I’m finally getting closer to running! At least I hope so. I saw the doc today again. Foot rotations, poking, and prodding were all painless to my ankle. I was impressed, but also very stiff when asked to move things around.
He said I could get fitted for a brace and no longer wear the cast that I’d been having changed weekly for the past 5 weeks. I’ve been through light blue (twice), pink, purple, and red for cast colors. So, he said that I’ll be wearing the brace with the boot full time (except shower and sleep) for the next week. After that, I’ll wean from the boot, but not the brace, for a week. I’ll slip out of the boot and wear my brace and an athletic shoe for increasing time increments until I’m fully out of the boot. Once out of the boot, I’ll still need to wear the brace full time (except showers and bed) for 6 weeks. Then, I’ll have to wear the brace every time I do anything where I could re-injure my ankle. I forgot to ask him if that meant walking to the bus stop, since that is actually how the injury occurred in the first place.
I tried to ask if I could go swimming, but he asked if I meant for exercise or pleasure and he said I could get in and do water aerobics, but not any lap swimming for awhile. He once again directed me to the stationary bike , which I explained the issue of the boot making one leg much longer than the other and me banging my knees or missing the pedals entirely. He agreed that as long as it didn’t hurt my ankle, I could wear an athletic shoe to operate the bike (with the brace on).
So basically, I didn’t exactly get the news I was hoping for. STILL….I get to shave the part of my leg that has been steadily growing hair for 5 weeks. I can take showers without that foot condom thing to protect the cast from getting wet.
I have a consultation with a physical therapist next week, so I’ll know more about my timeline with running then. I’ll probably know by the look on her face when I tell her I want to run a marathon in October whether or not I will be ‘cleared’ for it. I’m hoping that by saying I’ll train in intervals, the idea will be less likely to get ‘moved to the recycle bin’.
I miss running. Last week was spring break and I didn’t make time for the gym. I just kind of let the laziness flow into this week and now I feel bad that I haven’t worked out. I was kind of letting the situation get under my skin with having the boot and a harder time getting around. It’s hard to override the voice in my head that is like “f*ck it, let’s go eat chocolate and read a book,” instead of, “let’s change into fun workout clothes and see how many times I can lift heavy things.”
So I’m looking into my eating habits and I’m questioning them. I’m going to do something drastic soon. I’ve prepared by drinking a soda as a way of bidding it farewell. I will not give up chocolate because I’m not insane or delusional. I like it and I associate it with relaxation. So, I’m just going to clean up my nutrition a bit and weed out some bad habits I’ve developed.
All that might bore you to death. Or not. I don’t know. I know that I still plan to run a marathon in October until someone says that it is not in the cards. I will fundraise regardless. I will eventually have my shot at running a marathon, and then I will promptly avoid long distance running for awhile.
I went to a race this past weekend and watched my husband in his first half marathon race. I got to see a few people who I know through running cross the finish line as well. One person had her first half marathon that day, too and she was so elated to finish, it made the trip and the hobbling around totally worth it. Also, I saw Abe Lincoln and Mary Todd Lincoln at Starbucks….lol. Photographic evidence:
Thanks for reading! Consider donating to Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation for my fundraising efforts. I’ve got a little more than $1500 to go and I’m really excited at this opportunity to raise awareness about IBD. Thanks for reading! Questions and comments are always welcome!
Jenn's Journey 