Making Progress Ever So Slowly!

by Jackie Giusti on August 24, 2014

It’s been almost two months since my knee surgery and while the Doc told me it’s going to be a long process to recovery, my stubbornness would have suggested otherwise. Right about now, I’m realizing that my Doc is right, but I have made some progress, which comes unconsciously and in small doses. Here are some things I struggled with a few weeks ago that I have made progress on.

1. Bruising: I think the 4 weeks of surface bruising on my leg was much worse than the pain inside my knee. I thought it would never go away, but it has since disappeared. Now I simply have two small scars on my knee that are barely noticeable and I am not feeling the bruise when I take a step.

2. Knee Flexion: I have a lot more progress to make, but last week I had taken my shoe off to do some heel slide exercises and when I finished I unconsciously went about my business of putting my shoe back on and tying it. It wasn’t until I finished that I realized I had tied my shoe normally without changing how I bend my knee or reach my foot. It also dawned on me last week that I can now get up from a seated position without pulling myself up with my arms. A few little things that help keep me positive!

3. Anti-Gravity Treadmill Walking: When I started walking on the anti-gravity treadmill at 50% of my body weight 3 weeks ago, I could only go for 10 minutes at 1 mph, which left me completely defeated. Today, I am walking 30 minutes at 3.8 mph. For me, 4 mph was the speed at which I would want to break into a slow run, so I am getting close, but only in “space” on the anti-gravity treadmill.

4. Outside Walking: I started walking outside about 2 weeks ago. 1 mile was the maximum I could handle and I needed a nap when I got home! It took me 35 minutes to walk that mile. As a point of reference, I could have run 3 1/2 miles before surgery in that same time. Yesterday I did just over two miles of walking and I walked each mile at an average of 22 minutes per mile.

5. Biking: Well, I’m not doing that quite yet, but today I got on a spin cycle at the gym and actually got my leg to complete a full revolution. I haven’t been able to do that until today and I can’t put much downward pressure on the pedal, but at least my knee bends far enough to go around. I might be able to ride my bike in 2-3 weeks and I can’t wait.

With that said, I am headed out for a slow walk!

Run Shamelessly!!

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What To Do After Surgery…

by Jackie Giusti on July 19, 2014

In my last post, I shared some things you can do when you can’t run. Now let’s discuss what you can do after surgery when you can’t put any weight on one leg for two weeks. While, the choices are more limited and maybe a bit more boring, there are still things you can do…

1. Go to Physical Therapy and try to bend your knee while keeping a smile on your face. That was forced just for the picture 2 days post surgery. I really wanted to cry!

2. Sit on your ass and keep the cooling pack on your knee all day and night to get the swelling down.

3. At the suggestion of one friend who said, “You look like you have a bionic leg!!”, daydream about the new PRs you will get when you have fully recovered! Imagine yourself winning the Boston Marathon or a Gold Medal at the Olympics!

4. Send your son off to Japan for 2 weeks and live vicariously through his pictures on Facebook!

5. Marvel at how colorful your knee is. With this look I most certainly don’t need a tan!

6. Look at the pictures of the suture repair to your meniscus and try not to throw up…again…

7. Milk your incapacity and get breakfast in bed 2 days in a row, then plan out the 3 marathons you’ll need to run to work it all off when you’re healed!

;   

8. Have a few meltdowns, tears and all (there are no pictures to share).

9. Count the number of pills they gave you. I kicked the Vicodin by day habit after 4 days and graduated to Vicodin by night and only Ibuprofen by day. This allows me to drive much more safely and sleep much more soundly. But seriously I have a 3 month supply of this stuff. At that rate, I’ll be back in the hospital with a bleeding ulcer before my other knee is repaired.

10. Play Tetris for hours on end! My high score is now 493,796 after clearing 368 rows during a 24 minute game. I am destined to beat 500,000! Wish me luck!

Run Shamelessly!!

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What To Do When You Can’t Run…

July 13, 2014

Last Monday I finally took a step to relieve the pain in my knees with Meniscus repair surgery in my left knee. We won’t get into the details of this because I really don’t quite understand the anatomy of the knee. All I know is that the meniscus looks like the piece of Octopus I […]

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A Few Lessons I’ve Learned and Forgotten!

June 1, 2014
Thumbnail image for A Few Lessons I’ve Learned and Forgotten!

After 2 1/2 years of running consistently I have learned a few things…unfortunately I seem to always forget them and now someone is sticking pins into the knees of a voodoo doll of me! Here are the lessons I’ve learned…maybe if I put them in writing I will remember them next time… 1. Injuries suck […]

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Trail to the Victors!

April 7, 2014

Well it’s been a while since my last post when I was on quite a roll doing a triathlon and then going cross country skiing. It’s been almost 2 months and my running life has been miserable. I’d like to blame it on the triathlon or the skiing, but in reality misery was coming for […]

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Quadrathalon Anyone?

February 16, 2014

This morning I did my second triathlon, but my first real one involving a swim. 2 years ago I completed the Grand Adventure Triathlon which was a 2 mile kayak, 12 mile bike and 5K run. Today’s Spash ‘n Dash Indoor Triathlon featured a 20 minute timed segment for a swim, bike run with the […]

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Running In The Buff!

February 8, 2014

6 Below! That was the temperature with wind chill on my Weather Channel app when I woke up for my 18 mile run this morning. I don’t need much in the way of clothing to keep warm on a run even in these cold temps, but if there is one item that I can’t live […]

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Screwed!

February 4, 2014

The snow continues to fall in Michigan (another storm on the way tonight) and I don’t have a yardstick big enough to measure the drifts at this point. However, I do have two hamstrings that fully understand the enormity of snow that we have received. Two weekends ago I ran 16 miles in this mess […]

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Super 5K Tailgate!

February 2, 2014

Yesterday I ran 15 miles in snow and slush and took a snow bath immediately after. I plopped right down into a snow bank before getting into my car and heading home and my legs felt relatively ok for the remainder of the day! This morning I got up and ran the Super 5K race […]

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Opening Night!!

January 22, 2014

It is opening night with my running club tonight! The running club runs for 18 weeks in the winter session and 18 weeks in the summer session and this will start my 2nd year in it. I thought I would never say that I look forward to getting back into Wednesday night running because I […]

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