Back With a Capital Vengence!

Back to work today for a whole 4 hours. Hip is more crampy than I would like :( I think it is telling the world it is going to snow a lot in the next few days.

AM: Hip flexor stretch (just trying to lay flat), heel slides, leg lift with band, hip circles.

PM: Heel slides, leg lifts, hip circles.

I love the snow even though it is a giant pain in the bum on crutchies. We need a gigantic base so I can ski in May :) Bring it on!

AM: Heel slides, circles, leg raises

AM2: 10 minutes on the recombent bike!!!

PM: Worked a whole 6 hours and no achys today. Felt good. Then another 10 minutes on the bike at level negative zero (meaning I can't pedal hard enough to turn the darned thing on) at what I am guessing to be 35 rpms.

PM2: Heel slides, circles, leg raises

AM: Heel slides, hip circles, leg lifts. Cannot wait to add more to this routine.

AM2:10 minutes bike.

PM: 10 minutes upright bike plus loads of manual therapy, ouch, at PT. Added glute sets and 3-way hip to the routine. I forgot how hard this is going to be, booooooo!

AM: Morning PT.

PM: 10 minutes bike. Evening PT.

Here's the truth about surgery #3, I am so depressed I am finding it difficult to function. I think 2 was my limit, this is not easy, it sucks, and I am pretty sure all this ice is trying to kill me. Pathetic plea for support, I know.

AM: Said goodbye to me beloved ice machine and then morning PT.

PM: 10 minutes bike at PT and PT stuff. Still limited to heel slides, leg raises with band, 3-way hip, and glute squeezes. Groin feels pincy awful.

I guess all I have to do is whine on my blog about how sad I am and then a happiness package of beer and chocolate shows up at my door. I wonder who that is from :) Best part was the drawing that I taped to my mirror so I will always be smiling!

First attemt at selfie with new fancy phone. Disregard messy room, I am on crutches damnit!

I have felt super lethargic and just wiped these past few days which I attributed to being pathetically depressed and well after spending last night battling a 103+ degree fever, I think I am sick. So weak and sick that I can barely crutch to the kitchen. I ate a GU for lunch because I know I need the calories, but I don't have the energy to cook up anything else. I can't help but laugh at this new realm of patheticness! Seriously?!? I have barely left my house for 3 weeks, how can I get this sick?!?

AM: Still managed to do my morning PT except for glute squeezes.

PM: Evening PT minus hip circles. Too weak to fetch spider band...

The other big race this weekend!

My fever finally broke this afternoon after 48 hours of sweaty, achy nonesense so I ventured out of the house (i.e. bed) for the first time in 2 days.  After clearing all the snow off my car with a crutch, I drove straight to my new favorite coffee shop, the Starbucks drive-thru, and then drove to all my favorite BST trailheads (Terrace Hills, Morris Meadow, City Creek, and even Ensign Peak) to look at the purdy snow. I miss running in the snow, it has been THREE YEARS of this winter broken bull crap and the trails looked so lovely. Well it has almost been a month already and my return to running/skiing day of February 6 will be here as soon as you know it! 

AM: Leg circles, leg lifts, 3-way hip, glute squeezes, hip flexor stretch.

PM: Fever's back son of a... Leg circles, leg lifts, 3-way hip, glute squeezes, hip flexor stretch - - Hip flexor feels like it is starting to loosen up a tad. Deja Vu.

"It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse."
~ Ann Trason

Ha! We will see about that. I am whining on this blog because I want a record of my recovery in case there are problems down the road. I almost hope nobody reads this because I am at my most pathetic state. Crutches + FLU + icy/snowy yuck = no bueno.

Anyway... day 5 of the FLU. Went to the doc to get something to help my cough which of course does nothing for my cough and leaves me dry heaving most the night.

My cough is so hard and deep that it is really hurting my groin area, I feel like I really pulled or yanked something bad. Damn I hate how everything is connected. I am really worried I pulled the stitches out of my iliofemoral ligament or something :( I am also worried about all the discomfort I am having in both hips. Haven't been on the bike since Friday. Bahhhhhh.

AM: Hip flexor stretch, hip circles, leg lift w/ band, 3-way hip, glute squeezes

PM: Hip flexor stretch, hip circles, leg lift w/ band, 3-way hip, glute squeezes

AM: Hip flexor stretch, hip circles, leg lift w/ band, 3-way hip, glute squeezes

PM: 10 minutes bike & 10 minutes arm bike. First "workout" in a month! Thank you flu for making level zero the ultimate challenge.

I am not sure if this is a joke or not, but it is awesome! "It's visionary.  It's truly on the edge of what we could call climbing," Arc’Athlete Jesse Huey. I can't get youtube videos to embed anymore so you have to click here: First Light!

I have been so preoccupied with this stupid Flu that I didn't realize my 4 weeks are up! DOWN TO ONE CRUTCH now and I can CARRY things!!! "Walking" feels awkward and weird, but that is normal. Should be walking sans sticks soon.

AM: Weight shifting exercises and scissors and splitty things added to PT routine. 10 minutes bike and walking practice at PT.

PM: Hip flexor stretch, hip circles, scissors, and splits with spider band, 3-way hip, and glute squeezes.

Several hours on my feet today at work so pretty crampy (3-4 range) tonight. Making some progress with the one crutch, but still feels a little too early to be weaning.

AM: Hip flexor stretch, hip circles, scissors, and splits with spider band, 3-way hip, and glute squeezes.

PM: 10 minutes bike, level 1. Hip flexor stretch, hip circles, scissors, and splits with spider band, 3-way hip, and glute squeezes.

Crutch weaning is happening rather slowly, but for good news my hip is moving really well (passively in PT) and I already have greater flexion than I did pre-surgery!

AM: 10 minutes bike and supervised walking at PT. Weight shifty's, scissors, and splits with spider band, 3-way hip, and glute squeezes.

PM: Fell asleep at 7:30 pm. Missed evening PT. I EXHAUSTED from flu @ss kicking!

AM: Morning PT.

PM: Lots of hot spring soaking, BINGO playing, and assorted debauchery in Lava Hot Springs. Skipped evening PT again, I blame full-strength beer and hot water!

AM: Warmed up in toasty personal Lava hot spring hot spring tub. Stretched hip flexor then circles, scissors, and splitty things, 3-way hip, and butt squeezies.

PM: Out of all the things I have missed out on with my stupid hips, I think not being able to throw a bowling ball with friends may have been the worst so I sat at bar, drank beers and watched the best PACKER game in the history of ever. Fell asleep before 8 and missed all evening PT for the 3rd time this weekend. No more slacking!!! I just get so tired from life. I need steak!

AM: 10 minutes bike. Passive range of motion and scar massage at PT (makes me want to punch PT in face). Weight shifties, circles, splits, and scissors with band, 3-way hip, glutes squeezes, and NEW baby squats.

PM: 10 minutes bike and more hip crap.

MY BLOG IS SO FUN AND INTERESTING LATELY!

AM: Hip drill.

PM: 10 minutes bike, 90 minute massage (the crutch special), & evening hip drill.

AM: Hip ultrasound, scar beating, passive range of motion, and 10 minutes bike. NEW baby bridges, bitty squats, 3-way hip with super heavy 1-pound ankle weight (could barely lift), and glute sets. Now first surgeon appointment to find out what the heck he actually did to my hip. I AM SO SO SICK OF CRUTCHES!!!

PM: Did about 3 leg lifts and fell asleep. I am useless at night. Doc said I can ditch the crutches if only it was that easy. My x-rays looked crazy, took a lot of bone off, hope they know what they are doing!

I WALKED today! I put one foot in front of the other and walked very, very slowly for a moderate distance TIMES 5.

AM: Hip flexor stretch, circles, splits, and scissors, 3-way hip, heel slides, and lil bridges.

PM: 10 minutes bike arm weights routine.

First day no crutches! Best Christmas present ever. Please hold the Tiny Tim jokes. Merry Christmas all!

5 minutes on my Dad's bike on zero degree "sun" porch watching bald eagles pluck ducks out of the river for Christmas dinner. For reals!

I remember when seeing a bald eagle was a huge deal and now there is a crew of 10 eagles chilling in my parents hood. I saw SEVEN of them on Christmas morning.  

AM: 20 minutes bike at my mom's gym which used to be a Thai/Laotian restaurant that I worked at the summer after my first year in college. I wanted to get a job waiting tables, but couldn't find one because everyone wanted someone with experience so when I saw a "Help Wanted" sign at Kham Orient I went in and asked for an application in which the owner replied, "Go home, put white shirt black pants on, come back!" And that I did and waited my first tables a few hours later with absolutely no training nor knowledge of Asian food whatsoever. That summer I learned more about people and culture and pretty much everything than any summer ever!  

AM: 25 minutes bike and hip PT routine. Now that I am finally 6 weeks post-op I can add a little resistance to the bike. Stoke.

Back in the SLC. 25 minutes bike (level 4-5) and 10 minutes arm bike (600 revolutions). AM and PM hip and arms. Totally on the up and up-skis!

And Go PACK Go!  

Deja Vu minus the watermelon sour patches. SI joint is JACKED with a capital JACKED!

AM: Hip drill.

PM: Royal SI beating at PT. Low back/SI joint has been getting progressively more painful since ditching the crutches and is essentially stuck. My surgeon said that FAI surgery can sometimes fix a wonky SI joint and oh how I hope that is the case for me! Just sucks because the hip feels fine compared to the low back! 

Lunging hip flexor stretch, 1/2 kneeling sidebending stretch, prayer stretch, CLAM SHELLS, and L-sprine rolly things added to PT routine already consisting of hip circles, scissors, and splits with band, baby bridges now with band, hip abductor, adductor and leg lifts, and glute sets. I need to make a chart!

AM & PM hip drills.

25 minutes bike.

SI joint a little better after PT beating yesterday.

Walking pretty close to normal.