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Friday, November 15, 2013

Three Months Post-Surgery ~ #HealingVikingWarrior

I am now three months post-surgery.  In August, I had plantar fascial release surgery to get the fascia away from a bone spur in my heel.  

About bone spurs:  http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2013/03/bone-spurs-calcium-heart-attacks-and.html 

About taking care of yourself when you have an injury:  http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2013/09/september-blog-hop-beauty-body-wellness.html

Two days before surgery:  http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2013/08/surgery-is-in-two-days.html

Recovery has gone like this:  Month one: no activity.  I didn't work, I didn't work out.  I did a few stretches and things from my chair, or the floor, but otherwise, I was good.  Month two:  I went to Vegas and back to work wearing the moon boot still.  I was able to do a little more moving around but I still couldn't really do much.  However, every day, my foot felt a little better.  Month three:  Started back to pole, yoga and spin.  Recovery stops cold.  No better, no worse.  :-/  

I'm really a couple of weeks past my third month check-up.  I am working hard to get the swelling down in my foot.  My doctor said MOST people recover fully in three months.  Of course I'm not most people!  I'm definitely not in pain like I was before surgery, but I'm not out of pain either.  And my other foot hurts from bearing extra weight while I limped around.  Plus, my left hip is now hurting again (that's my old injury from a few years back), and my right lower back is out of whack.  It's very frustrating.  

I'm technically not supposed to be barefoot, so I will be wearing tennis shoes to pole.  Super hot, I know.  And I will carefully continue with yoga and spin.  I am still stretching and doing exercises to strengthen my calves and stretch them out as well.  My doctor said I have higher arches so it actually makes sense that it is harder to relax the fascia since it is pulled tighter.  I still have to tape my foot if I'm barefoot (which still isn't recommended EVER...I should literally have slippers with inserts by my bedside so even when I wake up, I'm in shoes) or if I'm wearing flip flops (also not recommended, except that I bought the $70 Othaheels that are slightly okay in my doctor's eyes).  I still have to roll my foot on the ball to massage it and ice it when it's really bad.  I am also drowning myself in Epsom salt baths and taking aspirin and Aleve (a big no-no post-gastric bypass). 

It is all so time consuming, expensive and frustrating.  Surgery definitely wasn't the quick fix, easy answer (I've been there before).  But I do appreciate that I am in less pain and am hopefully still moving in the right direction.

I took some photos of my healing journey (duh, have you met me?).  Enjoy some photos from the #healingvikingwarrior series.

Swelling in the right foot

About an inch difference in my calves

Probably one week post-surgery (they put a tube all the way through so there's one on the other side too)

Laying around after surgery

Leg lifts for exercise

I think that's a muscle

Post-surgery adventure (EDD actually required me to go pick up a form so my sister-in-law drove me and we made a stop)

How you carry stuff when you are on crutches

Hey my pants won't stay on

Getting better

More stretches and exercises with the surgical boot on

Upgraded to the moon boot

San Francisco adventure on the scooter...two peas in a pod

Moon boot fashion

The ink is almost gone (I seriously scrubbed even though I wasn't supposed to)

Exercising

Ink is gone, finally!

Icing

More exercising and stretching

I used to have rock hard calves!

Stretching

Only a tiny scar (matching one on the other side of my foot as well)

The size difference isn't as noticeable.  Don't tell my doctor I wore these shoes.

Back on the pole!

Dressing up as Candy for a photoshoot

Aerial Hammocks/Yoga

Fly Gym stretch

Yoga at Grace Cathedral

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