Obviously It Has Been a While

Since the last post, I had back surgery. It completely healed my back pain.  I have ran several half marathons since then (3 or ..maybe 4?) THEN I started getting wild headaches 6 months later.  I thought that I knew it was caused by the epidural because the same thing happened to me when I had my first child, only it was a few days later, not a few months.  Lying horizontal I feel great, any incline will make it start hurting, vertical is too much to bear.  It was to the point that it was making me blindingly sick.  They put me in the hospital - For 10 days! - while they ran tests on me.  When they could not come up with anything else better to do (after many painful tests......) they decided to 'try' an epidural patch, and it worked!  I was released the next day.

But the patch was also painful.  The anesthesiologist told me he gave me the biggest patch he could and IT HURT...so much pressure on those tender nerves in my spine.  After a couple of months (yes, MONTHS) all that subsided and I was finally back to normal.   I've been that way for two years.

My back has started hurting again lately.  I noticed it when I was doing Insanity, the moves that involve jumping around and touching the ground is pretty uncomfortable.  I didn't stop though, of course - because isn't it uncomfortable for everyone?  And as usual, I pretend like I really am as strong as a man, and I went to set up my girl's sweet 16 party by myself, moving big stacks of chairs and tables over my head.  I think I hurt myself. I have noticed that sitting has became very uncomfortable as it did before.  My butt starts burning and going numb.  So I am trying to get up and move around more often, do back strengthening exercises, NOT jumping around, etc.  I quit teaching my turbo classes for now too, and have taken up yoga instead.

I am in a rut now and have noticed I'm getting fat.   :(   I really need to nip the eating thing in the bud, especially since I can't exercise in my normal kickass manner.   But I can't seem to find the motivation to stay out of the kitchen.  SUPER upset about the back thing.  I have a cruise in 2 months!  I'm hoping that blogging will help.  Stay tuned.

Food Blog

I have been challenged with Juicing... which is not difficult in itself, but what to do with the pulp?!  There is just something inside of me which refuses to waste food. This has caused me to fall off the wagon because of poor planning and then the pulp adding up, eventually to be discarded.

Tuesday 

Breakfast
Peaches
Cottage Cheese
Cheerios

Juice

Celery
Ginger

Onion

Carrots

Dinner

Rice
Broccoli Stirfry


Wednesday

Breakfast
Peaches
Cottage Cheese

Cheerios

Juice

Tomato
Onion
Carrots
Cauliflower

Dinner

Cauliflower pancakes

Pinto Beans w/ rest of pulp 
Mexican Cornbread


Thursday

Breakfast
Peaches
Cottage Cheese
Cheerios

Juice

Ginger
Celery
Tomatoes
Carrots
Lemon

Dinner

Fish and Chickpea Couscous

---

 **Needs** 

Cereal

Milk

Eggs

Cottage Cheese

Back Updates

I got an epidural shot on July 1 to help relieve the pain associated with my herniated disc.  This helped somewhat; I can now get along doing daily jobs (like getting myself something to drink, going to the bathroom, sneezing, getting laundry out of the washer) and hanging out on the couch.  However, sitting in a chair kills after about 45 minutes, and so does any kind of exertion like water jogging or elliptical.

I am waiting to hear back for an appointment with a specialist, and my second round of epidural is in less than 2 weeks.   I want so much to be over with this, there are half marathons this fall that I REALLY want to do.  The Montgomery Half on October 1 is going to be impossible if I can't start running by Aug 1.   And if I'm not running by Sept 1, then Savannah is also out - the problem with that is that Savannah is reaching capacity, so I may not have the chance if I am starting to train by September. :(   I'm not sure what I am going to do if I can't run anymore. That thought just makes me very sad.....very very sad.


July 15

Water jogged 30 minutes. 200 cals. AHR 131.  Felt: hurt some during, worse afterwards. 

I'm 37!

And I feel 90! I quit the chiropractor that I was going to several weeks ago when he got the results of my x-rays and determined to keep doing the same thing that he had been doing, which wasn't working. After that, I tried to see my regular doc, but only got in to see the nurse. She agreed with the chiro that it was a degenerated disc and wasted another 2 weeks. I finally got in to see the regular doc, who got the MRI done this week and turns out that I have a rather large herniated disc.

I feel pretty good when I am lying down or lounging, but sitting straight up, or standing in one spot takes me OUT. Sick of being a cry baby, I have decided to get back on some type of schedule or I could get fat and out of shape quickly!

Yesterday I went to the gym to test the waters...

June 11 at the club

Elliptical, program: manual progression, cals burned: ?

duration: 20 min. distance: 1.75 mi.

I listened to my body and got off when I started to feel pain. I followed cardio up with the following:

Pelvic Tilts: 3 X 12

Bridges on Ball: 2 X 12 (these are still painful)

Concentration Curls: 2 X 12 (10# db can be increased next time)

Skull Crushers: 2 X 12 (2-10# db can be increased next time)

Planks: 2 X 1 minute

I never broke a sweat, but it was my first time working out in a long time so I was happy to just move :)

June 12

Swimming, 30 mins burned 214 cals

Here again, happy to be progressing. I am not a strong swimmer, so today my plan was to swim one pool length and water jog back. After about 8-9 minutes I was thinking that I should have been keeping count of how many 'laps' I did. I had my HRM on, and stayed around 130bpm average, which is pretty good for my resting pulse of 50-54.

As hard as I try, I can't help but have a 'plan' in my head. I'm thinking that I will alternate elliptical and swimming. I'll do weights on the elliptical days, since I'll be at the gym, and I'll do yoga and meditation on the swimming days.  My 18-wk Half Training for Savannah starts the first week of July. If I can't run by then, I'll be starting my training on the elliptical. 

The key here is to stay active and focused! I tend to disappear when I can't give 100% so I am really going to try to post blogs each day (or at least most days) to keep myself accountable and check in.

Ohhh hurting!

Things were going along pretty well and then Friday... Ohhh... by the time I got to the appointment at lunchtime, I told him I was hurting! After the EMS machine, I think I might have felt better, but it is back today with a vengeance. The problem is that I don't know how this hurts compared to the hurt at the beginning of treatment. On a scale from 1-10, I would say the shooting pain tops out at 9.something...I have not sneaked any activity in since Sunday, so I'm not sure what has activated this horrendous pain! :(

It goes without saying that I no longer feel like I'm getting closer to a workout anytime soon. I am going to have to hit RESET on this Savannah plan. Hey, at least my injury happened before I even really got started, and there is plenty of time to get back on track for a PR! Oh yes baby, still a goal, still plenty of time!

Week 2 / Days 3-4 Savannah Plan

Wednesday (yesterday) I blogged about my restriction and whined a little, but this morning I got up, prepared to make up my walk from yesterday early this morning. And I did. I walked a 5K in 48 minutes, nice and easy. While I was out there, it occurred to me that I did not dread getting up and attem this morning - why is that? I pondered this while I walked around. The result of this pondering was that I had no expectations for this walk, no stress, no pressure. I didn't have to dread meeting my threshhold, pushing myself past my comfort level, feeling like I am gasping for air or going to throw up first thing in the morning. I just got right out there and listened to my music, watched the ducks, was able to speak hello to the neighbors I passed (rather than a barely-there-head-nod because I have no air). I was left with the feeling that I should just stick to walking in the morning. This approach will be more successful because, well, I'll actually DO it.

When I came back from my walk, I was checking out blogs written by my friends in fitness. One girl, admitted that she ran further than she was actually suppose to (not much further though) and then came home and iced as directed - she has multiple injuries including (but not limited to plantar fasciitis and ITBS, resulting in her entire hip to toe in ice. I have another friend who regularly goes to the chiro to keep her hips in line or she ends up with back pain like myself, yet another is down with ITBS, and cannot run, but is doing Insanity instead. Insanity indeed - I was shaking my head wondering if being super focused on fitness is making us miss our mark on 'wellness'. I think this fine line is different for everyone, and since I'm going to be just starting out again I am going to be mindful of my body, and be sensitive of where that line is "for me".

Week 2 Savannah Plan [Edited]

I went to the chiropractor this morning.   Basically, I must have caused some type of damage to the facet joints of the lumbar vertebrae which is sending the pain through my lower back / butt and down my leg and also causing my muscles to tense up around it.  The doc explained that he was seeing that those the other joints in my spine are working independently, as expected, but those lumbar joints are not moving at all when I lean or bend. As long as the vertebrae continues to have a problem, the muscles will continue to be seized up around it, and that is why, even though I have stretched til I am blue, the pain always returns if it eased up at all.

I was really happy with this dr that I saw today.   He checked all different movements and determined the area of my back which needs the therapy.  He didn't give me the canned 'sciatic pain' response or give me the canned 'crack's that I always get.   I did get the little electrode pad things at the end though. I <3 them! Homework today: ICE, 20 min intervals.   I have daily appointments for the rest of this week.....

AND he tells me "After several visits I'll start to add in exercise"..
me: So, are you telling me I cant exercise at all until then?
chiro:  That is right because... blah blah... basically when I tell him what hurts he wants to know its what he did and not something I have done working out, plus, he is trying to get the muscles around the spine to loosen, so he doesn't want me triggering them.
me: But, but....Nothing? At all?  Not even stretching???
chiro:  You can do light walking  [insert a pffffft from me here...]   No strength training at all... also no running, jogging, biking, or ellipticalling..
me: No kickboxing class tonight?!?! :((  Noooooo!!!


Wed May 4 Kickboxing 60 min + Push 30 min walk
Thu May 5 Tempo Run Dist: 5 Mi, inc Warm; 3 Mi @ 8:53; Cool 45 min walk
Fri May 6 Easy Run Dist: 2 Mi @10:28 45 min walk
Sat May 7 Maybe Yoga?! - I'll see if I can get an OK by Friday's appt...
Sun May 8 Long Run Dist: 8 Mi @10:28 5K - he's going to love this, but I'm already signed up!