Nutritional Knits

Happy Halloween!

Joe made this cat jack o'lantern last year - isn't it great?  He didn't do one this year.  We just have a big ol' pumpkin sitting out our porch. 

This blog is seriously lacking without good photos.I miss grabbing my camera and going for random excursions.  It's too hard to pull over and jump out of my car to snap a shot of the ocean when I'm driving by.  And it's really been so beautiful and stormy lately too. I drive by and think, "I wish I had a working foot, a pair of gallashes and a model to work with right now."

As for this dang foot, I'm able to stand on it and when I'm wearing my special shoe I can take baby steps as long as I can still put weight on my crutch.  The pain is minimal to none, but the swelling is holding me up.  My ankle and foot is still swelling up after an hour of activity and that makes it hard to stand/walk.  Part of the walking problem is that my left leg hasn't had weight on it for a month and I need to get the muscles to strengthen up to hold my weight.  I've been doing exercises and walking/standing a lot.  It's hard to find the right balance of rest and getting back into action. 

Not walking for six weeks (this is the start of my SIXTH week!) has made me soooo eager to get moving.  I want to go to the gym! I want to walk to work every morning! I want to go food shopping and I want to be able to stand in my kitchen, cooking and prepping healthy food. OMG I want to clean my house!  Paint the walls, organize all my paperwork, etc. Ugh, so frustrating!!!!!

Enough venting... now that my foot has rested all night the swelling has gone down and I'm going to gear up (put on my ace/shoe) and do some "walking".  :)))

Have a safe and happy Halloween!!!!!!!!

Week Four: Making Strides.

Yesterday was one month to the day of the surgery.  I've been making small strides in my recovery... mostly in my energy levels.  Staying in bed for three weeks really demolishes your endurance levels and just getting up and crutching to the kitchen takes a lot of you.  It's crazy!

On the fourth week I went back to work.  I worked three 5-hour days: Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.  The hardest part about working was getting there - I tried to drive in on Monday but my foot/pins kept getting jostled so I turned around about 1/2 way there.  It was emotionally trying and painful.  The next day I drove 1/2 way to my sister's house and she drove me the rest of the way and picked me up after work.  This worked out great and I got to visit with my niece and nephew which always picks up my spirits.

On Wednesday the doc pulled the pins and even though it hurt like hell it was a huge step in the recovery process.  It was so nerve wracking to always be worrying about banging those pins or someone walking into them.  Once they were pulled the swelling started to go down and I relaxed and became more active.  Friday was the big test - dinner at my brother's house.  He lives on the THIRD FLOOR! I worked a 5-hour day then headed over and crutched up all those steps - and did great!  I was tired as heck on Saturday but I also had a hearty appetite, which is a good sign!  

The best part of getting my pins pulled was that I could finally get a pair of jeans over my foot and I was able to wear one of my own hand-knit socks over my ace bandaged-foot.  I have two pairs that I knit too large and now I have a use for them.  Yay!

The kiddos kept calling this one a Halloween sock!

Now I feel like I will move forward must faster and be more active.  I've been able to stand up on both feet without falling over (I'm like a weeble!) but I still need my crutches if I'm going to walk. Since I can stand in one place now I'm going to try and make my own meals - give Joe a break and get myself back on Bonnie's plan. I have a freezer full of "bonnie approved" lean meats and need to incorporate them back into my day.  I also need to get back into salad mode - so far the only green thing I've eaten has been broccoli.

Onward and upward!

Walking.

hiking thru Denali (left) and at Sandia Peak (right)

First off... sorry about leaving that picture of my busted foot up there for so long.  This foot process has been a long and painful one but I feel like it's finally winding down and the past few days I've been trying to put weight on it and balance standing up on both feet.  It's my goal within the next two weeks to be completely off my crutches.  That will be six weeks of recovery.  Wow, six weeks out of my life - and my husband's life.  It's horrible to have to have someone wait on you hand and foot for so long.

This surgery was a necessary evil.  Once it heals I'm sure I'll be more than happy about having it done.  This past year my left foot has been causing me grief and keeping me from doing one of the things I love to do: WALK.  I love taking long walks and used to walk to work in the mornings and then back after work.  And I always took the longest, most interesting, walks.  Instead of walking stright from North Station to Chinatown I would walk up Beacon Hill, into the Commons and the Gardens and around the Four Seasons/Park Plaza area and then back track to Chinatown.  My walks home would take me back into the Gardens to Charles street, and up those beautiful brownstone lined hills.  I always looked forward to my walks -especially during the change of seasons.

Over the years I've taken quite a few vacations with my Mum.  Our favorites always included walking tours or hikes.  In Alaska we hiked every day and in New Mexico we walked as much as we could.  You get a whole different experience when you incorporate walking into your vacations.

This past year I knew I wouldn't be able to do any walking/hiking tours with my mum - especially after we did the 3-Day in July.  My feet gave me so many problems, which has never happened.  That is when I decided to see the podiatrist, we took x-rays and discussed possible outcomes of not having the surgery and having it.  Finally I bit the bullet and made the decision to fix my left foot.  

Friday was a month from the surgery and my foot is still pretty swollen.  Now that the pins have been pulled I feel like things will move faster now.  I need to be diligent about doing my pt and trying out the foot but I also need to remember to ice it and rest it when the swelling is bad.  I finally am getting my appetite back and will start back on Bonnie's plan.  I don't think I'm up to eating 5x a day but I will get back to eating lots of veggies and lean meats.

Pinless.

At my one-month check up tonight my doctor decided to pull the pins from my toes.  It was a surprise because they typically stay in for six weeks but she was concerned with the amount of swelling (apparently it increases the chance for infection.)  So she pulled the pins. 

Holy shit.  The first pin was excruciatingly painful and took a long time to get out - the last two were ok.  Right now I'm medicated and still feeling the pain.  I can't even believe how much that first pin hurt.  I'm glad they are out though... now I feel less nervous abut bumping the pins and I feel like I've taken the next step toward recovery.

From here on I'll work on mobility in the large joint and putting weight on my foot.  Hopefully in two weeks at my next appointment I'll be ready to try on a sneaker.  I can't wait to walk again.

Back to the Grind.

she will terrorize me no more, haha

Tomorrow I head back to work. I'll work two short days then go check in with my foot doc.  She'll check out the swelling in my foot to see if I'm doing well or need more time.  I'm feeling apprehensive about going back considering that I'm still on crutches and can't put any weight on my foot but I'm also anxious to get to the next level of recuperation.  I've been off my foot and out of work for THREE WEEKS. 

In the last three weeks I've lost some weight - tends to happen when you can't hardly keep any food down.  I've been able to eat some broccoli here and there but mostly it's almond butter & jam sandwiches, spaghetti, cornbread or oatmeal + protein powder.  Not exactly the high protein - low card diet I was doing well on before the surgery.  I expected this but I didn't think I'd lose weight because I thought I'd be munching on the junk food while laying around.  Yes, there have been whoopie pies (one) and dairy-free chocolates but the truth is that my stomach isn't handling that stuff well and that is keeping me from eating it.  Saltines are my newest problem food - easy on the stomach but all that salt is no good.  Oh, well... I gave up the cornbread so the saltines have to stay just so I have something to settle my stomach.

I'm still waiting for the day that I can get back to my diet and enjoy some salads and turkey burgers and maintain my weight loss.  As of now my stomach is in the yucky stage, having just ate a sandwich so I could take my antibiotics (ugh!) and pain meds.

I can't wait for all this to be over and I can walk - pain free!

Have I Mentioned today How incredible my husband is?

My remarkably awesome husband has taken such incredible care of me while I've been down and out with this surgery.  He's been literally waiting on me hand and foot (har har) for almost a month.  That is a long time!  I never have to ask for anything - he's always one step ahead of me, filling my water bottles to keep me hydrated, making my breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, among a gazillion other things.  I'm so lucky because I am literally useless right now. 

Today he came in with a cardboard box that was just delivered to my house.  It was full of dairy-free chocolates for me!!  There was a card with a nice note on it and a box of coffee dark chocolate truffles and a bag of Halloween candy!

How awesome are those skull lollipops???  We immediately ate a coffee truffle (my husband's favorite) and I tried a few of the halloween candies - it was a little dark chocolate owl.  So awesome!

The chocolates come from Premium Chocolatiers and they are dairy - nut - lactose free.  YUM!  This definitely put a smile on my face and reinforces how incredibly lucky I am to have Joe in my life.  :-)

I can't wait to be able to wear jeans again!

These sweatpants are killing me.  They are ugly ugly ugly.  I'm not much into sweatpants but I knew I had to fit my busted and bandaged foot into pants that stretched so I hit up Target before the surgery and purchased these ugly blue ones.  They were $12 so I guess that would explain why they are so ugly.  And they shed.  And they are too short, haha.  I'm so fashionable.  Lucky for me I also have a couple of pairs of black gym/yoga pants that are stretchy enough for my foot.  I tried to put on jeans the other day but I can't get my foot in them.  :(  That's what I get for not owning wide-leg jeans.

On Monday I head back to work for a few hours.  This may be the step I need to push my recovery into the next phase.  I'm supposed to work for a few days then see the Doc and she'll determine if my foot is ok with me being active again.  I'm still on crutches and my toes turn the color of my sweatshirt in that pic when I stand up but I'm going to give it a shot. 

Three more weeks and then the pins come out.  But for now I'm just dealing with trying to put a bit of weight on my foot.  Then we'll worry about the pins.

Happy weekend!

The Versus (variable resistance strength system)

Aaron, Stacey and Kevin

I recently blogged about certain photography projects that I've been lucky enough to be involved in.  Similar to the other projects this one also included Stacey Schaedler, as well as Aaron Brooks, Kevin McCarthy and a really special piece of exercise equipment that I highly recommend: The Versus.

Recently my gym has been using a pulley resistance-type piece of equipment (that is how I describe it).  It has become a significant part of my small group training with Kevin each week, as well as been incorporated into my regular class circuits.  This piece of equipment is called The Versus (variable resistance strength system).

It's a system that can be used on it's own as well as with a partner.  In one small group session we use it both ways.  Krista and I usually work together -or I should say, against each other.  By providing resistance to one another the exercise becomes a whole new animal and engages the muscles on a completely new level.  The Versus will strengthen your core - your whole core - not just a concentrated section of your abs. 

I personally love the Versus because I have a very weak lower back and many of the Versus exercises force me to engage those lower back muscles (which strengthens the area) while it also forces me to engage my abs (which protects my weak lower back).  My other personal favorite about this product is that it helps me open up my very tight upper back/shoulder area. Using it for flutters increases mobility in the area and is a great way to warm up your core but my favorite for the upper back/shoulder area is the Squat and Reach.  It allows you to warm your body up with a squat as well as open up your back with an overhead reach.  That is my favorite one.

In addition to the Versus, the Myoforce website also has Strength Programs and Pain Relief Programs.  I'm firmly stand behind those Pain Relief programs, considering that the man who created them is also the man who helped rehab my back and hip problems last year.  As a matter of fact, after my foot heals from surgery I'll be going back to him for my new (surgery related) hip and knee issues. Every person I have sent his way have come back to me with glowing reviews and a healthier body.

Having photographed Stacey, Kevin and Aaron for the some of the Strength Program (as well as the Pain Relief program) I know that those are some really interesting, and challenging, programs!  Just watch the little video on the Myoforce.net page.  That is a seriously challenging exercise but it can also me tamed down a bit by leaving out the push-ups.  

You can see a video of the Versus in action - both with a partner as well as on your own here.  That second exercise is the Squat and Reach that I mentioned above.

The Versus (variable resistance strength system) website is now live. I highly recommend you go check it out.

Charlottes Web Shawl

Disclaimer:  I did not knit this shawl - it was knit by my friend Krista. 

This is a very popular shawl pattern.  It's beautiful and it is made entirely of one of my very favorite yarns, ever: Koigu (KPPM). 

Nothing compares to the silky warmness of Koigu.  Not to mention the colors are ALWAYS amazing.  I love using double strands of two separate colorways to make hats like this one and of course this one too.
Krista knit up the pattern then realized that the colors just were not right for her.  She likes cool colors and her Koigu choices knit up a bit too warm (and with lots of green, not her favorite color).  Lucky for her she has a really great friend who loves warm colors - even green!  Haha.  So I'm going to pay her for the materials she spent on the pattern and finish it off myself.  It need the single crochet to be finished on two sides and then blocked and fringe added.  I'm not 100% sure I'm going to add the fringe... I'll make that decision after I block this huge shawl.  :)) 

I'm really excited to have a new knit in my wardrobe - even if it wasn't knit by me it was knit by one of my closest friends.  

The original pattern is from a book but the best way to get a hold of this yarn is to buy a Charlotte's Web Shawl Kit. 

OMG... Would you look at those colors?!?!  I can't wait to block this and wear it this Fall!!

I decided to give my husband some whoopie for his birthday :P

I've been ordering whoopie pies form Wicked Whoopies for years.  I first heard about them on a Food Network show and thought it would be a good gift for kids.  Turns out they are also great for coworkers, bosses and whoopie loving husbands. 

These are some of the best whoopie pies I've ever had.  The cake part is always fresh tasting and moist.  The cream filling is creamy with a slight hint of marshmellow and NO greasy mouthfeel like you get from other pies.  Wicked Whoopies has so many flavors to choose from: chocolate covered classic, maple,  peanut butter, mint, vanilla bean, and gingerbread to name a few.  Joe is fond of the classic so I got the majority in that flavor and threw in some chocolate chip (for jake), raspberry & cream and red velvet (for me).

Sugar, flour and dairy is definitely not on my diet but it's only once a year that I get to splurge on a Wicked Whoopies and I'm enjoying every delicious bite! YUM!

Foot Update: Two Weeks In

catching up on family nap-time

Yesterday I went in to see my doc for a check up on my foot.  Everything looked good but she was concerned with some blood that was pooling on the side of my foot.  I'm rotating and flexing my foot to keep my blood moving but she also put me on antibiotics to keep an infection away. 

I also had my stitches removed.  THIRTY STITCHES - gone.  :-) I have to say that it was bearable until the last four stitches on my pinky toe.  I had to ask the Doc to stop for a moment while I caught my breath and let my stomach settle.  Apparently most patients get a little nauseous during this part.  It was quick though, which was nice.

Now I have a new bandage and more pain killers and I've settled back into my bed.  Today I had more energy and went for a "walk" around my house.  Tomorrow KB is coming to visit me and I may even make it out to the couch! Such excitement.

Unfortunately I'm not cleared for work just yet.  One more week of recovery and then I'm back to the grind.  Expect more pictures of me and my busted foot... ha ha.

A fun blog that you should mos def check out:

I've recently been very lucky to work with some really great people on a few photography projects.  All of which have been fitness/health related.  Twice I've been invited to photograph the Saturday Punch Gym circuit classes and I've worked specifically with Stacey on her own fitness projects.  (I've also done some other work that I'm really excited about but I'll chat about that on another day).

Lucky for me, each session has included the opportunity to work with Stacey.  Stacey is a hilarious, smart ass, clever, thoughtful woman who is incredibly strong and a fantastic trainer.  Even though I haven't been to the gym in two weeks and probably won't get back there for another month she's sent me email to check in and see how I'm doing.  She was a strong supporter of my breast cancer walk - spreading the word for me and checking in afterward.  Her enthusiasm is contagious.  In addition she's super fun to work with, photographs well, and I always end up learning something new when I work with her.  Each photography session with her is like a fitness lesson for me (and I need all the help I can get!).

This year Stacey has started her own blog.  She covers everything from fitness to healthy  recipes to personal goals and achievements. My favorite blogs are when she talks about her own fitness challenges and inspirations.  It's easy to assume that trainers were born to run marathons and bench press their body weight but the truth is that they had to work hard to get where they are and that they continue to work hard to achieve new goals.  Her blog name, Progress, Not Perfection, pretty much sums it up.  Life is all about progression.

I have many fitness goals, but two of them happen to be chin-ups and push-ups.  I'd like to be able to do a chin-up (or a serious attempt of one) and I'd also like to be able to do a proper push-up a few times in a row.  Breaking down each exercise into steps has really helped me so far.  Once you learn how to engage the proper muscles then the exercise itself becomes much more attainable. For example, I always assumed that a push up was a shoulder exercise and that I didn't posses the arm strength to do one.  Now I know that when I engage core, glutes  and push through my heels it helps keep my body straight and keeps my butt out of the air and that spreading my fingers on the floor help me establish a stead base for my shoulders. It's broken down pieces like these that help me see how the push up is really supposed to work.

You can read Stacey's tips on the Push Up here (with photos here), as well as her tips on the Chin Up here (with photos here).  Don't forget to check out her post on how to do a Row and keep reading her blog for more exercise tips!

Don't forget to leave her a comment ...blogs are more fun when they are interactive.  Oh, and search through her archives to find her Snowball recipe - she made me some once.  They are so friggin good. :-P  Enjoy!

I got crafty for a moment.

Before my surgery I was trying to figure out what crafty project I could work on to give my niece for her Birthday.  While digging around my basement craft area I found and old journal with some notes written in it from various family members.

One note in particular really touched me and I knew that it would touch my niece and her mother in the same way so I wanted to incorporate it into her gift.  (I'm not going to go too much into detail here because I want this to be a surprise for my sister as well as my niece and I think my sister reads my blog - hi Jamie!!)

I scanned the note into my computer so I could darken the pen and clean it up a bit.  Then I dug out my big box of stationary crafts, stamping tools and scrapbooking supplies (yes, I have this stuff but haven't touched it in years!).  My inks for the stamps still worked which was a nice surprise.  My original thought was to stamp patterns on some the paper and then mount it onto some pretty stock that I had left over from my wedding invites.  The problem with is that it required I cut in a straight line and me + straight lines just don't jive and after five unsuccessful attempts I started to re-think my idea.  That is when I saw the little package of dried rose petals.

So I printed the note on some pretty cream colored stock and then glued the rose petals all around the note until it looked satisfactory.  Actually, it looked very pretty and very girly -which suits my niece well.  I still have to have it matted and mounted in a shadowbox frame before I give it to her but I'm very pleased with the results and happy that I decided to make something personal, just for her.

She has a plan for total human domination...

And it starts with me.

If for some reason you do want to pet the beast then this is how you have to go  about it::

Sorry for the unsteady camera-work...that would be the drugs. 

Post Op Eating

As expected... my diet is kind of on hold right now.  I'm eating lots of pale, bland foods but am still trying to stick to the plan when I can.  Joe is making me instant oatmeal w/2 scoops of my protein powder (strawberry and banana flavors) and banana slices each morning.  For lunch he makes me a turkey sandwich on Ezekial bread.  Dinner is something like almond butter & jam on Ezekial, brown rice w/salt and pepper or a vegan pot pie (bland and dry - perfect for an upset tummy).  I've also had my mum's beef stew, which she made without adding potatoes, corn or flour so I could stay close to my plan. It's very rich so I only have a small bowl at a time but it is really good comfort food.

I'm hoping next week to be able to start eating some of the real diet food that I have stocked in the freezer (chicken, turkey burgers, rice, broccoli, etc.).  Yesterday I tried to eat some chicken kabob that my little brother brought me but only got two bites down before my stomach turned. 

My dad brought me some of his delicious corn muffins (so not on the diet - but I'm not worried about it). More comfort food. It's not a lot of food - but it's working for me right now.  I'm not really worried about my little detour - my focus right now is on healing and getting better.

Healing well!

My one-week appointment went really well.  My anxiety levels were so high - probably elevated by the pain meds I (thankfully) took before I went.  The stitches are healing well and the xrays showed that the pins haven't moved.

I did not take picture of my foot.  I was so anxious and it was a pretty emotional hour.  My foot is very swollen and my toes look fat and very straight.  The stitches on my big toes are very Frankenstein-ish.  Overall I have 30 stitches in my foot!  30 stitches, 4 pins and three screws.  The screws in my big toe are huge!  The one at the base of my second toe is small.

I was nervous this week because I knew I should have been able to at least get my heel down on the floor but I couldn't flex my foot to do so.  Apparently I was supposed to be flexing my foot all week but I must have forgot that and my ankle stiffened up because of it.  The doc manually helped me move my ankle slowly and all week I'm supposed to work on that.  She also used less dressing around that part of my foot so there is more mobility. 
She told me to stay on the pain meds and to stay in bed for another week.  My recovery is going well so far, even if it is slow.  Slow and steady is just fine.

You'd think I'd be sick of laying in bed but I'm not. My body is exhausted from this whole process.  I've not been bored either - I'm too tired.  Since we did so much poking and prodding on my foot yesterday I am staying ahead of the pain with the meds and really taking it easy.  As usual, Joe is taking super good care of me.  At the doctor's office yesterday he contemplated stealing the wheel chair for me so that he could take me outside "for a walk in the fresh air" .  He's so cute.  I told him that I would totally support him and bail him out of jail.  Ha hahah

I go back next week to have the stitches removed and get my foot re-evaluted.  My little brother is stopping by today to visit so it's about time I get up and make my trip to the b-room to brush my teeth. 

The next few posts will not be about this surgery.  I promise!!

Today I head to the doctor's for my first post-op check up and I'm thinking optimistic thoughts. 

I do want to point one thing out... I'm totally resigned to the stay-in-bed take the meds recommendation from my doctor but  as far as the meds are concerned, she made it sound like I'd only need them for the first few days and that I could stop when the pain lessened - which is why I cut back on the meds.  Not because I was trying to rush through my recovery.  My super smart lovely wonderful cousin Jess pointed out that I was probably only feeling better because of the meds, which of course was the case. 

This morning I woke up to the black cat jumping on me.  I threw her off and she came back and jumped again, 3x around.  Finally I got up and then she left me alone.   Sleeping late would have been nice but oh well.   She's a stinker.  I could smell coffee that Joe made me but didn't see it next to my bed.(probably not a good idea to leave a mug of hot coffee around with a mean cat like Oreo around to knock over).  So  I crutched out to the kitchen and there was a mug of coffee for me.  I contemplated dragging a chair over but then got creative and put this together:

I poured my coffee into my kleen kanteen and put a mug in the basket that my edible arrangement came in and crutched back to bed.  Nothing like good coffee in bed.  :)

My apt. isn't until 4:00 so I'll be hanging out in bed until then, beating Oreo off with one of my crutches (she just scratched the hell out of my leg).  Wish me luck!