Ever seen a flatter foot? This was the beginning of my PTTD surgery journey...

Ever seen a flatter foot?  This was the beginning of my PTTD surgery journey...
Left Foot Pre-Surgery X-ray: Ankle with heel valgus and flatfoot deformity

Friday, January 31, 2014

Year 2: January Update

*Left: 13 months*   *Right: 8 months*

This month, I hit my 1 year anniversary of my left foot surgery, started my second semester as a college professor, and began triathlon training again.

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First Masters Swim Practice

The swim instructor at my university has been trying to get me to swim with the Masters Swim team since I first got here.  My hesitations were that my feet were not ready for serious swim training, that I don't have enough swim experience to hang with a serious swim team, and that the practices are at 5:45 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  

On January 21st, 2014...

I finally overcame my fears and went to my first organized swim practice...ever.  I had to wake up at 5 am!  5 AM!!!  I threw on my swimsuit, packed up my gear bag, ate some whole wheat toast, and drove in the pitch black to my university pool.  In between the yawns, I gave myself a pep talk.  You can do this.  You are an athlete.  You don't know how it will go until you try. You had both of your feet reconstructed, so just being in the pool again is an accomplishment.

I walked in and started taking my warm clothes off.  The weather was in the 30s, so I had on a ridiculous amount of layers.  I grabbed a kick board, a pull buoy, and some fins.  I made my way towards the coach and the other swimmers to introduce myself.  The coach told me to pick a lane and to do as much or as little as I wanted to do with the team.  During the warmup, it was obvious that these swimmers were legit.  They so easily swam lap after lap including flip turns. I was already overwhelmed and we hadn't started the actual workout yet.  I did my best to hang in there rep after rep, set after set, and by the end of the practice, I had swam 1800m!!!  It was clear to me that I have some work to do on my speed, but technique wise, and stamina wise, I could keep up.  When my coach said go, I went.  Every time.  I only missed a rep here and there due to the other swimmers being faster than me.

My coach also took the time to teach me flip turns at the end of practice.  My swim training prior to this has been specifically for open-water triathlon swimming.  So even during my pool workouts, I did not do flip turns, or push aggressively off the wall, because there are no walls in the open water.  I was quite dizzy practicing, but I picked the technique up quickly.

I didn't only do well at the flip turns, my coach gave me compliments on my swimming.  He couldn't believe that this was my first organized practice and that I taught myself how to swim via youtube, articles on the internet, and tips from my training buddies.

I felt a great sense of accomplishment on the way home.  I hung with the Masters swim team, with very little swim experience, faulty feet, and a lower level of conditioning than I'm used to due to the lost training time with my surgery recoveries.  How did I do it?  Pure determination.

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For the rest of the month, I continued going to swim twice a week (making improvements with each practice), kept my walking up, and worked on strengthening and functional training exercises at the gym.

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In other news, I also bought my first car!  I have been in school for a really long time and reliant on my parents.  I have been fortunate to drive the cars they purchased for me since I was 16.  This was a huge step for me because I handled the entire purchase from start to finish.  I test drove multiple cars from various companies, selected the right one with all the features and the color I wanted (an orange copper color), negotiated the price, and signed all the papers.

Best part about it: I have a brand new SUV (that is big enough to fit my bike in the back), with all the bells and whistles, and I am completely financially independent from my parental units.

This girl is growing up!!!

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Reflection

With the new year, new car, and passing my first one year post-surgery mark, I feel a new chapter starting.  It's time to put these surgeries behind me and move on with my life.





Wednesday, January 15, 2014

1 YEAR ANNIVERSARY!!!


*Left: 1 year surgery anniversary*

31,536,000 seconds
535,600 minutes
8,760 hours
365 days
52 weeks
1 year!!!

I am 1 whole year post my left foot reconstruction surgery.  My left foot and I have made it to our first anniversary.  Our lovely relationship has had its fair share of ups and downs, but I am happy to report that I am doing much better than I was pre-surgery.

All of the pain, suffering, struggling, tears, worrying, time, and hard work was absolutely worth it for where I am today.

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My Day

I stayed up late last night tossing and turning in excitement for this day to come.  I had a bundle of emotions swirling inside of me.  To be honest, I'm in shock to be here, to have survived 365 days of the recovery from this surgery, not to mention my other surgery thrown in halfway and the major life changes that I went through this year.

When I woke up for work, I couldn't figure out what to wear.  This was such a big personal day for me.  How does a survivor, rather CHAMPION dress?  Generally, during the snoozing game I play with my alarm clock, I envision my outfits daily, before getting out of bed, every piece, down to the shoes, and even the jewelry.  Today, I was stumped...

I finally put together a mega fierce outfit, to represent the battle that I have been fighting.  I wore my tiger-striped blazer, ready to "Roar" as in the Katy Perry song.  And...I also wore some baby wedges, Clarks as usual, for the first time to work.

I had two classes to teach.  In the back of my mind, the whole time I was teaching, I was thinking of how far I have come and how my new students and colleagues really have no idea of the depth of my struggles over the past year.  Now I can blend in...

The first thing people notice about me now is ME, NOT my weird footwear (boots, casts, braces, tennis shoes, old lady flats), NOT my assistive devices (wheelchair, walker, crutches), NOT my irregular gait, and due to the wonderful winter season and the invention of tights, NOT my scars!

After my first class was over, I was thrilled to be ABLE to walk across campus to teach my second class, and walk back at its conclusion.  That trek is all uphill and includes many many stairs (See my former post in December 2013 about walking across campus for the first time).

After work, I went for my first swim since the winter holiday break.  I was a little sluggish from being out of the pool a few weeks, but happy to be back at work on my ultimate goal of regaining my fitness, and of course, running again.

One of my colleagues and dear friends, who also trains with me, forced me to go out after for dinner and drinks.  She refused to not let me celebrate this day.  I can't thank her enough for making me pause to really take in how far I have come over the past year.

What are the highlights?

~ I SURVIVED 2 complete ankle reconstruction surgeries, which left me with 9 scars, 4 titanium screws, and 1 pin between my feet

~I LEARNED how to walk again from scratch, not once...but twice!

~I successfully COMPLETED my dissertation study, wrote it up, defended it, and GRADUATED with a PhD in Exercise Physiology, in a mere 3 absolutely insane years...and by the age of 26

~I LANDED my first full-time faculty position, and first "real" job after a 7 year college career

~I PICKED my life up and MOVED from the only place I have known in my adult life to return to my home state (and where my family lives) for my new job

~ I got PROMOTED to a Tenure-Track Assistant Professor faculty position

~ I FOUGHT tooth and nail through 8-months of physical therapy to finally get RELEASED from rehab "jail"

~I RE-GAINED the ability to swim, bike, walk/jog, and go to the gym for fitness, not just for rehab



How are my feet?

1) They are looking A LOT straighter from behind with normal arches


Left Foot

Left picture: pre-surgery

Right picture: 1 year post
Right Foot
Left picture: pre-surgery
Right picture: 7 months post

2) My scars are becoming lighter, softer, and more skin-like overall

Left Foot (1 year post)
 tendon transfer scar

Left Foot (1 year post)
 calcaneal osteotomy heel screw scar

Left Foot (1 year post)
 gastrocnemius recession/achilles lengthening scar

Left Foot (1 year post)
 lateral column lengthening and calcaneal osteotomy scars
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Right Foot (7 months post)
 calcaneal osteotomy heel screw scar

Right Foot (7 months post)
 gastrocnemius recession/achilles lengthening scar

Right Foot (7 months post)
 lateral column lengthening and calcaneal osteotomy scars

3) I can perform all activities of daily living without assistive devices, braces/tennis shoes, or chairs, including walking with a normal gait, going up and down stairs, standing for cooking, and shopping for hours, with minimal pain and soreness.  (I did keep my shower bench because my feet are tired at the end of the day, which is when I typically take my showers)

4) I can do double-legged heel raises, and can put some space between the ground and my heels on the single-legged heel raises, but can't complete full raises yet.


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Reflection

I feel at peace and whole again.

And...



And, my biggest piece of advice for others and my key to success:

Believe you can succeed, put in the work, and never, NEVER, EVER quit, because...




The fight for my dream of running again continues...

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Day 211 (351): Happy New Year!

New Year, New Me!

This year, I want to focus on moving past my feet issues and the surgeries I went through.  I want to spend less of my energy worrying if I'll ever run again and more living life with the cards I have been dealt.

However, my two resolutions both have three letters and they have everything to do with me running again.

Resolution 1:  R-U-N

Resolution 2: T-R-I

I will hit both of my 1 year milestones and beyond from my surgeries this year.  Full recovery takes over a year, so I think this will be more of a defining year than the last.  I think it will be the year that I get my answer to that burning question I have about running again.

My feet feel great and I think that I am only months away from running, which means I should be able to do a triathlon this summer.  That is my goal, but I will understand if I have to push my return to racing back.  I am not saying that I won't be disappointed and it wont hurt a little, ok a lot, but I can't rush this.  Recovery simply takes time.

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A note about my blog:

Now that my feet conditions aren't changing as rapidly as they were in the first several months after my surgeries, I don't have as much to document about my journey.  I will go from posting daily/weekly to posting updates as major things happen, but I don't expect to drop below one monthly update post for at least all of 2014.  I know that one of the things that happens with documenting a condition like mine, is that when we get better, we stop posting. I have read those types of comments on other foot problems forums and blogs.  For those that have read my blog with similar conditions, or future readers that may find themselves in my situation, I want them to know what the long term success[...or failure] may be.  So for that reason, I will post on, just less frequently.

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Happy New Year!!!