Well, well, well. It never rains, but it pours...
I went to Physical Therapy for the first time today. The therapist was excellent. He put me through my paces, watched me walk, flexed my foot, had me push one way and try to stop him from pushing another, had me do heel raises, and on and on. I was working with him for almost 45 minutes.
At the end, he verified my doctor's diagnosis of Plantar Fasciitis...and added another.
I also am suffering from Posterior Tibialis Tendonitis--or Posterior Tibial Tendonitis, as most websites describe it.
As he told me, "You're lucky! You got a two-fer!" (lol)
So it turns out that I have "ridiculously tight calves". I told him I blamed my lack of running for a year, and ran through my history--the sinus infections, the MRSA infections, the packing and moving. He said that the calves could be super tight from any number of things, but that I am going to have that worked on.
I start Physical Therapy for real on Wednesday. Then I need to go again on Friday. Next week I'll go Monday or Tuesday, then Kent, the girls and I will be out of town for our 20th anniversary/Thanksgiving holiday. I'll start back when we return, and I will go to Physical Therapy about six weeks. Hopefully my insurance will cover it all (or, the 85% after copay).
When I explained about being out of town, and he warned me to take it easy on the walking. I explained that we'll be doing a lot of mass transit, and that when all else fails, I plan to bring the crutches to get myself off my feet. I told him, "I'm serious about getting this taken care of. I wanted it treated aggressively, that's why the shot and the physical therapy." He was actually quite pleased that I came in so early. I laughed because I was mad at myself for waiting for two weeks when I knew there was a problem! He said, however, that some people last as long as 7-10 months before calling. No way would I let this go for that long. It hurts too much when it flares up!
So he said the prognosis is good, because the shot seems to have helped a lot; the prognosis is good because I came in early. However, we'll see how the tendonitis and fasciitis respond to the therapies I have. He'll start with pretty aggressive stuff there, then start to transition me into stuff to do at home. I plan to be very serious about it; I'm not one of those to ignore what the doctor says if I have exercises or work to do at home.
Hopefully this is the first stage of healing, and that the lack of pain I've been feeling this weekend is the norm--not the exception.
It was interesting, by the way, that he poked and prodded and certain things really hurt--but only on the left. And it was interesting that after he poked and prodded, my foot started to feel quite tired and a little achy.
The new challenge, then--to find a way to exercise that is reasonable time-wise, that won't involve foot/heel impact, and then to also find a way to teach where I'm not constantly on my feet. We'll see how that goes.
Well it's nearly 11, and I'm tired, and I have school again tomorrow. Time to clear some email, then head to bed.
Best wishes,
Karina
Monday, November 15, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Day One: In pain, but my Christmas Cards are finished, thanks to Shutterfly!
So day one of the Plantar Fasciitis Experience has begun.
I have been spending a lot of time today resting. I keep moving my foot, and trying to stretch it a bit, but it's hard to remember.
All morning long, my youngest (who is home sick with me) has been watching Disney TV, running around taking pictures with my camera, and playing with her dress-up beads.
As for me, since I've firmly planted myself on the couch with some Aleve for my PF, I decided to go online to Shutterfly to work on my Christmas Cards.
Christmas Cards? It's only early November!
Ah, but won't the time fly, especially when I won't have this enforced time with nothing much to do once I head back to work next week.
I used Shutterfly this past May when I took a solo trip to Hawaii for my 44th birthday. Upon my return, I decided to make two photo books of my travels. I was totally delighted with how they turned out. One was a photo journal of the trip, and the second one I titled "The Art of Oahu", and it contained my favorite photos of the islands, grouped by subject--flowers, beaches, palm trees, people, and so forth.
That particular book is now on a display stand in my classroom, where I can see it every day. It's a nice reminder. I liked the books so much, I'm in the process of making two more about our move home to Maine this summer.
Today, however, my sights were firmly set on Christmas cards.
Last year, I had used Walgreens photo cards. I liked the fact that I could have a panel of four photos, and the price was reasonable, but I got something that resembled a photo rather than an actual card--you know the kind--and I decided this year, I wanted something different.
This past week, I found out about an offer for free shipping on orders over $30 for Shutterfly, so I decided to check out the cards.
What a great lineup they have! I went online to Shutterfly's Christmas card page, specifically looking for a folding card, which could handle more than four photos. I really wanted six or seven, if I could find a card that could accommodate that many. I was sorely tempted by their Holiday Story Cards, which allow you to chronicle your year right on the card, but eventually I decided to go for a straight photo card because I figured I'd just be writing a family Christmas newsletter, as I do every year.
I was very pleased when I found not just one option for multiple-photo layouts, but many. It turns out that Shutterfly has many different card layouts that will accommodate multiple photographs. The cards in this particular group, which stand in either portrait or landscape format, hold four or more photos apiece on the cover. And the prices are actually quite reasonable for personalized cards. I eventually chose "Merry and Glee" by Stacy Claire Boyd; the cost for the quantity I need to order (50) would be less than $1.50 a card, thanks to their current 20% off sale.
Add in my free shipping, and I just got a way better deal than if I'd gone to a brick-and-mortar retail store like Crane Paper Co. or Papyrus to order them.
Imagine my surprise and delight when, as I worked on putting my choice of pictures inside, I discovered I could write the inside greeting myself. There wasn't one cheesy "stock" greeting that you get stuck with. Instead, I could make a short or long comment, change the font, and even change the font size.
Then I noticed that I had an option to edit the top half of the card as well. When I clicked on it, I found that I could add more photos if I wanted, and more text, this time customizable by format, font style, and size. After experimenting around, I decided upon a six-photo inside spread with three good-sized paragraphs that cover the major events of my family for the year.
I mentioned this top-half photo-and-text layout option to my best friend a bit later, and sent her a screen shot to look at. She was impressed, then she asked me in surprise, "That didn't cost EXTRA?"
No, in fact, it didn't--the cards were still the exact same price.
What a godsend Shutterfly has turned out to be. Thanks to those three paragraphs I was allowed to write, the line at the bottom that I added with our updated contact information, and the twelve (TWELVE!!) photos I was able to put onto the card, this year--for once--I won't feel like I need to write a Christmas newsletter. It is a process that takes hours and hours of designing, writing, rewriting, revising, editing, and proofreading, not to mention the printing and folding. It also usually requires the purchase of at least one new color printer ink cartridge--often at an inconvenient time of night when the old one runs out unexpectedly and I'm in a time crunch.
Shutterfly actually just saved me a huge amount of time and money. I had lots of options to view, preview, edit, preview again, and tweak things around--the size/orientation of a photo, a word here and there--so that I am very happy that this is the best card I could possibly create.
So now I get to order them. The final cost should run about $70 for 50 cards, but again, that beats any other personalized folding 5x7 card, particularly when you add in the time and cost savings on that family newsletter.
<UPDATE: I just found out this afternoon that if you are a blogger like me, you also have the chance (like I now do!) to earn 50 free cards from Shutterfly, thanks to their current blogger promotion: Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010! Wow! Shutterfly really does make my life easy!>
It will be nice to simply sign the cards, stuff them in envelopes, address and mail them. Of course...if I wanted to pay a buck extra per card, Shutterfly would actually do all that for me too--except the signing, of course. Still, I have a "thing" about cards that are printed with family greetings but not signed. I'm simply not interested in it.
So it has been a productive morning. My cards are done, I found my Christmas list, and if I buy some labels, I may even be able to just import my address book into labels and just print those out as well.
Now wouldn't that be a nice time-saver.
Of course, as long as I'm battling stomach flu and PF, I have the opportunity to get stuff like this done. It's the stuff that is important but not a priority, in my professional life at least, that really gets to me--that's the stuff that hangs over me and needles me with guilty feelings.
This has truly been a week out of time. Unfortunate and, at times, filled with bad news, it has also been, at the same time, a week of slowing down. It's been a week for reorganizing my head, taking a breath, and calming down; a week to myself that I have desperately needed since the whirlwind process of packing, moving, and launching into new jobs began late last July.
July. No wonder I've felt so frazzled and like I needed get away. I needed a week to chill out, settle down, get my head on straight, breathe, and just do nothing but watch pointless tv, read, and think. Just--calm.
For once, I feel like I have caught up to myself. I'm even blogging again...how's that for cool?
This gift-week was a week I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. So I guess there really is a positive side to everything, even to something serious like this stomach flu and PF. If it hadn't come along and smacked me down and made me stop and take care of myself, I would have been focusing on a class, or cleaning, or meals, or kids, or discipline--or even correcting, errands, or bills.
Not to say I haven't done some of that stuff. I have, but I've also...chilled. And took one day, today, with my toddler, to just reminisce about what it was like to be home all day with her once more.
LOL. Maybe it's time to think about making another trip to Hawaii. February might be nice.
Meanwhile, I have a lot to write about, don't I? Hawaii, Vegas, the move, and even our new Trader Joe's...not to mention the excitement of a day that starts at 6:15 a.m. and doesn't settle down until after I get home sometime after 5 p.m., when I still have to feed, bathe, and put to bed two kids. Plus there is my eventual plan for how I am going to fit exercise and fitness into that timetable...after the PF gets better, that is.
Definitely check out Shutterfly. You can send out cool cards with your own photos, all while saving yourself time, hassle, and money.
Oh...and that free shipping code? From the Shutterfly site itself:
Until next time,
--Karina
I have been spending a lot of time today resting. I keep moving my foot, and trying to stretch it a bit, but it's hard to remember.
All morning long, my youngest (who is home sick with me) has been watching Disney TV, running around taking pictures with my camera, and playing with her dress-up beads.
As for me, since I've firmly planted myself on the couch with some Aleve for my PF, I decided to go online to Shutterfly to work on my Christmas Cards.
Christmas Cards? It's only early November!
Ah, but won't the time fly, especially when I won't have this enforced time with nothing much to do once I head back to work next week.
I used Shutterfly this past May when I took a solo trip to Hawaii for my 44th birthday. Upon my return, I decided to make two photo books of my travels. I was totally delighted with how they turned out. One was a photo journal of the trip, and the second one I titled "The Art of Oahu", and it contained my favorite photos of the islands, grouped by subject--flowers, beaches, palm trees, people, and so forth.
That particular book is now on a display stand in my classroom, where I can see it every day. It's a nice reminder. I liked the books so much, I'm in the process of making two more about our move home to Maine this summer.
Today, however, my sights were firmly set on Christmas cards.
Last year, I had used Walgreens photo cards. I liked the fact that I could have a panel of four photos, and the price was reasonable, but I got something that resembled a photo rather than an actual card--you know the kind--and I decided this year, I wanted something different.
This past week, I found out about an offer for free shipping on orders over $30 for Shutterfly, so I decided to check out the cards.
What a great lineup they have! I went online to Shutterfly's Christmas card page, specifically looking for a folding card, which could handle more than four photos. I really wanted six or seven, if I could find a card that could accommodate that many. I was sorely tempted by their Holiday Story Cards, which allow you to chronicle your year right on the card, but eventually I decided to go for a straight photo card because I figured I'd just be writing a family Christmas newsletter, as I do every year.
I was very pleased when I found not just one option for multiple-photo layouts, but many. It turns out that Shutterfly has many different card layouts that will accommodate multiple photographs. The cards in this particular group, which stand in either portrait or landscape format, hold four or more photos apiece on the cover. And the prices are actually quite reasonable for personalized cards. I eventually chose "Merry and Glee" by Stacy Claire Boyd; the cost for the quantity I need to order (50) would be less than $1.50 a card, thanks to their current 20% off sale.
Add in my free shipping, and I just got a way better deal than if I'd gone to a brick-and-mortar retail store like Crane Paper Co. or Papyrus to order them.
Imagine my surprise and delight when, as I worked on putting my choice of pictures inside, I discovered I could write the inside greeting myself. There wasn't one cheesy "stock" greeting that you get stuck with. Instead, I could make a short or long comment, change the font, and even change the font size.
Then I noticed that I had an option to edit the top half of the card as well. When I clicked on it, I found that I could add more photos if I wanted, and more text, this time customizable by format, font style, and size. After experimenting around, I decided upon a six-photo inside spread with three good-sized paragraphs that cover the major events of my family for the year.
I mentioned this top-half photo-and-text layout option to my best friend a bit later, and sent her a screen shot to look at. She was impressed, then she asked me in surprise, "That didn't cost EXTRA?"
No, in fact, it didn't--the cards were still the exact same price.
What a godsend Shutterfly has turned out to be. Thanks to those three paragraphs I was allowed to write, the line at the bottom that I added with our updated contact information, and the twelve (TWELVE!!) photos I was able to put onto the card, this year--for once--I won't feel like I need to write a Christmas newsletter. It is a process that takes hours and hours of designing, writing, rewriting, revising, editing, and proofreading, not to mention the printing and folding. It also usually requires the purchase of at least one new color printer ink cartridge--often at an inconvenient time of night when the old one runs out unexpectedly and I'm in a time crunch.
Shutterfly actually just saved me a huge amount of time and money. I had lots of options to view, preview, edit, preview again, and tweak things around--the size/orientation of a photo, a word here and there--so that I am very happy that this is the best card I could possibly create.
So now I get to order them. The final cost should run about $70 for 50 cards, but again, that beats any other personalized folding 5x7 card, particularly when you add in the time and cost savings on that family newsletter.
<UPDATE: I just found out this afternoon that if you are a blogger like me, you also have the chance (like I now do!) to earn 50 free cards from Shutterfly, thanks to their current blogger promotion: Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly… sign up: http://bit.ly/sfly2010! Wow! Shutterfly really does make my life easy!>
It will be nice to simply sign the cards, stuff them in envelopes, address and mail them. Of course...if I wanted to pay a buck extra per card, Shutterfly would actually do all that for me too--except the signing, of course. Still, I have a "thing" about cards that are printed with family greetings but not signed. I'm simply not interested in it.
So it has been a productive morning. My cards are done, I found my Christmas list, and if I buy some labels, I may even be able to just import my address book into labels and just print those out as well.
Now wouldn't that be a nice time-saver.
Of course, as long as I'm battling stomach flu and PF, I have the opportunity to get stuff like this done. It's the stuff that is important but not a priority, in my professional life at least, that really gets to me--that's the stuff that hangs over me and needles me with guilty feelings.
This has truly been a week out of time. Unfortunate and, at times, filled with bad news, it has also been, at the same time, a week of slowing down. It's been a week for reorganizing my head, taking a breath, and calming down; a week to myself that I have desperately needed since the whirlwind process of packing, moving, and launching into new jobs began late last July.
July. No wonder I've felt so frazzled and like I needed get away. I needed a week to chill out, settle down, get my head on straight, breathe, and just do nothing but watch pointless tv, read, and think. Just--calm.
For once, I feel like I have caught up to myself. I'm even blogging again...how's that for cool?
This gift-week was a week I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. So I guess there really is a positive side to everything, even to something serious like this stomach flu and PF. If it hadn't come along and smacked me down and made me stop and take care of myself, I would have been focusing on a class, or cleaning, or meals, or kids, or discipline--or even correcting, errands, or bills.
Not to say I haven't done some of that stuff. I have, but I've also...chilled. And took one day, today, with my toddler, to just reminisce about what it was like to be home all day with her once more.
LOL. Maybe it's time to think about making another trip to Hawaii. February might be nice.
Meanwhile, I have a lot to write about, don't I? Hawaii, Vegas, the move, and even our new Trader Joe's...not to mention the excitement of a day that starts at 6:15 a.m. and doesn't settle down until after I get home sometime after 5 p.m., when I still have to feed, bathe, and put to bed two kids. Plus there is my eventual plan for how I am going to fit exercise and fitness into that timetable...after the PF gets better, that is.
Definitely check out Shutterfly. You can send out cool cards with your own photos, all while saving yourself time, hassle, and money.
Oh...and that free shipping code? From the Shutterfly site itself:
Free shipping on orders $30+, Promo Code SHIP30
Until next time,
--Karina
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Plantar Fasciitis, Anyone?
I'm not even sure how to begin this other than by saying that old cliche'--a lot has changed in a short period of time.
This past summer, after almost two years of hoping and planning and wishing and a lot of hard work, my husband Kent got a teaching job back in Maine, and we were finally able to move our little family back cross-country, by car and 24-foot rented Budget Moving van.
My dad and brother came along for the ride, and it was an epic six-day journey. That's right--six days!
Can you imagine? Two parents, a grandpa, an uncle, and two kids in a 24-foot moving van packed to the gills, and a small Honda Accord complete with two bikes on the back, driving over 3,400 miles in 6 days flat.
The cats, of course, got to fly. Again. In my next life, I think I'll be a cat. I am firmly convinced they have it made.
We got back here, but couldn't move into our own home because it was rented out in July and won't be available until July of 2011. We then found out the condo we were going to rent--which belongs to my in-laws--was so trashed that we're still in the process of putting it back to rights. It meant massive cleaning, painting, carpet cleaning, spackling, fixing, and deodorizing. It was a mess. And there is still painting to be done.
Then, in the middle of it, while I was still trying to get organized, I got a job. A teaching job. A REAL job. I haven't taught in years, and I haven't taught fifth grade in even longer, and I was hired with exactly three days to get ready before kids arrived--and half of that time was taken up by staff meetings as well. I'm still trying to get organized there too. It's only a one-year position, so the temptation is there to just say, "Oh it's a temp job," but I don't work that way. The kids deserve nothing less than my best.
Needless to say, with the move, new job, commuting, and the chaos of two major life changes in very short order, I got yet another sinus infection! After that got better, I thought, OK, finally, we're back in business--then I ended up with some strange heel pain that came on slowly but relentlessly on the Sunday before Columbus Day. Then this week, I ended up with something unknown but tummy-related that kept me out of school all this week so far.
The good news was that since today was a holiday anyway, I was at least able to go finally see my Orthopedic doctors, the same crew I saw years ago when I had a knee problem. I hoped that the foot doc I saw today would be able to give me good news about my heel.
Instead, she immediately diagnosed me with Plantar Fasciitis.
Well that figures! I ran, what--three half marathons, two triathlons, and multiple short- and long-distance runs including a 20-miler? And NOW I get Plantar Fasciitis??
Sheesh! How completely absurd is that!
So the healing process begins. The doctor gave me a shot in my heel, and it turns out there is a LOT of inflammation there. The first stick was unpleasant, but as she pumped in what I think was a steroid, it HURT. A LOT. She nearly had to scrape me off the ceiling with a putty knife! She said if the inflammation wasn't bad, it would have gone straight in. However, my fascia is not in happy shape right now so it was bad enough to nearly make me pass out.
The shot helped for a while, and now that I'm sitting on the couch, it's starting to hurt again. She also gave me some Sore Dawg insoles for my Nikes, which have been morphed from running shoes into everyday shoes. The speed laces make them a bit tight, though, especially with these new inserts, so I think perhaps I should put in some regular laces now.
As if morphing from a triathlete/runner to a half-couch-potato teacher isn't bad enough, now I'm even losing my speed laces!!
Watching people run here in Maine has been difficult. The plantar fasciitis came on the first weekend that I actually felt like we were getting our lives under control: Columbus Day weekend. Things had settled down, I was settled into my classroom, the condo was in reasonable shape, and I was thinking about starting to walk and run again. Then Kent and I went to Boston for an evening out without kids, and the next thing you know--wham. I can't walk. Fast-forward one month and the doctor is telling me I have to take it easy until this inflammation goes away.
In two weeks, we'll be heading to New York City for Thanksgiving. That Wednesday is hubby's and my 20th anniversary, and the next day--Thanksgiving--we are thinking of taking the girls to see some of the parade. However, with plantar fasciitis, I will have to rethink exactly what we do and how long I'm on my feet. Part of the plan is to visit with my brother and go see the King Tut exhibit, but now I know that plantar fasciitis is going to put the kibosh, as they say, on all my wonderful plans.
Ah well. Rethink, change, adapt, adjust. Get healthy, stay on top of the correcting, get through this year, and hopefully get my life back.
Just one. Small. Step. At. A. Time.
That's all it takes.
My first physical therapy appointment is set for next Monday at 5; meanwhile, I need to do some stretches, use ice and an anti-inflammatory such as Advil, and when I get out of bed in the morning, I need to do some stretches, such as using an exercise band to pull my foot back or trace the alphabet with my foot.
Hopefully this will resolve soon. I don't want to wait months or, worse yet, a year for this to get better. I do also plan to get rid of my super-cute LL Bean flats in grey houndstooth check that I wore to school. I somewhat suspect that the lack of arch support in these shoes contributed to my problem. I have never worn such flat shoes before, and I have somewhat high arches. I remember being surprised as I went upstairs how completely flat they were. However, they were wicked cute, and I wore them quite a bit early on this year, but alas--they are simply not meant to be.
Instead, welcome to my new "school shoe of choice". So my shoes will not be cute, but they will be comfy--or at least as I can make them. Sometimes I wonder if even these pinch a bit. I need to ask my Physical Therapist that question on Monday.
Yours in hopefully better health soon,
--K
This past summer, after almost two years of hoping and planning and wishing and a lot of hard work, my husband Kent got a teaching job back in Maine, and we were finally able to move our little family back cross-country, by car and 24-foot rented Budget Moving van.
Did we really get that all packed in one day??
My dad and brother came along for the ride, and it was an epic six-day journey. That's right--six days!
Goodbye, California!
We will miss our family, but not the financial chaos!
Can you imagine? Two parents, a grandpa, an uncle, and two kids in a 24-foot moving van packed to the gills, and a small Honda Accord complete with two bikes on the back, driving over 3,400 miles in 6 days flat.
Kent and my brother Roy somewhere in West Virginia
The cats, of course, got to fly. Again. In my next life, I think I'll be a cat. I am firmly convinced they have it made.
We got back here, but couldn't move into our own home because it was rented out in July and won't be available until July of 2011. We then found out the condo we were going to rent--which belongs to my in-laws--was so trashed that we're still in the process of putting it back to rights. It meant massive cleaning, painting, carpet cleaning, spackling, fixing, and deodorizing. It was a mess. And there is still painting to be done.
Then, in the middle of it, while I was still trying to get organized, I got a job. A teaching job. A REAL job. I haven't taught in years, and I haven't taught fifth grade in even longer, and I was hired with exactly three days to get ready before kids arrived--and half of that time was taken up by staff meetings as well. I'm still trying to get organized there too. It's only a one-year position, so the temptation is there to just say, "Oh it's a temp job," but I don't work that way. The kids deserve nothing less than my best.
Needless to say, with the move, new job, commuting, and the chaos of two major life changes in very short order, I got yet another sinus infection! After that got better, I thought, OK, finally, we're back in business--then I ended up with some strange heel pain that came on slowly but relentlessly on the Sunday before Columbus Day. Then this week, I ended up with something unknown but tummy-related that kept me out of school all this week so far.
The good news was that since today was a holiday anyway, I was at least able to go finally see my Orthopedic doctors, the same crew I saw years ago when I had a knee problem. I hoped that the foot doc I saw today would be able to give me good news about my heel.
Instead, she immediately diagnosed me with Plantar Fasciitis.
Well that figures! I ran, what--three half marathons, two triathlons, and multiple short- and long-distance runs including a 20-miler? And NOW I get Plantar Fasciitis??
Sheesh! How completely absurd is that!
So the healing process begins. The doctor gave me a shot in my heel, and it turns out there is a LOT of inflammation there. The first stick was unpleasant, but as she pumped in what I think was a steroid, it HURT. A LOT. She nearly had to scrape me off the ceiling with a putty knife! She said if the inflammation wasn't bad, it would have gone straight in. However, my fascia is not in happy shape right now so it was bad enough to nearly make me pass out.
The shot helped for a while, and now that I'm sitting on the couch, it's starting to hurt again. She also gave me some Sore Dawg insoles for my Nikes, which have been morphed from running shoes into everyday shoes. The speed laces make them a bit tight, though, especially with these new inserts, so I think perhaps I should put in some regular laces now.
As if morphing from a triathlete/runner to a half-couch-potato teacher isn't bad enough, now I'm even losing my speed laces!!
Watching people run here in Maine has been difficult. The plantar fasciitis came on the first weekend that I actually felt like we were getting our lives under control: Columbus Day weekend. Things had settled down, I was settled into my classroom, the condo was in reasonable shape, and I was thinking about starting to walk and run again. Then Kent and I went to Boston for an evening out without kids, and the next thing you know--wham. I can't walk. Fast-forward one month and the doctor is telling me I have to take it easy until this inflammation goes away.
In two weeks, we'll be heading to New York City for Thanksgiving. That Wednesday is hubby's and my 20th anniversary, and the next day--Thanksgiving--we are thinking of taking the girls to see some of the parade. However, with plantar fasciitis, I will have to rethink exactly what we do and how long I'm on my feet. Part of the plan is to visit with my brother and go see the King Tut exhibit, but now I know that plantar fasciitis is going to put the kibosh, as they say, on all my wonderful plans.
Ah well. Rethink, change, adapt, adjust. Get healthy, stay on top of the correcting, get through this year, and hopefully get my life back.
Just one. Small. Step. At. A. Time.
That's all it takes.
My first physical therapy appointment is set for next Monday at 5; meanwhile, I need to do some stretches, use ice and an anti-inflammatory such as Advil, and when I get out of bed in the morning, I need to do some stretches, such as using an exercise band to pull my foot back or trace the alphabet with my foot.
Hopefully this will resolve soon. I don't want to wait months or, worse yet, a year for this to get better. I do also plan to get rid of my super-cute LL Bean flats in grey houndstooth check that I wore to school. I somewhat suspect that the lack of arch support in these shoes contributed to my problem. I have never worn such flat shoes before, and I have somewhat high arches. I remember being surprised as I went upstairs how completely flat they were. However, they were wicked cute, and I wore them quite a bit early on this year, but alas--they are simply not meant to be.
Instead, welcome to my new "school shoe of choice". So my shoes will not be cute, but they will be comfy--or at least as I can make them. Sometimes I wonder if even these pinch a bit. I need to ask my Physical Therapist that question on Monday.
Yours in hopefully better health soon,
--K
Monday, February 15, 2010
When Illness Knocks You Down
Sometimes, despite your best intentions, something comes along and knocks you flat on your fanny.
The past month, I have been knocked flat on mine.
It started with stuffy nose and stuffy ears. It progressed to sinus issues. And, when I went to my doctor two weeks ago for my yearly physical, I told him about all of these these, and about the fatigue that had been plaguing me for almost a full month at that point.
He checked me over, said I seemed OK, and I was sent my merry way for blood tests, which included a thyroid check that ultimately came up negative.
I was not being a good advocate for my own health, because I let it go.
A week later, I was back--and this time I had to see the Physician's Assistant, because my doctor was booked. By this time the fatigue was worse. I was exhausted. My sinus headaches were so bad, so crushing, that advil (motrin, ibuprofen, whatever you want to call it) wasn't helping me at all. The sudafed I had been taking for two weeks was not helping me either.
Even my teeth hurt.
I was diagnosed with a bacterial sinus infection, and placed on an antibiotic. "If you aren't better in five to seven days," he said, "come back in."
It is now six days later.
I am still fighting fatigue, headaches, sinus pain and pressure, dizziness, and frustration. When I blow my nose, my sinuses actually creak. Sometimes my ears make a bubbling sound, and they are full and make popping noises all the time. I've been on sudafed for three weeks, having gone through a full box and having made some solid progress at a second, to no avail.
Clearly, the antibiotic is not working. Nor is the sudafed, for that matter.
I called the doctor, and I have an appointment to see him--not the Physicians Assistant this time--this evening at 5:15. I'm hoping he can propose a cure for this, once and for all.
So in the meantime, what have I been doing since the new year, training-wise?
Almost nothing.
Well, that's not exactly true. I was walking and running, using the treadmill on a 7-10 incline, and I even managed a 21-mile week. I even took some great "Cycleates" (Spin and Pilates mix) classes at the Y, which I enjoyed, even though they made my arms sore, apparently because of how I held myself on the bike. I'm still learning to keep "soft elbows", rather than locking them.
Right after that is when the first sinus symptoms came on, in addition to the fatigue I was already fighting, and I have been doing no training of any sort since then. Last week I didn't even take Kara to baby gymnastics, because one of the teachers is pregnant and Kara came down with her own cold. I didn't want to risk her teacher getting a virus from us--not in her 3rd trimester!
I can guarantee that, by now, any fitness gains I was making have slid away. But at this point, I frankly would rather wake up with a clear head, feeling rested and alert, and ready for the day, instead of waking up exhausted, with a headache and dizziness. All I ever want to do is sit in one place. I would almost rather lie in bed, with my eyes closed and everything quiet. All I want to do is sit absolutely still, particularly keeping my head still so that its movement doesn't compound the whirling sensations I am already fighting.
It's a sad, sad existence right now. And, with the sale of our house, I have a move to look forward to within the week--and we're doing it ourselves.
So the question is, what do you do about training when you're sick?
Do you run? Do you exercise? Or do you let well enough alone?
The Mayo Clinic advocates what I like to consider as the "rule of neck": If your symptoms are below the neck--including cough, stomach aches, muscle pain, etc., let it be. If it's all "in your head" (so to speak), fire away--so long as you don't have a fever. And, I might add, so long as you aren't dizzy. If I tried to run on a treadmill right now, I know I'd come close to falling off.
Some people have argued that running when you are sick will "sweat out toxins" and "help you fight off a cold". Not so, says Medicine.net. They argue that all you'll do is stress out your immune system further. It's got enough on its plate fighting off illness--it doesn't need to do battle with your twenty-miler as well. Imagine your body as a tired Mommy, already dealing with a hungry toddler, an annoyed pre-teen, and a husband who is avoiding the dishes. Ask that Mommy to do the laundry, go grocery shopping, cook dinner, and oh by the way get in that five-mile run, and that body of yours will go into meltdown mode.
Not that I'm projecting anything here, of course.
As you probably know, I love Runner's World magazine (and the associated website), and consider these my go-to sources for all things running. Imagine my surprise when I found the following post about sinus infections:
"But, doctors say, you still walk, or run, a fine line. Take extra caution when training with anything worse than a minor cold because it can escalate into more serious conditions affecting the lower respiratory tract and lungs. Sinus infection, or sinusitis, is an inflammation of the sinus cavity that affects 37 million Americans each year. Symptoms include runny nose, cough, headache, and facial pressure. With a full-blown sinus infection, you rarely feel like running. But if you do, consider the 72-hour rule of Jeffrey Hall Dobken, M.D.: "No running for three days," advises the allergist/immunologist and ultramarathoner in Little Silver, New Jersey. Even without the presence of a fever, says Dr. Dobken, some sinus infections, when stressed by exercise, can lead to pneumonia or, in extreme cases, respiratory failure."
- Marc Bloom, "Should You Run When You're Sick?", August 2004.
I have got to stop feeling like a failure and a giant slug. Clearly, I'm not supposed to be running right now.
But it's hard to get past the guilt when that treadmill is sitting there, waiting for me.
I guess perhaps the fatigue part of sinus infections is God's way of telling us to SIT TIGHT. Otherwise, we might be tempted to do something that could prove disastrous in the end.
Be well!
--Karina
The past month, I have been knocked flat on mine.
It started with stuffy nose and stuffy ears. It progressed to sinus issues. And, when I went to my doctor two weeks ago for my yearly physical, I told him about all of these these, and about the fatigue that had been plaguing me for almost a full month at that point.
He checked me over, said I seemed OK, and I was sent my merry way for blood tests, which included a thyroid check that ultimately came up negative.
I was not being a good advocate for my own health, because I let it go.
A week later, I was back--and this time I had to see the Physician's Assistant, because my doctor was booked. By this time the fatigue was worse. I was exhausted. My sinus headaches were so bad, so crushing, that advil (motrin, ibuprofen, whatever you want to call it) wasn't helping me at all. The sudafed I had been taking for two weeks was not helping me either.
Even my teeth hurt.
I was diagnosed with a bacterial sinus infection, and placed on an antibiotic. "If you aren't better in five to seven days," he said, "come back in."
It is now six days later.
I am still fighting fatigue, headaches, sinus pain and pressure, dizziness, and frustration. When I blow my nose, my sinuses actually creak. Sometimes my ears make a bubbling sound, and they are full and make popping noises all the time. I've been on sudafed for three weeks, having gone through a full box and having made some solid progress at a second, to no avail.
Clearly, the antibiotic is not working. Nor is the sudafed, for that matter.
I called the doctor, and I have an appointment to see him--not the Physicians Assistant this time--this evening at 5:15. I'm hoping he can propose a cure for this, once and for all.
So in the meantime, what have I been doing since the new year, training-wise?
Almost nothing.
Well, that's not exactly true. I was walking and running, using the treadmill on a 7-10 incline, and I even managed a 21-mile week. I even took some great "Cycleates" (Spin and Pilates mix) classes at the Y, which I enjoyed, even though they made my arms sore, apparently because of how I held myself on the bike. I'm still learning to keep "soft elbows", rather than locking them.
Right after that is when the first sinus symptoms came on, in addition to the fatigue I was already fighting, and I have been doing no training of any sort since then. Last week I didn't even take Kara to baby gymnastics, because one of the teachers is pregnant and Kara came down with her own cold. I didn't want to risk her teacher getting a virus from us--not in her 3rd trimester!
I can guarantee that, by now, any fitness gains I was making have slid away. But at this point, I frankly would rather wake up with a clear head, feeling rested and alert, and ready for the day, instead of waking up exhausted, with a headache and dizziness. All I ever want to do is sit in one place. I would almost rather lie in bed, with my eyes closed and everything quiet. All I want to do is sit absolutely still, particularly keeping my head still so that its movement doesn't compound the whirling sensations I am already fighting.
It's a sad, sad existence right now. And, with the sale of our house, I have a move to look forward to within the week--and we're doing it ourselves.
So the question is, what do you do about training when you're sick?
Do you run? Do you exercise? Or do you let well enough alone?
The Mayo Clinic advocates what I like to consider as the "rule of neck": If your symptoms are below the neck--including cough, stomach aches, muscle pain, etc., let it be. If it's all "in your head" (so to speak), fire away--so long as you don't have a fever. And, I might add, so long as you aren't dizzy. If I tried to run on a treadmill right now, I know I'd come close to falling off.
Some people have argued that running when you are sick will "sweat out toxins" and "help you fight off a cold". Not so, says Medicine.net. They argue that all you'll do is stress out your immune system further. It's got enough on its plate fighting off illness--it doesn't need to do battle with your twenty-miler as well. Imagine your body as a tired Mommy, already dealing with a hungry toddler, an annoyed pre-teen, and a husband who is avoiding the dishes. Ask that Mommy to do the laundry, go grocery shopping, cook dinner, and oh by the way get in that five-mile run, and that body of yours will go into meltdown mode.
Not that I'm projecting anything here, of course.
As you probably know, I love Runner's World magazine (and the associated website), and consider these my go-to sources for all things running. Imagine my surprise when I found the following post about sinus infections:
"But, doctors say, you still walk, or run, a fine line. Take extra caution when training with anything worse than a minor cold because it can escalate into more serious conditions affecting the lower respiratory tract and lungs. Sinus infection, or sinusitis, is an inflammation of the sinus cavity that affects 37 million Americans each year. Symptoms include runny nose, cough, headache, and facial pressure. With a full-blown sinus infection, you rarely feel like running. But if you do, consider the 72-hour rule of Jeffrey Hall Dobken, M.D.: "No running for three days," advises the allergist/immunologist and ultramarathoner in Little Silver, New Jersey. Even without the presence of a fever, says Dr. Dobken, some sinus infections, when stressed by exercise, can lead to pneumonia or, in extreme cases, respiratory failure."
- Marc Bloom, "Should You Run When You're Sick?", August 2004.
I have got to stop feeling like a failure and a giant slug. Clearly, I'm not supposed to be running right now.
But it's hard to get past the guilt when that treadmill is sitting there, waiting for me.
I guess perhaps the fatigue part of sinus infections is God's way of telling us to SIT TIGHT. Otherwise, we might be tempted to do something that could prove disastrous in the end.
Be well!
--Karina
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