The Mountain Isn't Coming To Schlake

I started this because I went to to the doctors office about a cyst, and after the blood tests they felt that I didn't have two months. I had more blood tests. My lack of progress has receeded quite a bit. I still feel amazingly better (for instance, I've had a minor couch recently, but I'm not bedridden and deathly ill as in previous years), but my numbers are bad. Something like spontaneous pancreas failure bad. I shall have to work harder, and eat better. Dr. Borchers has chastised me in the past about my love of chocolate chip cookies. I guess, though, that I should never give him the chance to do that again. Last night, instead of going out to eat because I'm lazy, I stayed home and ate cooked greens (though with a bit more bacon and bacon grease than I know I should have) and a soup of beets, beet greens, chicken broth, and egg noodles. Today I'm probably still in deep trouble despite my wonderful meal last night, but at least I have frightening fluorescent orange urine. My breakfast today, rather than a burrito purchased in the Hispanic Food Triangle, I'm eating green leafy vegetables. For lunch I have carrots and a cucumber. Hopefully I can be strong.

An Update Is Needed

I haven't posted because I've had little good news to share. News is still bad, but it is sharable news.

My third-grade nurse (who had to remove a pencil eraser from my right ear) felt that seeing a physical therapist about my ankle would help. My surgeon didn't send me because he thought I'd recover on my own through my activities. Overall, however, the problems and pains have been problematic in my own eyes.

When I had my appointment today Kelby was surprised at how much mobility I had in my ankle. I still get the feeling that I'm much more recovered than the average fat and lazy person would be, despite how fat and lazy I am. I think my ankle is in terrible shape, but I measure it against my right ankle, which is in great shape. But given his reaction to my condition, my surgeon was probably pretty correct about how well I'd do on my own. I'm just not happy enough with my own progress.

Long pointless meandering story short: I have physical therapy now, twice a week, and he's going to be aggressive with me. I like that. Today I had to do multiple exercises to exhaustion. The one felt like exhaustion would never come, but when it came it was fast and painful. In yoga I do standing poses on one foot to strengthen my ankle. In PT I stand on one foot and trhow things against a wall then catch them again. I think PT is harrder. In yoga I have to be still.

The actual referral to PT lists "wants to run" as my reason for needing PT. Over a year ago I was on tack to go running with Dr. Borchers, but my surgery killed that idea.

Walking Sometimes Happens

I've gone on a few walks since I last updated. Nothing major. Nothing as long as what I've posted about. More often short walks about a mile long. The walks haven't been bad, but for the past three weeks I've been doing therapeutic yoga, where therapeutic means torturous. Of course, since I judge the success of an activity by how badly it messes my ankle up afterwards, the yoga is a clear winner for helping me. I'm definitely making a lot of progress from the yoga at the expense of being crippled after the sessions. The last session on Sunday hurt my right foot too, so I've been limping on both of them. (It was a massive toe cramp.)

I feel like I'm on the cusp of being all fixed. Stair don't quite work out like they did before this happened, but they work out pretty well compared to how they have been working out these past few months. Walking sometimes happens naturally and fluidly. I did a little left-footed warrior-3 in yoga. (I flailed around like a tentacle covered Lovecraftian windmill though.)

Jogging!

Tonight I went out for about 1/2 a mile walking. I did two warm up jogs of maybe a handful of yards each. Then, about the 1/4 mile point, I jogged for 100 steps. It isn't far I know, but I'm certain my ankle will tell me it was a terrible idea tomorrow. I'm also certain that my ankle will improve a lot by next week because of the pain I caused it.

No pain baby, no gain, no pain no gain.

Walking: harder

It is harder to walk tonight than it was last night. I obviously did some good on that last long walk, but I need to wait before I try again.

Not Walking

I need to go to Wal*Mart. I know I can walk that far, but I just walked last night and it was hard to walk today. I don't think I should taunt the ankle by being so hard on it twice in a row. So I think I'll bicycle there.

Walking: hard

Well, the walk paid off in pain. I can barely walk today. There isn't any swelling this morning though, which is good.