are you freaking kidding me!??

So, after the ankle healed pretty well, I decided to give karate another shot. I went back to class the day of the test where I earned my last stripe to be eligible for my black belt training and test. I passed (woohoo!) and was really excited. I bought martial arts shoes so I could use my orthotics during classes to keep my ankle healthy. It was perfect! My ankle was not (and has not been) a problem. Yay!

Except for the part where I injured my knee. It was incredibly uncomfortable and very swollen. I iced it, took ibuprofen and also took time off from classes and working out in hopes it would heal, but it wasn't really getting any better. My doctor sent me to physical therapy to diagnose and treat it since the x-ray came back fine. My awesome therapist (named Greg) evaluated it and determined that I had injured my ACL. Not awesome! He also told me that karate was not an option. I wasn't "stable" to go up and down stairs without a big old knee brace on, let alone stand on one leg while kicking around with the other.

So, the week that I would have been starting my Black Belt Candidate class I found out that I was no longer able to do it. I was so disappointed.

The good news is that Tim and the kids are preparing for their Black Belt test--which is only three weeks away! They've been working hard and practicing pretty much every day. I'm so proud of what they've done so far and how well I know they'll do on their tests. It's the one time I'll be living vicariously through them all!

I will "test" on the one thing I can do on the black belt test--push ups! So, I have continued training for that. And three days ago--for the first time ever for me--I did all 75 push ups! Now I just have to keep up my workouts and stay ready for it!!

So I'm not going to be a black belt, after all ...

I had been having quite a lot of pain in my right ankle since the fall--a returning build up of pain from what had been diagnosed as tarsal tunnel syndrome (like carpal tunnel, but in the ankle). I finally got to a point this past February where I couldn't take it any more and made my appointment to get another cortizone shot like I had a few years ago when it was initially diagnosed. My original doctor was no longer with the practice, so I was seeing a different person. He had new x-rays done and asked me a lot of questions about my pain (which, being honest, I found a bit annoying since all I wanted to do was to get the shot, not be in pain anymore and go about my merry little business) ... and then told me I don't have tarsal tunnel syndrome. He said very few of my symptoms even aligned with it and wasn't sure why I was diagnosed with it initially. Then he told me that I have tibialis posterior tendonitis. He said that my "condition" is something that he would normally see in someone in their 50s or 60s and the fact that this is a recurrence of an injury that initially presented in my mid 30s indicated that my tendon was for whatever reason compromised. I would have to very strictly adhere to the medical plan he laid out in order to get it healthy again which included a strong anti-inflammatory, icing the ankle, stretching exercises, wearing orthotics at all times--from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed ... for the rest of my life! My days of flip flops and bare feet are gone ... sigh--oh, and one other thing. Limit exercise to yoga (the only time I'm allowed to be in bare feet), swimming, the elliptical and cycling ... and, "unless karate is a life changing event, it needs to be eliminated completely" if I want to be able to walk in another 10 years. Ug!

At the point when I received this news, I was only 2 months away from having all my necessary stripes to be ready to prepare for my black belt test. Wow! Talk about being able to see the finish line! It was particularly disappointing for me ... I was not prepared to be limited by my body at the age of 37. At this point, I think I should be doing or not doing things because that's what I feel like, not because I'm physically restricted from the activity. I feel betrayed by my body.

So, I am now three months post-diagnosis. I have followed the plan and am nearly weaned from the anti-inflammatory. I no longer have to ice the ankle, but I still do the stretches pretty often. The good news is that I'm not in pain anymore, but I still have moments of discomfort.

Honestly, I'm frustrated that it's taking so long. I thought I'd be perfectly healthy by now--that I would bounce back faster than I have ... but it definitely confirms what the doctor said about long-term damage and strictly following the health plan. (Another interesting factor ... the cortizone shot the first doctor gave me could have ruptured the tendon. So, I got lucky that didn't happen. But, since that area was nerve-dead from the shot, I didn't feel that it was still seriously damaged and continued to be as I went about life as usual. As the nerves began to repair and I was beginning to experience the discomfort--which eventually became pain, it took a long time before it felt "full blown," so it continued to be damaged in the meantime ... which is why I'm sure it's taken much longer than anticipated to get healthy.)

So, this summer I will be a huge fan and supporter for my husband and kids while they prepare for their black belt tests. I just need to keep following the plan and not overdo it. Easier said than done!

Loooooong time, no write!

So, it's been more than 2 years since my last entry. Hmmm, what's that expression about life and how it "happens?" Things have been very interesting in the last 750-ish days.

I ended up landing a half-time position at the high school teaching Spanish and Consumer Awareness for the '08-'09 school year, which coincided with the PTA position. To say that life was hairy and busy and crazy would almost capture it. They were both great experiences, but drained me completely. So, near the end of the school year, I decided (after much internal struggle) to step down from the President position for the following year. And about a month after that was official, I got my pink slip. I was a budget cut. Sigh. But, the sadness that would normally ensue slipped right by me. I was actually very happy. After a year of feeling like my family was always pushed to the end of my list of priorities, I felt I was being given the opportunity to put them right back at the top of that list where they belong. An honest to goodness blessing in disguise!

As the following school year was about to begin, another nice opportunity presented itself--the option to work as a long-term substitute for the 1st trimester teaching Interior Decorating and a Relationships class. Sounded like the courses were right up my alley, the teacher I would be filling in for is extremely organized and would be leaving all her materials for me and I would be done at Thanksgiving. Hmmmm??!! I honestly couldn't find a downside to the scenario, so I accepted the position. It was even more enjoyable than I expected--great students, fun and interesting material to teach, a wonderful department of supportive colleagues in a building where I was very comfortable! Yay!

Then all the hullabaloo of Christmas took flight ... then New Year's fun ... Valentiney lovey stuff ... kissing for St. Patty's Day ... Easter egg hunting ... a fun trip to Niagara Falls with the kids for Spring Break ... a party for a certain handsome someone who turned 40 last week ... and we're all up to speed! Whew! Actually, there was a lot more in the last few months than that, but we'll save those details for another day ... and I think that I won't wait another 750 days to write again.