 1 pepperoni stick followed by a cup of Sleepytime tea

Okay, so the pepperoni was processed. That’s not supposed to happen. But all in all, it was a good eating day. I am tracking my weight, but that is one thing I will not be posting for the general population to look at! I’ll keep that to myself and give you a running tally as I lose it. I am weighing in every morning at the same time in the same clothes. (washed of course when required) I can say today, on day 2, that the scale said I am 1 lb lighter than yesterday.

See you all tomorrow, after day 2 of walking past the munchie machine!

The REAL Black Forrest cake from Cafe Schafer!

This represents what life for me has been like for far too long.

The accident was almost 14 months ago now. I’m currently on a waiting list for surgery to have the bursa removed from my knee, and after 4 weeks in Europe… EVERYTHING in my body has successfully shifted to where it shouldn’t be! Muscle has turned to fat and now want’s to head south for the winter!

Vacation is over and it’s time to do something. Although I do have several limitations now, I’m not feeling anything good about myself. I either have to suck up the pain…or allow myself to get bigger.

Pain in my leg has been daily since the first week of August. I can manage it with over the counter drugs and ice for the most part, but not all. So, I’ve decided that since the pain is there anyway, and since I’m already waiting for surgery, I may as well do something productive! Now begins the start of another journey. My journey back to health… and hopefully back to triathlons.

November 1 marks day one of extreme changes. First thing that goes is my current diet. I can’t keep eating (or drinking) like I’m still in Europe! Seriously…the alcohol is cheaper than water in most cases…So, my diet starting tomorrow goes completely “Paleo” adding light exercise a few days a week to start.

I will do what I can to maintain my blog (although past history dictates that may be spotty! lol) I’d like to keep you up to date on not only what I do for exercise…but also what I put in my mouth. All we can do is wait and see what the results will be.

So, come take a trip with me back in time. Back to a time when hunters and gatherers ate from the land, back to a time when there was no such thing as diabetes, obesity or cancer, back to a time where it was more important to get a good night sleep than to watch the Late Show. Come join me back to the beginning…back to the rivers of belief.

Until next time…be good to yourself, and remember:

Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.

- Vincent van Gogh

Things have been up and down still as I both recover from one heck of a nasty bronchitis and get back into the swing of exercise. I managed to make it to CFR on July 19th for a modified WOD. It was a two par work out.

Part 1: Power Cleans of:

10@65lbs
10@75lbs
5@85lbs
5@95lbs
1@105lbs
Total Reps = 31
Total weight = 2405lbs

Then on to Part 2: 4 Rounds for time of:
200m run
20 squats
10 pull ups
Total Reps = 124
Total Distance = 800m
Total Time = 12:21
HR Max/Avg = 189/182

It was incredibly intense even considering the time elapsed since my last WOD. I was more than happy with the time… and the adrenaline rush along the way!

Saturday had me back out on the highway for a training ride with my MS Bike Tour Team. Starting in Regina, out to Balgonie on the back highway, down to the #1, west to the Pilot Butte highway, then back north to the Back highway and back into Regina. All in all a 50km ride.
I was quite surprised with my pain levels. I have a bad tendency to shrug my shoulders when I ride. When I do that, I get that nasty pinching, burning sensation in my shoulders that ends up making my hands go numb! So far, it’s been happening on the way to Balgonie. This time it didn’t start until the way back! YAY! I had to concentrate and remind myself repeatedly to relax my shoulders, but it paid off! Once I’ve spent more time in the saddle, I hopefully won’t be getting the pain at all.

The picture is from the way out to Balgonie. The flax is just starting to come into bloom. Not a bad pic considering it’s from my cell phone! Most of the fields in the area are canola. It’s nice to see some other colours in the landscaping! We didn’t travel very fast as team leader is still recovering from a knee replacement. I had a couple extra zips where I did some out and back to get my heart rate going.

Total Distance = 52km
HR Max/Avg = 185/153
Speed Max/Avg = 43.7/22.3 km/hr
Total Time = 2:20 (best guess as there was a couple stops I forgot to pause my watch!)

I look forward to another long ride next weekend. Until then, I’m going to get my butt out there and ride to work tomorrow. It’ll be about 30km round trip, so I’m good with that! I’ll hopefully get into taking more pictures out on the road so I can share more of my experiences with pics as opposed to my drabble…

Until next time…be good to yourself, and remember:

“Promise me you’ll always remember: you’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.”

- Christopher Robin to Pooh Bear

I’ve done quite a few things since my last post, but I’m not going to list them all this time. Why??? Because for some reason, my life seems to be focused around biking right now, and that’s okay!

Last year I had promised a friend I would join her MS Bike Tour team. I am one who likes to keep my promises. I’ve been getting itchy feet to get out on my bike for some training so, I sent off the trusty e-mail and within hours we were set up for a ride!

Ride #1 was last Saturday. The plan was to bike out to Lumsden and back. Approximately 55km round trip. The catcher is that Lumsden is in a valley! Up to that point in my training and races, I had not yet done any hill training! I had no clue if I would be walking my bike back up or not! I figured I would be okay since my buddy is still recovering from a knee replacement! So…off we went!

It felt great to be out on the open road on a bike again. Heading out of Regina it was overcast and threatening rain. We hustled our butts and thankfully watched as the nasty clouds drifted behind us and into Regina. We were heading west and into sunny blue skies! I started to feel a bit of apprehension as we got closer to the top of the valley. Since I had never biked up a hill before, it would also stand to reason I have never biked down one either! At least not since I was a care free teenager in the Okanagan!

T had tole me before the ride to take it easy down the hill and make sure I used the back brake as opposed to the front. Good thing to remember so one does not end up going ass over tea kettle onto the pavement! On a hill like that, if you use your front brake, you could go right over your handle bars and get run over by your own bike! Not an experience I’d like to have! So, I heeded her warning and used the back brake. Squeeze a bit…then back off. Squeeze a bit…then back off. All the way down the hill! Before I knew I knew it I was looking at my bike computer watching it as it hit 55km/hr! What a rush!

The bottom of the hill was much more pleasant. Lumsden awaited…along with a hearty breakfast at the local restaurant! It was nice to sit and reflect on what I had just done. Then it struck me… Oh shit…I have to go up that thing now!

Up wasn’t nearly as difficult as I had anticipated. My thoughts were…as long as I don’t have to get off the bike and walk…it’s all good! I managed a respectable 11 to 12km/hr heading back up the hill! I didn’t have to get off and walk, so it’s all good! Back home to Regina and into a nice hot bath!

Sunday was up and at it again. This time out to Balgonie and back. About 45km round trip. I was feeling just a bit sore this time around though. As my buddy put it… my “girly bitts” were suffering from so much riding! At least this time it was more flat than not! We stopped at the gas station on the north side of Balgonie for a nice pottie/drink refill break. All in all a good weekend was had by all.

I actually managed to not do much else for the week ahead. I was kept busy with working two jobs. I managed a 2hr walk with the dogs on Saturday, then it was back out on the highway Sunday morning for another bomb to Balgonie and back. The sky was clear and the fields were a brilliant yellow. I love summer riding. The weather, the smells and the colours are absolutely stunning! I look forward to more road training in the coming weeks.

Until next time, be good to yourself and remember:

“It is a wholesome and necessary thing for us to turn again to the earth and in the contemplation of her beauties to know of wonder and humility.”

- Rachel Carson

9 Tire Flips
3 Clean & Jerks @ 65lbs
400m Run
6 Tire Flips
6 Clean & Jerks @ 65lbs
400m Run
3 Tire Flips
9 Clean & Jerks @ 65lbs
400m Run

Total Reps =36 (not including the run)
Total Weight = 648 lbs (not including the tire weight)
Total Distance = 1200m
Total Time = 14:47

It feels good to have poured some sweat for a while. My runs from home are great, but I absolutely LOVE the CFR WOD’s that are a combination of strength and cardio. I always feel like I get the most intense workout when I have that combination. Thanks Leah…your coaching and encouragement were awesome!

AND…just so you know…that is NOT me…and my tire wasn’t quite THAT big! Onwards and upwards…and until next time, be good to yourself…and remember:

“There are no such things as limits to growth, because there are no limits to the human capacity for intelligence, imagination, and wonder.”
-Ronald Reagan