What Might've Been Lost...

Finally going through my backlog of photos, and thought to post...

Sat, 18 May 2013 21:50:23 -0400

Finally going through my backlog of photos, and thought to post this one from our last night in the Dominican earlier this year

Back & Forth

Fri, 17 May 2013 07:43:15 -0400

Some events in life will leave gigantic imprints on the mind and heart, disabling you from ever being able to fully ignore them. But, as you journey on, you’ll dwell on those moments and realize that you saw them through. And that you’ll never be the same. Rather, you’ll be stronger. You ARE stronger. And now the day ahead is seen as a blessing. So, live it.

ONE YEAR!!!!!!!!!!

Sun, 10 Mar 2013 21:21:00 -0400

As per usual, I’ve been slacking with my entries, but today marks a rather important anniversary - ONE FLAPPIN’ YEAR since my achilles rupture surgery!!!!!!! It was even right around this time in the evening that they were re-attaching the tendon, so I thought it was only fitting to update you on my progress. I’ll do so in bulletpoint form in an effort to shorten this entry.

The day after my last entry, the soreness I had written about actually diminished quite a bit! I found it all too ironic as it was the only big complaint I had with respect to my then current status. Then magically, it practically disappears the very next day
I’m still doing two physio sessions a week, but I’ve not been as diligent lately due to an impromptu vacation and a busy work schedule
I did a lot of walking on sand during the aforementioned vacation. As a result, I returned home with a rather sore achilles
That being said, although the soreness in my heel area disappeared after my last entry, it’s now back in almost… ALMOST… full force
My last physio session was three days ago. I asked my PT how much longer he anticipated I’d need treatment and he gauged about 2 more months. It’d be more ‘maintenance’ vs. therapy though
In order to get a better idea of where I’m currently at in terms of endurance, my PT challenged me to run for 30 minutes straight. Although I’ve been avidly running whenever I can (I even hit the gym while on vacay!), I prefer to run in intervals vs continuously. So, 30 minutes STRAIGHT was going to be interesting
I took that 30 minute challenge a couple of days ago and managed to log in 35 minutes instead! Zing!
The intent of the challenge was to see how my achilles would respond in the days after. Without a doubt, it was quite tender and sore 24 hours later. 48 hours later it was feeling good enough to go for another run, so, I did. But this time I went back to interval running
I’m slowly getting better at single leg calf raises. I can get myself more than halfway up on the left side now, but it requires a couple of things - (a) a proper warm-up to help minimize the heel soreness, and (b) some kind of support. My balance could still use some improvement
This point doesn’t really have anything to do with the surgery (per se), but, while I was in the various casts 10 weeks post surgery, I’d lost 10 pounds. Over the last ten months I’ve gained those ten pounds back. The hope was not to gain any more than that! Now that I’ve been able to go for regular runs again, I’ve now dropped 5 pounds. It’s important for me to make mental note of that because when I started this whole work-out regiment back in Oct of 2011, I’d worked myself to a certain point, and then the injury happened 5 months later. In a measly 5 months I’d made a lifestyle change, and I didn’t want the injury to set me back any more than it already had. In other words, I didn’t want to gain back the weight that I lost from Oct - Mar. Anywho, a year post surgery and I’m basically picking up right where I left off. Which, to me, is kind of awesome!

In a previous blog entry I was presumptuous in thinking that my achilles rupture entries would turn back into work-out progress entries. And with so little really happening in the way of recovery updates, why not segue into a little bit of that now? :P

I mentioned earlier that I’m back to interval running. The great thing is, I’m doing even more now than what I was doing pre-injury! That goes for both speed and time. Today went something like this: 4.5 minute warm up (speed 3.2), 1.5 minute jog (speed 5.0), 1 minute run (speed 5.5), 0.5 minute run (speed 6.0), 0.5 minute run (speed 6.5), 1.5 minutes walk (speed 3.2), lather, rinse, repeat for 35 minutes, 5 minute cool down (speed 3.2). My max speed pre-injury was 5.0, and that’s the speed I did my 30 minute continuous run at! :D
I think I’m going to start playing softball again this summer. If all goes well, I may be playing on not one, but TWO teams! The key there is ‘if all goes well’. The season would start up around May/June, but with this residual soreness in my achilles beginning to flare up again, I’m only going to play if it completely disappears. I’ve made it this far, and I don’t wanna f*ck things up by getting competitive again, while being anything less than 150%

It’s hard to believe that a full year has gone by since the surgery. Full recovery is estimated somewhere between 12-18 months, but I’m happy with my progress at the 12 month mark. I can remember how unbelievably crushed I was when the on-call orthopedic surgeon told me I’d fully ruptured the tendon. I can remember crying myself to sleep the first night I was in the hospital - partly due to anger, partly disappointment, and partly for fear of the months that lay ahead.

I haven’t had too many life changing moments, but this… this was certainly one of them. Despite the fact that I endured a physical injury, the challenge was more of a mental one.

I’m a changed person because of this experience. Now, I’m stronger.

10 Months & 3 Days

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 17:10:00 -0500

Well… it’s a new year, and I’ve been making mental notes of new updates with respect to my progress. To put it simply, things are looking pretty good these days. I actually had a bit of a physio hiatus due to the holidays. My PT also doubled up his break by finally going on his honeymoon, so there was about a two and a half week period without physio for me (my last session was December 22nd, and my first one of the new year was on January 8th). On top of that, I wasn’t being very diligent with my home exercises (it was tough to find time during the holidays), but as soon as January hit, I went into high gear. And by high gear, this is what I mean:

I’m running again! In my last achilles update I’d mentioned that my PT gave me the ok to run, er, jog on consecutive days (ensuring that I carefully monitored how my achilles would respond). Two physio sessions into 2013, and I’ve been given the ok to run. And by run, I mean RUN! :) Similar to the way I’ve re-introduced jogging, I’ve been told to gradually re-introduce increments of running. So, for example, yesterday’s run went as follows: 7 minute warm-up (walk), 2 minutes and 40 second jog, 20 second sprint, 2 minute walk, lather, rinse, repeat (minus the warm-up part, obviously) for a duration of 45 minutes. The next day my achilles was feeling great, so I went for another run, and increased my sprint time to 30 seconds.
There’s nothing wrong with resting. In addition to the green light for running, I’ve also been cleared to be active for more than two consecutive days. Right now my physio requirement is still two sessions a week, so I’ve generally gauged Monday, Wednesday, and Friday as my running/weights days, and Tuesday and Thursday as physio days. That leaves Saturday and Sunday as my rest days. That’s technically 5 straight days of activity, but sometimes I’ll swap out a Wednesday and a weekend day to break things up a bit. Although I’m still not 100%, I’m now capable of doing a lot of the things that were part of my work-out regiment a year ago. I’m really starting to feel like my old self again, so it’s a very difficult for me to accept those rest days.
Ultrasound. Physio still consists of about 10 minutes of ultrasound due to the scar tissue/soreness I still feel near the base of my achilles. It’s certainly improved over the course of time, but man is it taking its sweet time in going away. Right now, the only time I really feel it is when I dorsiflex my left foot and rotate my foot away from my body. I used to feel the soreness while just rotating my foot away from my body, nevermind having it be in a dorsiflex position. Anyways, the soreness is annoying, but again, it’s slooooowly getting better.
Speaking of soreness. When I wake up in the morning, I get out of bed and walk down the stairs like an old fart. My achilles is usually quite stiff, and it takes some time for it to loosen up. Some mornings are better than others, but for the most part, you’re best to go around me if you’re heading down the stairs.
Walking on heels. Although I was cleared to walk in heels at the time of my last entry, I haven’t actually had the opportunity to test it out until this past weekend. The reason I hadn’t tested it out yet was because there weren’t many days/nights that would require me to be on my feet for a short amount of time. Just like everything else, it needed to be gradually re-introduced. I fared well on my first attempt, but I could definitely feel the (bearable) soreness in my achilles with each step.
Balance. My balance on heels, and in general, is actually quite decent. I remember trying to balance on the bosu ball with just the bad achilles a couple of months ago, and I wouldn’t last any longer than a few seconds. Now I can keep myself balanced on there for about a minute or so.
Cracking. I just cracked my ankle which reminded me to also mention how often my ankle has been cracking as of late. I originally made this observation before the holidays and asked my PT about it. He said it was likely because the joint is getting more range of motion and that when it cracks, or feels like it needs to be cracked, it’s just fluid cavitation in the joint. The frequency of ankle cracks has decreased in the last couple of weeks, but it still happens multiple times a day. Forcing ankle cracks may actually be becoming a bit of a habitual thing. Not good :/
12 to 18 Months. It usually takes 12 -18 months for full recovery (i.e. back to sports) from this injury. I was told I was closer to the 12 month, 2 months ago. The question is, is that 12 months post-op or 12 months into physio? The difference there is a good 10 weeks! I’ll have to ask at my next physio session.

I can foresee these achilles/physio updates morphing back into work-out entries in the next couple of months - I’ve reinstated my work-out sessions, I’ve returned to tracking my food intake, and I’m taking the proper vitamins again! We’re only two weeks into the year, and already I’ve shed that holiday weight! :)

8 Months & 17 Days

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 00:22:15 -0500

Shame on me for not being more diligent with writing about my achilles progress. There have been countless times while driving, or when walking from my car to a building, where I think to myself - ‘I should really write another entry on my progress’… or, ‘mental note, in my next achilles entry I should mention ________’. Clearly, I’ve failed to do that. Until now.

It’s been so long since my last entry that I’m sure I’m going to miss some important details, but for what it’s worth, here are some highlights:

In late October/early November (which would have been approximately 7-8 months post-surgery), my PT put me on a walk-to-run program. The basic idea of the program is to slowly re-introduce running - er, jogging. Eventually it’ll turn into sprints, but I obviously have to work up to that. The program’s approach allows the achilles to re-familiarize itself with force and impact experienced while running. Additionally, it allows me to work on general endurance in my left leg. I’ve diligently been documenting the dates I achieved specific ‘runs’. It’s a goal of mine to get as far into the program as possible by the end of November. With physio being scheduled every Tuesday and Thursday evening, I leave the running stuff for Monday, Wednesday, Friday and/or a weekend day if things get too hectic during the week. When I started the program, my PT advised me not to do consecutive days of walking/jogging as I still need to gauge how the achilles reacts - will it swell? Does it feel sore the next day? If so, I shouldn’t advance to the next level of ‘running’. Insofar, the achilles has held it’s own. Swelling is non-existent, nor is any soreness, so I’ve progressed quite steadily and am entering the last week of the program! Today I asked my PT if I can now do consecutive days of running and he gave me the green light! I’m totally stoked, and honestly quite surprised to see that my stamina hasn’t depreciated all that much since my days prior to the injury. Maybe it’s because the program gradually adds longer stints of jogging with each outing, but, who really knows?!
The inflammation in my achilles area is still present, but it’s made SIGNIFICANT improvements in the last month or so. Whatever I had left in a limp was due to the irritating pain near the back of my heel, but I’m happy to say that for the most part of the day, I’m no longer walking with a limp. My ankle is still a little stiff in the morning, but the amount of ‘warming up’ is on a decline. I feel like my pre-injury self when the achilles has warmed up. The challenge is reminding myself that that isn’t the case! I never quite understood why professional sports teams kept stationary bikes by the sidelines and had players ‘warm-up’ on them. Now I fully understand it’s purpose, and how much of an effect it can have on certain joints
My PT has now given me the ok to start wearing heels again. I haven’t actually put this to the test yet, ‘cause I’m afraid that a full work day on heels will be too much for my first outing. I’m waiting for a day where I have just one appointment during the day to test out the strength and stability with a higher heel on. When I tested this out in mid-September (sans approval from my PT), it seemed like I was going to have to learn how to walk in heels all over again - I was wobbling from side-to-side in medium height heels! I’m hoping that the wobbly-ness was due to the fact that the stability and strength just wasn’t where it needed to be. I’ll have to make note of how things go as I’m certain that my strength has increased since my last attempt in heels
I’m no longer getting acupuncture treatments. I think this stopped a few weeks ago, but there was one random session where my PT decided to do acu instead of ultrasound. Aside from that one instance, I’m only getting ultrasound treatments done on the achilles now - as well as the usual manual therapy. Which, by the way, is rather painful again. Now it’s more so because muscle is being re-developed, and it’s super sore when it gets kneaded. Before it was painful because there was a crapload of scar tissue that needed to be broken up. Either way - no pain, no gain!
This past weekend I went to the mall with Gullo and it was probably the first time I was on my feet for 3+ hours without feeling like I needed to take a sit break! Usually the heels start to feel compressed and soreness kicks in at the 2-3 hour mark, but this time around, there were no ill effects!
About a month and a bit ago my physio session went down from 2 hours, to an hour and a half. However, I’m now back up to 2 hours. Since the achilles seems to be making some really great strides, my PT gave me a bunch more exercises - including use of the ladder! In my early physio days I would see other clients do ladder work and I couldn’t wait until I was well enough to try it out myself. I’m now at that point! Here’s a video of me doing a ladder drill: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDb6viTISiU&feature=g-upl. I think this was taken during my second physio session after I was introduced to ladder drills. I’ve only been doing exercises with the ladder for about a week, but I can already see that my speed has increased quite a bit when watching this video now

I think that about sums it up as far as updates are concerned. Improvements are on a slow/steady pace now, but I’m more than ecstatic to know that I can start incorporating cardio into my work-out again. In fact, on my non-physio days, I’m actually starting to do full body work-outs again. It’s felt like a long time coming, but it’s a testament to what hard work and determination can do for you. The days of thinking this injury was the end of world doesn’t really seem all that distant. But what a difference in mentality now!

Oh, speaking of which - my PT has often times told me that full recovery from this surgery is usually about 12-18 months. With the progress I’ve made insofar, he thinks I’ll be closer to the 12 vs. 18 month mark for full recovery! ZANG!!

A photo of my walk-to-run program. A work in progress…

Tue, 27 Nov 2012 22:30:00 -0500

A photo of my walk-to-run program. A work in progress…

1st Annual Friends Thanksgiving - Part Two

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:52:00 -0500

1st Annual Friends Thanksgiving - Part Two

1st Annual Friends Thanksgiving - Part One

Tue, 20 Nov 2012 21:49:00 -0500

1st Annual Friends Thanksgiving - Part One

Halloween with Mr. Aiden

Mon, 05 Nov 2012 20:14:33 -0500

After a hard day of work...

...who wouldn't enjoy laughs over dinner?!

Halloween with Mr. Aiden

R.I.P. Bailey Boy <3 <3 <3

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:21:23 -0400

R.I.P. Bailey Boy

<3 <3 <3

A random photo shoot with Bailey, July 2010

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:17:00 -0400

This photo made me laugh out loud when I re-discovered it :)

A random photo shoot with Bailey, July 2010

“Whatchu lookin’ at, Willis?!”

Mon, 15 Oct 2012 22:15:14 -0400

“Whatchu lookin’ at, Willis?!”

Battle Scars & Tats

Thu, 11 Oct 2012 16:36:28 -0400

It was during my massage at Ste. Anne’s that I realized just how many battle scars/tattoos I have on my body:

The masseuse started with my left leg - Achilles rupture surgery.

Then my right leg - tattoo around my right ankle and an incision on my right knee due to an ACL replacement.

Then my back - floral/script tattoo commemorating my mom.

Then my right arm - tattoo around my wrist, also commemorating my mom.

And lastly, the back of my head - a scar from being tripped up in my grade one classroom which required some stitch work.

Ironic that the only major limb missing is my left arm which I plan on getting inked as soon as I can finalize my design.

Ste. Anne's BFF Talk

Fri, 05 Oct 2012 08:52:58 -0400

After waking up in the morning, and whilst still lying in bed:

Me: *cough, cough, cough*
VM: You ok?
Me: Ya…
VM: Then shut the f*ck up!!!!
Me: [grabs a pillow and winds up to hit VM]
VM: Nooooooo, I’m at the spa!!!!
Both: *laughter ensues*

Week 30

Mon, 01 Oct 2012 20:36:00 -0400

I figure that I’ll title all entries pertaining to my achilles recovery by week vs. day now. It’s hard to believe that all this time has gone by, and yet I’m still awhile away from where I’d like to be (I’m probably at a 70% - my strengthening is still in need of some major work). Similar to my other post surgery entries, I’m writing today because I appear to have arrived at another milestone - well, maybe mini milestone is more appropriate.

Earlier this evening I decided to go for a walk on the treadmill, and I was pleasantly surprised at my endurance. It was only a week ago that I decided to take on a 30 minute, slightly-faster-than-normal-walking-pace, walk. I could tell that my whole leg was lacking in stamina/strength/support as I would feel various aches throughout the 30 minute stroll. I informed my PT of the leg fatigue and he reassured me that it was all part of the healing process. So imagine my excitement when I decided to go for another walk today (again, only one week later), and my endurance seemed to be a non-issue. I ended up in walking for 45 minutes, and proceeded to do some of my physio strengthening exercises.

In a recent physio session, my PT asked if I was capable of doing a calf raise on both legs, while decelerating on my injured side only. I gave him a ‘are you crazy’ look, but to my surprise, I had enough strength on my left side to to decelerate with control. My PT told me to add a set of 10 reps into my regiment of exercises, but I was only capable of 5 reps at a time, so we compromised at 2 sets of 5. With that being said, I’m happy to report that (again) only after a week of doing this exercise, I successfully completed 2 sets of 10 after my 45 minute walk today! Progress :)

Since my achilles was feeling so good this evening, I thought I’d try my hand at walking on the balls of my feet again. I was capable of this a couple of weeks ago, but when I showed my PT I could do it, he held off in adding it to my regiment. I was still noticeably limping, but, not anymore! Progress!

With all that being said, and my excitement levels elevating through the various exercises, I iced myself down only to feel some soreness lingering. I hope it doesn’t create any sort of setback as the inflammation I’ve been experiencing (and that which has been hindering much of my progress) seems to be slooooowly tapering off.

My PT has told me that it can take 6-12 months before returning to sports. Month #7 falls on October 10th for me, so I’m going to make month #8/9 my goal for getting back into my regular work-out regiment i.e. having the ability to jog/run/sprint.

It’s hard to believe month #6 is coming to an end. I can vividly remember sitting in the emergency room, and the on-call ortho telling me that it would take about 6 months before I was ‘functional’ again. What I remember even more so is how bummed I felt at that news. But, the reality is that I was ‘functional’ before the 6 month mark hit, so here’s hoping that the trend continues, or better yet, increases, in the next month or two!

Gio & Shaun’s Wedding - Part II!!!!

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:57:02 -0400

Gio & Shaun’s Wedding - Part II!!!!

Gio & Shaun’s wedding - Part I!!!!

Mon, 10 Sep 2012 18:52:45 -0400

Gio & Shaun’s wedding - Part I!!!!

I went to the Ex twice this year, and this is just a collection...

Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:56:00 -0400

I went to the Ex twice this year, and this is just a collection of my favourite photos from both outings

Gullo’s Pool Party

Wed, 29 Aug 2012 22:37:00 -0400

Gullo’s Pool Party

The Girl Who Cried Bike?

Thu, 16 Aug 2012 08:15:19 -0400

For years, and years, and years now, I’ve been telling my friend Vanessa that I’m going to get a bike. With the passing of each and every summer, I remained bike-less and earned the title of ‘the girl who cried bike’. Today I’m here to write about the fact that I can no longer hold that title!

Physiotherapy is on-going, and with the inflammation/tendonitis in my achilles region finally settling down, I’ve been a little more anxious and determined to get active again. I started cycling on a stationary bike at physio a few months ago, but I’ve strayed away from it being part of my regular routine while at the clinic (which I never should have done because it was my only source of cardio). I don’t have a stationary bike at home, and since I’m not able to jog yet, I thought that there was no time like the present to finally shed the title of ‘the girl who cried bike’.

After dropping in on a few stores (Sports Chek, Canadian Tire) and specialty cycle shops, I decided to purchase a Specialized Vita - a hybrid bike, good for road riding, but can also handle trails, and ergonomically designed for women.

I picked up the bike two days ago, and was stoked to get out on the road. So imagine my disappointment when it started raining just as I pulled into the drive-way!

In any event, I woke up early yesterday morning and went for a 45 minute ride before the work day started. It was a little challenging to wake up earlier than what I’m used to, but once I was out on the road, it was all worth it. I haven’t ridden a bike since my high school days, but when they say ‘it’s like riding a bike’, they’re not lying - it all comes flooding back, naturally.

I really wasn’t sure how long would be too long of a ride, given that the most time I spent on a stationary bike at physio was 10 minutes (and that was months ago). I played it by ear and called it quits after 45 minutes, but man, I could get used to this routine.

Today I woke up, expecting to be sore in either the achilles area, or my quads, but to my surprise, I wasn’t the least bit sore. I guess that’s due to proper stretching and an ice down. As a result of feeling good, I decided to go on another ride tonight, this time increasing my riding time quite a bit (45 minutes to about an hour and 10-15 minutes). When I realized the distance I’d traveled, I wanted so badly to hit the 25km mark, but at 20 I was really pushing it, so I finally ended off at just over 22km.

As I’m writing this entry, my legs are feeling incredibly sore, and I think the morning will be even more interesting. That being said, I guess my excursion threshold should be in the 45-60 minute range (for now), with a goal of riding 25kms within a month (if not sooner). I think that’s a feasible goal.

With fall approaching, and cooler weather already making itself present, I can totally see myself getting hooked onto this whole cycling thing. If I can’t run, I’m happy to at least get in some form of cardio. It’ll be interesting to see what happens when I do get back into running though. Will I lean towards running or cycling more? Hmm…

I don’t know how I drifted so far away from being active in the last few years, but with my work-out regiment pre-injury, the injury itself, and the recovery process insofar, I’m beginning to appreciate and re-familiarize myself with the pleasantries of sports and fitness.

Maybe the Olympics had something to do with that in the past 2+ weeks too :?