Happy New Year Everyone !
I hope you are all doing well in your respective recoveries ? Still making progress, not looking back I hope :-)
I am participating in a regular gym programme now, managing 45 minutes in the gym, 3 times a week & I think I can see real improvement. My balance seems to be better, my walking pace is quicker, I can actually stride & my weight has stabilised. I need to get much stronger & I do need to lose a few more pounds (the bikini pics from Hawaii told me so :-)) but I'm hoping that sticking with this programme will reap further rewards in these areas. My latest 'new tricks' with the foot are; I can run up the stairs & stand balancing on one foot; the dodgy one !- Woohoo.........
The foot is still painful & stiff most days, but not all day everyday & I can manage the pain. I believe that the gym work helps with increasing the blood flow by improving the circulation, this in turn helps with my mobility, I'm sure.
I am settling in well into my new role within my new company, off to a slow start but I've got positive vibes about this year being a good one, all round !
Hawaii in October was immense, I did celebrate my 40th on the beach in Maui, with a beautiful dinner at Mama's Fish house, after watching the sun set on the beach. I swam with the turtles, I was nervous & apprehensive due to the lack of personal fitness, but hey....... I did it & I saw dolphins too !
We drove the road to Hana 3 times to take in all of the sights & watching the sun rise at Haleakala was so incredibly moving & well, helps you put a bit of perspective on things :-)
I climbed the Pipiwai trek/trail to see the Waimoku waterfalls, the uneven ground made it awkward for me & painful at times but hey ........ I did it !
So my plans so far for this year ? 1) Skiing, hopefully in Canada in April after a work trip takes me to California. 2) Get back out on the water & sail PROPERLY, hopefully complete the Round The Island Yacht Race in June. 3) Make a success of my new job & get myself back on top. 4) Hopefully buy my own house or save enough to be able to do it early 2014. 5) Put the difficult times behind me, finally.
Big plans I know, but the real difference is I've made some this year. To me this simple realisation says a lot about how I am continuing to improve & move forwards. I've continued with my photography as well, did I mention that I'd bought myself a DSLR a few months after breaking the foot ?
I had thought about it for so many years. I'd previously studied Photography at college using a Canon SLR you see & being a creative soul I had missed it. So I have been taking a few snaps & teaching myself the basics............. I took nearly 700 in Hawaii alone- LOL . I have also enrolled on a photography college course in Feb, I've decided that I need some technical direction to train my creativity into what I want to produce Haha & I'm hoping to make a few friends in my new area. Who knows what this year will hold........ exciting eh ?
I hope you are all doing well in your respective recoveries ? Still making progress, not looking back I hope :-)
I am participating in a regular gym programme now, managing 45 minutes in the gym, 3 times a week & I think I can see real improvement. My balance seems to be better, my walking pace is quicker, I can actually stride & my weight has stabilised. I need to get much stronger & I do need to lose a few more pounds (the bikini pics from Hawaii told me so :-)) but I'm hoping that sticking with this programme will reap further rewards in these areas. My latest 'new tricks' with the foot are; I can run up the stairs & stand balancing on one foot; the dodgy one !- Woohoo.........
The foot is still painful & stiff most days, but not all day everyday & I can manage the pain. I believe that the gym work helps with increasing the blood flow by improving the circulation, this in turn helps with my mobility, I'm sure.
I am settling in well into my new role within my new company, off to a slow start but I've got positive vibes about this year being a good one, all round !
Hawaii in October was immense, I did celebrate my 40th on the beach in Maui, with a beautiful dinner at Mama's Fish house, after watching the sun set on the beach. I swam with the turtles, I was nervous & apprehensive due to the lack of personal fitness, but hey....... I did it & I saw dolphins too !
I climbed the Pipiwai trek/trail to see the Waimoku waterfalls, the uneven ground made it awkward for me & painful at times but hey ........ I did it !
So my plans so far for this year ? 1) Skiing, hopefully in Canada in April after a work trip takes me to California. 2) Get back out on the water & sail PROPERLY, hopefully complete the Round The Island Yacht Race in June. 3) Make a success of my new job & get myself back on top. 4) Hopefully buy my own house or save enough to be able to do it early 2014. 5) Put the difficult times behind me, finally.
I had thought about it for so many years. I'd previously studied Photography at college using a Canon SLR you see & being a creative soul I had missed it. So I have been taking a few snaps & teaching myself the basics............. I took nearly 700 in Hawaii alone- LOL . I have also enrolled on a photography college course in Feb, I've decided that I need some technical direction to train my creativity into what I want to produce Haha & I'm hoping to make a few friends in my new area. Who knows what this year will hold........ exciting eh ?
It's good to hear that you are recovering well and going to the gym! Thank you for sharing your blog. I've been following your blog but this is my first post. On June 13, 2010, I had a major fall down a set of stairs in our back yard. Both ankles turned in and the left at a severe angle to the point I was afraid to look. The pain was intense combined with immediate "shock". After a trip to emergency, I was told both feet were sprained and a broken metatarsal in the left foot. The ER doctor sent me on my way with crutches and said I'd be fine for work since it was only office work. The pain in my left foot was intense and I could not put any weight on it. The bottom of the foot was rounded with major bruising all over, as well. The entire left foot looked like it had been beaten with a baseball bat and sleep was impossible because of the pain. I didn't know how to use crutches and getting around was difficult but I did my best. Next, while trying to use the crutches, I fell down the stairs inside the house and landed with all my weight on the left foot. The pain was searing and again I felt sick to my stomach with shock. The foot was even more swollen and I went back to the doctor and was sent for more x-rays. The Dr. prescribed anti-inflammatory pain medicine and told me to take a week of work and elevate/ice as much as possible. I wore a robo-boot and used crutches for the next 6 weeks and was then referred to physio-therapy. The pain in my left foot during the treatments was intense and it continued to swell and hurt a lot. Finally, the physio-therapist sent me back to my family doctor requesting a bone scan. There had been a recent isotope shortage so there was a long wait list for the test. After a few months, the results came back to my family doctor and he said it showed there was something wrong from one side of the foot to the other in the mid-foot region and I would need to see an orthopedic specialist next. Next, after four more weeks of hearing nothing, I contacted my Doctor, only to find out they forgot to send the referral to the specialist. They apologized and sent it right away and I went on another wait list to see the specialist. Long story short, it took 12 months after the original injury date before I saw the orthopedic specialist. She identified the injury as misdiagnosed originally and said it was a lisfranc fracture and recommended surgery. Because surgery was not done immediately after the injury it was now considered an elective surgery. This meant more wait lists and it took over 6 months before I was scheduled on January 24 2012. I received bone fusion right across the mid foot and 2 plates plus 12 screws. The recovery was very long. At 4 months post-surgery, I headed back to work still in a robo-boot but not using crutches for the most part. By June, I wore my first shoes and started to work very hard on a recovery with the newly fused foot. By the end of September, the recovery stalled and my foot started to swell and the pain increased. Unfortunately, the specialist was on a leave and it took 2.5 months before I was able to have an appointment with her. She looked at an x-ray and said the plates were stressed and the discomfort must be from having too much hardware. She noticed an area that had not fused but couldn't get a good diagnoses from an x-ray and a CT Scan would not be readable because of all the hardware. On January 4, 2013, I had a 2nd surgery and had all of the hardware removed. I am entering the 2nd week of recovery now. It has not been a good experience as I am very eager to be getting on with life after enduring this experience for 2 years and 7 months now. I'm scheduled to go back to work on Tuesday, January 22nd. I know this too shall pass and reading your encouraging blog has really helped. Thank you for sharing your experience.
ReplyDeleteKind Regards,
Lynn (from Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada)
Hi Lynn,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment & story, crickey you have had a tough time! Really rotten that your injury was diagnosed so late, I was fortunate that even amongst the other nasty fractures I had, my consultant saw the Lisfranc straight away. Hang in there, it is a long haul. This injury is not a quick fix, something I struggled to grasp for quite a while. But I can promise you it does & will get better. Don't give up, persevere & you will start to see the improvement, I'm still improving & it's been 21 months since my injury ;-)
Hello. Wow! I have to admit I had to stop reading your blog as I'm in the early stages of recovery and found your ordeal quite overwhelming. Having said that I don't think my Lisfranc injury is quite as bad as yours. I was able to walk on mine for the first 3 weeks, with a limp and not total weight bearing of course. My doctor only addressed my incomplete fracture of the 2nd metatarsal, ignoring the damage to the lisfranc completely! Fortunately she had referred my case to the fracture clinic and it was 3 weeks before I was put in a cast :( I'm just heading into my 2nd week in a cast .... 1 week to go! Then a boot for another 3 weeks.... Then if it still hasn't healed I will need an operation! What an ordeal!!! It's quite astounding when u find out how serious an injury it is that's for sure. Anyway.... great to hear you are doing well. Wish me luck!
ReplyDeleteGood Luck Cherrie, really hoping that all goes well for you xxx
ReplyDeleteHi There! My photos of my left foot look like yours!Its sooooo nice to meet someone who is a similar sort of person with a similar injury. In May last year a drink driver crashed in to my car whilst I drove my 12 week baby home and best friend who was pregnant at the time. Anyway i got them both out of the car with my very damaged left foot. Luckily they were both uninjured. I however incurred a massive foot injury, I broke and dislocated every toe and I literally snapped my foot in half.... you would be so spooked at how similar my photos are of my left foot over the past year.... i literally thought your photos were mine for a minute! I would start a blog but i have a lot from my experience that I dont feel i can go over yet. x
ReplyDeleteHey Amelia, I couldn't find your email address so I'm hoping you'll get this reply instead. It sounds like you had quite an ordeal & a terrifying experience.......... You don't say how you are now, almost a year later but I do hope that you are making good progress. I am now, finally......there were times when I wondered if I ever would :-(
ReplyDeleteI'm still at the gym 3 times a week & I just can't say enough how much that has helped. I do a lot of weight bearing exercise, more so than cardio vascular. It is hard work but the benefits I feel keep spurring me on.I'm off on a short ski trip in a couple of days to the French Alps, I'm only a beginner really, one trip two months before I broke the foot & nothing since. But I'm looking forward to it & I'm hoping that I'll have the nerve for a couple of greens.......... maybe blues :-) I'll post when I'm back xx
Moving is definitely a great way of recovering from an injury. I am glad to hear that you are doing great, and is on the road to a full recovery soon. Keep up with your therapeutic routines, but please don't overdo it or else the injury might worsen. Best of luck to you!
ReplyDeleteLiberty @ US Health Works