Denouement

Day 9 of no running, Day 2 of complete vegging.

I can feel my SI!  I am not sure if its the shot or the adjustment, but they say the steroids will start to work their magic in a handful of days, so I guess I just sit tight.  I had one can of soda and gave away the rest at work.  I have no soda tomorrow.  I reserve the right to nap.  Anyone out there who can run and who decided not to today deserves a big Michelle scowl ;)

Skiied with the family at Alta for Benji's birthday (he turns 9 tomorrow).  Skied like a granny.  There was insane amounts of powder.  My SI joint is still a little sore even though I spent most of my time caboosing behind Benji.  It's been getting better each day, but throughout each day it gets more sore as the day wears on.

Could not stay asleep!  Woke up at 3am.  Got out of bed at 3:40 and got ready for work.  

Went to a sports PT today.  Steve Orrock is a marathoner and a sports PT, and owns a sports therapy center.  Unfortunately he wasn't there this morning.  Karen, who worked on me, said the pain is not in the SI, but lower, closer to the tailbone, ligaments down there.  She had me do lots of different reaches, and said my weakness is in crossward motion, and had me do exercises where I am crossing my body, three types which I need to do three times a day.  She and her helper also did heat, asym, massage, ultrasound, and icing to finish up.  I am just as sore as yesterday.  Not really seeing progress.

Does walking count as cross training?

I had a follow up with Dr. McLane, felt better yesterday than I have for a couple of weeks, but this morning on the xray table I was in pain while rolling hips around, the table was really hard.  So then she wanted to have me replicate on the doctors table and I kept rolling around different ways and couldn't replicate the pain.  Soreness but no PAIN.  I felt like a moron, really.  We discussed where I hurt and what the PT said, and Dr. McLane doesn't think its that lower ligament, but my perioformis or whatever the name is muscle in my deep glute, and that perhaps my sciatic is running right through it, and there's scar tissue causing the sciatic to get tweaked.  But I got to witness her and her fellow doctor discuss my symptoms and they seemed highly uncertain and perplexed.  They are recommending graston, very deep, deep massage, stretching and cleared me to crosstrain.  She said soreness is not a problem with crosstraining, neither is me getting pain at other times in the day, but if I get the sharp pain or leg tightness while crosstraining or running to stop.  She seemed to even clear me for running but I am not falling for that.  I used to think that doctors were conservative and told us to not run at a drop of a hat.  Now I am wary when they say go ahead and run.

Anyway, I've been doing PT exercises 3x per day, plank ab position holds to ease my abs out of the atrophy spiral.  I'll add other ab plank variations that don't put pressure on one side of my body.  I am spending almost as much time between these things and doctors appointments (I have two PT and one dr appt this week).

I walked another mile with the kids later in the evening.

Pool ran, nice and easy for 30 minutes.  I figure not good for more than 2.5.  HR at the end was 88, proof I didn't go too hard.  I figured I'd hit the pool and make myself take it easy and just let my legs get used to moving again.  I did have to remind myself to take it easy, but was successful.  Butt felt fine.  I did my PT exercises and some stretching after in the weight area (this is all at the Lehi Legacy center).  There were about 5-6 guys in there and they didn't know quite what to make of me (she invades our turf to stretch and do some lame-o exercises????).  Doing one exercise on the ground felt fine during the exercise, but hurt when trying to get up.  Being on a hard surface and rolling around is the only thing that hurts my SI right now.  

Better get back to work.

PT appt in the morning.  Met Steve Orrock. He didn't agree with Dr. McLane's latest theory of the sciatic running through the piriformis because when I stretched the piri it didn't generate the pain.  He was able to (very craftily!) replicate the pain radiating down my leg, and at that point started to think it has a sciatic component.  He dug hard into my bum and my upper ham, so I felt like I was getting my money's worth.  He had me do some type of stress test on the bike:

5 min easy spin with little resistance, then increase resistance to slight uphill feel, then increase the resistance every minute five times, at 11 minutes go up of my seat at that high resistance and bike for 5 more minutes, then 2 min easy spin w little resistance to cool down. Got my heart rate up to 178 at the end (he didn't tell me to, but I measured during the 2 minute easy cool down).  I am not sure what he was testing, except perhaps how out of shape I was.  It was nice to have athletic trainers standing around while I breathe hard and work up a sweat.  

Then he had me walk on the treadmill to look at my gait, then had me run (not nearly long enough :)) and took camera of me.  It was my first time seeing myself run on video in a long time, and it was downright shocking to see the degree to which I heel strike.  I can see the whole bottom of my foot from the front view, even the heel, when I strike.  It was downright ugly.  Sometimes you have to see it to believe it. So walked/ran .8 there, then had to walk my car to/from the shop later in the day.  

My PT appt took 2 hours, and I still got in 13.55 hours of work which means I got home after 11pm last night.  I was exhausted, but my bum was only slightly sore, no acute pain, which tends to come on if I work myself into the ground. 

I am supposed to do my PT exercises three times a day, but only did them twice.  Once on a piece of grass behind a church after picking up my car in my work clothes, and once again in my work clothes at 11:15pm.

Steve Orrock told me to bike 60 minutes today, this was after my bike test yesterday.  So, that seems like too much of a jump in cross training and I debated as I biked stationary if I should really do 60 or do less, but in the end I did 60.  I started out pushing it a bit much, but after checking my heart rate manually (which I did about 5 times and it always was within 5 of the machine) and coming in at 150 16 minutes into the workout, I knew I shouldn't have too high of a heartrate and 60 minutes on the bike, one had to give, so I kept it under 140 for the rest of the bike workout.  Dull as heck, but at least I had music and the lame-o competitive joy of knowing everyone in the cardio workout left before I did.  I get competitive even in scenarios like that.  I had some woman on the bike next to me for the first half and it showed distance traveled for the two of us and I was catching up to her before she stopped.  Pretty lame of me but it's so dull on equipment.

Since it was raining and Paul wasn't home I hired a girl in my ward to swim with the kids at the Lehi aquatic center while I worked out, then I did my PT exercises and stretched, then changed into my bathing suit and joined them in the pool.  It is nice to hit the pool after working out. It's been 3 hours since I finished the workout and my bum still feels good.  No sharp pain (put a pad under my bum for the PT exercise this time), and only some very slight soreness/or tightness.

Did a killer workout at the PTs and suffered the consequences.

5 minutes spin no resistance.

5 minutes no resistance, alternate 30 sec easy, 30 sec crazy fast

5 minutes of some other drill I don't remember

5 minutes of mild uphill resistance, alternating 30 sec easay, 30 sec out of saddle (PT says don't go crazy on this set because the next is tough)

5 minutes of mild uphill resistance: 15 sec moderate pace, 15 sec fast, 15 sec really fast, 15 sec crazy fast.  Well, I guess he shouldn't use the word crazy fast with me, this was so tough, my legs were buckling after 2 minutes, he had me stop and recover after three sets, then do two more.  I think this is where i got my really colorful bruises (hitting my knees on the bike on the crazy fast part, nice big purple bruises, almost breaking the skin with the blunt force trauma).

5 minutes of gradual incline, starting with mild uphill and slowly cranking resistance every 15 sec, this one wasn't bad until the last 1.5 minutes.

3 minutes easy spin

 square tramp: 6 minutes of running in place on a trap, 30 sec easy, 30 sec "sprint"  I was dead already but I gave it an effort

total gym squats, even, then each leg 30

stretching in some machine

all the pt stuff (estem, ultrasound, massage, help stretching)

My body felt fine until 3pm, pain started slowly on sitting bone, moved to my SI area, magnified until by evening I just wanted to sit/lay, PT exercise on the ground (rocking knee killed).  I was so upset with myself for not explaining better to the PT my desire to build slowly and conservatively.  We've since had a couple of chats and hopefully we'll be smarter in the future.

I do have to say, it felt so exhillerating to push my body, though.  I miss working out, esp hard workouts.

Steve had me come in for 30 minutes e-stim, astym, massage to help work out the pain from yesterday.  If yesterday's pain got up to 8, I'd say todays got up to 3.

Was planning on pool running 60 min easy, but that was the plan before pain flared up yesterday.  So I did a big nothing.

PT appt:

8 min e-stim, ultrasound, massage, then small workout:

5 min spin no resistance

6 min on the trap, alternating 30 sec easy, 30 sec 70-75%

30 lunges on total gym, straight, then one leg higher than other, 30 lunge touches 3 ways on each side.

more e-stim, massage, taping hamstring to prevent full extension.

Pain reemerged today, not as severe as Monday but perhaps that is just because I am on a course of IB.  if Monday was 8, today got up to 6 or so.  Enough to prevent range of motion, make me reluctant to pick stuff off the ground, uncomfortable doing the knee rocks on the bed but not highly painful so I did them.  I started doing some more 30 lunge touches 3 ways, but felt strange with the pain so I stopped.

Tax season is over and I am down in St. G. 

Spoke to Steve this morning, and instead of totally laying off, he is having me swim with little to no kicking with my legs, to get in an aerobic workout. 

We are staying at the Green Vally Spa and Resort, in a very nice junior suite for two nights, which I won from getting 2nd in the St G marathon.  It's about $280 a night, so we are moving to a Holiday Inn after the two free nights to save money.   Too bad because our beds are like fluffy clouds.

My rear is feeling much better, some soreness in the SI and the sitting bone, lower.  I did about 20-25 minutes in the pool.  Looked like a total idiot, since the back half of my body was constantly sinking and trying to pull me under.  I must not be all fat or I'd float :)  I did about 14 or 16 laps, but slow going without kicking.  I made it across the pool 3 separate times freestyle, but I am so bad at breathing I was constantly sucking in water, so I did most in the backstroke.  I tried the breaststroke, but try that without kicking--its not for an amateur like me.  Tomorrow I'll wear my pool running belt, which will make me equally idiotic looking, but perhaps I will be able to do it for longer.   I also did hamstring stretchs and lunges, and knee rocks.

Vacations are awesome.  Woke up at 7:30, hit the pool, swam 31 minutes this time (I count 12 min = mile).  Wore my pool running belt which helped me so I didn't feel like my bottom half was dragging me to the bottom of the pool.

 We went offroading in the Pine Valley mountains (out of Leeds) trying to get to Oak Grove campground for a trail head.  Well, turns out that road takes us up the mountain.  There was snow ahead, then patches of snow and the road turned slightly muddy, then it turned so muddy when we were just .5 mile from the trailhead that we knew we needed to turn around or risk getting stuck (we have awd on our minivan which makes us more adventurous but we have our limits).  So we ended up driving through a new development area in the Washington area, and drove to the end of the developments since I could see a trail in the brush, and we started hiking.  It was a somewhat lame-o hike, probably 2-2.5 miles, but we had an ok time.

Swam 40 minutes this morning.  Had a witness in the hot tub reading his morning paper.  

Hiked the three pools trail in Snow Canyon, no snow in snow canyon thankfully.  It was 76 when we finished our hike, and we felt so hot.  The trail was only 3.5 miles, but it felt so much longer since over half is in deep sand.  I emptied my shoes three times.  I wore running shoes, and if I ever can run again, I bet this hike took 50 miles off the life of my shoes.  Right hamstring tight and sore through hike, not bad but noticable.

50 minutes swimming with just arms in Lehi Legacy lap pool.  First time doing this in front of a swimming crowd, so that was a joy.  One length was typically 43 sec, and 43 strokes, and about 1.5 minutes back and forth which includes turn around time.  Right forearm started to hurt last 20 minutes but did better I think when I straightened my arm.  I liked when the old man was next to me and I could go faster than him.  I didn't like when a younger man started using that same lane and was smoking me.  I realized I need goggles if I am going to do this long term.  Stomach started to turn at around 40 minutes, perhaps due to the water I swallowed when trying to swim freestyle (only did three lengths, and those weren't even in a row, I am horrible at it).

Weight sucks.  Perhaps now that I am out of tax season I can do a morning and evening workout to try to keep weight down.

PM: PT appt:

e-stim/heat on ham and SI area

ultrasound on ham and SI area

massage - ham and SI area

walk on treadmill 5 min

30 total gym squats three ways (even, left leg up, right leg up)

6:30 on tramp, 30 sec easy, 30 sec hard

stretching in stretching cage

three way ham lunge touch

1 min walk/ 1 min run on treadmill x5, then 3 minutes more walk (speed walking 4mph, running 7mph, focus on running on balls of feet, as Steve says, like Tinkerbell)

Massage on ham

Ice

Soreness in SI area at a 2 before, still a 2 as I go to bed.  Not pain, just can feel that there's still something there.

Diagnosis from Steve Orrock:  tendonotrophy (long term tendonitis) where ham meets sitting bone, so ham and other related muscles tighten up and pull downward on the sacrum or other pelvic bone? and makes my SI joint not have full range of motion or stability.  Says ham is primary issue causing SI issue.  Makes sense.

51 minutes of swimming with arms only.  Got to the pool late so people had to double up in lanes at 6am because of water aerobics, and at that point it felt like I was swimming in a wave pool, from the waves generated by my lane mate and the guy next to me, who I would accidentally touch occasionally.  I need to learn how to swim on one side of a lane without invading the next lane's space!!! Pulse only 78 at the end, but better than the 72 heart rate at the end of two other swim workouts.  Then did 8 minutes on the elliptical.  Pain was about at a 2 this morning (before), but more like a 1 after and right now (4:40) so that's great news.  Also doing exercises and stretches at home.

40 min swimming, 10 laps at separate times of freestyle is a record of 250 m for me in one day, still really bad at it. Counts as 3.42 miles.

PT: e-stim, ultrasound, massage, stretching of ham 3 ways three times on each leg, total gym squats three ways x30, ham lunges 3 ways x15 on each leg, tramp 6.5 min, 30 sec easy, 30 sec hard (count as .54), then another massage, then treadmill 17 minutes, 1 min walking then 1 minute running.  8 minutes running altogether at 7mph = .95 miles of running, .62 walking, then another massage and icing

PM: 25 min walk, about 1.5 miles

So sick of waking up early (about 4:15) to swim, so I slept in and was going to walk with MacK if my pain went down (I was about at a 4 or 5 last night, it gradually came on starting around 4pm).  Unfortunately this morning my pain is anywhere between 2 and 5.  I was standing at my computer and had my legs crossed, uncrossed them and was rewarded with a nice shot of pain.  I had success on Monday with 5 min on/5 min off running/walking, but Wed I do it for 8 each and get rewarded with some nice pain.  Perhaps the walk in the afternoon didn't help?  The other difference as I look back is I forgot to warm up with 5 minutes of walking before the tramp and walk/run cycle, stupid mistake.  MacK arranged a babysitter so we could walk and I had to cancel.  And I have to hit the pool instead because its the only safe thing to do.  I am so discouraged.

PM: 51 minutes of swimming with arms and hamstring lunges and stretching.  Pain in evening in the 5-6 range, walking with a limp sometimes.  I am so sorry if this seems whiny but I am at my wits end and I don't know what to do.  BTW, I wouldn't advise combining crying and swimming, its kind of dangerous.

Went to PT, Steve wasn't there so I wasn't able to discuss with him overall strategy.

Pain before visit, about a 2, sometimes spiking to 4, after 1, by evening back to 4ish.

Visit: e-stim, ultrasound, massage, stretching, total gym, 5 min walking, hamstring lunges, 6:30 on tramp, 30 sec hard/easy, though I didn't take my hard that hard, then massage, icing

iced throughout the afternoon/evening.

I tested our sprinkler system, only 5 minisprayer broken from the extreme snow, and one traditional sprayer needs to be fixed.  I am amazed that something I built that involves wires is still working two springs later.  I dug one hole for a tree.  Will shop for non-blue spruce pine trees on Sat.  We need to move some big landscaping rocks before expanding our sprinkler system, which needs to happen within the next couple of days, but I don't think my injury will like that.

Upper weights and plank exercises.

Planted a pine tree.

Pain up to a 5 by the end of the day.

Started in pain (4) gradually went down then back up to about a 6 at night.  No activity to speak of, other than life.  

Couldn't sleep, laying is more uncomfortable than it has been.  Gave up and took and aleve and an ambien, wish I had an hour and a half earlier, though.

Woke up with worst morning pain ever.  For several minutes pain was about 5.  It seems to be warming up though, about a 2 for the moment.  I plan on begging to get into Dr. McLane today and doing an MRI, at a cost of about 400-600.  Bye bye greenbacks.

Pain upon waking up 5, pain with every step and a limp.  Gradually went down (a 4 within 5-10 minutes, a 2-3 by 9:15, a 1-3 through 4pm, now increasing and is in the 4-5 range (its 5pm right now)

Called Dr. McLane to beg for appt and she and her sports associates are at a conference until Thursday.  So I made an appt for Thursday.  Turns out to be ok timing. 

PT:  Had a good chat w/ Steve re injury status, and he said to give it 48 hours before going down MRI route.  He checked my SI and says my SI is moving fine but pelvic bone isn't.  

e-stim, ultrasound on bum, massage on bum and ham, then Steve massage

exercises - walking on treadmill, pain w/every step, walking toes varies pain, drops it slightly, Rocking exercise for pelvic joint, various total gym stuff, then some manipulation, stretching type stuff, and icing, more discussion w/Steve re training.  He says I can still cross train if I don't go crazy and don't go beyond what he says to do (like the 25 minute walk after last Wed's workout) and warm up properly (like I didn't Wed).  Pain not bad enough to come again tomorrow, so will go in Wed.

Last night contemplating need for pain meds vs desire to not get addicted to them. I guess I'd rather use Ambien, but I currently can't sleep well on my own, a combination of pain and frustration with the pain.  Currently taking Aleve.

Pain when woke up around a 4.

2.26 walked with MacK, 16:13, 16:12, 16:47 pace for .26, 16:16 ave pace.  Dull pain with each step.  Walked on toes a bit after I left MacK (last .25).  Did pelvic stretch, before walk and with .15 to go.  Pain 2 after walk, then walked around our yard placing vinca (planted 32 yesterday) where I want to plant them, which caused me more pain, so it's now around 3.  Will swim later. Joy!

PM:  1pm Swimming at Lehi Legacy Center: 30 min.  10 min of backstroke & fins, no kicking, then 50 meters on each side of a drill where one arm is in front of me and small sideways kicks, then 100m rest, then 50 meters on each side of a one armed crawl.  Then more backstroke.  Got my strokes down to 37 on one lap, though I may have kicked a little, I tried not to.  More pelvic stretches, could feel injured spot while swimming the last five minutes, not pain just present.  Pain 1-3 from 8am-3pm, what is weird is the pain is more like lower back tightness as the constant and some SI pain interspersed.  I need one of those back massagers so I asked for one for Mothers Day.  Back tightness has increased gradually, but more like a consistent 3 at 6:30 and much better than yesterday.

Yesterday Bonnie called me and I said I was rocking out to Bush really loud, and she was like, "Why, were you saying goodbye to him?" Ha ha.

In bed last night pain was more traditional, still plenty of SI pain if I try to lay on that side, roll around, or even some while laying flat.  I am learning to sleep on my left side :(

First few min of walking around, pain about a 2-3, getting better for last two days.

41 min of swim, including same technical stuff as yesterday, pluse 50 yds of freestyle--I am so bad at it.  It's good to do some to spike up my hr, mostly from not knowing how to breathe properly, but I'll take what I can get. HR at the end 81.

Going to PT this morning.

PT:  e-stim (lower back/SI), ultrasound on lower back perhaps SI area too, massage (lower back, SI, and upper ham, stretched ham three ways in gym, then Steve did massage on lower back, SI and upper pelvic joint, hamstring, then we went over the pelvic stretch, then icing.  No arebic exercises there and none for this afternoon.  My SI hurt after the massage, perhaps from the pelvic stretch.

I told Steve (he said on Monday to wait 48 hours) I had an appointment w/Dr McLane for tomorrow and was wondering if an MRI is advisable and told him I'd like one.  He basically didn't say one way or another, but I don't think he thinks its necessary but is letting me have my way about it, but he said he wants to talk to Dr McLane before I meet with her tomorrow. 

So, we'll see what she says.

No pain while walking around (well maybe a one), but sat on floor w/JJ for a game and it hurt bad in certain positions.  I don't think me and the floor get along.

I plan on planing 64 today and 64 tomorrow, then I won't have to do more until Paul moves some bulders (so perhaps I'm good for a couple of years :D ).  For the ground cover challenged here's a picture of vinca major (periwinkle):  http://freshdirt.sunset.com/images/2008/04/10/periwinkle_vinca_major_invasion_b_2.jpg

Pain at a 1-2 at waking up and after morning exercise, spikes to a 4-5 right after I do my pelvic stretches, but then calms down, hovered around 3, a 5 after MRI and ended up around a 6-7.

swam 40 minutes, same as yesterday plus 100 m freestyle, 50 at a time and almost drowning on the last lap of freestyle.  Met my moron quota for the day

then 20 min ellyptical at level 1.  Had a very fit woman on a treadmill in front of me and I had to endure watching her perfect body doing an interval workout.  It was torture.  No sweat, just jealousy oozing out of me.  HR was 110-120 on ellyptical.

Dr. McLane appt today.  Its been 3 months of injury now.  I am tired of it but resigned.  Haven't cried since Sunday.

 More good news, my cream of wheat didn't explode in the microwave this morning  -- a feat for me.  Anyone else put hot chocolate powder in their cream of wheat instead of other sugar?

Lyrics, "Oh, save your life, cause you only got one. . ." (marion did I already do this one?)

Dr. McLane ordered an MRI, and I got it done late afternoon.  Two actually, my back and my pelvic through mid-thigh.  Man, MRI's are still so loud.  And what is the most painful for my injury?  Laying on a hard surface, exactly what I got to do for a full hour.  I listened to Snow Patrol.  Too bad the MRI was too loud to hear the lyrics on some of the songs I wasn't familiar with.

The MRI will be read by the radiologist tomorrow, and he will be calling Dr. McLane.  I'll have the MRI results sent to Steve Orrock too, so we'll get plenty of analysis out of those suckers.  Good news: the two together cost me $433, so not bad for two. 

Period started, last one was 12/9, so a 4.66 months in between.