First long walk!

Today was my first day of work at my new job! I spent the whole day in orientation. It seemed a little long, but I got lots of good info! It meant a lot of sitting, so my ankle didn't have too much trouble. I noticed it definitely got more swollen as the day went on though. My expensive new orthopedic shoes were really comfy for when I was walking around Arlington for lunch. They better be!! Tomorrow I have more orientation in the morning, and finally go to my office in the afternoon.

When I got home, Snickers and I took our first long walk! I say first because hopefully it will be the first of many. Snickers and I are both out of shape, so it was tough! But my ankle felt pretty good afterwards. It was definitely tougher than walking on the treadmill on an incline at PT for 8 minutes though! Yay for getting in some exercise and not hurting too bad! Let's hope this lasts.

"Thanks for the long walk! I'm tuckered out!"

Ice Machine = Best Investment Ever

If you are having surgery, or getting a cast off, or something like that, I think you should know about this amazing ice machine. It's really easy to use, gets really cold, AND compresses! I have a foot cuff from my ankle surgery (of course) but I understand you can get the cuffs for different areas of the body. We bought the machine at my pre-surgery appointment. It was around $250, which seems like a lot, but besides my pain meds, this was the best money spent!

My leg in the splint. If you look at my toe area you can see where the blue cuff is peaking out.

We brought the cuff to surgery, and while I was still under and they were putting my splint on, the cuff got incorporated into the splint. This way, it was close to my ankle and wouldn't move, and could easily be connected and disconnected from the main ice cooler part.

IT IS AMAZING. I might have mentioned that I don't handle pain all that well. And this surgery was painful. I had some heavy duty pain meds, and was pretty out of it for a couple days, but I was still in pain. The ice machine was the best way to manage the pain along with the meds. It made a HUGE difference in my pain level. When I couldn't use it for the weeks I was in my cast, it was noticeably harder to manage my pain (although it was lessening, thank goodness!). Also, when the splint was taken off for my ankle to be cast it wasn't very swollen. Even my surgeon and the nurse who put my cast on were very impressed with my lack of swelling compared to others they see. I credit this amazingness to the ice machine as well. I'm in love with this machine!

I got it back out the other day to use when I was having a lot of swelling and pain again. And it was just as magical as I remembered.

Hooked up to the ice machine again! It is awesome! It's really hard to get your foot above your heart though...

One quick shout out to my mom, and my sister, who filled the cooler with ice and water, carried it upstairs, hooked me up to it, waited 20 minutes, then came back and unhooked me, many times for many days when I couldn't do it myself. (Not to mention getting food to me and all of the other things they did for me!) They are the best and I am SO incredibly lucky to have them!

My New Job!

I got a new job! I'm very excited to be able to work again and to have found a job! I've been applying to things for months, and even got several interviews, but getting a job has been another long journey in my life.

My new job is working with older adults (65+) with mental illness, trying to divert them from the state mental hospital and keeping them in their local communities instead. I'm excited to feel like a real social worker again (are you still a social worker when you're not working??). I'm thrilled to continue counting my hours for my clinical license. I'm excited to be part of a team of social workers again. And I'm excited to try something new. I've never worked with older adults before, so this will be new but exciting. I think when you're starting out as a social worker, it's important to get a bunch of different experiences in order to grow as a social worker, grow your knowledge, and see what you like and don't like in the field.

I miss my old job, but it required A LOT of walking and driving everyday in some of the most dangerous neighborhoods in DC. I miss my ladies there - both my clients and my amazing coworkers! My new job will be a challenge building up my stamina at first and getting my ankle used to it, but it will be less walking and driving and much safer for me at this time. And I'm staying involved in the field I've been most passionate about by volunteering for a sexual assault online hotline.

Side note: I want to encourage all of my friends who are looking for jobs to keep your chin up and keep looking! I've changed jobs every year since I graduated from grad school in 2009. The economy has always sucked, but it's even worse right now. It took applying to at least 60 or so jobs each time to get ONE job offer. And (sorry, but we all know I'm an education snob) I have a masters degree in my field from an Ivy League University. Bottom line: It's extremely hard to find a job right now, but keep applying, keep following up, keep making connections and networking, and try not to get too down about it!

Discharged from PT!!

Thursday was my last day of physical therapy (PT). I WAS DISCHARGED!!

Now, honestly, if I wasn't starting my job Monday, I think we would have asked to renew the prescription for another month. I don't really need it because I can do most things at home, but I do still have some work to do. Going to PT twice a week is a good way to make sure that's getting done - not only do I do everything there, Brenda and Dave check in with me about what I've been doing at home. If I feel like I need it, I can get a prescription and go to a new PT that has early morning or late hours closer to work. (My surgeon has PT there, although I did not originally like them...) I am going to miss Brenda and Dave - they are really awesome and I've enjoyed spending a couple hours a week with them (and Cristina before she had her baby!) for the past 8 months (Yes - since July, minus the 6 weeks splint/cast time after surgery)... but it is undoubtedly time to move on! Side note: I will also miss all of the old men (think 60's and up) who liked to joke with me and tell me my smile is pretty. I mean, who doesn't like to hear that from a sweet old man?!

So I've been discharged, with a list of things to work on, and the knowledge that I can go back at any time and call with any questions. Seriously, if you're in Northern VA, Dynamics Physical Therapy is awesome!!


Gotta stretch those calves!! This is not me, but this is how I will stretch my calves...

Things to Work on After Being Discharged From PT

1.)  Continue doing strengthening and stretching exercises. I need to do balance activities and other strengthening activities to continue to build the strength back up in my ankle and leg. I need to walk on uneven ground to get my ankle to work, etc. Stretching is also important, as I've learned my Achilles tendon in both legs (even though the right one was lengthened during surgery) are very tight and short. They think this is from swimming. Maybe it's just how God made me, but what it means is it's more likely that I will blow out my Achilles tendon at some point. So I have to always keep my calves stretched out.

2.)  Work up to standing on my toes. I still can't stand on my toes with weight on my right foot without having really bad pain on the outside of my heel (where they moved my heel bone, etc.). Brenda and Dave suggested I work on this in the pool first and work up to doing it on land. They said I'm way too young to give up on this and decide to never stand on my toes again. Yeah, I agree...

3.)  Get in the pool! I need to get exercising and get some of this fluffiness off! I can't wait to build up to doing more things and be able to work out again. Also, I need to walk in the water to build up strength. Before I can run on land, I have to be able to run in the pool. And obviously I need to get in the pool to work on standing on my toes.

4.)  Build into activities gradually. I want to get started doing things, but I have to do this very gradually due to the kind of surgery I've had, as well as the amount of time I haven't been able to do any activities. I need to be able to stand on my toes before I can run because you push off your toes when running. Things like this frustrate me, but I'm going to try to be patient. The best advice I've gotten for this was...

5.)  RESPECT THE PAIN. Before I left PT Dave gave me the best advice ever. Respect the pain. This is going to be my new motto. There are several older men who go to PT at the same time as me who have had knee replacements. When they come in Dave stretches them and they practically cry in pain, but they have to have assistance to get it stretched straight. Dave reminds me everyday that my surgery is a "totally different animal." After having my ankle completely reconstructed, I need to pay attention to my body and back off if I have pain. Basically his guideline was try something and see how you feel. If it's ok, go a little further, or try something else. But if it hurts, more than just muscle soreness and more than a day or two, back off and rest!!

PT Update

After the top of my foot continued to hurt last week, Brenda was worried that I had stress fractured my foot. Awesome. Even doing the ultrasounds was painful for it, and it should not have been. Over the weekend - both Friday and Saturday, I had States with my swimmers. (Side note: We did REALLY well! Our girls came in 4th overall and won the 200 medley relay, while breaking the state record!!) for my foot, this meant standing on a concrete pool deck for about 7-8 hours each day. It was so crowded and even though I was told I could have a chair (even though they weren't allowed) I never received one. Boo. But I made it through!! I was very swollen and tired at the end and was limping, but honestly after those two days on a hot crowded pool deck, who wouldn't feel that way?

I spent the rest of the long weekend walking as little as possible. I caught up on tv shows while keeping my ankle elevated above my heart. I even got out my AMAZING air cast ice machine (which I will write another post about, because it is amazing and worth investing in if you're having surgery or something like that). It ices and compresses at the same time. Seriously awesome!

By the time I went back to PT Tuesday morning my ankle was a lot less swollen and the top of it barely hurt. When Brenda looked at it she saw and felt much less swelling! A miracle occurred?? Maybe... :) We still did ultrasound but I was able to return to all of my more advanced activities and finished with EStim and ice.

Thursday is my last day at PT with Brenda and Dave! I'm going to miss them! But it's time to get back to real life and work.

So Good Brownies

I feel like a walking, talking, blogging... advertisement for Southern Living somedays. We clearly live by it in our house. But I will say that this Southern Living recipe (from August 2009) really could be considered for the title of The Best Brownies. The are very easy to make. And SL claims, and I agree, that these solve the debate between those who like cake-textured brownies and those who love gooey ones.

I made these last week, also for the last day of swim practice, and my kids and the lifeguards at Freedom Center loved them. As you can see in the pictures below, I had a rookie mistake in the kitchen (so embarrassing!!). I put in my first pan of brownies, only to turn around and discover an unused cup of flour. Oops! I tried to whisk it in in the pan, because it was nearly impossible to pour the batter back into the mixing bowl. But when it came out of the oven again, there was clearly a problem and an obvious difference between them and the pan I did NOT mess up. Sadly, they had to be thrown away. But seriously, a rookie mistake!

So Good Brownies

4 (1-oz.) unsweetened chocolate baking squares
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line bottom and sides of an 8-inch pan with aluminum foil, allowing 2 to 3 inches to extend over sides; lightly grease foil.

2. Microwave chocolate squares and butter in a large microwave-safe bowl at HIGH 1 1/2 to 2 minutes or until smooth, stirring at 30-second intervals. Whisk in granulated and brown sugars. Add eggs, 1 at a time, whisking just until blended after each addition. Whisk in flour, vanilla, and salt.

3. Pour mixture into prepared pan.

4. Bake at 350 for 40 to 44 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out with a few moist crumbs. Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Lift brownies from pan, using foil sides as handles. Gently remove foil, and cut brownies into 16 squares.

Yummy! Fresh out of the oven!

This is what happens when you forget the cup of flour! Don't know if you can tell how flat they are and how ridiculous they look.

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

Last week for the last day of swim practice (tear!) I made my kids these Peanut butter Kiss Cookies. They loved them! For me, I wish the cookies had more peanut butter flavor, so next time I'm going to try using more peanut butter than the recipe calls for. Also, it mentions that you can refrigerate the dough when you're done, before rolling it out. I had to do this because my dough was too warm to work with, and even refrigerating briefly helped a lot.

Finally, when you roll the dough, you need to roll it through "additional granulated sugar." Don't freak out (like I did) that you were supposed to save some and didn't. In fact, they want you to get out additional sugar, not originally accounted for in the recipe. :)

Peanut Butter Kiss Cookies

1/2 margarine
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 bag chocolate kisses (unwrapped)

Preheat oven to 375. In a large mixer bowl, beat margarine and peanut butter with electric mixer on medium speed 30 seconds. Add the sugars and beat until fluffy. Add egg, milk, and vanilla. Beat well.

In a mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. With mixer on low speed, gradually add flour mixture to peanut butter mixture, beating well. If necessary, cover and chill about one hour for easier handling.

Shape dough into one-inch balls. Roll in additional granulated sugar. Place about two inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake about 10 to 12 minutes, or until edges are firm. Immediately press a chocolate kiss atop each cookie. With a spatula, lift cookies onto cooling rack. When cool, store in an airtight container.



Yummy! Kiss cookies!



Fresh out of the oven!

Progress with a Setback?

After resting all weekend, my ankle was feeling a bit better yesterday. I've noticed lately that I am walking better and even a little faster. While I've been walking for a bit now, Snickers is not the best to walk with because she likes to walk very quickly! So I haven't been able to walk her since I had surgery in September. She does still get some walks, but we have noticed her looking a little more fluffy than normal. So I decided to try to walk her - AND I DID IT!! We took a very short walk down the block and back, but I did it and Snickers was very appreciative! So on days when my foot is feeling pretty good I'm going to try to walk her.

Also last night I swam after coaching high school practice. I was able to swim a bit more and was even able to kick! And I mean not just kicking while also pulling, but doing about a 200 of just kicking! It's still so hard. I am very out of shape because not only have I not swam in quite some time, I haven't been allowed to do a good work out of any kind in almost a year now. Yes, ONE WHOLE YEAR. It feels really good to be able to work out slowly again and I was very excited that I swam a little more last night. My muscles feel a little sore today, and I am beyond happy to have that feeling again! Weird? I know.

However, this morning I was pretty sore and in some pain. I did do some exercises in PT and even walked "downhill" on the treadmill for 8 minutes. They did ultrasound to the top of my foot, as well as EStim with ice. Surprisingly, Brenda wanted me to swim again tonight since I might not be able to tomorrow. She especially wants me to walk in the water. I need a water-walking-buddy!!

Things That Have Improved

When I get sad about things I miss or think too much about progressing more slowly than I would like, I try to remember all of the things that have improved since surgery. I wish I had started this blog sooner to have more of a reminder of how far I've come!

When I first got home I was in SO much pain. SO much pain!! My pain level has been manageable with no drugs or Advil for months. That is awesome!

When I first got my cast off, my incisions were still open and they were painful. My stitches dissolved, but the tape was still on them. It was so hard to figure out how to get that off when I could barely touch it. Also, my foot would get super swollen in the shower and turn this awful bruised-looking color. It was not only gross but worrisome! I also had to use my parent's shower because it only has a little ledge (instead of mine that is a tub), they installed a hand-held shower head, and had to hop in on one leg and sit on a stool. It was a production! When I had the cast on I had to also get an extremely tight plastic covering over the cast before getting in. I cannot begin to describe how happy I am ever day that I can just get into any shower now! Whoever thought that would be an accomplishment and be so exciting!

I'm walking pretty well recently too. Most days I can walk without a limp! It's not perfect, but it looks pretty good! When I get tired or sore or stiff I limp a little bit. But overall my walking is doing pretty well and I am even picking up my speed just a little. It's amazing that a couple months ago I couldn't put weight on my right leg, then I could sort of do it, and now I can stand on only that leg and even bend over while only standing on my right leg! That's pretty awesome!

There are so many little improvements it's hard to keep track sometimes, so I'm trying to focus on these instead of the things I wish would improve faster. While I may be in the 6 months to one year of recovery time, as I approach 6 months it's pretty amazing the things I can do!

Things I Miss

I started a list of things I miss about a month ago, but never published it. Some of these things are already a little better!

After having my ankle reconstructed, there are a ton of things that I miss (like for a while I couldn't even walk... now it's more like running and swimming). I never expected some of the things I would miss though!

Running/walking quickly. When it's raining, or say 30 degrees outside, do you ever run quickly from your car to the building you're going to? I used to. I really miss running, or at least quickly walking, places, especially when it's rainy or cold out. I want to get inside quickly!

Flip-flops. I lived my life in flip-flops! But did you know that Old Navy's 2 for $5 flip-flops are terrible for your feet? Ok, I did too, but I ignored it. Now that I've had my foot reconstructed I have to ALWAYS wear supportive shoes, and there are barely any flip-flops that are acceptable. I've thrown away all my Old Navy flip-flops. Oh well. I think my feet and back will actually thank me in the end.

High heels, cute flats, etc. See "flip-flops" above. But unlike flip-flops, I will be able to wear heels eventually. Cristina (PT) just said I will hate life when I do wear them. Great. In the end, is it even going to be worth it to look cute for an evening? Oh the things we do in the name of beauty!

Dancing. I'm a weirdo and I dance everywhere. I can't do this right now. If I forget and I start dancing, my foot reminds me very quickly that it doesn't dance right now. I have done the xbox dancing, but with my boot on, and only on low level dances where you don't move your feet too much! Not sure I can really do that. Maybe in March/April.

Working out. I feel like such a sad, lazy sack when I can't workout! I miss boxing!! I'm now clear to swim (starting slowly), walk in the water, and stationary bike and possibly (real) bike on flat areas (of course it's freezing here now that I can do it!).

I'm glad to finally be able to wear two shoes more because trying to get in and out of the car but on my boot first, etc. is really annoying and time consuming! I'm not really patient with myself, so in general I'd like to be able to move at a faster speed

Honey-Lime Chicken with Coconut-Black Bean Rice

We made this chicken a couple Sundays ago and I'm just getting to putting up the recipe. It was wonderful!! Here's the link to its recipe on Sounthern Living:

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/honey-lime-chicken-coconut-50400000119149/

Ingredients

• 1 (13.5-oz.) can coconut milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
• 6 (4-oz.) chicken breast cutlets
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 3/4 cup finely crushed tortilla chips
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 teaspoon lime zest
• 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 (15.5-oz.) can seasoned black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1/3 cup sliced green onions
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation

1. 1. Bring coconut milk and 1 tsp. salt to a boil over medium-high heat; stir in rice. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 20 minutes or until rice is tender.
2. 2. Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken with pepper and 1/2 tsp. salt. Place crushed tortilla chips in a shallow bowl. Whisk together honey and next 2 ingredients in a second shallow bowl. Reserve 2 Tbsp. honey mixture. Dip chicken in remaining honey mixture, allowing excess to drip off. Dredge in crushed chips.
3. 3. Cook half of chicken in 2 Tbsp. hot oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 2 minutes on each side or until done. Repeat procedure with remaining chicken and oil. Spoon reserved honey mixture over chicken.
4. 4. Stir black beans and next 2 ingredients into rice; spoon onto serving plates. Top with chicken and cilantro.

Newest Setback

I've been pretty busy lately! It's a good thing, but my foot is not happy about it.

Last Friday was Districts for my swimmers. Both the girls and boys teams won!! The boys were supposed to place 2nd (of 6 teams) by 40 points, but they WON by ONE point!! It was very exciting and they were beside themselves! For me, this meant standing and walking on a pool deck for about 6 hours. Then Saturday and Sunday I had a training for a sexual assault hotline in DC all day. I had to do some walking in the city and was sitting in a desk all day both days, which meant not getting my foot up. My sister and I also went shopping Saturday night, which meant walking. Then Monday and Tuesday I substitute taught for my sister's 2nd graders. Not only were they a handful, this meant standing most of the day.

At the end of five days in a row like this, I was in a lot of pain. The weirdest thing was where the pain was - the top of my foot. It hurt to drive, etc. It has never been painful here before. I went to PT Wednesday and Friday and saw Kim, instead of my normal PT's. Kim is still awesome. But she didn't let me do any of my normal PT activities since my pain was so bad. She looked at it and said it was ok, but it still hurts. She massaged it and then I had ice and EStim. It felt a little better.

Last night we had Regionals. It didn't go quite as well as Districts, or as well as we hoped - both teams got 5th place. But this meant standing for about 9 hours this time. I sat as much as I could. But ouch!! I think I will rest the rest of this weekend!

Chocolatey Oatmeal Cookies! (aka Neiman Marcus Cookies)

These might be my favorite cookies ever. I LOVE a good oatmeal chocolate chip cookie! I made these for my regional swimmers - and it makes A LOT of cookies! My kids loved them. (At least they told me they did!) The cookies are very chocolatey because of the grated Hershey bars in them, which for me is perfect. And as usual, I don't put nuts in mine. The choice is up to you!

This recipe was one of those things that was passed around in chain emails years ago. The story is that someone wanted the recipe from Neiman Marcus and was told it was "two fifty." Supposedly when they got their credit card bill it was $250 instead of $2.50, as they had thought it was, so they decided to spread the recipe to everyone with an email address. Whether that's true or not, these are great cookies!

Neiman-Marcus Cookies (recipe may be halved)

2 cups butter
24 oz. chocolate chips
4 cups flour
2 cups brown sugar
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups sugar
1 8 oz. Hershey bar (grated)
5 cups blended oatmeal
4 eggs
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. vanilla
3 cups chopped nuts (your choice) - optional

Measure oatmeal, and blend in a blender to a fine powder. Cream the butter and both sugars. Add eggs and vanilla; mix together with flour, oatmeal, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Add chocolate chips, grated Hershey bar, and nuts (if desired).
Roll into balls and place two inches apart on a cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes at 375 degrees.
Makes 112 cookies.

Yummy!!

My Internal Debate

I need help with my internal debate. I cannot decide how much to push myself. For so long I haven't been allowed to do much of anything. Now that I can do things slowly I feel like I'm walking this fine line between pushing myself more and not getting hurt from pushing too much. PT hasn't been particularly helpful in helping me decide this either.

So tonight I took my suit to the pool to swim after coaching. But the kids were crazy and I had such a long day and was so tired, and I pushed really hard this morning at PT... So I didn't swim. I probably should have, but it was so easy to say I couldn't do it.

I think I'm going to need some help and encouragement with this!

More PT Progress!!

I've had less pain this week! My foot still gets very stiff at times, especially after standing for a long time. And it's still painful. Just less so now. Yay!

So with less pain and a little more strength in my right ankle/leg (yay!) I've added a few more exercises at PT! Now not only can I stand on my right leg only, I can also stand on it on an uneven surface (foam), stand on it and bend in half and touch the ground, and walk backwards on the treadmill at an incline. Oh yes, I'm getting fancy!

It feels good to progress and it's very exciting. I think my right calf is even getting some muscle and shape back to it! It's been so sad and skinny looking since getting my cast off! I still have a long way to go though. And I think the hardest part for me will be slowly easing back into things. I'm not very patient with myself and get frustrated easily. I guess now is the time to work on that.

Oh, and I haven't worn my boot in weeks! Even while at the pool I only wear tennis shoes now! And I even wore dress shoes for an interview (and walked really slowly!).