Health & Wellness, Part II

On to part II...

And the ankle?  After waiting for weeks, and calling multiple times to see if I could move up my appointment (persistence pays off) I visited a local podiatrist in February.  I had X-rays and an MRI, then I was referred to a surgeon in Columbus.  Apparently my old injury has developed into an Os Trigonum.... sort of a bony protuberance that was grinding between my joint.

(image from lowerextremityreview.com)

I went to see the surgeon this week, and it looks like I'm headed for a surgical repair in April.  You know it's not going to end easily or painlessly when your doctor looks at your X-rays and says "Wow".  Other than removing the Os Trigonum, he plans to drain fluid, remove scar tissue, and tighten up ligaments.

Side note:  I first talked to the Fellow, who chatted me up about the problems I was having.  When he left the room, Husband looked at me and asked what I was doing.

I was puzzled... I was telling the doctor about my ankle.  According to Husband, if I was his patient, he would have been ready to send me home.  Apparently I was minimizing the issues, and making it seem like 'nothing'.  Perception is a funny thing, isn't it?

After thinking about it, I realized I probably was minimizing the problem. To me, if it was bad enough to finally be seeing a doctor, it was very bad.  But that was not what I was saying.  So when the surgeon came in, I was more descriptive and open about the pain and the problems.   On another tangent, I recently listened to a podcast about women's health issues, and apparently it is more common than not for women to brush off signs and symptoms of larger medical issues.... good to know that I am not the only one trying to be a stoic.....

And the procedure is scheduled!

I am completely freaked out, especially when I think of 4 weeks in a cast with crutches, 2 weeks of a walking cast, 2 weeks of a boot, and a final 6 weeks of physical therapy.  Good thing I didn't sign up for that 5K at the beginning of June!

I'm trying not to think of the hours of boredom, the healing, the lack of activity, or the loss of muscle tone, and instead focus on the hope that by my birthday I should be released for full activity.  And that the end of November may bring a 3 mile run without pain.  Plus, I plan to catch up on some of the reading I haven't been doing in the last 6 months.  I spent my morning adding 15 books to my library "want-to-read" list.

I AM looking for suggestions on shows to stream on Netflix, any good books, and yummy freezer meals.  Oh, and if you've got an automatic vehicle I could borrow for 6 weeks, could you give me a call?

Getting Healthy

Tomorrow I start a Baby Bootcamp class. No, Justin hasn't joined the military (I don't think his Daddy would allow that). It's an exercise class you do with your baby and a jogging stroller. I found a great program through the Parks & Rec department, and thought that there's no time like the present. It runs for 6 weeks, and meets 3 times a week for an hour. I hesitated to blog about this earlier, as I have mixed feelings about this process. I don't doubt that I'll finish the class, and enjoy doing it. I'm not afraid of that. I'm afraid that I will once again fail to follow through with my good intentions to start living a healthier life. I'm not sure when I stopped having any sense of personal discipline. Was it when I had kids? Or when I started feeling really comfortable with Matt (last year)? Regardless of when, it seems to be a daily fact.

Every year as my birthday approaches, I always think "This is the year I get in shape. This is the year I get healthy." I don't think I'm afraid of doing the physical work. I know it's not easy but I'm not looking for a quick fix or miracle pill. I'm pretty sure I'm afraid of the process. Any person who is more than 10 lbs. overweight for more than 3 months can tell you that being heavy is complicated. Losing that 10, 20 or 30+ pounds requires patience, work, and introspection. It's the introspection that concerns me. Taking a hard look at yourself is never fun or easy, and it's been much easier to avoid that process and keep those feelings boxed up. Being a bit of an overachiever with a smidgen of perfectionist (thanks Dad!), I know all about engineered failure. It's far less of an ego blow to simply not try when you know a project is really difficult, and you will struggle. Why risk trying and failing when you can simply not try at all & keep your pride intact?

I had the above discussion with my sweet husband this morning, and while I think he empathizes with me, he also helps me to keep things in perspective. He pointed out that I need to focus less on the exterior, and more on the interior. It's really is about being more healthy. If I can work on that, the physical stuff will improve, too. Or as he put it: "You just need to decide exactly when you'd like to develop adult-onset diabetes". Nothing like thinking about losing your toes to make a walk to the park seem pretty appealing.

It was also inspiring to watch some of the Hy-Vee Triathlon this weekend. On Sunday morning the run portion was headed right past our apartment. Malaina got excited when she saw the runners & wanted to eat breakfast on the porch so she could clap & cheer like the other supporters on the street. I whipped up some pancakes & we all sat outside & watched the runners go by. We talked about what they were doing & why, and I watched the variety of sizes, shapes & ages jog to victory. I'd love to do a triathlon some day, but don't have access to a pool right now. I'm going to have to settle for running in the Race for the Cure in October - which must be important to me, as I actually planned my vacation so that we'd be home that weekend. If Baby Bootcamp can start me on the path to better health, then I'll have another 10 weeks to train before RFTC at the end of October. October 25th is highlighted on my calendar. Good luck to me?