So Long 2009!

It’s been a doozy of a year. Can’t say I’d like to experience it again. But there were many positive experiences, lessons learned and personal growth to bank off of in 2010. I’m ending the year on a positive note, running my first 5k race in over a year. I’ll write more about how that goes in my next blog, as there won’t be time after the race.

Post race, I will be zooming home like a bat outta hell to shower and hit the road with Joe for a 5 hour trek to Southern Indiana . Little ol’ Attica is our destination, where we’ll welcome in the new year and new decade with a blue moon (the second full moon within one month) at a party held at a B&B owned by Joe’s friend, Andy. Indiana is on Eastern Time, which works to my advantage – I’m usually unable to stay up ‘til midnight, but we’ll hit midnight by 11p.m. our time, so I might just make it! I wish all of you a fortunate and beautiful 2010….

Looking ahead, I have plotted out a potential race schedule that includes one race per month varying from lengths of 5k, 8k, 10k, 15k and half-marathons, and of varying terrain from street to trail. The schedule may be ambitious, which is why I’m calling it my “Race Options 2010” list – options, not obligations! A preview …. The Waukehsa JanBoree 5k on 1/23/10, which will be Joe’s first race in over a year …and …. I’m thinking of doing the South Shore Half Marathon (it’s only $8) on 4/10/10 prior to doing the Madison Half in May.

A Christmas Call to Joe

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all my readers! If you're in Wisconsin, I hope the dreary cold rain hasn't detracted from your celebrations. Despite the rain, Joe and I decided to get a run in this morning before meeting my family at noon. For the record, this was Joe's first outdoor run since April, when his metatarsal stress fractures put him on the sidelines. Joe ran 2.5 miles - his furthest distance since his comeback from the herniated disc. Yay Joe!!!

Earlier in the week, I spent $200 on winter running clothes. The big ticket item ($110, but on sale for $88) was an awesome running jacket - the Asics Storm Shelter for those of you who care - which is lightweight, waterproof & wind resistant, has reflection panels, inner and outer pockets and ventilation flaps for when you get too hot. I also bought running tights, which are the recommended leg ware on cold days. The tights aren't too flattering on my short muscular (bulky) legs, but oh well!

So, this morning I was looking forward to using this new gear, and was not daunted by the rain. I had a 5.25 course planned - running from home to Frame Park, once around the river and back home. The sidewalks were too risky for running with rain water on top of ice, so I ran down empty Christmas morning streets to the Fox River. I was toasty and dry in my tights and jacket, though my feet were getting quite wet.

When I hit the Riverwalk the first half was just fine, but as I continued to the other side of the river, "ponding" or flooding was present. I ran through some fairly lengthy puddles that were deeper than 3 inches - deep enough to pour over the tops of my shoes. The water was icy, but I thought, "if I can just get past this spell of puddles, I'll be okay and then I only have 2 miles home." Well, the puddles become longer and deeper, and then the puddles became the path for as far as the eye could see. Not good. I tried stepping into snow along the side of the trail, but surprise! under the snow lay several inches of water. My feet began to burn from the cold and I started to get scared. My toes felt like they were getting fat, and I feared frostbite.

Hating to quit my run before it was done, but acknowledging I'd already made a bad judgment call by trying to run through the standing water, I decided to make a good decision, and called Joe to come pick me up (thank god we run with cell phones). Reversing direction and clambering back through the ice water was not fun, and for a time I could barely feel my feet. By the time I made it around the river to the parking lot where Joe could pick me up, Joe was there, and safely transported me home. I only got 4 miles in instead of 5.25, BUT my feet are fine and I learned a valuable lesson.

Once home, we showered up, and met some family members for a low key lunch at Tandoor - an annual tradition. My niece, Marisa, made me a beautiful green, black, white and silver beaded necklace, our favorite dish, Manchurian Gobhi, was on the buffet, and the knowledge that I could try for my 5.25 miles another day, made for a perfect Christmas Day. It's snowing now, and I'm toasty inside. Happy for the long lazy days of a 4-day weekend.

17 years

More and more my runs are allowing my mind to wander freely, rather than dwelling on how awful the running feels (and by the way, running never seems too hard or terrible now). In this morning’s run, I realized that today is the 17th anniversary of what should have been the worst day of my life, but has morphed into just one of many significant occurrences in my life.

At 10p.m. on Tuesday December 22nd, at the age of 21, I was raped at gun point by a stranger. I was locking the door to my house when someone came up behind me, placed a gun to my temple and told me not to move or speak or he would kill me. I was sexually assaulted in the parking space behind my house for the next 30 minutes, with the gun always to my head. Fortunately I had alert neighbors who thought they heard or saw something going on behind the houses, and called 911. I didn’t know help was on the way during those long 30 minutes, but lying on the not-so-cold-for-December-ground, staring into a starry night, I had a sense of peace wash over me, and I knew I would be okay – that I wouldn’t be killed, or contract HIV. When police pulled into the drive I took my opportunity to push the attacker away as I sprinted forward calling for help. A night of police and detective interviews and a trip to the sexual assault center ensued. And I was truly alright.

My mom had worked at the Sexual Assault Treatment Center many years prior to my arrival there. I’d heard every conceivable assault story from her over the years, which I believe strengthened me for handling my own assault. That, and the fact that I’d been studying psychology my whole life, left me well equipped to deal with this. My way of dealing with what happened was to tell everyone and anyone who would listen. No dark secrets are kept with me. That sorta thing kills people – eats them up from the inside out. I never experienced anger, I never experienced shame or depression or all the other things you might see on TV. The main thing that has lasted is my sense of hypervigilance. I have a super high startle response, and I believe that something bad can happen anytime, anywhere, which is why I don’t go running at 4a.m. in the summer when it’s light outside. Even though it’s light, it’s an isolated time of day – very easy for someone to grab you into a van!

My memories of that night are still fresh and burned into my memory detail by detail, but my thoughts rarely fall on it. If I hear of a rape, I may think of my own, or when December 22nd rolls around I count the years that have passed. And as I said above, I am alright- More than alright, so please no tears, pity or “I’m sorry’s” from my readers. Oh and the burning question: Did they catch the guy? Not for my rape or the 4 other women he went on to rape after me, but I like to think he’s sitting in prison for some other offense.

Closure

Today is my day of closure. I have come full circle on this December 17th, and Man-o-Man what a difference a year can make. Today was a day of elation. Last year this was a day of physical pain, fear and darkness. It was a snowy morning one year ago that Joe drove me to my MRI in Delafield. I was in excruciating pain and had to lie on my side in the back seat, as I couldn't bear to sit - walking and lying down weren't much easier. The MRI confirmed my worst fears of having a herniated disc, and created a wave of fear based on "what ifs" - What if I need surgery? What if this pain never goes away? What if I can't work-out anymore? Yet to come after that early morning MRI was a trip to the ER for my pain, two epidurals, many months of rehab and the inception of this blog. Back in January I created this blog to more easily communicate my progress with all of you. It's been a year of steady gains and physical accomplishments, leaving me, perhaps mentally and physically stronger than I was before. In honor of the road I've traveled the past 12 months, I started my day with my first 5 mile run since I resumed my running 4 months ago. It was exhilarating to finish that run, to know I'm a runner again, to know I will go on to do half marathons, 5k's, 10k's, and dare I dream of a full marathon?

Winter Fun

Our first winter storm came at just the right time - leaving enough good quality snow on the ground for Joe & I to enjoy snowshoeing on this planned vacation day. And a wonderful vacation day it was. Actually, it began for me yesterday at noon when I left work to meet my mom for an Indian lunch buffet and then indulged in a 90-minute massage!

But back to today. It was a was a great day - an active day (over 800 calories burned!). We slept in 'til 8a.m. or so, and took our sweet time getting up and into the day. At 6° with icy snowy roads and sidewalks, Joe proposed a plan: How 'bout he drop me off at the gym for my run, while he carried on to Farm & Fleet's Toyland to get gifts for our niece & nephew? Sounded good to me. So instead of freezing and risking injury outside, I sweated out 4.5 miles on the treadmill.

We came home, grabbed some fuel in the form of whole wheat toast with cinnamon sugar sprinkled atop, and then we suited up for snowshoeing. It's the quintessential snowshoe day. Bright blue sky, cold, but no wind. We shoed for an hour at Minooka Park - a local County park less than 5 minutes from home. It's a large park with much diversity - woods, hills, prairies, a small lake and a dog park. The snow was in primo snowshoeing condition and we had the place to ourselves. It was a challenging work-out - excellent cross training. We stuck to no known trails, just followed our hunches on which way to go. We took some awesome photos too, some of which can be found on my Facebook page in the "Winter In Wisconsin" photo album.

Home by 3p.m. for cocoa and a shower. The sun was setting by 4p.m. and a rich glycogen restoring dinner of whole wheat angel hair pasta with a sauce including green & yellow zucchini, carrot shreds, red onion and tofu balls was in our bellies by 6p.m. Now it's off to a lazy night in front of the boob tube.

Let It Snow!

It's the infamous 1, 2 punch. First we have a snowstorm, followed by a precipitous drop in temperatures. My mom on the East Side of Milwaukee literally had no snow, as the winds off Lake Michigan warmed the air enough to make rain. We received 10 inches in Waukesha, and points 10-50 miles West of us got 18 inches of snow! I admit I was a tad disappointed we didn't get more snow, but this will be enough to snowshoe in on Friday - a day Joe and I took off to burn vacation time. Strong winds and bitter cold temps are rolling in. Many people are without power, and ours went out several times today while we were at work. Luckily it's on and we're toasty warm inside. Enjoy this view of our lovely basswood tree in the front yard.

2010 Running Goals

Did I mention I’ve started a running journal? I actually bought a really nice spiral bound one produced by Runner’s World – replete with special tips and pointers each week. It’s a great way to track your goals and progress, to note patterns with your strong vs. struggling days, to track injuries, etc. More than anything, it helps you focus on becoming a stronger runner (and it's fun to total up weekly, monhtly, yearly mileage).

Here are my 2010 Running Goals:
1. Establish a solid running base where running 5 miles in not a big deal (I’m just about there).
2. Do one long run outside every week (I’m doing that).
3. Do at least two interval runs per week (I’m doing that, but want to improve the interval).
4. Do At least one tempo run per week (I’m about to start on that).
5. Get my 1/2 marathon pace as close to a 10 minute mile as possible (My current long run pace seems to be at a 10:54 minute mile)
6. Complete at least one ½ marathon (May 30th, 2010!), at least two 10K’s, and at least three 5K’s.
7. PREVENT INJURY!

Below Freezing

It's a good thing I'm so motivated, because it took a lot of gumption to get out the door in the biting 25° air for my 4.75 mile run today. What does one run in on such a cold day? Well, if you're a seasoned runner, you already know what works for you. If you're not so sure, there's this great site that will help you figure it out (and you walkers could use this site too):
http://www.runnersworld.com/cda/whattowear/0,7152,s6-240-325-330-0,00.html
I wore heavy technical running pants, a heavy zipneck running shirt, a vest, a winter knit hat, and gloves. I was warm enough and feeling good in my run, until I had to wait 4 minutes for a train to pass. I went from sweaty to frozen, and never did regain my warmth in the remaining 2 miles home, despite having some gnarly hills to tackle. Once home, ever so sweet and thoughtful Joe, had homemade cocoa ready to warm me up. And speaking of Joe, he is doing very well. No lingering numbness or tingliness, and next week his running will be up to 1.5 miles.

Yesterday I had my annual performance evaluation at work. It was a glowing review (not trying to toot my own horn, but I'm just sayin'). In my job there are 9 salary steps when you begin, and each year, if your eval is good enough, you move to the next step, which means a $1200 salary increase, as well as the annual cost of living increase. Your annual reviews are conducted in the month you were hired, but after you've completed the 9 steps your reviews always occur in December, and the only raise you get is the annual cost of living increase, UNLESS, your supervisor nominates you for a one time bonus. The supervisor's supervisor has to approve it, and then everyone who has been approved gets a portion of what's in the "bonus pot" that year. It's usually a nominal amount. I hit my 9th Step in March, which means my next review technically woulnd't be due for 20 months - December 2010. But my supervisor was looking out for me, and got permission from HR to do my review now, so I could be nominated for a bonus. Even if the bonus is a negligible, it's nice to be thought of and recognized.

Hello December!

December premiers as a sunny "warm" day for those of us in southern Wisconsin. The past four years, December 1st has seen snowfall to varying degrees, so I count today's balm as an auspicious sign. Today was also a good start to the final month of the year because Dio's lab results came back showing perfectly normal liver functions. There's no explaining why things were looking so bleak, but for now we'll take this good news and enjoy each day with Dio the Terrible, Dio the Great and Dio the Incorrigible!

There are many things I look forward to this month. First and foremost, I am excited to hit the one year anniversary of my herniation diagnosis. That will be December 17th - the start of my devastating back pain and the fears for future athletic exploits. I'd like to do something to celebrate my remarkable comeback when that day arrives -any ideas from the peanut gallery?

Of course one way to celebrate is to have a great run that day, which brings me to the next thing I look forward to this month: reaching the 5 mile mark with my running. Over the Thanksgiving weekend, I logged a couple 4.5 mile runs through our neighborhood, and had more moments of grace where I didn't realize I was running, than moments of thinking how awful the running felt. After 4 months of building, running is becoming easier both mentally and physically.

Speaking of running, for those of you who run and for those of you who abhor the thought of running, I highly recommend the book "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. This is a fascinating read that makes a persuasive argument for why humans are meant to run long distances - it's at the very root of evolution and how we survived to become the Homo Sapiens we are today. It's not all about science either - this book weaves the riveting story of a race between the infamous Tarahumara runners of Mexico against the world's best professional ultrarunners. You gotta read this book!

Another thing I look forward to this month is my return to the race scene when I get to run the RACC 5k with several friends on December 31st, and lastly, I look forward to the first snowfall. I can't wait to see Bruce & Dora's blue branches dusted in white and to take my first run in the snow, which my running friends tell me is a beautiful, silent, calming experience.

The Next Chapters In On-going Stories

DIO: About 5 days ago we noticed Dio has a soft marble sized lump in his throat just to the right of his trachea. He doesn't seem bothered by us feeling it, but it bothers us that it's there. We're not jumping to any bad conclusions. It could be a swollen gland, or a fatty tumor, or some cyst... Saturday the 28th,we take him in for follow up bloodwork to track his liver functions - Dr. Jackie wants to see if there is a trend for better or worse since he was treated with antibiotics and a liver support pill - and she will try to examine this lump and possibly to a needle aspiration if she feels it's warranted. Stay tuned.

SCHOOL: I decided not to enroll in personal training courses for January 2010. It just didn't feel like the right time - I'm not ready to make the time and energy commitment yet. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I was reacting with a sense of urgency to a situation at work more than out of a pressing desire to become a personal trainer ASAP. I've wanted to pursue personal training for a couple years now, but will do so when it feels like a positive fit. In the meantime, I am actively working to change the way I am internally responding to the work situation, which primarily has to do with a co-worker more than anything else. Have I been elusive enough in describing this?!

RUNNING: This past weekend I hit the 4 mile mark in my training and it was the best run I can ever remember having. I didn't suffer mentally or physically. I felt strong and positive, and finished with a time that was 1 minute per mile faster than what I was running at 3 weeks ago. I attribute this to my body absorbing the changes of the past 3 months of running and to the interval training. The best news is that I have registered to run the Mad City Half Marathon on 5/30/10 - this is a vote of faith and confidence in myself and my running future!

Running Updates

I believe I’m improving my running since the last time I was a runner pre-herniation. When I first learned to run it was with a run/walk model, which is a very respectable and popular model. People complete marathons with a run/walk ratio. However, I find this model undermines my mental commitment, as I trudge by minute by minute waiting for the glorious walk break to deliver me from the awful stretches of running. Those kind of inflammatory thoughts make it difficult to get into the running groove. Instead, I want to have my mind mentally committed to the run from the get go, for the long haul. That’s why I set out to be an all out runner this go around. No walk breaks unless there’s a problem. This week I’m hitting the 4 mile mark in my runs. I am running 4 days per week, and mixing things up a bit so I can improve my speed and efficiency. To that end, Ben has recommended I do interval running twice per week. This means I run at a moderate pace for a predetermined amount of minutes, and then run as fast as I can for a predetermined amount of time – back and forth, back and forth, until I’ve done so for 3 miles. Then I take the last mile at my normal pace. For example, last week I ran a moderate pace for 3 minutes and at a super freakish pace for 30 seconds, again and again. This week I ran 2 minutes at a moderate pace and 1 minute at a super freakish pace for 1 minute. Over time I’ll run less at the moderate pace and more at the all out pace. This will increase my lactate threshold, which in plain English means my body will be more efficient at delivering oxygen to my muscles and I won’t bonk as quickly. I’m on track for hitting the 5 mile mark by the end of the year, and feel I’m creating a solid base for my half marathon training which will begin in late February. Joe plans to do that half marathon with me, and began his running comeback this week. Today Joe ran 1 mile, which astonishes me, because it took me nearly 3 weeks before I was up to a mile!

News That’s Better Than Great

Joe had his last PT appointment today, as well as his last appointment with Dr. Nelson. His last because he is going to make a full recovery and is well on his way there now. Dr. Nelson also gave Joe the green light to gradually begin running again. This has been a terrific week for both of us in the recovery news department. Now both of us can focus on training for the May Half Marathon!

Dio

My beloved Dio, who hates everyone and everything in the world except for Joe & me, has gone through many expensive tests in the past week with few conclusive results. Let me start from the beginning, and preface it all by relating 2 key things about Dio: 1) He’s never been motivated by food - he’s always been a slim cat more interested in having our attentions than anything else. 2) Because he is so fierce with others, he cannot be handled at the vet for any kind of exam, which requires him to be anesthetized for any exam or procedure. So, keeping those two things in mind, I’ll begin. Dio is 16 years old. Two years ago he began losing weight due to a hyperthyroid. He was placed on medicine, we bought a baby scale and have kept track of his weight diligently ever since. In the past 2 months he began a weight loss trend that did not stop – losing close to 1 pound from September to November. Weighing in at 8 pounds, he couldn’t afford to lose another ounce, so I scheduled blood work with the doc suspecting his thyroid levels were off and in need of a med adjustment.

The blood work showed his thyroid levels to be healthy, BUT his liver functions were elevated, and he was found to have mild pancreatitis. So what’s going on with the liver? Well, the next step was to knock him out for an x-ray. The x-ray showed nothing. Next, we knocked him out again for an ultrasound of the abdomen, which found his liver to be enlarged and hardened in some areas, but more concerning, it found a thickening of the stomach wall. They aspirated the liver (this means they pulled cells out of his liver with a needle), but could not do the same for his stomach. The cause of the stomach thickening could be an inflammatory issue or neoplastic process (various cancers). To know more about the stomach, an endoscopy would have to be performed for a biopsy to be taken, but that may not be conclusive either. Regardless, we’ve decided we’re not going with any further testing. It’s too much stress and strain for Dio, and they don’t seem to yield definitive answers. The liver cell results returned somewhat inconclusive, but there were no signs of cancer cells – just some evidence of inflammation.

So (big sigh), after spending $1400 in one week, we know little more than we did before, and have the brilliant game plan for now of just trying to fatten him up. If he took in more calories, that could help his liver function better, but you try getting him to eat! The only other thing to do is keep monitoring his weight, and any changes in behaviors or disposition. I’ve given you the blow by blow sans the stress, worry and angst that have accompanied all these tests. It’s scary when you have an old pet. You know that your time will eventually run out, and though I’ve lost many pets in my life, it never gets easier. But for now, we’ll take all the good news we can get, and in the moment, Dio does not test positive for cancer, and he seems like himself, so day by day we’ll move forward.

Frickin’ Insurance

United HealthCare (UHC) now refuses to pay for any of my chiropractic appointments because my care is now “preventative” and “maintenance”. If I have a relapse or a new issue they will consider paying tons of money for treatment, but they don’t want to pay $200 or less per month to keep me well. Idiots. My chiro says right now, UHC is the only insurance company being so obnoxious. I have monthly chiro appointments to keep everything in line, and these sessions cost between $135-$175. The chiro clinic has offered me a deal to pay $40 the day of my appointments, rather than being billed the full price. Of course I snatched this deal up and appreciate their generosity, but am irritated that UHC is so short sighted.

News That is Better Than Good!

For the past 6 weeks I’ve had an increase in annoying foot numbness & pringliness that would not abate. Since the onset of symptoms in January, my foot has improved overall, but typically has symptom fluctuations from day-to-day, sometimes hour-to-hour. Those fluctuations stopped in the beginning of October when my foot seemed to worsen, holding on to that worsened status consistently until about a week ago, when I scheduled an appointment with my primary physician. It’s as if my body responded to the threat of seeing the doctor because no sooner did I make the appointment when my foot returned to a pattern of fluctuating pringliness – sometimes it’s really annoying and bothersome but sometimes it’s almost gone. I shared my symptoms with Dr. Diehr, and she tested my pedal pulses (very good), my sensitivity to touch (very good) and my reflexes (very good). With all of this information she determined the following great news:

1. I do NOT have permanent nerve damage. If this was a case of nerve damage, the symptoms would not fluctuate the way they do. Also, if this was nerve damage, over time if I were to heal, the improvement would be ever so gradual that I’d hardly notice until one day I’d realize I had all feeling restored.

2. I do NOT have a structural cause for my symptoms. Again, if this were a structural issue, I would not have so much variability in my foot.

3. What IS causing my foot to change conditions is likely an inflammatory process in my back related to muscle and tissue swelling. This could occur from exercise (which is not a bad thing!), as well as many other factors, including the healing process. Also, my sciatic nerve is more susceptible to being squished by inflammation because there is still material from my herniation sitting in the spinal column taking up space, which leaves less room for that nerve to breathe. Over time, up to 60% of that disc material may be reabsorbed and reduce inflammation.

4. Dr. Diehr advises I continue with ice and ibuprofen as needed to reduce inflammation. FYI – she says as long as I take Ibuprofen with food, there is no harm to my stomach or kidneys by taking up to 2400mg per day.

5. She also indicates it takes about 2 years to fully recover from a herniation, though I’ve done much healing in this past year. She feels my foot will eventually be 100%.

Joe will see his doctor Friday. Hopefully the good news will keep flowing this week with Joe being given the green light to resume running.

One Last Hike

At last we get a beautiful fall day! And what timing to have that day be on a Saturday, and not just any Saturday, but a Saturday that has been marked on the calendar for "hiking with Rosanna" for the past month. Joe & I met up with Rosanna for a 5 mile hike at the hilly Scuppernong Trail in the Southern Kettle Moraine. The sun dappled woods, the thick bedding of crunchy leaves and the mercury rising into the 60's made for a wonderful year end hike. Before my herniation, Joe and I did this loop like it was nothing. After my herniation - when I was limping with a cane, and feeling challenged by a one mile walk, I realized how much I had taken my physical rigor for granted. I am back to that place where I think nothing of knocking out a 5 mile hike as a jump start to the day, but I hold a new appreciation and gratefulness that I can.

A note on Rosanna and timing. Rosanna and I have known each other since 7th grade. We were always friendly, and moved in the same social circles, but never became friends outside of that larger social group. Earlier this year, 20 years after our high school graduation, we bumped into each other at the gym, and have become fast friends. We learned that we'd been living within 10 minutes of each other for at least the past 10 years, and that we have many shared interests. Timing is everything in life!

A New Path

This will be news for some and not for others. I’ve grown bored with my job. What does this mean? It means that I still enjoy the work I do – I love my clientele, I value my County job – but, I no longer feel challenged. I’ve been in my current position for 7 years, which is twice as long as I ever stayed in past jobs. I left employers in the past when I became bored and had no other options. I’ve reached that point again. The main difference is that I will not be looking for another job because in my business there is no better job than working for the County (great pay, great benefits, no nights, holidays or weekends, no emergency hotline to carry around). Why not change jobs within the County? Well that would be great if it was possible, but at this time and for the foreseeable future, there will be zero opportunity for me to move up or laterally within the County. So, I’m essentially stuck. Instead of wallowing in this, I’ve decided to create challenges for myself outside of work. My running endeavors are one kind of challenge, but I need a new mental challenge too. To that end, I am considering going back to school to become a personal trainer. I’m all about health & fitness, would love to help people become healthy and have wanted to explore the personal training possibility for a couple years now. What could be better than a personal trainer who is also a therapist? What would this entail? I would go to the Waukesha County Technical College for their 16 credit “Fitness Specialist” certificate. This would prepare me to take one of the nationally recognized personal training exams, and then I’d be able to look for work as a personal trainer. I have no intentions of giving up my day job, but I could do some part-time personal training for local gyms, and who knows what that could lead to…

Of course the thought of having to go to classes after a full day of work (and this includes working out at 4:30a.m.), as well as having to give up some free time to study and work on projects makes me wary. I finished my masters 11 years ago, and have grown to love the simple life of work and leisure. But on the flip side, this is only 16 credits, and the way the courses are offered it would take 2-3 semesters to complete, so it’s not an exhaustive course load by any means, but …? Any input from y’all would be appreciated. Registration begins 11/17, so I need to decide soon whether or not I want to start in January.

Something Different

For a change of pace today we drove to the Adler Planetarium & Museum along Chicago's lakefront to meet up with Joe's sister, Janie, and our brother-in-law, Tim. Though they're only 5 hours away in Indianapolis, life gets in the way, and it's been nearly 4 years since we last saw them. In that time, they have added 5 year old John, and 6 year old Leanna to their lives, and today was our first time meeting our new niece & nephew. Of course today is Halloween, so we found John dressed as Spider Man and Leanna dressed as Tinkerbell :) It was their first time in Chicago and their first time seeing Lake Michigan, which was in a glorious state on this chilly, windy day. How little Leanna could walk barefoot in her small open toed shoes is beyond me! As a side note, I must say I was impressed with how well developed Chicago's lakefront is - makes ours look pathetic. The best part is all the trail access along the lake - an ideal place for running! We've gotten home in time for the trick-or-treater's to start ringing our bell ... I'm coming, I'm coming!

Joe's Progress

Great news for Joe. The PT staff was quite impressed with the progress he has made in the past month, and feels he only needs another 1-2 sessions over the next month. November 13th Joe will see Dr. Nelson one more time and finish with PT. Joe’s foot numbness is significantly reduced, and while he has some tightness in his left hip, it is not a cause for concern or a limitation for his movements.

New Look

What do you guys think of my new blog appearance? Any suggestions or recommendations for color, font, and layout?

Team Challenge Reunion ...

... almost. My CCFA Team Challenge (Napa-to-Sonoma Half Marathon) friends, Denise & Karen, are in for the RACC 5K on 12/31/09. I just registered, and it felt great to be on Active.com again signing on for a fun and healthy event. The only person missing is Joe. He may just be resuming running by the end of this year or early next year. Then again, even if he could run, he'd be at work that day. Rain, sleet or snow will not keep me from completing this race. And it's about time I add another race t-shirt to the pile!

On a somewhat related note, Joe is noticing improvement with the degree of numbing in his foot and leg! And my foot is beginning to have moments where it's less pringly, which is an improvement from the past 3 weeks of no variation.

Celebratory Race?

Last year I was registered for 8 races of varying distances. I was unable to participate in the last race on New Year's Eve Day as I was 3 weeks into my herniated disk saga and walking with a cane. That last race was going to be a 5k for RACC (Racers Against Childhood Cancer) held at the State Fair grounds with a bottle of champagne as an added bonus with the usual race swag. I'm thinking I might register for the race this year as a symbolic tribute to my recovery and return to running. This would bring me full circle, providing a positive close to a rough & tumble year. What do you readers think? Anyone interested in doing it with me? Here's a link to the site:
http://www.raccfund.org/index.htm Scroll down through the box with the elf hat in it until you can click on the link to Run Into The New Year.

3 Miles

Last fall I'd bought cold weather running gear and only got to use it a couple times before my herniation. When I was advised against running, I held onto my clothes anyways, just knowing that they'd get used again. And voila, this morning presented a perfect opportunity. I found this sunny, 42°, 10-15mph SW wind Sunday to be ideal running weather. I've hit the 3 mile mark - YAY!!!! A few months ago I found 1 mile to be elusive, and now I can run with no walk breaks for 3 miles. Starting from home, I completed a scenic and hilly route through the neighborhood while listening to Car Talk on my MP3. Crispy leaves littered the ground, while plentiful blends of crimson, orange, yellow and green remained aloft. Squirrels often darted across my path in their frenzied winter gathering. I saw no humans, only my own human shadow. The plan from here is to add 1/4 mile each week, so by the end of each month I've tacked on another mile, until I'm able to run 5 miles non-stop by the end of the year.

Joe’s Latest Report

Straight from Joe’s keyboard to my blog: "Just got back from seeing Dr. Nelson. I noted to him that over the last couple of days there has been some diminishing of the numbness and that I’ve been able to lie in more positions with less discomfort; however, I also noted the sore/ache/etc. feeling in my hip (e.g., after walking on Saturday and has kinda persisted). In brief, he doesn’t see a need for another shot and expects that I’ll fully be doing everything that I did before the herniation… but it will take some time (months). He still noted the weakness in my left great toe (to be clear, since you’re thinking, “well, all of his toes are great… so which one does he mean?” I’m referring to my left big toe), and gave it a 4 (presumably out of 10). Regarding the soreness, he said that this may be attributed to a centralization of pain, which is often associated with recovery – so it’s probably a good thing. He wants me to continue with the PT and see him again in a month. I’ve got my next appt. scheduled for 11/11."

Insurance Annoyances

I know we all have our stories of insurance annoyances, but here's my latest. My health insurance denied a chiropractic claim recently because they deemed my care to be "maintenance and/or preventative care", which they do not cover. Every other appointment or so, I have to fill out a questionnaire for my insurance at the chiropractor's office describing my "pain", how it impairs my functioning and how chiropractic treatments are benefiting me. I made the mistake of answering the last form honestly - no pain, functioning well, etc. The insurance refused to pay Chiro-Med because they viewed my needs as maintenance. Luckily, Chiro-Med agreed to absorb the cost of that appointment because they hadn't had me sign a form saying I'd pay if insurance denied the claim.

So, today I had my monthly chiro appointment (incidentally, this is the exact date one year ago that I began having back issues and sought chiropractic help), and had a new insurance questionnaire to fill out. I exaggerated my "pain" (I have none so I just count the degree of numbness in my foot as pain) and my functionality so I can keep having my preventative care provided. Insurance would rather pay thousands of dollars for MRI's, epidurals and other costly care if I have a relapse (from not having preventative care done), rather than pay $176 every month to keep me well????

While I exaggerated my symptoms a bit for insurance purposes, I must confess that my foot has been consistently more numb for nearly 2 weeks now. My heel and achilles are always numb too (this is not new), but this morning I woke up and felt some tingling crawling up from my achilles to the base of my calf. I only felt that sensation a handful of times, but there is no mistaking that I felt it. I asked Dr. Stencel (my chiro) about it today and she said in general if nerve symptoms travel upwards, it's a good sign IF the symptoms below it are subsiding. That's not my case. So, this may mean I've got more pressure on my sciatic nerve again and may benefit from more rounds of the dreaded traction if the numbing doesn't abate or worsens. I asked if the pressure could mean more jelly is seeping out of my herniated disc, but she felt that due to the severity of my herniation and the symptoms I had last year, this is not likely. She felt I'd have pain now if this was connected to my herniation. So, lets just wait-n-see. And for those of you who like to blame my running for these problems ... it's not the cause! :)

October Birthday's

This is the biggest birthday month for me.
Happy Birthday Everyone!

Aunt Shirley - 10/12 ... 65!
Dad - 10/19 ... 61!
My brother, Shawn - 10/22 ... 47!
My sister, Karen - 10/26 ... 48!
My friend, Little Jane - 10/27 ... 39!
My friend, Rosanna - 10/29 ... 38!
And last, but certainly not least ...
... Dio, my Halloween Kitty - 10/31 ... 16 in human years!!!

Running Milestones

Haven't had a chance to share with all of you yet that my running hit a new milestone a couple days ago when I went for a run outside on 10/7/09. It was a beautiful fall afternoon - 60-ish with dappled sun threading through brightly colored leaves. The last time I ran outside was 11/17/08. The significance of this milestone has three pieces to it:
#1. It's a gift that I can even run again.
#2. It's been close to a year since I ran outside, and I love to run outside.
#3. I faced my fear of running on concrete and survived.
My run was just under 3 miles, as dictated by the Couch-to-5k (C25K) program I've been following. At the end of it I felt strong, and as if I could have run further. I was good about taking it slow and not perseverating on how slow my time was (11.4 minute miles), and I was even better at reminding myself that it was just this past April that I couldn't walk more than 2 miles without my left leg fatiguing and limping. Baby steps have lead to larger successes. Next week I will finish the C25K program by running 3.1 miles Monday, Wednesday & Friday, and will continue to add a quarter mile each week to my runs, until I'm able to run 5 miles by the end of the year.

Backs & Nerves

When I had my MRI in December I was given films rather than the spiffy CD Joe received after his recent MRI. So I requested a CD of my MRI and have been having a blast looking at pictures on the computer ever since. Attached is a cool picture that shows my spine dead on, as well as a saggital cross section. Here’s how to read this picture: The picture on the left shows my three disc herniations at L2/L3, L4/L5 and L5/S1. They’re obvious to the eye – dark bulges into the white spinal column. You can see the largest disc protrusion is at L4/L5, which is the herniation causing my problems. The orange colored line running over the picture at that herniation corresponds exactly with the saggital cross section of that disc pictured on the right. Starting from the bottom of the picture you’ll see a white curved mass – that would be my butt! After that you can see the muscles surrounding my spine. Next, go up a little further in the picture to find a fairly large dark circle. Notice that the dark circle has a darker rim around it. That is my disc. Now heading downward from that circle you will see that the dark line of that circle is gone, and that dark matter has filled in much of the white space below, leaving just a little triangle of white near my spinal muscles. That triangle of white space should be much larger – that white space is the spinal canal. With the disc and it’s material filling the spinal column my sciatic nerve was impacted and that is why I have nerve damage.

Speaking of my nerve, for the past 6 days, my left foot has been a lot more “pringly” than usual. I have all sorts of fluctuations with my nerve sensations (sometimes within an hour’s time), but this has been a longer period of persistent increased pringliness. The first thought that comes to my mind, and probably yours is, is my running causing this? I don’t know. I’ve been running for 3 months, so why would it suddenly become a problem? Then again, could my longer distances be jostling the nerve differently now? Is more jelly seeping out of my disc and pressuring the nerve further? There’s no easy way to sort through this. I could take a week off of running and see if it makes a difference. Or not. If I don’t have back pain, then it shouldn’t be a issue, right? But what if the increased nerve irritation is a sign my disc (or another disc) is on the verge of spilling the banks? I’m not sure how I’ll proceed yet, though I’m inclined to just wait and see for a little while longer before experimenting further.

And lastly, since we’re on the subject of nerve symptoms and damage, the answer is no. Joe has not had any perceptible change in his nerve issues since his epidural last week. This is not a cause for worry – it is what it is. Joe will be in PT one time per week. Last week was his assessment, and today was his first appointment for real hands on exercises. He was given some core work and suggestions on posture for lifting, sitting, etc.

Epidural-Ville

Joe had his epidural this afternoon. It was rather painful for him for two reasons. First, he has a high and narrow pelvis, which restricted the amount of space the doctor had for inserting the needle, and secondly, since the herniated disc along with it's jelly goo is taking up most of the space where the injection needed to go, it caused a lot of pressure as the doc pushed in about a teaspoon worth of fluid. The doctor and assistants all said Joe was amazing - that he has a high pain tolerance and deserved an award after getting through this epidural.

Epidurals work rather quickly, so lets see what happens. Within 24 hours of my first epidural I had relief. Epi’s only work about 50% of the time, so cross everything (fingers, toes, legs, etc.) that Joe is one of the 50th percentile to get relief. He’s not in much pain anymore, but his range of motion and ability to do certain things is compromised right now. The nerve stuff and pain is two-fold. First there’s the jelly goo from the herniated disc sitting in his spinal column taking up space and applying pressure to the nerves. Second there’s the trauma from the herniation itself causing inflammation. So the epidural is meant to take the inflammation away by calming the immune system down, and then over time, white blood cells rushing to the injury will clear out some of the jelly goo and hopefully relieve the pressure to the nerve, and that process can take up to a year. This explains why I still have nerve issues 9 month in. It also means that by the end of this year, if I still have nerve issues, I may always have them. Joe’s year clock begins ticking now.

Joe has his PT assessment at the spine clinic tomorrow, and will see Dr. Nelson in 2 weeks to follow up on how the epidural is working, and what course treatment will take next.

Who Wants to Lose Weight?

I’d like to lose 8 pounds. I don’t need to. My BMI is good, I’m healthy, I’m fit. But I’d like to have my clothes feeling looser and 8 pounds gets me to the beginning of a decade on the scale, instead of closer to the next decade! Our Spin instructor gave us a cool formula he’s using to shed a few pounds, so I decided to check it’s validity via the Internet. He was pretty much on, so if you wanna lose weight, get a pen, paper and calculator and find out how many calories you need to intake.

Determine your basal metabolic rate: Your basal metabolic rate is how many calories you burn in a day just living your daily life. The calculator differentiates between men and women because men and women, even those of the same height and weight, have differing caloric needs.

If you are a woman, you will need to multiply your weight in pounds by 4.3, multiply your height in inches by 4.7, add those two numbers together and then add 655 to that number. Now multiply your age in years by 4.7 and subtract this number from the first number.

If you are a man, you will need to multiply your weight in pounds by 6.3, multiply your height in inches by 12.9. Now add the first two numbers (weight calculation, height calculation) and add the number 66 to that. Now multiply your age in years by 4.7 and subtract this number from the larger number. You will get your basal metabolic rate from this.

Now factor in your activity level. Multiply your basal metabolic rate by the number that corresponds with your activity level.
· If you are sedentary, do not exercise at all and sit at your job all day, use a 1.2 multiplier.
· If you are somewhat active, meaning you exercise 2-3 times a week or walk while on your job, use a 1.375 multiplier.
· If you are moderately active, meaning you exercise 5-6 days a week, use a 1.55 multiplier.
· If you exercise every day and are active at your job, use a 1.725 multiplier.
· If you exercise strenuously every day and are extremely active all day, use a 1.9 multiplier.

Your basal metabolic rate multiplied by the activity level multiplier will give you the number of calories you need to maintain your weight each day.

Use the example as a guide.Example: If you are a woman who is 5’3”, weighs 146 pounds and is 39 years old, your numbers would look like this:
146 x 4.3 = 627.8
63 x 4.7 = 296.1
627.8 + 296.1 + 655 = 1578.9
39 x 4.7 = 183.3
1578.9 – 183.3 = 1395.6

This woman’s basal metabolic rate is 1395.6.

Let’s say this woman is moderately active because she exercises five days a week for between 20-45 minutes at a shot. 1395.6 x 1.55 = 2163.18.This woman can eat a little under 2,200 calories a day and maintain her weight.

However, let’s say this woman wants to lose 15 pounds in 15 weeks. This means she will need to subtract 500 calories a day from her intake, allowing her to consume just under 1700 calories a day. If she wants, she can choose to burn an additional 250 calories every day (in addition to what she usually burns) and only reduce her calorie intake by 250 calories if this is easier than cutting 500 calories.

GOOD LUCK!!!!

Joe's Scoop

All of you should know my blogging style well enough now to guess that I've started this entry off with a picture of Joe flying through last October's trail 10k as a sign that he will run again! Joe met with Dr. Nelson this afternoon and learned that he has a rarer kind of herniation that protrudes laterally more than posteriorially, this is why he is having so much trouble with his left side. The doc says this may make running more difficult or uncomfortable for Joe, but Joe can definitely give it a whirl in 6-8 weeks, and of course Joe will do just that. Naturally, the point of Joe's appointment wasn't to find out solely about running, but I'm just saying :)

Joe has a referral to the spine clinic's PT department mainly for assessment of movement and some guidelines for stretching and exercising with the herniation. Joe will not be doing PT on a regular basis, as he can follow through on what they show/tell him in that first assessment. Joe took me for my epidurals, so I'm happy to return the favor now. He will also have an epidural next week Tuesday or Wednesday, which will hopefully relieve his pain and discomfort so he can begin doing the restorative exercises that will return him to full functioning - epidurals work for about 50% of people, so fingers crossed that he is one of them. Everything will work out fine.

No Hunger

Yesterday our 45-minute Spin class was a 90-minute Spin class per our request. It was an awesome work-out equaling about 25-30 miles of road. The Spin room was a steamy, salt-smelling mess by the time we were done! The rest of the day I had no appetite, which is something I often experienced during my long runs while training for the Napa Half Marathon. I also lose my appetite when we backpack – hiking for 4-7 hours everyday. Have any of you experienced that suppression of hunger after intense or prolonged exercise and wondered why? Well, I did, and what I learned is that intense cardio work increases your body temperature which activates hormones that impact hunger. In particular, a hormone called ghrelin that makes us feel hungry decreases during these powerful work-outs, while a protein called Peptide YY (PYY) which cues a sensation of satiety, is increased. Who knew? So work-out hard if you want to control that appetite.

Regular exercise often stimulates the appetite, and many people who work-out our regularly end up eating more calories, and get frustrated by the lack of weight loss. People feel they should be losing weight because they exercised, and since they’re likely eating more calories, they don’t lose, become discouraged and stop the exercise. Not good. This is why we need to focus more on overall health, energy, stamina and quality of life over the numbers on the scale and the BMI charts. Okay, let me get off my soapbox, and share one more thing with you. Today I ran 2 miles without walking. Yay! This is the furthest I’ve run since 11/17/08, when I covered a chilly 6 mile loop in my neighborhood. While the 2 miles challenged me, I don’t believe it was long enough to suppress my ghrelin! Time to go eat something.

P.S. Joe sees Dr. Nelson today, so I’ll post another entry later with the contents of that appointment.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr!

I rarely check home phone messages from work, but for some reason I had the thought to do so this afternoon, and it’s a good thing I did. There was a message from the spine clinic calling to reschedule Joe’s appointment this afternoon. Had I not checked messages Joe would have fought traffic to get there, only to be told there was no doctor. So the whole thing is frustrating cause #1), they should be calling Joe at work, not at home, #2) Joe’s already had to wait a week since the MRI for this appointment, and #3) if he’d known it was going to take so long to be seen, he could’ve gotten a referral to the pain clinic for an epidural from Chiro-Med (he planned on getting the referral today from the neurosurgeon) last week after the MRI showed the herniation! He can still get to the pain clinic via Chiro-Med, but it takes 1-2 weeks sometimes to get an appointment there too. Again, I say Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Goodbye Summer

Tomorrow Autumn begins and my blog enters it's third season. Hard to believe I've been writing for 9 months, and harder yet to believe there are still readers!
I hope to keep this going indefinitely with fresh updates, interesting tidbits and pictures to spice things up. This past weekend Joe and I celebrated 10 years in our house. The time has flown by, and yet we still love this house as much as the day we moved in. Ten years ago, we had the idea to plant some pine trees at the bottom of the front lawn as a buffer from the street light across the way, as well as to block our view of the street - giving us more of the secluded sense we get when we look out of the back of our house. Anyway, we finally got around to getting those trees this past weekend. We are now the proud owners of two 7-foot tall Colorado Blue Spruce. They're fat and gorgeous ... can't wait to see the first winter's snow sitting on their branches (adding to the beauty of a winter photo like the one of our house posted above).

Along with the marker of a new season, I'm reaching a new milestone this week in my running. My training schedule calls for a 2 mile run this Friday, which will be quite the challenge even though I've been building up to it. Last year at this time I was running 6.2 mile trail races with relative ease, and now 2 miles on the treadmill kicks my butt! It's all relative, I guess, and ultimately, I'm grateful that I am able to run again.

It's been difficult for Joe to have yet another blip in his running schedule. First it was the 2 month interruption for the stress fractures, and now it's the prolonged time off with his herniated disc. Joe's been keeping his cardio up at the gym with the bike, but misses the cardio punch running provides. Just as when my disc herniated, he has not been able to do much lower body weight training, but he continues to work that upper body like a mad, and is maintaning his cut physique :)

More news to come after Joe sees Dr. Nelson Wednesday....

Deja Vu!

Joe had his MRI this morning and though his neurosurgeon won’t see him and discuss the results with him until next Wednesday (9/23), anyone can plainly see that there is at least one major disc herniation at L5/S1 , and possibly another at L3/4. It’s the L5/S1 herniation that’s bothering his sciatic nerve and creating the numb big toe and upper foot, as well as the ankle pain. What are the freakin’ odds that we would both have left sided lower lumbar herniations within 9 months of each other???? My MRI was 12/17. Joe’s 9/17. Coincidence? It’s likely Joe will need a surgical epidural just as I did to take away the pain. Then perhaps a 3 month period of conservative activity to let the herniation begin to heal. Of course this is speculation at this point – we will have to wait for Dr. Nelson’s complete diagnosis and recommendations next week. On the positive side, we know all there is to know about this condition, and through my trial and error we know what does and doesn’t help the healing process.

What or Who Is Next?

Let me take a moment away from chronicling the trials and tribulations of my life and Joe's life, to share what's been happening in general in the past month, and you tell me - Does stuff just happen all at once? Are the stars misaligned? Is someone practicing voodoo? In order it goes like this:

1. Joe's saga began in late July and continues to the present moment (MRI is tomorrow!)

2. My sister's long time best friend was diagnosed with an aggressive brain cancer.

3. My mom's cortisone shot to the knee has worn off,and she's gimping around in a bit of pain.

4. My Uncle Tom had a heart attack. Four years ago he had quadruple bypass surgery and had been doing well. He's also been dealing with Parkinson's for a decade or so. He's only 61.

5. A co-worker/friend who is around my age is in her second marriage and has two grade school aged kids. She has a daughter from her first marriage who is a freshman in college. Well, her current husband who builds houses, fell off a roof and shattered ALL the bones in his feet. Then a nasty infection developed and he lost all the muscles and connective tissue in that foot. The infection has persisted and now an infection expert from Africa is coming to treat him. He obviously can't work, and her salary will not be enough to sustain the family, as well as the daughter in college.

6. Joe's dad had knee surgery for a torn meniscus (he's fine).

7. My Aunt Shirley's hematocrit level is half of what it should be, and she's lost 20+ pounds without trying (doctor's never like that!). She's having blood transfusions and an endoscope to look for stomach bleeding.

8. My personal trainer's marriage is falling apart.

9. My employer has announced two mandatory furlough days for 2010.(could be worse)

10. A friend's husband has a muscle eating virus attacking his legs.

Reports From the Spine Care Clinic

Here's another vacation picture of Joe along the Cascade River in the Grand Tetons. Showing his picture means this blog entry is all about him. I wish I could say it is with relief that I'm not the one going to Froedtert's Spine Care Clinic now, but since it's Joe, there's no relief to be had. Joe met with Dr. Nelson today for an initial assessment. Dr. Nelson, incidentally, completed his pre-med undergrad at Purdue, so he and Joe had a Boilermaker's background in common. Anyway, you want the goods from this appointment, here's the summary. The doctor does not feel Joe's problem is related to the SI joint. He suspects the issue is primarily with the L4/L5 and/or L5/S1 vertebrae (just like me). He bases this preliminary assessment on the source of Joe's pain and numbness which is connected to sciatic nerve impingement. The million dollar question is: What Is Causing The Nerve To Be Pinched? The best way to find out is with an MRI, so Joe will go to the same place I had mine this week Thursday. His MRI will be at 7a.m. on the 17th ... mine was at 7a.m. on the 17th as well (December for me) - spooky similarity, eh? Dr. Nelson will immediately receive the results of that MRI and Joe will have a follow up appointment next week Tuesday, 9/22. Dr. Nelson was a bit dubious that the cortisone shots Joe received could have helped, as they were not given surgically. The best shots are surgically given with the aide of radiology so the doctor can see precisely where the injection is going (this is how my epidurals were done). Joe may need an epidural, but until his appointment next week, it's too soon to know. In the meantime, Dr. Nelson has prescribed more Vicodin. The Vicodin can't help with nerve pain or numbness (and it sure hasn't!), but it can dull the edges of it, and aid Joe with sleep. So, that's the scoop.

Good Food

Another gorgeous day in Wisconsin. This day was spent having a late summer's lunch in mom's lovely urban backyard. If my hair looks short, it's not deceiving - yesterday I had many inches taken off as the vacation cornrows destroyed my hair - leaving damaged and broken locks to be hacked off. It stresses me a little to have my hair only shoulder length, but I'd rather have healthy shorter hair than crappy looking long hair. Anyways, enough about my hair. Many of you know my mom is the culinary queen. She needs no recipes, and intuits what flavors will work together. Today's light lunch included miso soup, baked tofu satay, a colorful medley of steamed veggies with a hint of sesame, bruschetta with vegan pesto, a cold salad comprised of avocado, tomatoes, chickpeas and olives, a fruit cup of lightly spiced nectarines, green grapes and blueberries, AND lastly, chocolate brownie cookies. The food was complimented by a warm breeze, a lush garden with a cityscape backdrop, squirrel antics and stories from our mutual vacations.

Doctor Appointments

Today was my yearly physical, which went swimmingly. First off it was fabulous that I didn’t have to have a pap smear. Current medicine stipulates that women meeting special criteria only need a pap every 3 years. I fall into that category, so I don’t need to endure that ever embarrassing event again until I’m 40. Since my family has no history of breast cancer, I also have 2 years to go before the first dreaded mammogram and 12 years before the first colonoscopy.

So, I hate to gloat (but here it goes), but truly, I am a doctor’s dream client. I do all I can with preventative medicine, and because of that, I am the picture of perfect health. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I wear a seatbelt, I wear sunscreen, I’m an avid exerciser, I have a super healthy diet, a great BMI, good lipid panels, Vitamin D sufficiency (most Americans are deficient – you should take at least 2000 IU’s/day) and I have no current health risk factors. Once this was established, Dr. Diehr had no suggestions for how I could be any better, so we talked for 45 minutes (unheard of these days, right?) about various things related to my health, such as new birth control options, and my past year dealing with the herniated disc. I confided that I have resumed running despite the advice from my neurosurgeon not to, and Dr. Diehr shared with me that she herniated a disc once and had drop foot along with it. Her doctor recommended surgery, she said no way, and began running. To this day, she’s not had any further trouble with her back, and actually gets a tight back if she misses more than 3-4 days of running. She fully supports my running, which reinforces my own beliefs about getting back in the saddle.

Joe heard back from his primary physician who gave him direction to make an appointment with Froedtert’s top-of-the-line Spine Care Clinic – the same place I went to see my neurosurgeon after my herniation. Joe has an appointment Monday (9/14) afternoon for further assessment (with a different doctor than I saw), so stay tuned folks ….

Back to Life, Back to Reality

Today was the first day back to the grind. I was blessed with a gentle glide into my life – sometimes, it’s a slam dunk into the abyss when we return. I had an easy gym day – 45 minutes on the elliptical, 30 minutes core work, 45 minute Spin class. At work I learned there were no major client crises in my absence, so I could leisurely go through my 186 emails, respond to my 16 phone messages, share my photo album with co-worker’s and catch up at my own pace.

Joe’s basically back to square one with his hip pain, ankle pain and left foot numbness. First thing this a.m. he contacted the chiropractor’s office to get records of his treatment to send to his doctor for further follow up. He’s still waiting for a call back with an appointment date. Joe wrote me: “I got the fax from Chiro-Med with which they included my file notes to date, including the radiology report. I’m surprised by the latter, which states that I have ‘severe disc narrowing’ at L5/S1. It also indicates the formation of a Schmorl’s node http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=14007 at the superior endplate of L4 with adjacent disc narrowing. They didn’t mention any of this to me at Chiro-med. Regardless, from what I understand, disc narrowing is common as we age and can lead to compression of the nerve. Schmorl’s node doesn’t appear to be anything significant based on the definition (see link above).” So we’re a pair. Joe with his Schmorl’s node and me with my 13th rib!

Vacation Summary

Yes, Joe's cortisone shots made vacation possible. We tromped around the wilderness from 8/27-9/4 without any significant problems. Joe's hip, ankle and foot numbness were controlled enough for him to perform well on the trail. My back/hip gave me no problems either - a real milsetone for me in solidifying that I am healed and can do whatever I want to do.

We had a fabulous vacation. Perfect weather every single day with sun and highs in the low 70's. The nights were never too cold with lows in the upper 40's. We hammered out 50 hard miles in 5 days in a self-created loop with a different site each night. This picture was taken on the first day during a 9+ mile ascent - can you imagine walking uphill for close to 5 hours? That's what we did.

The Grand Tetons offer beautiful sights and difficult terrain. In Wisconsin we usually hike 4 mph. In most mountain settings we hike 3 mph, in the Grand Tetons 2 mph was very respectable. The Teton's have a large bear population - both grizzlies and black bears. In recent times there have been more human-to-bear contacts, so the park service requires backpackers to carry a 3 pound bear proof container for holding food and scented items, rather than putting a food bag in a tree. Thus, our backpacks were a bit heavier than usual. Joe was around 40 pounds, and I was around 33 pounds (this includes the weight of the water we carry).

We had a close encounter with a bull moose, saw the requisite pikas, marmots, squirrels and deer - no bears, which is fine with us! We heard owls who-who, and coyotes yelp. The night sky was stunningly bright with a near full moon and Venus shining close by. We have close to 200 pictures - if you're interested in seeing them let me know - we'll schedule a time to get together, or you can request a link to see them.

We finished our trip a day early, so our last day was spent in 95° Salt Lake City where we toured Temple Square - seeing the Tabernacle, and learning about the Latter Day Saints. It's quite the monopoly they have there! The money in the LDS church is amazing - the buildings and sites we saw were more impressive than anything we've seen before. It's that money, which has created a beautiful downtown (the church owns everything). That being said, spending a few hours there was more than enough! I was Mormoned out by the time we reached our hotel.

We returned home yesterday much to the excitement of Dio who really suffers when we're away. It's wonderful to be home - to sit on a couch, to have a bathroom (no more digging holes), to have water from a faucet, to be clean. On a less sunny note, I have to report, Joe's cortisone shots seem to be wearing off - they're usually good for 2-4 weeks, though some people have long-lasting relief and others have none. Joe will see his doctor next week to work on this matter more - perhaps having an MRI.

I'm Back

Hello everybody! Sorry for the cliffhanger. We lost our Internet connection a week before vacation, so I couldn't keep you updated on Joe and our trip preparations. This will be a quick summary of what happened prior to vacation. As you can see by my picture, I had my hair cornrowed for vacation. I usually do this for long backpacking trips so I don't have to deal with greasy itchy hair. There is no hair or body washing with soap in the wilderness. These braids suit me fine - they don't hurt, they keep hair out of my face and I can literally get up and go. I do need to keep my head covered in the sun though, so I don't burn my scalp! On to Joe. Joe was to get a cortisone shot on the Friday before our vacation, which would give him 7 days for it to sink in, BUT the appointment was cancelled at the last minute and rescheduled for the Monday of the week we were leaving. Joe discussed his symptoms at length with the nurse practitioner giving him the shots and they agreed that a shot to the SI joint, as well as to the L4/5 facet joint would be the best. The two shots would take 3-5 days to take full effect, which put us into vacation time. We were both hopeful that the shots would fix things - both for the trip and the long-term. Did they work? Check the next blog to find out .........

Old Days

Hey, this is like the old days of 8 months ago when I did a daily blog update! I wanted to be the first to share with all of you that Brett Favre has come out of retirement again. What? Am I not the first to tell you? :) Okay, seriously, I'm posting this blog to inform you that Michael Jackson will be buried on August 29th, on what would have been his 51st birthday. You knew that already too? Well, here's a fresh bone then. Joe saw his primary doctor today, and she agrees that his problem is one of muscles and tendons, not of structure, which is why the chiro appointments aren't helping. She is giving him Vicodin for the pain, which he will pair with the muscle relaxant Flexeril. He's also checking with his orthopede about getting a cortisone shot. The primary doc said that backpacking will not worsen his situation or cause damage, it's just a matter of controlling the pain and getting some sleep before and during the trip. I'll share more on how Joe is doing as this unfolds. We're at T minus 8 days.

Things I’ve Given Up

Since reading Dr. Sarno, I have done a lot of work on my fear of pain and the recurrence of pain. To that end, I have given up driving with a towel wedged under my butt. I’m sitting just fine in my pseudo bucket seats. I have given up my fear of running, and am entering my 4th week of pain-free running. I have given up my fear of doing certain yoga poses (stretches) that I was cautioned against, such as the seated side twist, the cat & cow poses, and the infamous sciatic stretch in which you cross your legs while standing, and bend forward at the hips until your hands touch the ground. I’ve given up my hypervigilance over every little tweak, tightness or fleeting pain in my hip. I’m annoyed with my “pringly” foot, but care much less about it. The interesting thing about my foot too is that I have noticed the pringliness gets stronger when I’m tired, stressed, or angry. Dr. Sarno is so right on… like can you dig it, man? :) My mom can dig it. She's recently read Sarno and is using his stuff to overcome knee pain.

I think Dr. Sarno could provide Joe with some help as well, but there is a time and place for Sarno’s teachings. When I was in the throes of my back stuff, I couldn’t have accepted his mindbody theory of pain and injury. And honestly, Joe doesn’t have the time or inclination to contemplate those things right now. We need a fix on the situation soon, and it seems that a shot or some meds are the only way. Joe called his physician today, but she was out sick. The soonest available appointment is Friday, which seems way too long to wait, since we’re leaving in 10 days, but Joe can call back tomorrow and each day before Friday to see if something opens up. In the meantime, he will continue with the chiro three times this week, and remain hopeful that this will be resolved in time for vacation. Visualizing a positive outcome is one thing I have not given up!

Where Do Things Stand?

Joe remains the same essentially, though he is snatching 2-3 hours of sleep at a time now, is off the couch and back in the bed. He can only sleep on his right side with a body pillow. I remember what a pain it is to be confined to one sleeping position - after a while the rest of your body begins to hurt too. Joe plans to see his primary physician this week for a muscle relaxant. Joe feels this back/hip issue is the result of his body overcompensating during his runs following the healing of his foot fractures. Now the muscles are so bound up that until they release a little he's not going to have relief.

The chiro advised him not to hike yesterday, so we skipped a 10 mile trek on the Nordic Trail, which is fine with me, as the heat and humidity promised a miserable and buggy hike. Instead we took care of some business around the house, and made it to our friend's pig roast. It's pretty funny to picture vegans at a pig roast, but we never saw the pig, and had a nice time talking with people who knew a little something-something about backpacking. And speaking of backpacking, two weeks from today we'll be immersed deep in the Grand Tetons. To keep our eye on the prize, and to fuel the excitement for vacation despite this current setback, I'm posting this picture of us taken on the summit of Observation Peak during our backpacking trip last summer in the Sawtooth Mountains of Idaho.

Two Peas in a Pod (More on Joe)

When Joe and I met it was spooky how much we had in common. We shared the same beliefs on major issues such as religion and politics, we both agreed we didn’t want children, we both had an affinity for animals and the outdoors, and we even had the same pet peeves, blood type and style of making our cursive J’s. It’s generally a wonderful thing to share so much in common, but now Joe is sharing in the same left lower hip/back pain with left foot numbing that I have experienced for 8 months. This is one thing we do not want to have in common! Joe met with my chiropractor on Monday. X-rays of his hip looked fine, and the chiro surmised that a mega tight hamstring is pulling Joe’s pelvis out of alignment, thus causing the pain. Joe has had 3 treatments, with little change. He cannot find a comfortable position to sleep in, and is greatly sleep deprived. How does your body repair itself if you don’t sleep? It also hurts him to stand upright or to move along on his feet for long. The top of his foot is numb and tingly (for me it’s the bottom, as well as the back of my thigh), which he now knows is a maddening sensation. This is creating great stress, since we don’t know how long this will last, why exactly it is happening, and how it will impact our backpacking trip in 2 weeks. Keep your prayers coming, fingers crossed or beams shooting through space for him. Hopefully, my next blog post will report he is healing well, getting some sleep and ready to hit the Grand Tetons.