Energy level: Normal
Stamina is not yet back to normal
Pain level: 1 for standing 1/2 an hour
3 for standing 1 1/2 hours
Epiphany: I love getting out of bed without assistance! This happy thought makes me smile every day ~ also increases the probability of getting up on the right side of the bed. :)
Milestone: Can stand on one leg for 60 seconds. Can stand on two legs for 1 ½ hours before the swelling becomes overwhelming.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Friday, June 11, 2010
post op day 126 – city walk
Energy level: normal
Pain level: 0 start of the day
1 end of the day
One of the things that had held me back from starting yoga was the ½ mile walk to the studio after work. That’s not a concern anymore since I’ve ditched the cane. I’m now totaling about 2 – 3 miles a day. That’s ½ mile to work + ½ mile home, ½ mile to the yoga studio + ¼ a mile from the yoga studio to the subway and I try to wander for a mile during my lunch break.
I’m so lucky to work in city with so much public art and parks to
admire during these mini walking tours! All this walking is great for building confidence, especially since I have a slight limp.
An ice pack is needed after my lunch romp around the block and a cold water foot soak is needed in the evening. I know I should be doing those contrast baths, but I have to admit some days I’m just too lazy to draw up two fresh buckets of water.
I’m just so happy to be walking and exploring the city again! :)
Pain level: 0 start of the day
1 end of the day
One of the things that had held me back from starting yoga was the ½ mile walk to the studio after work. That’s not a concern anymore since I’ve ditched the cane. I’m now totaling about 2 – 3 miles a day. That’s ½ mile to work + ½ mile home, ½ mile to the yoga studio + ¼ a mile from the yoga studio to the subway and I try to wander for a mile during my lunch break.
I’m so lucky to work in city with so much public art and parks to
An ice pack is needed after my lunch romp around the block and a cold water foot soak is needed in the evening. I know I should be doing those contrast baths, but I have to admit some days I’m just too lazy to draw up two fresh buckets of water.
I’m just so happy to be walking and exploring the city again! :)
Thursday, June 10, 2010
post op day 125 – gentle yoga
Energy level: normal
Pain level: 0 start of the day – 1 after one mile walks - ice brings relief
Another glorious day, another chance to stretch and do yoga! It's funny how after yoga I have more of a limp then when I entered the room. I'll have to chalk that up to spending 90 minutes being focused on other parts of my body. This is so needed after favoring one side of my body for so long! The crutches really made me uneven. A little less so with the cane, but not by much. It's so wonderful to be free-standing nowadays. I smile every time I get a glass of water. Ah, to have both hands free to carry things - pure heaven!
I surprise myself today by getting into Shoulder Stand. It’s a lot easier that it looks.
Shoulder Stand Part 1:
Shoulder Stand Part 2:
Boat pose requires much more core strength than I have right now.
I tremble after just 2 seconds!
Good news for my toes - I can do plank pose for about 30 second!
Hooray!
Downward Dog? Sorta. My heels are nowhere close to the ground. 4 months ago they were about 1 inch from the ground, now it feels like 6 inches. You are not supposed to do downward dog in high heels!
I usually love Plough. It's so much fun. It's really the start of a summersault. All those weeks of being flat on my back are evident is how little I can flex my spine. My toes are about 18 inches from the ground!
At least there is plenty of room for improvement!
Practice, practice, practice!
Pain level: 0 start of the day – 1 after one mile walks - ice brings relief
Another glorious day, another chance to stretch and do yoga! It's funny how after yoga I have more of a limp then when I entered the room. I'll have to chalk that up to spending 90 minutes being focused on other parts of my body. This is so needed after favoring one side of my body for so long! The crutches really made me uneven. A little less so with the cane, but not by much. It's so wonderful to be free-standing nowadays. I smile every time I get a glass of water. Ah, to have both hands free to carry things - pure heaven!
I surprise myself today by getting into Shoulder Stand. It’s a lot easier that it looks.
Shoulder Stand Part 1:
Shoulder Stand Part 2:
Boat pose requires much more core strength than I have right now.
I tremble after just 2 seconds!
Good news for my toes - I can do plank pose for about 30 second!
Hooray!
Downward Dog? Sorta. My heels are nowhere close to the ground. 4 months ago they were about 1 inch from the ground, now it feels like 6 inches. You are not supposed to do downward dog in high heels!
I usually love Plough. It's so much fun. It's really the start of a summersault. All those weeks of being flat on my back are evident is how little I can flex my spine. My toes are about 18 inches from the ground!
At least there is plenty of room for improvement!
Practice, practice, practice!
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
post op day 123 - mild yoga
Energy level: normal
Pain level: 0 during the day - 1 after an hour of wearing the sleeper-splint.
The sleeper-splint is doing its job to stretch out the fibers in my foot, but I need to take one Tylenol at bedtime to get to sleep because the stretching... well it just hurts so good!
It's great to be back in my Restorative Yoga class. I used to call this "nap" class because of all the floor work that we do. Some days we might be in a lying twist for 10 minutes at a time! It seems like lazy yoga, but wow, I'm really surprised at how difficult today's class is for me. I've lost an amazing amount of flexibility.
I can't even complete a 10 minute supported back bend! Geeze, all that is required of this pose is to lay on the floor with some blankets under my back. How easy is that? This is just the preparation for Fish. I start out with my usual amount of three blankets and quickly determine that I'll have to work up to that level in the weeks ahead. One blanket gives me enough stretching in the rib cage for now.
Twists are the best thing for me right now because my body still feels a little out of alignment after walking on one leg for four months.
I can do a great Seal Pose:
Pain level: 0 during the day - 1 after an hour of wearing the sleeper-splint.
The sleeper-splint is doing its job to stretch out the fibers in my foot, but I need to take one Tylenol at bedtime to get to sleep because the stretching... well it just hurts so good!
It's great to be back in my Restorative Yoga class. I used to call this "nap" class because of all the floor work that we do. Some days we might be in a lying twist for 10 minutes at a time! It seems like lazy yoga, but wow, I'm really surprised at how difficult today's class is for me. I've lost an amazing amount of flexibility.
I can't even complete a 10 minute supported back bend! Geeze, all that is required of this pose is to lay on the floor with some blankets under my back. How easy is that? This is just the preparation for Fish. I start out with my usual amount of three blankets and quickly determine that I'll have to work up to that level in the weeks ahead. One blanket gives me enough stretching in the rib cage for now.
Twists are the best thing for me right now because my body still feels a little out of alignment after walking on one leg for four months.
I can do a great Seal Pose:
Fish Pose is extremely difficult:
But I surprise myself with a decent Bridge:
It feels good to be back in the game!
Sunday, June 6, 2010
post op day 121 - hot, hot, hot!
Energy level: Normal
Pain level: 1
I'm feeling yesterday's workout today! Funny how such intense stretching can make me feel tight the next day.
I've restarted yoga enough to know this is only temporary and it acts as a reminder as to how important it is to practice yoga on a regular basis. Use it or loose it! One wise yoga instructor once said that it was a practice because yoga is something that one never completes. No one ever wakes up and says: "Okay, I've perfected yoga ... I'm done." There’s something very relaxing about doing something that has no end.
Today's challenge is: The heat. One of the great benefits of Bikram is 90 minutes of sweating - awesome for getting the heart rate up, expelling toxins and conditioning myself for traveling to warm sunny vacation spots!
I know it takes time for my body to regulate loosing that much water on a regular basis. I did not drink enough water in the past 24 hours to fly though this session. My bad. Now I just have to deal with the cause & effect. Eh, a little nausea never hurt anyone.
The only pose I do well today is Spinal Twist:
Warrior – a struggle to get into and out of this pose.
Didn’t realize this required so much foot muscle.
Bow used to be my favorite pose.
Today I can barely grab my feet.
So sad.
Camel … always a tough one but I’m just not willing to grab my sensitive heel today.
It’s almost comical how little I can get into Triangle.
Can’t decide if I should laugh or cry.
When in doubt, laugh!
Pain level: 1
I'm feeling yesterday's workout today! Funny how such intense stretching can make me feel tight the next day.
I've restarted yoga enough to know this is only temporary and it acts as a reminder as to how important it is to practice yoga on a regular basis. Use it or loose it! One wise yoga instructor once said that it was a practice because yoga is something that one never completes. No one ever wakes up and says: "Okay, I've perfected yoga ... I'm done." There’s something very relaxing about doing something that has no end.
Today's challenge is: The heat. One of the great benefits of Bikram is 90 minutes of sweating - awesome for getting the heart rate up, expelling toxins and conditioning myself for traveling to warm sunny vacation spots!
I know it takes time for my body to regulate loosing that much water on a regular basis. I did not drink enough water in the past 24 hours to fly though this session. My bad. Now I just have to deal with the cause & effect. Eh, a little nausea never hurt anyone.
The only pose I do well today is Spinal Twist:
Warrior – a struggle to get into and out of this pose.
Didn’t realize this required so much foot muscle.
Bow used to be my favorite pose.
Today I can barely grab my feet.
So sad.
Camel … always a tough one but I’m just not willing to grab my sensitive heel today.
It’s almost comical how little I can get into Triangle.
Can’t decide if I should laugh or cry.
When in doubt, laugh!
Saturday, June 5, 2010
post op day 120 - hot yoga
Energy level: Normal
Pain level: 0 - 1
Bikram Yoga changed my life 7 years ago. I was lucky enough when a studio opened across the street from my office. I practiced 5 days a week for 3 years. I gained focus and flexibility and lost 50 pounds! Life was good. Then, sadly at the height of the housing bubble, the building's owner tripled the rent which forced the studio to shut down.
Since then, I've continued a yoga practice with a different studio - but it just isn't the same. The Restorative Yoga that I switched to does not have a strength or aerobic component and I gained 20 pounds back before I sought out another Bikram studio I could go to on the weekends. I had just finished a few weeks in my new Bikram studio before I broke my heel. Being inactive for 4 months has added another 10 pounds and I'm determined more than ever to get back in shape.
Step one is regaining the strength and flexibility needed to balance on one leg. My right leg leaps back into action just about where I left off 4 months ago. My recovering left leg… well… that’s another matter.
Today all I want to be is the best tree I can be!
Pain level: 0 - 1
Bikram Yoga changed my life 7 years ago. I was lucky enough when a studio opened across the street from my office. I practiced 5 days a week for 3 years. I gained focus and flexibility and lost 50 pounds! Life was good. Then, sadly at the height of the housing bubble, the building's owner tripled the rent which forced the studio to shut down.
Since then, I've continued a yoga practice with a different studio - but it just isn't the same. The Restorative Yoga that I switched to does not have a strength or aerobic component and I gained 20 pounds back before I sought out another Bikram studio I could go to on the weekends. I had just finished a few weeks in my new Bikram studio before I broke my heel. Being inactive for 4 months has added another 10 pounds and I'm determined more than ever to get back in shape.
Step one is regaining the strength and flexibility needed to balance on one leg. My right leg leaps back into action just about where I left off 4 months ago. My recovering left leg… well… that’s another matter.
Today all I want to be is the best tree I can be!
Toe stand will have to wait for another day.
Friday, June 4, 2010
WEEK 18 | POST OPERATION
Energy level: Normal
Pain level: 1 after walking ½ mile
Epiphany: Ice is great for reducing the swelling, but it also stiffens the joints which makes me walk with a pronounced limp. It takes about 100 paces before the stiffness goes away.
Milestone: Ready to resume a regular yoga practice.
Pain level: 1 after walking ½ mile
Epiphany: Ice is great for reducing the swelling, but it also stiffens the joints which makes me walk with a pronounced limp. It takes about 100 paces before the stiffness goes away.
Milestone: Ready to resume a regular yoga practice.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
post op day 118 – cold turkey
Energy level: normal
Pain level: 0 for most of the day - 1.5 after a half mile walk
My physical therapist likes the way that I walk. I have a minor limp, but he thinks I should go cold turkey and tells me to ditch the cane. He also gives me a “clean bill of health” and sets me on my way.
Physical therapy has officially come to an end. Or, Rather there’s nothing more they can do for me; they have taught me all that they can.
I didn’t expect it to end like this. I thought there be a few more “let’s see you in three weeks”. I leave my pretty purple cane at their office to pass on to the next gimpy gal.
Without the cane I feel like I have lost my security blanket. Simultaneously, I feel awash with sense of freedom and loss.
The only thing holding me back now is that bloody plantar fasciitis. It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future. His best guess is that I’ll recover from plantar fasciitis in 6 – 9 months.
I’m not going to wait around for that! Most of my physical therapy has consisted of strategic stretches to regain a normal range of motion. Hum... sounds just like yoga! I prescribe for myself a full yoga regiment.
Slow and steady stretching wins the race.
Pain level: 0 for most of the day - 1.5 after a half mile walk
My physical therapist likes the way that I walk. I have a minor limp, but he thinks I should go cold turkey and tells me to ditch the cane. He also gives me a “clean bill of health” and sets me on my way.
Physical therapy has officially come to an end. Or, Rather there’s nothing more they can do for me; they have taught me all that they can.
I didn’t expect it to end like this. I thought there be a few more “let’s see you in three weeks”. I leave my pretty purple cane at their office to pass on to the next gimpy gal.
Without the cane I feel like I have lost my security blanket. Simultaneously, I feel awash with sense of freedom and loss.
The only thing holding me back now is that bloody plantar fasciitis. It's tough to make predictions, especially about the future. His best guess is that I’ll recover from plantar fasciitis in 6 – 9 months.
I’m not going to wait around for that! Most of my physical therapy has consisted of strategic stretches to regain a normal range of motion. Hum... sounds just like yoga! I prescribe for myself a full yoga regiment.
Slow and steady stretching wins the race.
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