Physical Therapy - Week 2

I didn't know what to expect with my second physical therapy appointment with Alex. What I did know was that I wanted her to evaluate my "walk." I woke up on Thursday morning feeling very tired. The last three days had been tough, but so far, I hadn't felt really run down. Thursday morning was different. I drove to work since I had my PT appointment at 5:30 PM and would need my car. By the time I crutched into the office I was already beat. The last few mornings I had been lucky. A few coworkers offered to help me get my breakfast in the cafe, "The Gapeteria" as we sometimes call it. On Thursday morning, I somehow missed all the windows of people heading to the first floor for food. Tom and Ken were already working away at their desks and when Nick walked in, he already had his coffee already in hand. Sigh. As I may have mentioned, I have a really hard time asking for help, so even though I was already tired, I crutched on down to the cafe by myself. I ended up getting some cereal and milk and putting it into a brown bag (like the kind I used to carry my lunch in high school). The bag was simple to hold while using my crutches. I only wished I could carry some coffee! Oh well... I let it go and moved on with the morning without caffeine.

Just before I made my way out the door at the end of the day a few coworkers asked to see my walk, since I told them I was going to PT. I walked away from them and they called out, "Nope! You won't pass." Alex had told me I had to be walking without a limp to be able to ditch the crutches. Off I went, thinking it was a lost cause.

I arrived at CPMC - Davies, checked in and changed into my athletic gear for my PT session. Alex walked over to the waiting room to retrieve me and watched me as I crutched my way into the PT room. The first thing she said was, "It's time to get you off those crutches." Woo hoo! Really? All was not lost. Alex said I needed to start putting more "load" on my knee and I should be walking. She then taught me how to walk. Huh? Yes. My walking now takes concentration. Heel first, roll from heel to toe, then switch feet. No walking flat footed, since that causes to much load on the knee. Next, Alex ran me through some exercises including the good 'ol shuttle for my quads. A short time later I iced my knee with the Taco Bell ice I love that I can only get after PT and off I went to my car... carrying my crutches. Yeah for progress!

Back to Work - Day 1

I feel that my first day back to work after my knee scope is important to mention. Albeit, I'm going to try my best to keep it short, but sweet, mainly for the simple fact I am so tired. Today was rough. I knew it was going to be hard, but I didn't anticipate how hard. Why exactly, you ask? Well, it was for two reasons. First, crutches (hate them), and second, by the end of the day my knee was aching, felt heavy, and was a little more swollen than usual. "Not good," I thought I as I finally made my way home.

I guess it was to be expected, although I really felt as if I was being quite careful. I took Dr. Dye's recommendation and whenever I could, I asked a coworker to pick something up off the printer for me or throw away my coffee cup. Luckily, I have wonderful colleagues and they were willing to help. I did as much as I could to stay at my desk and not get up and down more than necessary. Sure, there were a few times I had to stand up to stretch out and move around a bit, but I think overall I did well. I'm pretty sure my achy knee was simply due to the length of the day and the fact I had not spent 8+ hours since my scope being up and about. I figure my healing speed may slow down at this point and it's going to be an adjustment. Thing is, it's real life and I have to go back to work.

Luckily, tomorrow one of my coworkers offered to pick me up on her way to work in the morning. Yeah for Tisa! She drives into the city from Marin County. I gladly accepted and may take her up on that offer until I finally can ditch the crutches. Mass transit with crutches? Miserable. I'll avoid that scenario as long as I can. 

My Name is Ali and I am a Sneaker-aholic

I need to come to terms with my problem... I was in denial for quite some time, but I think I am ready to admit it out loud. I am a sneaker-aholic. There, I said it. I wasn't always this way, I used to be the average runner with the usual amount of sneakers. I would try my best to keep track of how old my running shoes were and make sure to purchase a new pair before the old ones started causing me aches and pains. As every runner knows, you need to swap out your shoes at 500 miles or every 6 months, whatever comes first. I think I used to be the "every six month type,"  since it was easier consider the new purchase twice a year. 

Running shoes aren't cheap and you cannot simply choose shoes that are on sale that week. Way back, when I was the gym/treadmill type of runner, I didn't understand there was a certain type of shoe you should buy depending on your foot type. I just bought shoes that were kind of cute! Eek, that makes me cringe now. From early on in my endurance running days, the "experts" at the athletic shoe stores all said I over-pronate and put me in stability shoes, only to be later referred to even higher stability shoes. I've noted some of my experiences along these lines in past posts (January 2008 - "The Shoes," "The Latest - Part I," November 2008 - "The Wet Test" and earlier this month "Runner's World Shoe Guide - Good Information"). Over time and all my struggles over the past 3 years, I've wondered if I have ever been put in the right shoes and that I really need more cushion in my step. 

Yesterday, as mentioned in my latest post on shoes a few weeks ago, I went out and bought my first pair of neutral-cushioned shoes. These are the type of shoes recommended for people with high arches, such as me. I will be wearing these shoes with my custom inserts for a little added stability. No, obviously I'm not going to be running anytime soon, but I do have to wear comfortable shoes while my knee is on the mend. That means no high heels for me! Sad, but true. I stopped by Sports Basement, my favorite athletic gear store in the city, and got some help from the folks in the shoe department. I explained my predicament and was pointed to a few different brands of shoes, one of which was highlighted in the Runner's World article I read a few weeks ago. That was the Mizuno Wave Creation 10 pair, which I ended up not liking much. They weren't quite as cushiony as I hoped. I also tried an Asics pair (I cannot remember the exact name) and it was between that and the Saucony ProGrid Triumph 6. I settled on the Saucony pair. Why? They just felt good, what can I say? Sports Basement had the silver/green color, which I thought was kind of nice too. Hey, maybe they can be kind of cute? I'll be switching between these, my good 'ol Nike Free 5.0's and a "Mary Jane" style Nike Free's I picked up last Fall. I'll need comfort over the next few months, but I'm hoping to not look like a complete slob at work! Sneakers are not exactly fashion forward, but they can be addictive. I know. 

Healing Slowly, But Surely

I've been kind of amazed at the healing process of my knee throughout this past week that I've been off work since the surgery. The first few days were rough. I couldn't bend my knee much, there was a dull ache, and my leg just felt really heavy and weak. I tried hard not to put much weight on it since it didn't feel very stable (I was told in the hospital that I could put some weight on it, but to be careful). At night, it was hard to find a comfortable position to sleep in so I did nap during the day for the first week. So tired! Each day, I have to say, has been better than the last. I've felt a little bit stronger, my knee has ached less and I am slowly, but surely getting more steady on my feet. Alex, my physical therapist, said I cannot ditch the crutches until I can walk with no limp. I'm not there yet, but my "walking" is a little better every day.

When the stitches were removed, adhesive strips were placed over the three incisions around my knee cap. Lesley, Dr. Dye's assistant said to leave them on and they would fall off on their own, probably by Thursday or Friday. Well, they don't seem to be moving much! Here is the latest photo. Knees aren't very pretty up close, are they? So far, I've been pretty happy with the amount of swelling, it's not too bad. This may be due to the drain left in my knee for the day after surgery, or that I have been trying to take it as easy as possible. Who knows? Maybe both. I don't remember a huge amount of swelling last time around, but obviously the fluid build-up in my knee persisted and did not go away on it's own. I hope that is not the case this time around.

I finally found the leg weight I was looking for today! It dawned on me that I had once stopped by a sports medicine shop connected to Saint Francis Medical Center, not far from where I live in San Francisco. I called the shop and it sounded like they had what I needed. I walked in the door and there they were, weights hanging on the wall in bright colors. They are called "Cuff Weights" and each weight option is a different color. The 5 lb version Alex asked me to buy is black. I thought, "Great! I don't have to buy a weird color." I don't know why that mattered to me. Alex will probably tell me I need to purchase a heavier version in a few weeks, probably the baby poop color... sorry Morgan! ; ) Its not about "style," I have to tell myself. It's about finally getting healthy again. Bring on the sweet potato color and egg shell white too!

Physical Therapy - Reality Sets In

My physical therapist is named Alexandra. Cool, right? She goes by "Alex" not "Ali," so we won't have to call each other by the same name. : ) Alex is a rather studious-looking, maybe a little bit of tomboy mixed in kind of girl. Natural light blond, somewhat frizzy hair, pulled back by a headband and short braid, with Prada eyeglasses. Of course, I've only met her once now, but that's my take on her so far. I know that's not too important, I'm just trying to set the scene for you. 

I went to my first PT appointment with Alex yesterday. I wanted to make sure I got on the PT bandwagon right away since last time around, it took me 2-3 weeks to get in after my surgery. The majority of my appointment was answering the tons of questions Alex had for me and her typing my answers into her laptop she rolled around on a small mobile table she stood beside. She also ran me through some of the usual tests checking the healing of my knee and flexibility at this point. She said I seemed very limber which was surprising to hear since I don't think I'm flexible anymore at all. She also checked my strength through a series of tests pushing and pulling on my leg and said other than one area, I seemed really strong. Good. One surprise from the appointment was that she changed the amount of times I should go to PT over the next 6 weeks. Dr. Dye's referral said 2-3 times per week for the next 3 weeks. Alex rolled her eyes and said, "Dr. Dye always states 2-3 times, but that is too much. You are still healing from your surgery right now." I was a little relieved to hear this since I really wasn't sure how I was going to be able to get out of work for that many PT sessions per week! Alex said I will see her (and only her since she is very familiar with Dr. Dye's recovery plan) once a week for the next 6 weeks. Cool. I will have to do the 3 exercises she gave me every day. I was happy to hear that and felt pleased that she wanted me to see only her and not be pawned off on another PT that wasn't as good due to scheduling problems. Maybe it's the name... ; ) 

Here is where the "reality set in." I knew going into this surgery that I would not run for a year and it would be more like a year and a half until I will hopefully be back to a routine of healthy exercise. I thought I had accepted it. A year flies by, right? Still, when Alex told me I couldn't start training for a marathon for a year and a half, reality set in. She said I couldn't even think about it. At that time I will need to come back and see her so she can help me start my training the right way. Apparently, people with my type of knee issue should take twice the time to train for a race such as a marathon. The build up of miles needs to be much slower than the average person. Wow. I have to say, I was a little crushed by this news, even if it wasn't all that surprising. I guess in the back of my mind I hoped, maybe once this inflammation is out of my knee, I'll be one of those super-healers and it won't take as long as people think to get back to regular exercise. Whether that's true or not, I realize I need to follow the plan so this never happens to me again. At least, Alex added that she has seen runners with my issue get back to races again. 

So, I left my appointment and was feeling like I needed a little pity party. I drove all around looking for a leg weight I needed for PT (I still haven't found the right one, the sports stores Alex told me to go to haven't had it in stock so far) and ran an errand or two. By then, I was exhausted. I'm not used to being out and doing much. Before I went home, I stopped at the grocery store and bought some Tostitos Queso dip. I brought it home, heated it up, and dipped pretzels in it for my "feel sorry for myself" time. Some people buy pints of ice cream, I buy cheese dip. 

Synovectomy Follow-Up Appointment

On to more serious matters. I had my follow-up appointment yesterday morning with Dr. Dye. It was another rainy day as my Mom drove me back to the city in the pouring rain. I was a little sad to be leaving Lafayette, but knew I needed to move on to my next stage of recovery from surgery. I wanted to hear what Dr. Dye had to say and whether my knee was healing appropriately or not. I also wanted to get back to my apartment to rest more and catch up on my TiVo'd shows. Hey, a girl has to stay up-to-date on Lost and The City, you know? ; )

We arrived at Dr. Dye's office around 10:00 AM. Dr. Dye's assistant Lesley brought me into the exam room, took out my stitches and checked the temperature of my knees. Huh? This was the first time anyone had done this before! The "temperature" of my knees? Lesley pointed a laser at each knee and aimed the red dot right on top of the patella. My left knee temperature was around 89 degrees and my left knee was 81 degrees. Interesting. This seemed to make sense to me as my left knee was the one healing and probably requiring more energy than the right one. Lesley confirmed this was normal. Then Dr. Dye came in and took a look at my knee. Very quickly he repeated some of what he told me in the hospital. He said he found the problematic synovitis under my kneecap and removed it. He said the synovitis (inflammation of synovial tissue causing pain) had attached itself to the underside of my patella. I think this sounds a lot more creepy than it really is and made me wonder how common this is and how misdiagnosed this origin of knee pain can be. I'm sure in most people, if they take the time to rest, the inflammation dissipates and even goes away. Dr. Dye repeated, yet again, that this was not the case for me and it needed to be fixed surgically. I asked him about my silly white stockings and he said for safe measure to leave them on until the weekend. O... K... 

I was given a referral to physical therapy and Dr. Dye said the next 2-3 months of my recovery is critical. I must not do more than what is prescribed by my physical therapist. I should also try not to get up and down as much as I usually do from my desk at work. He said to have someone "get the files for me" whenever possible. Anything that causes any pain in my knee should be stopped immediately. I need to stay within that "envelope of function" Dr. Dye always mentions. The PT referral said I should go to 2-3 times a week. What? I thought this was a lot, but I figured, alright, this is what he requires. I'll do my best to follow his program.

After my appointment, my Mom took me to Trader Joe's for some milk and needed groceries. We hauled everything (my suitcase, flowers, and food with my Mom doing most of the work) into my apartment and soon after she was on her way back to Lafayette. I stretched out on my couch and turned on the TV. It continued to be a rainy afternoon which, again, made it easy to be cozy indoors. I soon realized how hard it is to stay in one place in your own apartment. Each time I sat down I thought, "I need this, I need that." It took me a while to get set up where I could reach what I needed and not get up constantly. I iced my knee as much as possible and finally got online to answer personal emails and start to update my blog. I love my laptop! It makes it so easy to keep my leg propped up and type away. My knee felt pretty achy as I hobbled around on my crutches. I just kept telling myself, take it easy. I tried to do the same as when I was at my parents. Rest, read, watch TV, keep that leg on a pillow and ice. The main difference was that I had to get up and cook for myself. Even though my kitchen is only a few feet away, it's amazing how much effort it took to grab my favorite soy crisps or cut up an apple! Don't worry, I didn't starve. I've never been the type to go without! 

I was officially in recovery stage 2. 

Life in Lafayette

I stayed at my parents in Lafayette from Thursday afternoon through through this morning, February 17. The majority of my time was spent either sleeping or resting watching TV or reading a book with ice on my knee. "Ice" consisted of either bags of frozen peas or party ice I sent my Dad out to get in a heavy rainstorm. I think it was Friday night while we were watching TV in the family room that I became concerned how warm my left knee felt. Suddenly it didn't seem like the frozen peas were really cooling it very well. Thankfully, my Dad offered to drive to 7-Eleven for a few bags of ice since their ice cube maker was on the fritz. After that night, I switched off between using frozen peas and party ice to make sure my knee had the right amount of cooling. Dr. Dye said I should not let my knee get numb either so I worked on a nice, cool balance.

I really enjoyed my time at my parents. It was quiet. My parents were both fighting colds, and I probably got on their nerves a little (I can be a little snappy... who me?), but the wonderful meals and care from my Mom and Dad was much appreciated. We celebrated Valentine's Day with a box of heart chocolates, my Mom's famous Strawberry Cake, and a heart shaped candle I brought along. I also forced them to watch the movie Baby Mama, in which I think they were a little underwhelmed. That type of humor is not always my cup of tea either, but I was choosing comedy over drama. Laughs are good!

What I absolutely loved was the sound of rain on the roof. It really is one of those comforting memories from childhood for me. My parents have a flat roof (not sloped with an attic) on most of the house so the sound of raindrops is prevalent. As a light sleeper, this really doesn't bother me, it's very nice. I was also more content and less cooped up being inside and resting while the rain came down outside. We really, really need it as we are way behind on rainfall levels for the year. While there, I also read two, almost three books. Most of them, so far, have been pretty frivolous reads. It really has been what I have gravitated to throughout this break. I was tired my mind spinning at work during the weeks leading up to my time off that I just didn't want to have to "think" at all. Hey, is anyone curious about the memoir of Tori Spelling's life so far? If so, you can just ask me. I know ALL! ; ) I have yet another Nicholas Sparks book in my repertoire and I'm now just about done with the Girls Guide to Hunting and Fishing. I have a few other more serious reads in my pile of books that I hope to get to before the week is up, but nothing too challenging.

While I've been taking it easy, I have been wearing these really fun pair of white stockings! I'm being sarcastic, of course. In the hospital I was given a pair of anti-embolism stockings. Initially, I was asked to put the stocking only on the leg not to be operated on. Very important. Once I woke up from the surgery, both legs were snug in stockings. They are supposed to help prevent blood clots from forming in my calves. This can happen when the body is sedentary for long periods of time. Dr. Dye said to keep them on all the time, except for a few hours a day to "air out my legs." Every two days I wash them and let them dry as seen in this photo. My knee looks pretty good, I think. I haven't compared my knee now to photos from my first knee scope, but I don't think it's any more swollen than expected and other than a dull achy feeling here and there, I don't have any pain I worry about at this stage. So far, so good!

Little white stockings hanging to dry

Dr. Dye's new stitches. Now I'll have 6 tiny scars on my knee!

Beautiful Gifts

Besides my friends visiting me in the hospital, I also didn't expect to receive such pretty gifts as I was convalescing at my parents house in Lafayette. I arrived there on Thursday afternoon and immediately headed to the guest room (m childhood bedroom) to sleep. My parents bought a new bed within the last year and it is so soft and comfortable, one of those "pillow top" mattresses. Ah... so much better than a hospital bed! Outside of having to sleep on my back with my leg propped up on a pillow, it was a great place to get some much needed Zs.

On Friday morning, the deliveries began. I was sitting in my Dad's easy chair (thanks again Dad!) in the family room enjoying some reading after a yummy breakfast of waffles. My stomach had finally felt normal again at dinner the night before. In walked my Mom with some pretty yellow roses and daisies in a sweet smiley face mug! Also, there was a box from the French Bakery in Lafayette containing wonderful sweets and muffins. Turns out, it was a delivery from one of my print vendors in the Midwest. I still wonder how they tracked down the local bakery from so far away! We indulged on those treats for the next several days. So delicious!


Next, was another beautiful vase of flowers! This one was from our color retouching vendor, PDI, in San Francisco. It was a gorgeous bouquet of peonies from a place called Flowers Claire Marie. So thoughtful of them!


Last, but not least, around 5:00 PM UPS came up to the front door. They left something, knocked, and walked back out to their truck. My Dad was in the shower and my Mom was out at the grocery store, so I hobbled over on my crutches. I found a box from 1-800-flowers. I opened it up and found the prettiest bonsai tree ever! Who knew you could bonsai an Azalea plant? It was from my coworkers at Old Navy. I had felt so badly that the time I chose for my surgery turned out to be incredibly busy at work. We are always busy, but this was over-the-top busy. My manager Sandy and the whole team has been so supportive. They understood my need to get my knee issue taken care of, once and for all. Still, I was really touched by their generosity. I will be able to keep this plant in my apartment for some time to come. I just love it!

I'm trying hard not to let any guilt set in. It is my second knee scope after all. These sweet gifts sure have brightened my time off work and even if it was just a friend sending me a text message to check in and say hello, I've been very grateful. It really makes you appreciate the little things in life.

The Hospital

I checked into California Pacific Medical Center, Davies Campus, at 7:30 AM, Wednesday, February 11. This was my second knee scope and I was nervous about the outcome, besides the fact I had never stayed overnight in a hospital before. Well, other than my stay at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley when my sister and I were born over two months premature. I don't quite remember that visit. ; )

My parents picked me up early in the morning. I had packed my things for the overnight as well as for staying with my parents house for the week afterwards. I was admitted to the hospital and was taken up to the 4th floor to prep for surgery. I changed into the gown and a nurse came in to attach an IV to my arm. Around 9:15 AM, I was taken all the way down to the "B" floor for surgery. I waited for a while and finally the anesthesiologist came in to speak to me. The first thing she said was, "I understand you know my colleague Theresa Chang!" I was glad to hear Theresa's name and that she worked with the doctor that was about to put me under. I explained that Theresa and I attend the same church in the city. She told me Theresa was in the hospital today too. I was surprised and happy to hear this since Theresa told me she was never at Davies on Wednesdays. Dr. Dye stopped by, said hello, signed my left knee, and off I went to the OR. The doctors and nurses talked to me about my job at Old Navy as they got me all situated. Eventually that very calm feeling came over me... and I was out. "Yeah, " I thought, "My mind can finally rest for a while."

I woke up in the recovery room an hour later and Dr. Dye was suddenly by the bed. He talked fast (as usual) and I was still quite out of it, so I only got the gist that the scope went well. I wasn't sure if there were any specific details he may have mentioned, it just seemed positive. My friend Theresa walked up and it was so great to see her. It was nice to see a familiar face in such a strange place. Soon after, I was wheeled to my room. I was in room 313 and had the bed near the window. This was the view that first afternoon, a rainy day in the city. At first, I felt fine. Maybe a little nauseous, but I thought that was because I hadn't eaten anything since the evening before. I ordered some soup and fruit. My parents stayed for a short while, but left once I was settled in so I could get some rest. It wasn't long afterwards that I decided (excuse my candor), hospitals suck!

There is NO quiet. Either my roommate was groaning or watching TV. Honestly, I'm pretty sure she never watched the TV, she just left it on for background noise while she slept soundly. Err... Or someone down the hall was crying out loud. Really, there were screams of "Help me! Help me!" Wow. I'm a light sleeper, so this all was rough. Then, I got more and more nauseous. Nurses came in to check my vitals (not because I didn't feel well, they were on their usual rounds) and insisted I order dinner. I listened to the meal options over the phone and almost hurled right there. Sorry again for the candor, but I'm just trying to explain the situation. The dinner options weren't bad, I was actually impressed at how much they had to offer, I just felt so sick. My friend Becky came by after work and I did my best to hold it together while she was there. I was really happy to see her! I don't know why, but I didn't expect any visitors. Even though I didn't feel well, it made me feel really good that my friends took the time out of their evenings to visit me. Theresa stopped by when she was done with work and convinced me I should accept the nurses offer of the anti-nausea medication.It didn't cure it, but it did take the edge off. Another friend Lauren and her friend Sherman, visiting from out of town, came by too on their way to dinner. Very, very nice. I managed one bite of the quesadilla I ordered and a few spoonfuls of chocolate pudding. Ick, no more. The next nurse came by and gave me some saltines and graham crackers. I had those nearby on my tray in case I needed them. Around 10:00 PM my nurse at the time offered me a Vicodin and a sleeping pill! Woo hoo! ; ) Still, the night was awful. Even with a sleeping pill, hospitals are not for sleep. The staff checks on you all the time and nurses wake you up for new sets of vitals. Blood pressure, temperature, etc... Everyone tending to me were quite nice and very good at what they were doing, but I was miserable. A saltine here, a graham cracker there, I tried to eat something and drink lots of water.

With little sleep under my belt, I sat up around 7:30 AM and turned on the Today Show (I made sure to watch using my headphones as to no disturb anyone else). This is what the morning looked like out my window. Yes, a little bit brighter. Dr. Dye came in around 8:30 AM and checked out my knee. As usual, he was efficient. He unwrapped the bulky bandage and took the drain out of my knee. Oh, I guess I forgot to mention the little contraption hooked up to my knee making sure any excess fluid did not accumulate in my knee. The first thing Dr. Dye pointed out to me on my MRI when he diagnosed the Synovitis was the extra fluid in my left knee due to inflammation. Anyway, he carefully took the drain out, added a few Band aids over my stitches and said my knee looked really good. He said he definitely found Synovitis (inflamed synovial tissue) in my knee and had reduced it significantly. He also said (somehow he knew this was important for me to hear) this would not have gone away on it's own. I would have continued to suffer without the surgery. Whew, it was good to hear. Dr. Dye plopped a big bag of ice on my knee and told me to rest and ice my knee as much as possible. He would see me the next week for our follow up appointment. My Dad arrived to pick me up a short while later. It was so great to change into my own clothes and get out of there! The car was all set up for me to stretch out in the back seat. My Dad even brought an ice chest holding frozen peas for my knee. Thank you Dad, you think of everything! I was glad to be on my way to Lafayette for some real rest and TLC.

Resting Comfortably

Just a quick post to say hello and I'm now resting comfortably at my parents house. Dr. Dye said my knee scope went well. There is much more to report about that and my overnight hospital stay, but it's best for me not to be sitting up typing on a computer right now. I'm basically icing my knee, reading or napping. This post is being done on my iPhone, but the screen is small and it's not as easy as I hoped it would be. For now, I am well and I will catch you up more soon!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the big day! I'm nervous, but I am hoping after tomorrow's knee scope, I'll finally be on the road to recovery. To be honest, it will be nice to get some rest. A week and a half off work! I can't remember the last time I took that much of a break. I told a few coworkers today, "I'm looking forward to being put under so I can stop thinking!" Seriously. My head has been spinning non-stop for weeks. Work and life have not been in a good balance.

On the phone tonight, my Mom asked me if I have any special meal requests while I'm hanging with them for the rest of the week. I said I would have to think about it, but it's sure nice of her to offer! A little TLC will be lovely. 

Stay tuned...

Just a Few More Days

Wednesday is my second knee scope. I'm trying really hard not to stress about it, but between the impending surgery, a very busy schedule at work, and the fact I will be taking a week and a half off work, I'm having a hard time keeping myself from moving into full panic mode! 

I have a good thing to mention about my upcoming scope. I am happy to say my friend Theresa did a little doctor's research for me. Theresa as an anesthesiologist and has worked with many doctors at California Pacific Medical Center, but she has not actually been the anesthesiologist for any of Dr. Dye's surgeries. Theresa learned he does scopes/meniscectomies/synovectomies each week and is definitely the "knee guy." I was worried she would find out something negative (I had no reason to suspect this, I just got concerned when I first learned she had not yet worked with him), but she didn't. 

Today, I went down to Crissy Field for my last run in a long time. I think it will be a long time before I am allowed to run again. It was a windy afternoon as the rain was coming in and I decided to park at the Marina Green. I took off for my usual jog where I tried really hard to not obsess about my heart rate monitor and just pay attention to how I feel. Again, I didn't bring my iPod, I just needed to work through the stress of work. I ended up running for 45 minutes, the longest since I ran Boston in April, 2006. Crazy, huh? I can't believe it's been so long. I walked for 15 minutes for a total of an hour workout. No, my knee didn't hurt while I was running. Yes, my knee will swell by tomorrow. Yes, it's a bit achy now. I just wanted to run. I'm glad I didn't, but it certainly made me nostalgic for the times I could run an hour or more 3 times a week. It was such a satisfying feeling to get in a good, hard workout! I haven't had one of those since before my knee started hurting. Maybe one day I'll be able to have more of those workouts, but for now, I'll concentrate on my scope and the long, gradual recovery ahead.

Runner's World Shoe Guide - Good Information

The March 2009 issue included a Spring Shoe Guide. I have mentioned this type of article in the past as it usually includes the "wet test" and basic shoe recommendations for each foot type. This article had a Q & A that caught my attention since it related exactly to my foot issues. 

Q My daughter is one of those unfortunate runners with high arches, but who also overpronates. what type of shoe is best for her? - NAN HILL, Monroe, Georgia

A More often than not, high arches similar to your daughter's naturally prevent the ankle from moving inward excessively. Your daughter's arches are more flexible, however, and her foot type actually increases the risk of overpronation because her arches collapse a greater distance than flatter arches do. She should probably run in a stability or motion-control shoe, depending on the severity of her overpronation. Another option would be to go with an after-market supportive insole in a neutral-cushioned shoe. In fact, more and more running retailers are selling combinations like this to runners just like your daughter. 

I will be going with the second option, since the first has not seemed to work for me in the past. It's worth a try! I found this Q & A exactly what I needed to confirm something I was already considering. Once I am able to run again (this may be some time from my scope), I will purchase neutral-cushioned running shoes and use my custom orthotic inserts to add extra support for my high arches. Hopefully, this will give me the extra cushioning I need to decrease impact on my knee and rest of my body. It's all about decreasing "load" in the future. I'm still planning to walk or do short runs in the future in my Nike Free shoes, but I like the idea of having the more cushioned shoe as well, maybe for longer runs when the time comes.