Listening to the Voices in my Head

Exercise Therapy

My ass hurts. That being typed, I can also say I don't have another session on Friday, as Meg tested positive for COVID.  As much as my ass hurts, this stop and go (dare I say) exercise routine leaves much to be desired.

I'm supposed to be going twice a week, but lately it's been once a week. I'm tired of having to start over from almost the beginning. I don't fault Meg for getting sick; life happens.  Do the exercises at home, you say? I can't. I don't have the equipment. I do what I can to mimic them, but without the resistance training devices, I'm at a standstill.

I'm too old for sudden gymnastics

Water from helping Wing take a shower (he had surgery on his right hand) made its way under the rubber backed bathmat. I didn't notice that water had made it's way under the bathmat.

I walked in as usual, left foot lead, stepping on bathmat which sudden slid forward, and I found myself doing a 'split'.  I managed to stop the downward momentum by grabbing the shower wall, and the vanity top.

I bent both knees and stood up carefully.  Everything seemed ok.

Until this morning. Left leg only hurts when I move it. 

Umm, ow.

Another day, another list of aches and pains

Simon the Sadist altered the list of rehab exercises.  I do try to them all every day, but some days are harder than others.  This morning on the stationary bike, I had about 4 rotations of the pedals where the tendons felt as if they were being scraped across jagged rocks.  (#6 on the scale from 1 to 10). I didn't stop, I kept going because I had to. The pain faded, and I managed the full 10 minutes. 

On an aside, I have found two perfect songs for a 10 minute ride. Both are Moody Blues songs. "Nights in White Satin" and "Question".

And in other news, I have decided to become a dual citizen. U.S./Australia.  With the anger in the world today, I don't want to travel on a U.S. passport, even though I have an Australian visa. I am not giving up my U.S. citizenship, but I don't want to be 'stuck' . The good news is because I am an 'old fart', I won't have to sit the Citizenship test, just an interview.

I decided to put a stop watch on rehab workout

From first bend as far as I can, to 5 minutes on stationary bike, it takes me 22 minutes and some seconds.  Since Samsung health tracker doesn't have specific category for what I do, I selected "Circuit Training". 

The only exercise I fudged on was stepping up a stair on my left foot, then raising my right leg up to a 90 degree bend, and hold it for 5 seconds.  I tried doing it on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, and all that would happen, is I would lurch into wall.

I substituted one of the exercises Meg showed me. With hands against wall (or other unmovable structure) stand on right foot, lift forward and hold left leg up for a count of 5. Do this 10 times, and repeat but starting with the right leg.

Two months post op

I have my physio table/bed set up and am using it instead of the bed. Bed is too soft to do some of the physio work.  I have used it twice now, and wow, can I feel the difference. I find it easier to do the exercises without hubby and son helicoptering around me. They mean well, but it can be a bit smothering.

 
Doing almost 5 minutes on the bike. I'm supposed to lower the seat, for a greater bend in the knee, when it get 'too easy. I'll be happy to do so, when my left knee doesn't feel like it's trying to tear itself apart when I push down.

Taking bets (virtual ones)

Husband and son set up my physio table last night.  So, today, I did the 'bridging' exercise, the lay on back and pull heel as close to the butt as you can, and the cross legs at the ankles, keeping the surgical leg in the back (the left one in this case) and using the right foot to assist, bend the left leg as far back as you can (to discomfort). 

Got done with that, and used the washing machine for balance, slowly shifted weight from the right foot, to the left, and lifting the right foot off the floor, until at least 90% of the weight is on the left foot.  Repeat, but going the other way, from left to right.

Here's where the virtual betting comes in.  Will I:

A: Hop out of bed, ready to start a new day.

B: Groan, and using right heel on side of bed, haul my self to sitting position, kind of glad it's a new day.

C: Groan, try to move, and realize my legs, glutes and abdomen wish it was yesterday, and just stay in bed.

And I had almost forgotten what it was like

I had my first appointment with Hayden The Horrible, physioterrorist. And as usual, I hurt more today than I did yesterday. He did find out, as Matt The Torturerer, and Simon The Sadist, I have a high tolerance for pain.

Got a new regimen of exercises, which I did expect. What I didn't expect was to be told to stop using any walking aids if I was walking somewhere I didn't have to worry about how fast I get from place A to place B.  This kind of scares the bejeebus out of me, because we have this HUGE wide open area in the house, where there is nowhere for me to reach out should I start losing my balance, or if my left leg folds, or an ankle decides it wants to roll again.

I have ONE lace up ankle support, but there are issues. First off, I have two ankles. Secondly, if I wear it, my shoes don't fit. I do have some of those elastic type, but they aren't comfortable for a AA heel.  Really digs in painfully after about 2 hours, maximum.

Part one done

Saw "Meg the Motivator" (afterward, at home, I call her Meg the Merciless!).  Because my heel was taped up in such a fashion, there was no pain, so I sort of overdid it on the weekend and again on Monday. 

No mercy!  Well, a little bit. Was on treadmill for 20 minutes, but a a slightly slower pace than I usually do.  Then off to the "Reformer" (aka pilates machine)  I used to snicker about those things, but I don't any longer! It keeps the spine and hips in proper alignment, so when you do the actions/exercises, it's equal, and helps correct poor posture. Mine poor posture is due to years of a bad disc, and it's subsequent collapse, and having a bad knee.  The realignment isn't fun, or easy, but necessary.

Exhausted, but have to see Dr H, my GP, about getting my anti-seizure meds prescription.  He only gives me two months worth, because of the law.  It's deemed a 'controlled' medication.  Me, I call it the "Three little white tablets a day that keep my body from trying to painfully fold into sharp geometric shapes.  No nap, not yet.

He's back to Simon the Sadist

By his choice, not mine.  He agreed, though, with the logic of the moniker.
 
Logic train: His job is to hurt people (via therapeutic massage). He stabs them with needles. 

He enjoys his job which causes pain = Sadist.

Was rough session, stabbed with needles this on the front and back of this most troublesome of lower legs!  Have new stretching exercises for the plantar fasciitis. Fun! yay. :p

Bummed out today.  Jared's birthday today. He would have been 45.  I wasn't supposed to outlast him.  Just doesn't feel or seem right.

Submitted myself to voluntary torture

Saw Meg the Motivator, exercise supervisor/merciless  and Simon the Sadist yesterday, meaning I am on hurtin' unit today.

I pushed myself to do all the exercises, even though my left leg is shaking like a leaf in the wind.

After session with Meg, I saw Simon. He unerringly put his thumb exactly where my shin hurt, and because I didn't expect it, as a reflex, I swatted his hand away. *sheepish grin* I couldn’t apologise enough. He said no worry, he had been hit harder, and he should've been quicker. He then checked the problem I have my heel hurting. Yeah, it 's plantar fasciitis. He's surprised that it hadn't been referred to him as an injury, seeing as I have been dealing with it since January. After some work on my calf, he examined my heel.

Of COURSE I can't have the usual type of PF, mine is directly in the center of my heel. My foot is taped up in a way to help with the PF.

While entering my next appointment, Simon asked if I could choose another name, other than Simon the Sadist, as Meg hurts me just as much, but she has MOTIVATOR. I got a laugh out of it. I did ask “You do deliberately cause pain, and stab me with needles.”  He agreed that is true. I told him would think about it.

I thought about it after I got home, and yeah, I will now call him ‘Simon the Sensible’.