Week 7- Putting on my big girl pants

Week seven is when my mom left to go visit my siblings in California, where she managed to secure a place to stay now as well, she is a crafty lady. I cried, a lot. My mom is my best friend and was the one that sat next to me when the drugs made me crazy, helped me in and out of the shower and for the seven weeks she had been here as my roommate. I hated watching her go but it was time to put my big girl pants on and get down to business.

Lunch after the surgeon appointment and before her flight out. 

I also saw Dr. Muller this week and he couldn't believe my progress. He said I was way ahead of where everyone assumed I would be. It would be a lie to say that that didn't feel great to hear. Again, how great are these blessings that God provided me with through this whole process and then to give me that loving affirmation through the people around me. I am constantly amazed at his awesome love.

I also got to start going on solo missions with the kids and carrying Emi on me instead of the stroller, much easier. We still had daily walks but I brought the kids with me now. They have gotten so good at walking with me and PBG. I am so proud of them. I also added planks during this week in PT. Planks aren't the most difficult things in the world but when your hip feels like it is just about to fall out of socket, it sure isn't easy :). Things don't really start getting interesting for another four weeks or so but the whole journey has been eye opening and a great reminder of how much God loves me. 

Week 6- Lets get moving

I started the elliptical! Yes, this might have as well have been Christmas because this made me jump up and down with joy. Dustin added more weighted exercises and I now had a lot of core work. Still no weight machines or jogging but I was willing to take what I had. By now I think it is obvious that I am easily pleased :) I also was back in full swing with the kids! With my mom still around of course...

This was also the week of my little sister Mollie's birthday.

I am taking the chance to introduce a new shout out section, a "shout out to people I love".

A particular instrumental person in my hip recovery who has been there for many a PT or more recently jogging even is Mollie. Mollie lives in Texas too and she was my roommate for 18 years. I love her and the light she omits. She is one of those people that permanently has rose colored glasses on. She loves everyone from the beginning (a wonderful contrast to my "get the heck away from me" view). I have always been very protective of her but Mollie has been through dozens of ear, stomach, hip, ankle and really any other bodily pain that has put me in the hospital. She still does, what person in their right mind comes over in the middle of the night just to clean out your room and listen to you cry, my baby sister.

So here is to Mollie, the lover to my fighter, You are great Smalls.

Week 5 Started- Running with Rhinos

So It is pretty easy to see how much I love all that encompasses races, and once I had a glimpse of it I wanted more. This is when my mom, sister, and her three kids decided to do a mile race at the dallas zoo called Running for Rhinos. Yes, I was still not allowed to do more than walk but at least this time I got to push a stroller so I felt less lame :).  Crossing the finish line plastered a smile on my face the rest of the day.

 I would again like to note that had I not had the incredible support from my family and God's amazing grace I would have never had the chance to do that, and would probably still be sitting in Iowa with a bum hip. Thank you Jesus!

Another cool thing that I tried to pick up that week, and have not since tried, is bow shooting. It is so fun and their is something about releasing the rope that gets your blood pumping but I someone hit myself with the rope 4 times. It hurt at the time but I didn't want to look weak, so for two weeks after that  I just looked awesome/stupid with a giant bruise on my arm. 

This was the last week that my PT was limited, starting week 6 things got cookin'! 

Week four- A Family Affair

Family is the most important thing to me. My parents are the ones actually footing 90% of all the bills attached to this pursuit of running. Needless to say what they can't pay for school they more than make up for in medical bills. I can't count the tens of thousands, maybe more, that my medical bills have added up to and am very blessed to not have to be paying them. I digress...

This week was a big week because it is when I completed the first real "race" post surgery. I walked with my mom in a 1 mile fun run. She was very nervous that someone would bump into me so she stayed close to me the entire way. She gives a whole another meaning to "cute but vicious" because had someone hurt me that day the mama bear would have come out.

and I even wore this on my back

Two of my sisters as well as Mollie, Mikey and Emi walked the 5k that day too (yes, I was jealous). I was also really jittery because I love all that surrounds events like these. The starting line, the pushing through and then the accomplishment you feel after crossing the finish line are a huge rush, even if it is just a walk.

This week in PT I got to start adding in stationary biked rides and light weights to my stretching. It was difficult and sad going from doing leg curls with 45 pounds easily to doing them with 3 pounds and struggling.  Through it all I was reading Tony Dungy's book ,"Uncommon", an this kept it in perspective of doing the base work and keeping a good focus while remembering that God planned all of this before I was born so it must be pretty important that I am going through it now. 

Week 3- Piece out four legs!

I got to get rid of my crutches this week, and was allowed to start walking. I still didn't have much feeling in my leg so I walked like a mentally challenged baby giraffe. I am glad it at least gave my mom a laugh. At this point I also got to start taking short walks and got to take PBJ out again. PBJ is my baby of almost ten years and she has gotten me through most of my training.

 I still had mainly just stretching, but at least it wasn't all passive anymore. I would like to again say how awesome my therapist was and how blessed I was to have someone that understood I needed to focus on something so that I could continue to heal and work towards my goal. This week I also got to get my stitches out, and I was really excited for some reason, probably too many doctor shows, and the excitement to see the new cool scar I would have. My mom says sometimes I need to be more female but who doesn't think scars and bruises are cool when they are from an awesome surgery or injury?

The removal! 

Before

After

Because the surgery was done orthoscopically it had to heal from the inside up and since Dr. Muller popped my femur out to fix the cartilage and repair the damaged ligaments it had a lot to rewire inside of their. So instead of showing these bad boys off I kept them covered at all times for a couple more weeks. 

I think the biggest mile stone up to this point was walking and getting rid of these.

Week four's mile stone was even bigger.

A verse that really helped during this point- 

"We know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His Purpose." -Romans 8:28

Week 2- Stretching it...

...Because I couldn't do anything else with it!

Week two is when I started physical therapy and finally lost all of the fluid weight. I was stoked about physical therapy, as I am no stranger to it, and I wanted to go all out. My mom was still driving me and I know my anxiety and back seat driving was a pain, Sorry mom :).

First day of PT (yes we are that embarrassing that we have a picture of it)

I would like to give a shout out to my incredible physical therapist, Dustin, if anyone reads this and is looking for a miracle worker than look no further. Dustin at the Carroll Clinic is worth every penny. I can't explain how much I realize God put both of these professionals in my life to help me achieve what I never though I would be able to do again. 

Pretty Stitches 

I got to help with the kids a little more too, but again, mom didn't let me do much and at this point and time she was faster than me so I didn't have much of a choice. 

Best mom/grandma ever!

 At least I had at home "work outs" I could do now that I was attending PT but it was mainly stretching... no walking, running or pretty much anything else fun. But hey at least I got to get out of the house!

 Week three brought on more fun!

Week one- I see a leg, but I can't feel a leg

My first week post surgery was difficult to say the least, I gained almost 20 pounds of fluid and my leg was huge. As a female stepping on the scale to see that killed me. Vain, yes, but I decided I was so out of it that I could give myself a break for that one.

I could not move my leg at all and for a long time my hip and thigh had no feeling accept for the burning and tightness. I couldn't move it though and that was scary.

 My mom did my stretching, I wanted to push it and tried to on my own, but without being able to get a grip on it I struggled. Not being able to drive or really help with Mollie, Mikey and Emi (my nieces and nephews whom I nanny) was hard too. I wasn't allowed to lift the kids or let then touch my legs (guess how well that worked!) I hate needing help but even worse I hate not being able to help others. I did get visits from them though and this is what I got to see. How could all of this "cute" not motivate you?

 Needless to say week one was one of the hardest out of the bunch. None the less this tough week was something I was enormously blessed with, I knew that it could only get better and my family loving on me was such a gift.

My long time friend Sadie and my mom made sure to make my room beautiful and lift my spirits with these lovely flowers =] I am a lucky lady!

Next up week 2!

Surgery

Let's get into it. I had surgery on September 28, 2011 at the Carroll Clinic. My surgeon was Doctor Mark Muller (the only crazy man willing to attempt it) and doctor to the pros... I know, I am a very lucky lady that he was willing to take me on. This surgery hadn't been done before on a female and only a handful of times other than that. I had three procedures done total to fix my iliofemeral ligament and other tears.

 It was a big deal and I was going to need all the help I could get so I called in the big guns; my mother. She lived with me as I recovered for several weeks and I got to go through every mile stone with her (hopefully more to soon come).

Here is what the inside of me looks like 

Sweet, right?

I was on painkillers for five days before deciding I would rather deal with the pain than the migraines, looking back that was a terrible ideas but I hate the feeling of being drugged. It makes me feel weak and vulnerable. 

I stayed in the hospital overnight, yes with my lovely mother by my side. I also had a visit from my little sister Mollie and she brought me these:

 Flowers are one of my very favorite things in the world, they make any situation better to me.

I recall that place having the best hospital food I have ever tasted. I wasn't sad to say good-bye though. I had no feeling in my leg, I was then suffering with a huge flair up from what I now know is Crohn's disease, but I kept my eye on the prize I had 3 weeks to get myself back to walking so I could do the Breast Cancer walk with my mom and sisters. More on that later...

Shoes

I am not your typical girl when it comes to shoes and I can honestly say I own one pare of "nice" shoes, these are black flats. When it comes to running shoes though I am a junkie. I love my running shoes like other women love their Jimmy Choo's.

These are the ones I have had

The new addition to the family are these, the ones I am going to be training with.

I am more than a little excited about it all. Did I mention I woke up at 6 am this morning to take a 3 mile run. That is what I call a great start to the weekend. I am that much closer to my goal and I will start talking more about my surgery tomorrow but today I am just going to enjoy this: my new lovely training shoes. I tried on at least 15 other pairs before I found them and I can't wait to wear them out :)

15 weeks and 5 days post op

I am the Nemo Fish

That is another way of saying that I am always fighting my body on something; my lucky fin. Yes, the injury I referred to yesterday was the biggest and the one I will focus on for the majority of the time here on out but me being bandaged, wrapped, iced, stretched, heated and medicated are things I know all too well. I like to think that I am a pro at being sick and injured. So this post is laying the ground work of who I am right now and what has happened to make me so enthusiastic about this present journey.

Believe it or not but this is a picture of my legs when I was NOT injured at track practice. 

I think that in a strange, sick way I brought it all upon myself because I am overly competitive in everything but especially when it comes to doing what people say I can't. I never understood why people say play for fun and why that was associated with not winning. Winning is fun and I don't think I ever went to a game, meet, boxing lesson, or on a run with out an anticipation to accomplish something and improve from the time before.

For instance:

My senior year of high school my trainer told me I was done with sports but I wanted to try a new sport, so I signed up for track anyways.

I ended up getting swine flu, bronchitis, and having ear surgery that spring, but I also got a varsity letter for shot put and high jump, best all-around female field athlete, and first year difference maker.

I started soccer before I started grade school and in high school I joined a club team that went on to have two undefeated seasons, including tournaments. It was all thanks to an awesome and inspiring coach that made me learn of my own passion to coach and train as well. 

Club soccer is where I also put myself in ankle braces permanently for playing.

I went on to do other things for the purpose of someone or myself telling me I couldn't do it, like running a half marathon because  I was sick of my asthma getting the better of me. I also started kick boxing because soccer season was over. One thing totally out of characteristic for me was dancing. So I did, in a musical. I decided to do it because I had just gotten in a car accident and wasn't able to play contact sports for a few month (also I had/have zero rhythm so it was worth proving to myself I could still do it) 

This post is not to toot my own horn or say look at all I have done. It is to say that I have done the things I have, which tore down my body but strengthened my discipline and will power. It has helped, and will help me be better not just physically, but mentally and in my relationship with God who made me this way and put the "lucky fin" mentality in me. 

So here on out I will focus on the present but I thought for myself and any of you poor souls that happen upon this, I wanted to recap to better understand the present and the future of what God is planning for me.  

Today I am 15 weeks and 3 days post OP and very thankful.

Disclaimer: I didn't have tiger parents or siblings that made me feel inadequate, if my family can be charged with anything it is that they give me to much love and support.

First Things First

I want to lay it out there, I am in no way a "blogging expert" and in fact the last one I started I also got rid of because I was embarrassed about the astronomical amount grammatical and spelling errors. I am trying again, there will still be tons of errors, but this time it is as a way of chronicling my journey back to fitness from a recent surgery. See, a few days ago I had an epiphany after seeing my surgeon and I posted that:

"70 weeks ago a doctor in Iowa told me I would probably never run again and my hip would probably always have some degree of pain, 59 weeks ago I decided that he was wrong and went back home to find a better doctor, 15 weeks ago I had experimental surgery with the hopes of once again being active, today I was cleared for training for a half marathon and am running regularly... God is so great and I am so thankful for the determination he gave me as I see now more than ever anything is possible if it is his will. I guess he wants me to keep running =]"

My wonderful mother told me I should write everything down and because of her I now realize that I don't want to forget what this surgery and all that has happened because of it means to me. In twenty years when(if) I am still able to run, I want to know what my journey of getting their consisted of. Oh, I am sure I will throw other things in this mass of tangent thoughts that is my blog, but I always want to remember this time and how much I have been blessed through it. So I will get to the who, what, when, where, and why of all that when into this injury/surgery/recover at some point. For now I will start with this:

The night I fractured my femur and tore my iliofemeral ligament and quad. The smile is actually real, I never did have good pain receptors.

That all eventually lead to this surgery.

Today, I stand (with out crutches or a cain I might add) with determination and a reality that God has blessed me so much and that I would not be where I am without what he has done through doctors, family and friends. I have officially run (slowly) 15 miles since being cleared and today I leg pressed 200lbs eight times.