I didn’t fall off the face of the planet, I promise! I just fell off from my exercise routine and was sucked into the black hole of a shame spiral and stopped blogging. Although I could claim writer’s block, that would be a big, fat lie. Here is what really happened! Back in June of 2011, after a wonderful visit with family and friends in Michigan and complete vacation from dieting, I had gained back nearly all of the weight that I had painstakingly lost over four months of deprivation and pain. It was devastating, but I managed to lose most the weight re-gain. So I was hopeful that my visit in July to Missouri, the home of glorious Kansas City barbecue and my son’s fabulous grilling skills wasn’t going to be my undoing. I was going to walk while I was there, try to slash my carb intake and not gain too much weight. What I hadn’t counted on was the triple digit actual temperatures in July, with the associated humidity that made the heat index in the hundred and teens. Every. Single. Day. So, no walking for me! Again I succumbed to vacation eating and that combined with no exercise and a cake eating opportunity in the form of a baby shower, needless to say, I gained five pounds.
Came home. Hit the elliptical, but this time, diet and the elliptical trainer didn’t help me lose the weight as quickly as before – if you count four solid months of hard dieting and exercise and losing a whopping nine pounds quick, that is. Big sigh, and then another trip to Missouri in September, replete with more barbecue and cake at yet another baby shower. Did I mention that 2011 was my grandbaby jackpot year? So this trip I was consumed with holding and rocking my new grandson, Max and not walking or dieting. So when I returned home after that trip, every last bit of my hard work had been undone and I had to start from scratch. But did I? I am ashamed to say, that no I did not. At least in terms of exercise. I dieted off the weight yet again, but hadn’t gotten back up to speed on the exercise plan and I felt like a total failure. So, October rolled around, and the weather in Florida was turning lovely again, with lower humidity levels and I was back outside walking. Still, I was too ashamed to blog about my exercise habits because I was really back at square one again. Then disaster struck in the form a simple brick pathway in a garden in Georgia.
I was at my cousin’s son’s wedding in Georgia on a delightful fall day and I took one step slightly wrong on that uneven pathway and had the most horrible, shooting pain in my left knee that I nearly hit the ground. And I wasn’t even wearing heels! It was total clumsiness on my part and I felt foolish in the extreme, limping around like I had a broken leg when all I did was step wrong on a brick pathway. I mean really, what am I? A decrepit old woman? Mais non! But, my knee swelled up like a soccer ball, I couldn’t bend it or bear weight. So after an excruciatingly long drive back home, I went to see an orthopedic specialist. We both were certain that I had torn my medial meniscus. All the signs pointed to it, but much to our mutual surprise, the MRI was negative for a meniscus tear. Meanwhile, even a month after the injury, I was sporting perma-swelling in that knee and all my doctor could suggest was to continue icing it resting it and NO exercise. Nada. He told me I had osteoarthritis of both knees, which was no big surprise, given my years of athletic pursuits that were bound to take a toll on my poor cartilage. Ortho doc number one also shrugged his shoulders when I asked about the swelling in my knee, which was very visible and completely unattractive, I might add... Honestly, I would have been better off with a meniscus tear. Had that been the case, I would have had arthroscopic surgery months ago and would have been back exercising very shortly afterwards. Sadly, this doctor just shrugged it off and sent me on my merry way with the caveat of no exercise. I was completely and totally sidelined.
Fast forward to January of 2012 – I had decided to take matters in my own hands and see a new orthopedic specialist. I asked around for recommendations, then fully armed with my medical records and X-ray and MRI images on a CD from my old doctor, I went to try my luck with a new doctor. Boy what difference! What my old doctor had failed to mention to me was the massive bone bruise I had suffered when I had my unfortunate little misstep. Said massive bone bruise showed up very clearly on the MRI. He also failed to mention how a bone bruise can be extremely painful and take up to a full year to heal. One. Full. Year. Not good news to hear. But doctor number two took action. He prescribed a change in arthritis meds and physical therapy. What a difference this doctor has made in my life!
When most people think of physical therapy, they associate it with painful torqueing of limbs into unsustainable positions and the use of various medieval torture devices. I was pleasantly surprised to find that in my case, it was actual therapy – ultrasound therapy and transdermal application of a corticosteroid, both of which have calmed my knee down and helped to reduce the permanent swelling. I was given a set of four very simple exercises to do, that are very reminiscent of the Jane Fonda workouts of old – various type of leg raises and calf raises.
After two weeks of this, I was pronounced ready and able to start exercising, but to start out SLOWLY. This is very difficult for me because I have been itching to go full on, doing hard core aerobics, walking, elliptical trainer – you name it,since my knee was FINALLY feeling better. A LOT better. Instead, I am to walk, elliptical train or do step aerobics for no more than 20 minutes at a time, at least to start and then to ice down my knee immediately after any and all exercise. And I'll admit to being a bit whiny and begging to be allowed to do step aerobics. I had to promise to stick to simple moves, no skipping or hopping turns, nothing high impact, yadda yadda yadda.....I have to build slowly and if the pain returns I have to back off and get more treatments.
So, what did I do? I dusted off some old CDs from my aerobics instructor days – can you say KC and the Sunshine Band? - hauled my dusty old step out from the garage and went right to it. I was chomping at the bit and the music really pumped me up. After a solid twenty minutes of aerobics (including warm up and cool down and stretching, so maybe 12 actual minutes of step) I can proudly say that I was completely, totally wrung out! I looked like I had just stepped inside from a downpour and was redder than any sunburn I have sustained since moving to the Sunshine State. Talk about a wake up call! I know I am out of shape, but oh, the horror of finding out just HOW out of shape I am!
I immediately went out and bought new workout shoes – an absolute must, so ordered by my absolutely wonderful physical therapist, Holly. With arthritic knees one must have super – duper cushioning. So, armed with new gel shoes, today I managed a total of twenty-five minutes from warm up to cool down and stretching and some ab crunches that I am most assuredly going to regret in the morning. Thank goodness I get more treatments on my knee on Monday, because I think I am going to need it! I still can’t believe I used to teach one hour classes of this madness -6-8 times a week! My goal, of course is to get all the way back to a full one hour workout, as I did in my old,more athletic days. But, I did it. I am still alive, so far......
Tomorrow is a beach day, so I get to switch up my workout and take a nice, long beach walk. That is if I am not bent over double with abs that have spasmed into a large knot……
Stay tuned……
