The Triathlon Rx

Tag Archive for surgery

The Triathlon Rx | January 25, 2009

my little hardware store..

Aright.. well due to multiple comments I received on that last post (two which were kind and respectful, several which were very NOT), I decided to delete it. Apparently people can’t take the MEDICAL pictures for what they are. Glad we’re all so mature.

So. Here is an altered version of those apparently promiscuous xrays I had up. This first one is from October 30th, before surgery. You might not be able to see the fracture.. but it’s there. If you look at the xray and go left of the greater trochanter, and coming about 2/3s of the way up from the bottom side.

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This is from January 16th, one month and one day after surgery. I had no idea the screws were this big!

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This next one is from the same day. This position is called “The Frog” haha for obvious reasons.

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I donno about you.. maybe it grosses you out, but I think it’s pretty awesome. I am so thankful for all the amazing doctors I have been privileged to work with – Dr. Millis, Dr. Clohisy, and Dr. Troung – and then there are all the doctors I saw in the beginning who first diagnosed this problem – Dr. Corrado, Dr. Stein, and Dr. Gephart. I wonder how long I could have/would have kept running on it if Dr. Corrado hadn’t referred me to Dr. Stein. I remember his exact words and the tone of his voice – caring, but serious, “Hey kid, you know your limping? You’re gonna need to get that x-rayed before you can be cleared to run.” Thank you all times 1,000,000.

I just sent these latest x-rays off to my surgeons at the U of MN this last week, so they should have them by now, and hopefully I can get in touch with them this Monday. I am also supposed to go in for a visit with my surgeon here in Boston for a follow-up. He went out of town last week, but he should be back this week, so hopefully I can get scheduled! My physical therapy also starts up this week – two times a week for now. I’m really excited because I know it will only make me stronger.

Pool workouts and cross training have been going well. My hip honestly feels really good. I told my dad the other day.. I seriously had forgotten what “normal” felt like. I am also really happy with the lifestyle changes that this surgery has brought about. I feel a lot more flexible these days – I feel a lot less concerned with things needing to be so black and white, or so scheduled. Take this: I had signed up for Campus Rec today at the gym.. I’ve taken a lot of the GF classes before, but not this one. Well, after we warmed up and were about 15 minutes in, the instructor said we were going to do suicides, and then go up to the track. Yo dog.. I haven’t been cleared to run yet. And even when I am cleared, it will be easy and short stuff, not suicides and sprints. Instead of thinking “shit.. this was my workout for the day. and I’m already 15 minutes in..” I showed the instructor the big ass scar on my hip, and said “I think I’m gonna have to bail for the rest of class. I haven’t been cleared to run yet..” She was fine with that obvi, and I decided to just call it a day. I have a fun spinning class tomorrow, and I can just make today a rest day. I did some core work, went home and took a shower, and headed to my roomies swim meet!

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This is the diving well where I do all my pool running.

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My roommate is the one in lane 6 on the far left. She is a killer swimmer.. she made the championship team as a freshman! She rocked it. <3

As far as general life stuff, I have plenty of stuff on my plate right now. We find out if we make it to round 2 of the RA apps at the end of the month, and if we get the position we’ll know by the end of February. I am also toying with the idea of being an orientation leader this summer.. which means being here, in BOSTON, this summer. I’d get to be home for a month between the end of the term and the time OL training starts.. so I donno. It pays pretty dang well, plus room and (partial) board, so it’s something to think about. Sorry about the big gap in posting, but I’ve been adjusting to life as a pre med student and all my sciences classes. I LOVE IT. Greater trochanter? Yep. I knew that one. Maxillary alveolus? Hahaha… still workin’ on it.

Loves you,
-E

OH OH OH! Vegetarian disciplinarian?! You left a comment on my last post. I would LOVE to answer any questions you have about Northeastern!! But the email left in your link isn’t working for me for some reason.. shoot me an email with all your questions and I’d be happy to answer! e.imhoff@homail.com

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: cross training, doctors, health, injury, recovery, surgery

The Triathlon Rx | December 31, 2008

8 comments

post surgery – week two, plus a merry new years eve..!

Good morning my lovely bloggies! I’m currently looking out the office window (at home home, still in Minneapolis) at the sparkling snow covered roof above our porch glistening in the sun. I think it’s a little too cold for the birdies to be out and about (they built a nest into the point of the roof), but I don’t blame em’ – it’s still -10° right now, minus the wind chill! Cozying up in warm clothes.. sitting by a fireplace.. maybe a game of Scrabble? S.L.A.P.!

(Just a taste.. I promise there are pictures at the end of this novel!)

My G-Pa's killer homemade bird feeder. And cutie birdies!

Well, here I am one day past the two week mark from surgery. I don’t have a day-by-day recap for you, since during the second week there were much less of the “milestone” moments. I guess to sum it up, I am still feeling good, not fantastic-amazing-go-run-a-marathon good, but good. I mean, I did have hip surgery just two week ago, so I think I should still be a little sore every now and then, right? I’m trying to get in to see Dr. Troung before I go back to Boston, but tomorrow is New Years day, and then it’s like the weekend.. and I fly back Sunday!?! Grrr. a) I want him to snip the strings.. he said I could do it at home on my own but I’d be much more comfortable in the hands of a trained doctor. b) I want him to see it and make sure everything looks just like it should. c) I need to talk to him about PT and if I need to go see one out in Boston.. and if I need new exercises to get increased mobility (like sideways movement vs. up and down, front and back..).

I know this isn’t part of “week two”, but I got to SWIM on Monday!!! And it was fabulous. I love the pool at my Lifetime SO much. It’s a saltwater pool and it’s not too cold but not nasty warm either. Perfect. Juuust perfect. So Monday was the first day I swam and yeah it felt great, but it still felt sort of tight. I only swam for half the time that I usually do, and all super easy – no need to pull/tear/strain anything on the first day. Then the 2nd day (yesterday, Tuesday) I pool ran for half and swam for half and tried to really focus on stretching out and staying loose with each stroke – it felt amazing!! Leaving Lifetime is going to be R.O.U.G.H.

So there’s my 2nd week wrap-up for ya. But speaking of leaving Lifetime, I guess I should open this up to everyone and maybe get some feedback – you guys are all so amazing with sharing experiences and “oh.. I did that too!!” that sometimes it feels like were all at some big slumber party. Oh, memories of middle school. Anyway, here’s the deal:

As I think I mentioned before, I am applying to be an RA for next year. Not only is there the obvious benefit (or in my case, necessity) of free room and board (which at my school is an astoundingly ridic. amount), but I would also be put in a leadership position where I can use my creativity and help other people, something I love. Aright, great. There are some 500+ RA applicants each year, and only about 150 spots. I know I am an Honors student and have a good “resume”, but that doesn’t guarantee Jack. And to be honest, without some extra source of financial aid next year, staying at NU isn’t a guarantee. Less than that actually.. it’s a probable definite no (or maybe I should say probable definite not-a-good-idea, knowing that I’m the one going to be paying too).

[Warning.. sorry - this is turning into a Monster post!!]

No one is forcing me too, in fact it was sort of my idea, but I am applying to some other schools for next year. Sort of as a back up plan. Sort of. (And I guess I should say school (singular) because the 2nd school I applied to.. I really don’t want to go there. But hey – free app.. why not?) This school is an excellent private school here in MN, and I would not at all feel like it was a “back up” if I ended up going there. In fact, academically, they are a lot more selective than NU. I’m trying not to count my chickens before they hatch – I mean, I haven’t even been accepted there yet. The app. deadline is not for another couple of months, and I wouldn’t find out till I’m already done with the semester out in Boston. But.. by then I will know whether or not I have the RA position.. I’ll be able to weigh my financial aid at each school.. I’ll be able to make some good and fair comparisons.

You’ve heard me rave time and time again about how much I LOVE Boston and LOVE Northeastern and LOVE LOVE LOVE etc. I know. But being home now for winter break, the FIRST time I’ve been home since I moved… well if you went to school anywhere far from home you know what I’m talking about! Seeing my family and spending time with my mom and my dad and seeing my sister (who is actually now moving to D.C… another story) and being at the lakes and seeing my old running team and AHH. I love Minneapolis! (You’ve also heard me say that one too, to be fair.) Part of me WANTS to transfer (what.. again?) and be close to home. I think my best bit of advice for anyone just starting their college career, or just about to, is that there is no ONE right college, at least IMO. I do love Northeastern. But I think I would equally love “the school” here. (And just to clear things up – no, I’m not headed back to the U. At least not yet.)

Anyways, that’s my dilemma as of yet. If you read through this entire thing – wow.. major props.

I’m headed out with another DF (haha.. I will never not laugh typing that) to Lifetime for a “spa day” followed by lunch at Panera if we have time. I gave her a gift card there as part of the gift, but she might end up doin’ that one with the BF or another friend. I have movie plans for tonight, and a pretty low key new years - just the way I like it. Hope everyone has an amazing last day of 2008, but if not, hey.. it’s just the last day of the month.. like the last day of any other month. There’s always tomorrow.

(and as I promised, pictures from Christmas!)

The all star grandparents <3

Ry, mom, and me.

Playing with g-ma's manger. My grandpops BUILT that manger. Mad skills..

Working on a secret gift that won't be given until NEXT Christmas

Two of the cuzzos.. champin some Jason Mraz

Back in Minneapolis.. our Christmas tree at HOME

B-T-Dubs.. does anyone need to buy their kid a saxophone!? Hahah - you will find this ad on craigslist.

Lovves,
-E

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: college, cross training, doctors, family, injury, northeastern, random, recovery, surgery

The Triathlon Rx | December 21, 2008

6 comments

post surgery – week one…

Arighty.. I’m editing this each day.. so if things change tenses from present to past and I’m confusing, sorry! I’ll post it at the end of “week one”. Here’s a little rundown on how things have gone since surgery:

Monday – Surgery in the A.M. Slept most of the rest of the day. Got to go off of the IV drip by that evening, and finally figured out that pain medications are there for a reason – if it hurts, take them.

Tuesday – Physical therapy at 10:30 am. Was supposed to have a second session at 2:00, but she said I was doing so well with the crutches that I didn’t need it. Well, me and the sticks had a pretty exclusive relationship goin’ on earlier this year, so I’d say yeah – I got em’ down. Left the hospital mid afternoon.. came home to a nonfunctioning heater = I had to relocate to upstairs = I mastered the up-stairs.

Wednesday – Definitely the worst day pain wise. Dr. Truong said it was gonna be though, so at least I knew what was coming. I stayed on the futon the better part of the day.. slept on and off. Worked on some Christmas presents.. worked on an essay.. nothing better to do! Took the Vicodin and Vistaril each every for hours, but I staggered the Vistaril so it was two hours after the Vicodin. Seemed to work OK. My sister and her BF and my dad finally got here from Michigan!

Thursday – Still feeling a good bit of pain in the morning, but feeling much better as the day went on. An old friend who’s home from school at ASU came over in the afternoon and we just talked and caught up for like 4 hours. First attempt at getting out of the house – we went to CostCo. I would like to think it was semi-successful.

Friday – My mom noted that I was moving a lot better. I started doing alternating feet on the stairs (versus always stepping down with my right.. you know, like you do when you’re little..) although I was using a LOT of support from the railing and wall. Easier to do going down than up, and scary at first, but once I did it once it became easier. I’m figuring out all these little systems to do things. PT exercises going well, except for some reason I can’t do the gluteal squeezes AT ALL on the left side. ?? It’s like the muscle isn’t responding. Despite the Vistaril (which is supposed to be a muscle relaxer) my left thigh is still really tight. Didn’t realize it until I was doing the thigh squeezes that are part of my PT, and realized I couldn’t contract my left thigh muscle because it ALREADY was contracted! Watched a great good movie, The Squid and the Whale, although I hated the ending and hated several parts in the middle. Hahah but aside from those, it was good.

Saturday – Lots better! Big milestone – slept on my stomach for part of the night! It’s hard because I’ve ALWAYS slept on my left side, which is obviously a no-can-do right now. Sleeping on my stomach lets me relax my leg muscles a little. Another big milestone – I SHOVELED!! I never thought that sentence would end with exclamation marks, but it was great. I felt really good in the morning, and promised my mom that if it hurt at all, or felt “off”, I would stop right away and come in. Well let me tell you.. I shoveled our whole entire corner lot plus both walkways and the front steps. And it was fabulous. Plus, the fresh air felt sooo good in my lungs! Ahhh before long, I’ll be RUNNNNING! Back at CostCo today, but I used the electric cart [with success] this time. Didn’t want to do too much on my feet all in one day.

Sunday - Ohh such a roller coaster. Daily milestone: slept on my side. Not my surgery side of course.. but I put a pillow between my legs so my knee and hip were supported, and it worked pretty well. I also am taking the meds less frequently. I got to/had to shovel again this morning (it snowed for 14 hours straight yesterday!) and that still felt good. It was WAYY colder today than yesterday though, and I don’t know if that affects how my bones feel? Anyways, was fine until about noon, when I started feeling sick to my stomach. We left for CostCo (again.. damn Christmas card is more work than it’s worth!) and didn’t end up coming home until 4:45, and I felt sicker than ever. Which is where I’m sitting right now, on the couch, like I’m about to throw up. If something has to hurt, I’m glad it’s my stomach and not my hip. Still can’t seem to do the gluteal squeeze on the left side.. other PT exercises are going well.

And because I need to post something, here is the dang Christmas card that I made that has been so much trouble to print. Grrr. But they’re finally done, and they look pretty. My mom, myself, and my sister.

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Love yall,
-E

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: doctors, health, injury, new beginning, recovery, surgery

The Triathlon Rx | December 17, 2008

22 comments

percutaneous pinning

I realized I better post this sooner rather than later – I don’t want anyone thinking something went wrong!

Because it didn’t.. my surgeon said everything went just like they planned. I actually have a very strong femur and very strong bones.. it just happens to be that the femoral neck, while strong, is not normal. They did biopsy the area that they are thinking is FD, but until the biopsy results come back, it is just the working diagnosis.

I asked my mom to help with photos, and she definitely had no problem with that! My mom takes more pictures than anyone I know. LOL – I’m sure you’ve seen someone retake the SAME photo about 30 times to get it just right.. well, she’s one of those someones. I’ll take you from start to finish in Sperly style..

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Packing up my overnight bag. For once, I didn’t forget anything major! Btw.. you guys like the haircut? This isn’t the greatest photo of it.. but I LOVE having short hair again!

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Please ignore the rather large smudge taking over the table. As you can see.. my mom and I came prepared. I actually didn’t bring that much.. most of what’s filling my bag is my pillow and teddy. (Yes.. I am in college. And I sleep with a Teddy bear.) We left the house at 5:00 am because we had to be there by 6:00, hence the face on my face.

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Oh the joy of the self timer. Haha I think we took 10 of these. This is pre-op, after I got my IV in and everything. I’ve had blood drawn plenty of times, and have never been told my veins were too small. Wellll judging by the multiple attempts to get an IV in me, I guess I’ll agree.. my veins are small! The guy gave up on trying to get it in my hand, and just put it in my forearm.

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Talking to my dad and sister right before I went in to surgery. They were driving back from Michigan, and roads were TERRIBLE. My sister graduated the night before from U of Michigan.. and now she’s home!

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Post-op.. after I had moved from the recovery room up to the 8th floor. Room 828.. which I didn’t leave for a solid 24 hours! I was so curious about what was out there, since my mom kept coming and going and I could hear other people or their machines beeping away.. I did eventually get to leave thank goodness

Uuuugh gross picture. But I was in the hospital, so what can you do. I said I’d blog from there since I’d have so much free time, but honestly, I just slept.. a LOT. Plus the wireless was really shotty there so I couldn’t even connect the majority of the time. Sorry!

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Hahah I am such a coffee snob. I couldn’t have any coffee before surgery obviously, so this was the first coffee I had, a WHOLE DAY later. The coffee they brought on the tray wasn’t even like Folger’s.. it was below Folger’s. (No offense to any Folger’s drinkers.. but that’s what working in a coffee shop does to you!) There was a little Starbucks cart down in the cafe (or so I’m told.. I never got to venture that far) so when my mom went to go get coffee (yes, she’s a coffee snob too), I asked if she would get me one. And get me one she did – it was BIG! I guess I’m just used to splitting it up into two mugs.. but that size looked so big! After this I definitely was in a much better mood..

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And here is me, in my better post-coffee mood. It was also nice to be able to put a real shirt on, and underwear (gasp!!). I’m thinking I also had Vicodin a little before this.. because believe me, that smile was not permanent.

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Going over the PT exercises that I have to do. This lady was super nice, and she said I did so well with getting up and getting around that I didn’t have to stay for my 2nd PT appointment. Cleared!

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Crutches? Hmm.. where have I seen those before?

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Finally! Venturing out of room 828! All of about 30 feet down the hall and back, but still, seeing the “outside” was fabulous. No prob. with the crutches.. I’ve been a master at those for a good minute.

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Practicing stairs.. unfortunately we have a whole lot more stairs in our house than these two little dinky ones, but I’ve been managing them alright. These PT rooms remind me of the play rooms in my mom’s school for the little kids – I used to LOVE going to work with her just to play in there!

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Before checking out, remember to have your IV removed! And that face is not a yawn, it’s an “oh shit that tape hurts!” Also in that photo are my meds.. I am currently taking Vistaril and Norco (Vicodin), alternating every two hours. The morphine that they had in my IV gave me a KILLER headache, so bad that it made me nauseous, and then they had to give me a nausea medication which just made it worse.. lol it was bad.

So, like I said, the surgeons said the procedure was very successful. I have three pins screwed through my femoral neck, and those should be good and strong for a long time to come. They had to cut through some of the muscles along the outside of my hip, which they sewed (is that the right word?) back together just fine, but it has made my entire left side of my thigh sore and bruised feeling. I am managing the pain OK by staying on top of my medications, but yesterday and today definitely hurt. The doctor said these would be the worst two days, and then it will get better from here. I’m counting on that because even with medication, it definitely hurts right now.

I can’t take a shower till FRIDAY (uugh) but my mom washed my hair in the sink for me this morning, and finally I feel CLEAN! I am just taking things day by day, knowing that it will get better and easier. Don’t laugh.. but I’ve ALWAYS wanted to ride one of those power carts at the grocery store and Target and stuff. My mom and I are going to CostCo tonight to fulfill my dream. Hopefully I will never again have a legitimate reason to use one, and least not any time soon!

Annnnd, my sister and her BF and my dad are back! Even though my dad’s not staying here it’s just really good to see him and give him a hug. I’m taking advantage of all this down time – I got some good xmas stuff done yesterday (no details.. family reads!) and am getting more done today. But for now my friends, I feel like I should sign off. The Vistaril makes me super drowzy, and I guess it’s hitting hard. I legit keep closing my eyes like every 3 sentences.

Thank you everyone for all your support. I am so glad I didn’t delete this blog all the 100 times I have come so close! Thannnk you x 1,000,000!

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: doctors, family, injury, mom, surgery

The Triathlon Rx | December 15, 2008

11 comments

go time..

I’m off to the hospital with my mom. Bringing my laptop with in hopes to post at some point post-op, but truth be told, I wanna SLEEP. Thank you everyone so much for all the words of encouragement. See yall on the other side.

Love
E

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: surgery

The Triathlon Rx | December 13, 2008

12 comments

and.. surgery it is.

This is a difficult post for me to write, so in attempts to keep today tear-free, I’ll try to be as doctorly/straight forward about it as possible. A little review: going into this doctors appointment yesterday, there were three options.

Do nothing.. with the exception of possibly trying a bone growth stimulator. Even if the fracture healed and I returned to running, it would basically be like running on eggshells. The fibrous dysplasia ain’t goin’ anywhere, and if I fell or the bone fractured all the way through, that would be “catastrophic”. (Words from both of my doctors, not mine. But with my future in medicine, I will agree, it would be pretty tragic.) Blood loss to the femoral head can lead to bone death.. leading to a full hip replacement.. leading to a place where I don’t want to be.
Hip pinning. Several pins would be inserted through my femoral neck, in hopes to strengthen the area of dysplasia, and stabilize the hip. Both of my doctors think I would be able to run again after this procedure. One risk is that the pins are not always comfortable, which could hamper the running portion of this equation. This procedure also does nothing to fix the coxa vara, which is the downward angle that my femoral head has grown into after all these years. I will likely always have a slight limp, but I have had a slight limp all my life, so that is no real change.
Femoral osteotomy. That’s the deal where they basically sever my femur and tip the bone back up, correcting the coxa vara. There would be plates put in to stabilize the area. Plates are a lot bigger than pins, and a lot harder to hide in a small framed body. This surgery has a longer recover process than the pinning.

If you read my last post, you know that thinking about this has been wearing me down beyond belief. One minute I think I should have surgery, and the next is like “wait a minute.. I don’t wanna do that!” I know it sounds selfish, but my decision and thought process is completely driven by what will allow me to be a runner again. And by runner, I don’t mean I want to jog for around the lake. I mean I want to be back to where I was. I want to be able to race Boston. I want to break 3 hours. I want to be the Garmin loving, 60 mile per week, permanent sports bra tan kind of girl that I used to be. I know I should be thankful that my condition is not worse, because believe me, it could be. But to be honest, all I want to do is run.

Driving home from the airport, I came down 36th and hit the lake, and it took all of 5 seconds for me to start balling. All I kept saying was, “I don’t want to have surgery. I just want to run again.” Well, it looks like I may have to compromise a little bit.

Dr. Clohisy and I both agreed that surgery is the best and safest option. He is not forcing me to do this. My mom is not forcing me. No coach is forcing me. This is honestly a decision that was made as a team, and I know it is the right thing to do. That does not mean it’s the thing I want to do, but it is the thing I know I need to do. Life doesn’t always get to be about what we want, but I am keeping in mind the words I quoted a few weeks ago:

Occasionally you’ll be distracted and knocked off course for a while. On a regular basis, life will have its disappointments.

Those disappointments and distractions do not have to stop you. In fact, you can choose to let them inspire you and to push you forward.

No matter what has just happened, you are free in this moment to act with positive purpose. Whether the past has worked in your favor or not, the future is yours to create as you wish.

Life is too important to waste it feeling sorry for yourself or beating yourself up. Get up and get on with life, and make it match your highest expectations.

I WILL run again, and I WILL be happy, damnit! The decision has been made and I’m not going to contemplate any “what ifs” anymore. So.. here’s the deal:

We decided on the hip pinning procedure. There is an official word for it, but I can’t think of it at the moment, so lets just stick with pining. The surgery is at 8:00 am on Monday, which means I need to be there by 6:00, which means we will probably have to leave the house at 5:00 because there’s a huge snow storm that is supposedly hitting us on Sunday. Honestly.. it takes 15 minutes to drive there, but I’ll let you tell that to my mom. Whatever.. it’s not like I need to worry about getting sleep. I’ll be knocked out all day I’m sure. I’m thinkin’ it’ll look a little like this:

Dr. Clohisy said that this is a “no restrictions recovery”, meaning everything is based on my comfort level. He thinks that I can be back in the pool in two weeks, and back to beginning running in 6. That is honestly a lot shorter than I expected, so as you can imagine, I was very pleased when I heard that. I know people are going to jump in and be like “You know you obviously can’t run like you used to, right?” and no.. I’m not stupid. I’m not going to try and pull 60 miles the first week back. I know what beginning to run again is like – it sucks – but trust me.. any running is better than none.

My mom is taking off work to be there with me, and my dad and sister will be back in town Monday evening. I am going to make this a positive experience in my life. Who knows, maybe I will be stronger and faster in the long run? Either way, God would not have placed this challenge in front of me if it was unsurmountable. I’m gonna rock this surgery and recovery.. because I can. I apologize in advance, but cocky is a good thing for me right now.. it’s pushing me forward. Thank you all so much for all the words of encouragement and advice and the ehugs, because I needed every single one of them.

I’ll be bloggin’ from the hospital, I’m sure, so hang with me here! I also have some lovely LIFETIME FITNESS news to share with you.. and I want you all to get amped for it now because it’s gonna be great. I’m off for a walk around the lake with a DF (haha yes, that still stands for dear friend in my book!) and a Target extravaganza tonight. Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: doctors, health, injury, run, surgery

The Triathlon Rx | December 12, 2008

7 comments

from miles above…

[written night of December 11, 2008. posting morning of December 12, 2008, about 15 minutes before I leave to my appointment]

There will never be more free time than while waiting for a plane, which is exactly what I was doing, oh, about two hours ago. Yes my friends, I am midair, on my way HOME.

My flight was scheduled to leave at 6:00 pm, was first delayed to 6:50, then to 7:00, then 7:05, and finally, 7:11. All because of a little light drizzle. Either way, I’m on the plane now a few thousand feet above the ground, I’ll get there when I get there so no more complaining from me! I should be really grateful – the rest of my NU buds are stuck at school for another WEEK! Hahhaha.. suckers! Kidding. But let’s not kid – it was amazing that all of my finals were the week before finals week. I had my last critique in architecture (EVER) on Wednesday night, and after that, I checked out. SO EXCITED to be going home!

An update on the hip: I went in on Tuesday afternoon to see Dr. Millis at Children’s, and we retook the same x-rays I hade done on Oct. 30^th to see if there have been any improvements. The fracture is still not healed, but it does look like it’s improving. Dr. Millis also said he doesn’t feel like surgery is “necessary” at this point. He also seemed very adamant on the fact that he does not want to be the one to make the final decision. Fair.. I guess. I’d really like to take that notion and run with it though.. run very, very far.

So, tomorrow at 11:00 am I will be back at the University of Minnesota, although this time I’m no student – I’m a patient. Dr. Clohisy, the chief of the Orthopedic Surgery department will be giving a second opinion, and “we” will be making a decision on how to proceed from there. Here’s where I feel there could be some discrepancy in opinions:

Dr. Millis is a specialist in hips… one of the best in fact. My fracture is scary to him, and to all other orthopedic doctors, as it should be. He wants to do what is the best to heal that fracture, and prevent it from breaking all the way through. He also wants me to have the freedom to be a runner again. He understands how important it is to me, and will do whatever it takes to make that a possibility.
Dr. Clohisy.. well, I haven’t met him yet. We have talked over the phone, though only briefly. Dr. Clohisy is a specialist in bone tumors, which, when it comes down to it, is what fibrous dysplasia is. The fracture is also scary to him, but he is going at it with the fibrous dysplasia in mind. I do not know yet what FD will mean for my future, and the shitty thing is, no one does. Every case is different, nothing is guaranteed, and you can only take it day by day. Type A me + that mentality = a rough time.

I am hoping and praying with all my might that surgery is NOT necessary. I would like to try using the bone growth stimulator first, as well as exploring what other options are out there. In my opinion, surgery should be a last resort. Ahhh this waiting game is killing me!! In one second I say what I just said – surgery being a last resort. Then in the next second my mind goes – “Well, maybe you should just do it. What if it makes you stronger in the long run.” And then, as the cycle continues, it goes to “What if the surgery makes it so you can never run again!?”, and then “What if I can never run again if I DON’T have surgery!?”

You see how tiring this gets.

And speaking of tiring, that = me. I’m gonna try and get some rest for the last little bit of my flight, and hopefully I post this before I leave for my appointment tomorrow morning, or this will have been a waste.

Thanks for all the support you guys have been giving me over these last couple of months (and ALWAYS). It really means a lot to know that other people care, or are at least interested. Love yall. (p.s. sorry.. obvi no time to upload any photos right now. I have some fun ones for later though.)

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: college, doctors, family, health, injury, run, surgery

The Triathlon Rx | November 14, 2008

4 comments

Paging Dr. Sperl-Imhoff…

Friday again! It was a quick week, especially with the day off on Tuesday for Veterans Day. It was a nice break since it was only the 2nd day we’ve had off since the beginning of the year. Well, once again – I’m sitting in World Arch right now, so I’m gonna keep this post short and sweet to the point.. here we go!

Hip Update:

Um. Nothing. Pretty much status quo here. I am a little frustrated because the surgeon in Minneapolis called, and of course I was in class so he had to leave a message. I called back and left a message with his secretary. She said he’d call me back. He hasn’t called me back. Gaaah.

I sent my doctor here an email asking if I could come in for a follow-up appointment. My mom sent him an email. She sent another email. Neither of us have heard back. Aaah!

Aright.. I get that both of these men are highly regarded and very busy. But shouldn’t I get a response within a week? Yes, right? I’m just starting to feel really desperate because for some reason, this last week I hit the realization that surgery should be a last resort. I would much rather take another month or so off now than have surgery and not be back on my feet until June. Maybe I’m just getting scared, but I really don’t want to have surgery (duh) and don’t want to jump the gun here.

PLUS… both doctors were supposed to talk about me using a bone growth stimulator. And if I’m gonna use it, I want to get started as soon as possible. Everyone I’ve talked to who has used one said they wish they started using it sooner. Where did my doctors go? This is really unusual of them – I’ve always gotten responses right away either by phone or email, so I’m just not sure what to think right now. Out of town? I feel like the secretary would have called me back…

School Update:

I’m getting so excited for my major change. Did I talk about that yet? I think so.. but if not – I’m officially pre med!! Actually, not officially until the start of the spring semester I guess, but it’s official in my book! I register on Monday, which is possibly the most stressful experience EVER. Is that just me, or is it really stressful for all you other college kids too? I literally lose sleep over it. I have a pretty set schedule of what I need to take next semester, since I’m basically a semester behind everyone else. Damn architecture. Luckily I had all my general core classes covered with all my transfer credits from the University of Minnesota.. but that also means I will have zero electives until.. forever. I’m going to be in school till I’m like 30. And I’m SO EXCITED! I don’t have the times squared away yet, but next semester I’ll be taking:

BIO 111 – General Bio 1
BIO 112 – Lab
CHM 211 – General Chem
CHM 212 – Lab
PSY 101 – Foundations of Psychology
BHS 105 – Nutrition

I’m gonna be Dr. Sperl-Imhoff. Yessssir.

Don't you see the resemblance?

Other News…

My dad and sister are coming out on the 26th for Thanksgiving, and staying till the 30th (which is my birthday!!) and I can’t WAIT for them to get here! Unfortunately we wont’ be doing as much trekking around as my dad and I did when we were out here last January, but it should still be tons of fun. I’m so excited to see them, especially since I’ve been feeling a little homesick this last week. I really miss my mom too, but she was out here mid October for parents weekend, and I’ll get to see her in a month at Christmas. It’s good to break it up a little, so I’m happy with the way we set this up.

Thanksgiving!

Pool running has been going well.. but one of my best friends who goes is going to be returning to running soon. Like tomorrow soon. I’m obviously really happy for her, but sad that I wont see her as much.

I’ve been keeping up the group fitness classes at the Marino. I took Pilates yesterday, but unfortunately I gotta say I won’t be taking that again. It just wasn’t that challenging. I loved the pilates I did at home for all the core work it gave me, but this class didn’t really incorporate much of that at all. I took spinning again this morning (60min class this time – woo!), and I’m still liking that the best of the group classes. I’m pretty limited in what I can take, since all the other classes are like jumping around cardio that probably wouldn’t be a good idea for my little fractured friend FemoralNeck. So. Spinning it is. And abs.. I’ll keep that one too, even though it isn’t that hard – the teacher is a ton of fun.

Haha I just wrote for half of this class period. I will say though, I am quite an efficient multi-tasker. I’m still pullin an A in this class, and I’ve been doing this all semester. One more thing before I leave, as is tradition here on Fridays. BTW.. when I wrote this last week, you guys were supposed to add your OWN confessions! I can’t be the only one being a little bad all week..

Friday Confessional:

I conveniently scheduled my advising appointment to be right in the middle of class yesterday, leaving me unable to attend. Mind you, I’m rockin an A in there too.. everyone needs a break once in a while.
I skipped Students for Environmental Action (it’s just a club.. not a class) when I said I’d be there to take Pilates last night. Too bad pilates blowed..
Hmm.. I guess I really haven’t done that much this week. Good! Hahah I’m sure I’ll think of more as the day goes on..

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: college, cross training, doctors, family, injury, new beginning, northeastern, surgery

The Triathlon Rx | November 7, 2008

12 comments

Friday Confessionals

Not gonna lie.. I’m not really really not satisfied with my mood lately. I feel like I’m either super-up, or super-down, but it’s always on one extreme or the other. Last Saturday was ridiculously miserable for some reason, but then Sunday was a new day and just fine. I’m not down with this whole roller coaster of emotions deal, so what am I supposed to do?

My days either seem to look like this:

or they look like this:

but there is no happy medium. What I attribute this to is my lack of an outlet. Everyone has (or needs) an outlet, and mine has been ripped from my hands [for the time being] and placed on a top shelf that I can’t reach. Clearly I’m referring to running.. and I just don’t know what to do. Whenever I was under stress in the past, I would run. It wouldn’t need to be for long, it wouldn’t need to be “on the schedule”, it didn’t matter the time of day, I’d just go and get out for a mile (or 10) and clear my mind. No music. No company. Just me and my breathing and my feet on the street, and my problems would melt away.

Here’s where I turn to you guys – maybe you have some suggestions for me. I know some people bake. Some people do yoga. Some people scrapbook. No offense to any of those things, they’re all great if you enjoy it, but it just doesn’t cut it for me. People say “you should be thankful – at least you can still do stuff to stay active” referring to swimming and pool running and cycling. Um, sure.. I can sweat. I can still “workout”. That doesn’t mean I’m enjoying it. I never ran to “work out”. Well, OK maybe that’s an overstatement – sure you have tempos and intervals when you’re in training, but seriously, I don’t even like that phrase.. workout. Ick. That’s what the gym is for. And I would take the outdoors, rain or shine, snow or 90 heat, ANY day.

I know there are at least a few readers who have been through this before. Well, not this probably, but this as in an extended period of time off. And that’s what this is, because like I said before, I will be back. So I’m asking.. how did you do it? What did you find to release your stress when you couldn’t do what you love the most? I know everyone has “off days”, but this is different than that. I had “off days” still when I could run. All I can say is that these are just extremely unpleasant.. and not something I want to experience again. Ever. (Ideal world right? I know I’m being a touch extreme.. just indulge me for now)

As I desperately await suggestions, I want to introduce something I’d like to make a staple here on RRR (in attempts to hole me responsible to posting more frequently), and that something I’d like to call Friday Confessional. A little signature trademark, if you will, that you know you’ll always find here. We used to do this over on Runners World every now and then, but I haven’t seen anyone post up in a long time, so now I’m takin’ it and makin’ it mine. It’s a good way to let out some of the things you may feel guilty about. Hopefully no one takes offense at anything confessed, because it’s supposed to be all honesty – no holding anything back. Feel free to add your own in the comments! It feels good to get it off your chest.

I’ve become rather spiteful without running. I’ve seen other people running outside or hearing them talk about running and wished they couldn’t run too. It’s like if I can’t run, no one else should.
I stole my roommates pack of Cinnamon Spice gum off her desk. Sorry Laur – I owe you.
I ODed on Cinnamon Toast Crunch one night in the beginning of the week. I literally had FIVE bowls. Just dry. Back to back. And I felt sick as hell afterwards/the next morning. It was completely emotional and very delicious. But I don’t need to do that again.
I paid $55 for unlimited group fitness at the Marino. And I’m yet to take ONE class. I signed up for abs tonight and spinning tomorrow morning.
I accidentally brought home a pool belt from the Y. And it is sitting under my bed. And it’s mine.

Haha in efforts to not make myself look like a completely terrible person, I will stop there and call it a day. This week has been less stressful than the last for sure, and I’m hoping for a low key weekend. I signed up for a 30 minute abs class tonight which I’m excited for, and a 45 minute spinning class tomorrow morning which I’m not so excited for, but I gotta try it some time! One thing that could possibly annihilate my low key conquest is the fact that there will be FOURTEEN people in our suite this weekend (us six, plus L’s swimming recruit, T’s two friends, L’s two friends, and the other L’s three visiting boys). I’ll get over it sleep next door. It will look a little like this, minus the costumes, plus five people, plus lots more mess.

Time for an exam.. I’m typing this in History of World Arch.. hope this stuff on Muqarna arches isn’t important! (KIDDING mom! Hope you didn’t just have a heart attack.) See you all soon.. and I wanna hear some Friday Confessions!

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: cross training, doctors, health, injury, run, surgery

The Triathlon Rx | November 2, 2008

13 comments

my life as it unfolds..

This is basically a copy/paste from what I wrote in my daily Runners World thread this morning, so I apologize if you already read, but it’s definitely time for an update. And don’t say I didn’t warn you – this is a novel:

I haven’t posted much this last week because between class, homework, work, and doctors appointments there has been literally NO time. AND the fact that I talking about this whole hip mess when things are still up in the air just makes me 10x more stressed. When I’m not for sure about what’s going to happen, that’s when things go downhill.

Well.. now it’s [for the most part] for sure – when I go home at christmas I’m going to have surgery. “For the most part” because now the doctors and I have to decide WHICH surgery I’m going to have. The less invasive option (#1) would be to place pins running through my femoral neck to stabilize the area of fibrous dysplasia. The more intensive option (#2) would be to completely cut my femur all the way through, and reposition it to fix the angle that it has deformed into over the years (from the FD). There would also have to be plates put in to keep the area solid.

Surgery #1 would take less recovery time, but without fixing that angle of my femoral neck there’s chance of refracturing, and I will still most likely always limp.

Surgery #2 is a longer healing process, but maybe it would be better in the long run?

I only have a 2 week christmas break, but I’m thinking I’ll be able to go home a week early because none of my professors decided to have their finals during actual FINALS week. SO, hopefully I’ll be able to get out of my one Friday class which would be the 12th of December, fly home the 11th (Thurs), have surgery the next day, and have until the 4th of January when I need to be back. Of course all of this depends on whether or not the surgeon can do it at that time too.

There is just so much “unknown” in this situation.. and for someone as type A as me, that’s really hard. I want to know that if I have surgery #1, it’s going to last in the long run. I want to know if I do surgery #2, I’ll be able to run again. And I don’t just want to run again. I was never just an “average” runner. I raced. I did marathons. I was part of a team.

The orthopedic surgeon that I’m working with here is amazing. He’s apparently the best in Boston for orthopedic surgery, and more specifically, for hips. He came in yesterday (Saturday MORNING) and talked with me for almost FOUR hours, when Children’s doesn’t even operate on the weekends! We were like the only ones there aside from some other employees! He gets that I don’t want to just “run”, and he wants to do everything possible to make that an option. I’m just scared now because he wont be the actual one doing the surgery. The surgeon back in MN is the chief in the department of orthopedic surgery at the University of MN, and he has tons of accreditations to his name. My doctor HERE has even worked with him before, and he attests that he’s a great guy. I just get scared that he’ll have a different attitude with me – a lot of people have given me the eye roll when I talk about returning to running again.

I do realize that I may need to readjust my expectations. It may not be possible that I can ever run distance again. I may never be able to race again. Let’s be real – I may never even be able to run again. But there are a lot of people out there who have it worse than I do right now. It’s not like they need to amputate my leg, I’m not going to die from this, it’s not cancer, etc. I’m just sortof in this whirlwind right now of the anticipation of surgery (even though its like 40 days away) and the uncertainty of what my life will be like after this. I have no clue.

My doctor sent me home with some goodies:

It’s pretty easy to see the area that is fibrous dysplasia on my left side. It’s that whole encircled section.

You can see it here too. Children’s has their own photo viewing software, but it’s made for PCs so trying to run it through Parallels on my mac is giving me a headache. If I figure it out more later on I’ll get more posted, but right now I have a buttload of work to do today, so I should get started on it. Hope everyone had a nice weekend. I’ll hopefully be back soon!

Category: Uncategorized | Tags: doctors, health, injury, surgery