Denouement

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.

 No crying streak broken last night when I had to make the call whether to workout this morning or not.  I decided not to, I was in some serious pain (perhaps a 7 by bedtime), and the good news is I am still upset about not working out.  My legs may be getting flabby, but I am still thinking like an athlete :)

Pain 3-4 in morning, about a 3 now, superpainful at PT when trying to lift leg, rotate, etc on the tables.

PT:  longer e-stim because I have been hurting,  then ultrasound, then megalong massage by intern (hey I wasn't going to stop her), then hamstring stretch, ankle press exercise, and pelvic exercise (I asked Steve the name of this sucker but it was hopelessly too long for me to remember).  Then Steve started to work on me, and brought the MRI report to me.  At first blush it looked like a stress fracture, but in their details it seems to indicate something short of that (exerpt:  There is an increased signal involving the bones on both sides of hte right sacroiliac jiont, more prominently on the sacrum side of hte joint than on the iliac side of hte joint.  NO increased signal is noted within the joint itself.  While there is a subtle low signal linear density crosssing the right aspect of the sacrum at th emargin of this increased T2 signal, a similar and symmetric structures seen on the left sisde so I do not believe this represents an acute stress fracture. . .These findings a re suggestive of stress reaction.)  Total mumbo jumbo to me.  Steve's having me rest, and on Monday we'll consult with Dr. McLane, since she asked the radiologist to call her while he was reading it, she will have some insight.  So do I have a stress fracture, or perhaps something just short of one????

Steve said assuming its a stress fracture, that I need 7-10 days in a row with no pain, then I can start incorporating cross training.  So it might take 5 days to get to consistent no pain, but we'll see. 

Holy freaking pain!  Pain shot up to 8ish by late evening, pain with every step, every movement, pain while riding as passenger home from date.  I held Paul's arm for support as I walked, close to buying crutches. I will not curse about this, I will not curse about this.

Pain around a 3 at waking up, 2-5 through 1pm.

Pain gradually increased to just below yesterday.  Walking around like a ninety year old.