A.M.A. -Against Medical Advice

Well, it has been 3 long months since I last wrote a post for this blog and it is with deepest apologizes that I have not written sooner. Much has happened to me personally in that time to include floundering in a job I loathed, dealing with depression regarding my knee, and of course, family and home life.
When I last wrote, I was about 2 months out from my surgery and was told by my Orthopedic Surgeon that to run again would be against medical advise a.k.a. A.M.A.. While I appreciate this advice, I have decided not to heed it and have started to run again. What I have realized is that after I gave up on my running dreams, my life slightly begun to unravel. I now think that if you are not trying, you are dying. And with this in mind, I have begun to dream again and things in my life have improved. Shortly after running again, I found another job, have experienced deeper and more meaningful connections with my friends and family, and have just generally felt happier.
While I am able to fully acknowledge and half heartedly accept that I may no longer be able to run distance, I am going to be happy with each and every mile even if there are only a few. The first time I went out for a run after almost a year hiatus, I barely made it a mile but it was the best mile I ever ran. I was running with a wide smile, singing Lady Gaga, and enjoying the way my legs moved in unison with both my upper body, heart, and lungs. Running is truly a thing of beauty!

New & Improved Diet And A Hope To Improve Pain

Well as of today I am 3 months out from my surgery. While I would love to report that my surgery was a resounding success, I am afraid I may be in the roughly 20 to 25% who find little to no relief.  I am still unable to kneel on my knee and find squatting relatively impossible.  I have also began to experience neck and back pain and am now exploring my diet as a possible culprit for this pain.  I have always been one of these “sugar is the devil” people and have consumed anything artificial and man-made to avoid sugar.  The same goes for butter and fat and have found myself embracing these dietary restrictions for over 20 years with little to no change in my body.  The search for an alternative and a great suggestion for someone special lead me to the link below.  So far, this is the best plan I have encountered and believe me I have tried them all.  My bookshelf is full of Atkins, The South Beach Diet, Sugar Busters, you name it I tried it.  I am really concerned about the amount of synthetically produced chemicals I have ingested over the years all in the name of “health and wellness”.  I will keep you posted on this plan.  My goal is not only to drop some weight but more importantly, alleviate this pain by eliminating all these chemicals in my body.  To Health!

http://www.the-flat-belly-solution.com/

 

 

A Very Inspirational Story

http://blog.pennlive.com/patriotnewssports/2011/03/going_deep_a_room_with_a_view.html

8 Weeks And Counting

This is my knee, 8 weeks out after my lateral and chondroplasty.  To say this has been 2 months of ups and downs would be an immense understatement.  I am still struggling to cope, not just with the physical pain and limitations, but with the fairly certain life sentence of no more running.  I am very optimistic by nature and felt certain that my post operative appointment would be filled with my Surgeon exclaiming he has never seen a knee recovery so quickly or the surgery was a miraculous success.  What I heard was quite the opposite.  Still, there is a very tiny part of me that still thinks it can happen, I can run again.  Yesterday, after 3 hours of shopping, that hope diminished ever so slightly.  It is amazing to think that someone who once considered a 10 mile run a breeze, now struggles to stand for 10 minutes.

I have decided to slow down a little on my physical activity.  I was hitting the gym a little harder in the past week and have noticed that my knee has started to swell considerably.  I have also noticed that along with the increased physical activity, I have suffered far more dislocations and more consistent pain.  Also, I am beginning to notice that my kneecap seems to be shifting again. It is a struggle for me to slow down but I am taking this week very lightly.

Along with the physical limitations I am placing on myself this week, I am also going to try to find a better balance between the physical, mental and the emotional.  It is hard to learn to go easier on oneself, however it is essential sometimes that we learn to let ourselves off the hook.

 

 

Inspiration-Sometimes We All Just Need It

“Success is measured not by the position that one has reached in life but by the obstacles which one has overcome while trying to succeed.”-Author Unknown

“If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your Your hopes.”-St. Clement of Alexandra

“You see things; and you say “Why?” But I dream things that never were; and I say “Why not?”-George Bernard Shaw

“Pain is temporary, pride is forever.”=a girl at Gold’s Gym

“There are only two ways to live your life.  One is as though nothing is a miracle.  The other is as though everything is a miracle.”-Albert Einstein

Surgical Report & PT Progress Report

KBGrandview

Above is a link to the surgical report for my Chondroplasty and Lateral Release procedure.  It reads much more benign than it looks or feels.

PT

Above is my initial assessment, just one week after surgery, to my mid-point, about a month after surgery.  It is interesting to see how much progress was made in such a relatively short time.

Harrisburg Running Musts

Harrisburg Riverfront Park-as a Harrisburg resident I can tell you that this Park is the best thing about Harrisburg.  It is great for running, cycling, rollerblading, or just walking.  It is 4.5 miles one way and there are multiple routes to add mileage such as taking a lap or two around City Island, Italian Lake, or adding miles via the Capital Area Greenbelt.  The greatest thing about this Park is there is no interaction with cars and therefore, no stopping for traffic.  It can get a little crowded during the summer months but it also allows for the possibility of running down by the water which tends to be less crowded.

http://www.harrisburgpa.gov/Visitor/parks-rec/City_Parks.html

Sunken Gardens at N. Front and Verbeke Streets in Midtown Harrisburg along Riverfront Park

Riverfront Park in Downtown Harrisburg.

The lower walkway along Riverfront Park in downtown Harrisburg.

The Harrisburg Mile-this race started in 1982 and has developed into the area’s largest race event.  With 13 different mile heats including a Half Pint Half Mile, Elite Mile, Masters Elite, Corporate Challenge and Just for Fun Mile/Walk, the event is a challenge for all ages and abilities.

http://harrisburgmile.com/

 

The Harrisburg Half Marathon-The Harrisburg Half Marathon is held annually in the month of September. The race is a certified course that is run on City Island and along the scenic Riverfront Park in the downtown Harrisburg community. The September date allows the race to attract many participants training for a full marathon, with the Harrisburg Half Marathon fitting nicely into their marathon-training schedule.

http://www.harrisburgymcaraces.com/halfmarathon.htm

The Harrisburg Marathon-The Harrisburg Marathon is the perfect small town marathon and the course is relatively flat and the route is uncomplicated.  The course travels along the beautiful Susque hanna River, through wooded Wildwood Lake Park (the only short, rolling part of the marathon), and traverses the Harrisburg Greenbelt. It starts and finishes on Harrisburg’s recreational City Island. The marathon course is certified by USATF (Certification No. PA09034WB). The modified 2010 will be certified as a Boston Qualification course.

http://www.harrisburgmarathon.com/home.asp