ADR Archives - Life After ADR

2 Years 3 Months Update: Long Overdue

irisappenrodtAugust 25, 2020August 25, 2020Leave a comment

In This Update

Good-Bye Emergency Department – Hello Education!
Having a Predictable Schedule

Ever since I started writing this blog, I never missed an update. Until now. In fact, I missed two updates. Thinking of the words of the son of my dear friend Libby, who just passed away from chemo complications a couple weeks ago: “Life is difficult, life is hard”. The last few months have been brutal, putting me in a constant state of anxiety and depression. But I am trying hard to overcome this, the effect of this unprecedented pandemic has had on my mental health, Ralf’s setbacks, finding my way in a new job, then having to travel to Germany for a family emergency… it is just getting a bit much.

Good-Bye Emergency Department – Hello Education!
But let me start by recapping the month of June – my last weeks as ED nurse during this COVID-19 pandemic. Ironically, I got the new job as Simulation Coordinator already back at the beginning of March. However, due to the dire circumstances, I was on hold until June 22^nd. I admit that after the first COVID wave somewhat subsided, things were less scary and dangerous during the first part of the month. It was about two weeks after Florida loosened the restrictions and opened the bars again, when almost overnight we experienced a consistent influx of sick Corona patients. I remember the day I was in triage, shortly before my transfer, where I was more exposed to COVID in this one 12-hours shift than during the past three weeks!!! It was scary! And those Covid patients weren’t old or compromised, they were in their mid-twenties! I remember that bartender who couldn’t finish a single sentence because he was so short of breath, with a fever of 103. I was locked in with that 27-year old guy for over an hour, doing blood cultures, EKG, and trying to keep him stable until I transferred him to the ICU. Same day, I cared for a 25-year old girl, who went to the bar with friends for a drink… and on and on it went. It was amazing to see the obvious pattern. So many people just got careless, acting as if the pandemic was over and there was no need for masks or social distancing. And I get it: I have been more than depressed with what life has become. I am mourning the freedom to go to the movies, or a restaurant, hug my friends, or go grocery shopping without fear of a deadly disease that has taken over the world. But I have seen the truth, the sick, the repercussion of letting your guard down. And it’s not just about me: what if I take that virus home to Ralf?

However, just as the second COVID-19 wave was taking off, I finally got to my new destination: The Education department as the new Simulation Coordinator – a job I was very much looking forward to! During most of my graduate education, I was fascinated by and focused on healthcare simulation. Now all the hard work finally paid off, and on June 19^th, I worked my last day in the Emergency Department. This was a bitter-sweet moment: I always wanted to be an Emergency Nurse, and I consider myself very lucky that I got to open up a brand-new Emergency Department at the VA Hospital in Lake Nona in 2015. But now it was time to say good-bye…

Ralf was so excited for my new job, he got me flowers on my last day!

Fast forward to June 22^nd, 2020: the day I was finally starting my new position as Simulation Coordinator at the VA Hospital in Lake Nona! Here’s to a new chapter in my nursing path! But I must say, the last day in the ED was quite emotional, and I will miss my patients and my peeps for sure…

I admit, I was pretty nervous on my first day, not knowing what to expect. The good think is that I have been around the Orlando VA for so long that I know my way around – as well as a lot of people. What was “unique” about this position was the fact that the previous Simulation Coordinator had been gone for almost a year, and even before that, the lab wasn’t quiet utilized as intended. And the madness of the pandemic, when stuff was just taken from the Simulation Lab, never to be seen again, made my job an even bigger challenge.

Having a Predictable Schedule
With my new job came also a predictable schedule: Monday through Friday, 0800-1630, weekends and holidays off! I also got a government laptop to work from home if need be, which added a new layer of flexibility (extremely important feature as I found out in July…). So, Ralf and I went on some outings on my days off – and it was so much less stressful all around. No more fear of exposure, no more 12-hours shifts, coming home late… I didn’t realize how much of a difference this would make.

We explored the north entrance of the Lake Lizzie Preserve on a rainy day, then the south entrance the following weekend. We also went for a bike ride at Triple N Ranch, were I haven’t been in so long. It reminded me what outdoor adventures in Florida during summer time always have in common: LOTS of water, and lots of turtle activity!

Oh, we also finally got out new juicer....

.... And new "pets"!

2-Year Anniversary: Global Pandemic Disruptions 2

irisappenrodtApril 4, 2020April 4, 20202 Comments

In This Update:

The Good
The Bad
Conclusion

Foreword
Let me just start by saying that I if I had my surgery scheduled for today instead of two years ago, it would have been a complete nightmare. Back then I was in so much pain that wasn’t able to work anymore. I was depressed, and I had no quality of life left. Making the decision to go overseas to have spinal surgery is scary enough, but having a global pandemic happen is an unforeseeable disaster I am glad I didn’t have to deal with. My heart goes out to all the people in severe pain, who have to live through this pandemic not knowing how this will affect their ability to fix their back, or when.

I am not going to lie, being an Emergency Department nurse during a global pandemic is petrifying! I am not so much worried about me getting sick but that I take this virus home somehow to infect Ralf. I wear all protective PPE at work that I can, but being locked into an isolation room with a very positive, very sick Covid-19 patient for 15 minutes while doing the triage and providing direct care causes a sickening knot in the pit of my stomach – which you push out of your mind until you did what you could for your patient. My peers and I are on edge, but we have each other’s backs and will care for our community with all we’ve got.

Best crew to work with, plus the medical director who stopped by

The Good

This 2-year update is not quite how I envisioned it, especially since I won’t have my follow-up X-rays until June (maybe), but gauging from how I feel, I would say that nothing has changed. After I have the images, I will send them to Dr. Desai in Cologne for review and confirmation, but that will not happen anytime soon.

Looking back at the past year, there is a lot I was able to do. As many of you know, Ralf and I have always been very outdoorsy people, so we continued to go on many biking adventures in various Florida forests and Wildlife Management Areas, and I never had any issues with my back, even if I had to carry my bike through bodies of unexpected waters. We also went tent camping in the Everglades, and I was riding 30 miles of muddy trails during a monsoon.

I also continued to advance through my workouts with Angela at her Crossfit Lake Nona gym. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, full-time work, and graduate school, I was not really able to truly establish a routine. Honestly, I envisioned myself being super-fit and able to do several pull ups which was one of my goals. Did that happen? Not really… Life appears to have a way to throw curveballs that can mess up all the good intentions and plans that were made. I don’t know about you, but 2019 really was an intense and pretty awful year.

We visited Key Largo in August of 2019 where we tried out sea-kayaking for the first time. This was truly a test to see how my back would behave since it required me to sit in a cramped space for over two hours while paddling and navigating the kayak through open water. I did feel a little stiff at the end but once I got out of the kayak and stood up, I felt great. Absolutely no pain or soreness. Definitely something we can repeat!

Another water activity Ralf and I started exploring involves a packraft. Ralf has gotten pretty serious with bikepacking, and a packraft is designed to be carried on the bike, which then gets strapped to the raft to continue via water ways. We received the pack raft also in August but due to what came next, we only took it out to the lake a couple of times so far. It’s a lot different to maneuver the raft compared to the sea kayak, but it appears to be a very fun activity for the future.

An impromptu wedding was also on the agenda, which ended up with just him and me in the courthouse. Ironically, the reason why we didn’t get married sooner was the difficulty of getting friends and family from around the world together at the same time. Ralf sometimes said, “let’s just elope…”, which is ultimately what happened!

Another major life-event was my graduation (finally) from my MSN Nurse Educator program in December. To be honest, with everything going on, I really didn’t want to go. However, here I was, getting my regalia on, taking pictures with Ralf in the driveway of our home because he was not able to come. At the arena, I ended up standing backstage with my group for 1 ½ hours before marching inside, just to sit for another 3 hours on a hard plastic chair. At least Ralf got to see me walk on livestream…

At work, I participated in various Emergency Management activities, such as retrieving a mock-victim from her car in the community and help with shooting a decon training video that required me to not just dress up in full gear but also tonrepeatedly kneel, lift and twist while transferring a mock-victim from the ground to a stretcher.

The Bad
Looking back at the past year, I must say it was awful in terms of certain life-events and stress but at least I was able to be there and do what needed to be done when it was most important.

Being able to go back to work as an ED nurse was one of my major goals, and it came to pass without issues. However, there has been a lot of negative energy developing in my department due to changes in leadership at the time. That in turn made going to work a very stressful time, but at least I got to care for my veterans again without physical restrictions.

Moving on to August: as it turned out, the Key Largo trip was the last time Ralf and I had normal lives. A few days after we got home, Ralf had a CT scan done that revealed stage 4 peritoneal carcinomatosis – a very rare cancer that grows in the abdomen and around all associated organs. This has truly been a life-altering shock, and it took me two weeks to pull myself together to come up with a plan. If you read my blog, you know the emotional roller-coaster we have been on. To make a long story short, against all odds, we found the only treatment option for his condition which was cytoreductive surgery with HIPEC (heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy). We decided to go with the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, which is one of the top 10 cancer centers in the world. Lucky for us, Tampa is only 1 ½ hours away which made traveling there a lot easier.

It was so hard to focus on school in the light of Ralf’s diagnosis. All this happened just before my last semester of my MSN program, which entailed a 180-hour internship I had to finish while working full time. To be honest, I almost dropped the semester, but Ralf really wanted to see me graduate in December, so I pulled myself together and pushed on. I think the hardest part was to be away from home pretty much all the time, either completing internship hours or going to work. Ralf’s surgery at Moffitt was set for November 22, so I had to get everything done before that date – including getting married and finish school!

I don’t know how, but I actually managed to get everything done a week before surgery. I can’t even imagine what would have happened if my back was still broken – constantly on the move, pushing on. In addition, while Ralf was admitted at Moffitt, I got to sleep on a pretty flimsy cot for 16 days, which my back tolerated just fine despite the bend in the middle of the mattress.

Fast forward to February: Ralf was recovering so well, and we started to go on hikes and some mellow bike rides. Everything was going so well until mid-February, where he had a sudden episode of severe abdominal pain that didn’t subside, so I had to take him to a local ER. Having a rare cancer is scary enough but getting admitted to a hospital where the doctors and nurses have no clue is downright petrifying. After the acute pain had somewhat subsided, Ralf was discharged without a diagnosis.

Two weeks later, the same thing happened to him but this time the pain was so much worse! I took him to a different ED in a much better hospital where he was admitted again. Besides pain control, they wouldn’t touch him either but at least they had him transferred to Moffitt where he needed to be. The final verdict now is severe adhesions and scar tissue that is strangling his gut, which is an unpredictable complication we didn’t see coming, but we have a plan once the pandemic subsides.

During the last admission, I got to sleep on two different guest cots, and I must say Moffitt wins the price despite their flimsy contraption! That thing I slept on at AdventHealth Celebration was so hard, I woke up stiff and in pain – from neck to low back, stiff like a board. No, the pain was nothing like my pre-op back pain; it was just a result of sleeping on something too hard and uncomfortable. I came to realize that I am not 20 anymore either: ADR surgery restored my back but it can’t protect me from age-related aches and pains, I suppose.

Conclusion
So, what’s the overall verdict at 2-years post-op? Number one, life WILL happen – with or without a broken back. However, ridding myself of the disabling, crippling, soul-sucking pain enabled me to do what needed to be done and be a support for my husband, rather than a burden, when he needed me most. It also prevented me from having to file for disability and losing control over what’s important to me. My LP-ESP is still going strong and doing its job well enough so that I can do mine!

I haven’t really made an announcement, but I just accepted a new position within my hospital as Simulation Coordinator, and I am pretty excited about this opportunity! Everything I worked so hard for during my MSN program and beyond has paid off. I really love healthcare simulation, so this job is the perfect match. In addition, this position will give me bankers hours: 8 am to 4:30 pm, Monday through Friday, weekends and holidays off. That way I can be home with Ralf in the evenings, when he tends to be more uncomfortable, and we can also better plan our lives due to my predictable schedule. However, I won’t be transitioning until the pandemic is over, since my services are needed on the frontline right now.

Please stay home, stay safe, and stay healthy!

1 Year 4 Months Update: Slow and Steady DOES win the Race!

irisappenrodtAugust 3, 2019August 3, 2019Leave a comment

In this Update:

Getting Stronger!
Mind your Step
No more Grades!

Getting Stronger!
So, I can proudly announce that I have been working out (mostly) in a very consistent way! Even though my schedule continues to throw me curveballs here and there, I have been going to the gym at least twice a week (with a few exceptions). I have made slow but consistent progress, which I really wasn’t aware of at the time until my latest push-up day on 07/26: I started out with doing incline push-ups in late May using a box because I was too weak to do them lower. I have reduced the height/incline over time but on this day, Angela instructed me to only use one bumper plate. I wasn’t quite sure about that, but as it turns out, I got significantly stronger over the last two months!!!

Here is a short video of me doing push-ups on the box on May 20^th….

… and here is the result of consistent training on July 26^th!

I suppose, this would be already exciting for someone who just want to get in shape but to me, it is a freaking miracle! Before my lumbar artificial disc replacement (ADR) surgery, I would have fallen flat on my face and remained in that position if I attempted this move. But now, it feels great!

Angela also added a new move to my routine to further build up my shoulders and core: Prone Barbell Rows.

... which is an upgrade from the single-armed dumbell row...

Mind your Step
Ralf and I managed to visit a couple of wilderness preserves as well. However, this time we explored by foot rather than by mountain bike. You see, Florida summers are rather water-filled, and over the last few weeks we had so much rain that I was about to suggest to built another arch, just in case.

Our first outing was to the Seminole Ranch Conservation Area (not a place many people tend to go). It was pretty hot and steamy, but the jungle-like vegetation and beautiful wildlife (especially birds) made it all worth it. The trails weren’t very technical but they ended up to be flooded at times, which is nothing new, and this wasn’t the first (or last) time I was wading through ankle-deep puddles.

I am still laughing out loud when I remember the following scene though: As I am walking down my side of the trail, I see something colorful laying right in front of me.

Me: “Oh look, is that snake skin?”
*as snake is lifting its head*
Ralf: “Yeah, with the snake still in it!!!”

Turns out, this was a Pygmy rattlesnake, and they are indeed venomous. As I slowly step around the snake, Ralf steps a tad closer to make a positive ID. What he didn’t realize was that he was now standing in a fire ant hill! Let me tell you, these sneaky little bastards don’t bite one at a time, they all crawl on your ankle and bite at once, so you won’t know it until it is too late. I am still wondering if that was a joint operation between the ants and the snake…

Our second outing was at the Isles of Pines Preserve, which is only 10 minutes from our house. Not many people come here, so the trails were pretty overgrown at times.

This hike turned out to be a real workout: not only were the trails overgrown, but they were significantly torn up by pigs, in addition to the ground being soft and squishy, which is apparently a great way to exercise your ankles and calves…

But at the end of the trail awaits a gorgeous lake (Lake Mary Jane), so that makes it all worth it! However, my ankles were so sore the next day, I had a hard time climbing stairs!

No more Grades
Sooo, I turned in my evidence-based research paper on July 17th (45 pages of glory!), and on July 31st, I had to present my evidence in person in front of my peers at the University of Central Florida! It felt quite strange when I drove onto the College of Nursing campus parking lot, as I had done hundreds of times before, years ago during my BSN program.

I was pretty stressed out, even though it was my own research paper that I should be VERY familiar with, but still, I am (and always have been) a stress muffin!

Now the semester is over, I got my A (hallelujah!), and the next semester will be the LAST! Since it “only” entails my 180-hour internship that I have to complete on my days off, I am done with grades! The internship is Pass/Fail, so my GPA is what it is now! I am not saying this will be an easy semester but it takes the pressure off when grades are not an issue anymore.

Tomorrow, Ralf and I will take a trip down to Miami and the Keys for a few days. After our return, we will tackle a whole different monster: We-Are-Moving! Stay tuned!

1 Year 3 Month Update: Progress!

irisappenrodtJuly 9, 2019July 28, 2019Leave a comment

In this Update:

12-Week Workout Routine
Biking in Florida Summer
Mini-Deployment

12-Week Workout Routine
I made it to 12 weeks of continuous workouts, at least 2-3 times per week! For me, that is huge!!! The demands of graduate school, full-time work, and other obligations really made it extremely challenging to stick to regular workouts – much to my dismay! As a result, I was told that my arms look more toned, and I feel stronger. My low-grade backache is also under control, which I credit to the fact that the worst part of my studies is finally over and I don’t have to be glued to the laptop for endless hours. In fact, I just applied for graduation, FINALLY!!!

Progress is slow but steady at this point, which is totally alright with me. I am not in a hurry. My back feels fine, and I am able to hip-thrust 100 pounds at this point. The key is to do the movements in a slow and controlled manner, adding weight in small increments. I certainly don’t want to be an Olympic weightlifter but adding weights is so important for healthy bones and muscles.

This is my “happy post-workout” face

Biking in Florida Summer
Some would call us crazy to go biking in the wilderness during summer in Florida. Well, I admit, the heat index was about 107 degrees but as long as you take enough water, it can be done!

We went to Hal Scott Preserve, which is not too far from where we live. We were the only ones present in the parking lot though…

Due to our now daily thunderstorms, the trails became rather ... interesting. For Ralf, it was an easy and casual ride – for me, not so much!

Trails went from….

… nice small gravel

… to teeth-shattering large gravel

… to grassy

…to muddy

…to wet

… to “I guess I will carry my bike through the water”

I was pretty much toast after this outing but not in pain. That tells me, though, that my endurance and leg strength still need some work!

Mini-Deployment
Last week, my co-worker and friend Bonnie and I participated in a “mini-deployment” with the Director’s 50 Emergency Response Team. The two of us were sent to a close-by mall’s parking lot to assess, treat, and rescue a home-health nurse who got injured during a tornado and was waiting for us in her damaged car.

I am pretty sure she was very glad that the damage to her car was just simulated and that she had the luxury of air condition while she waited. Here are some snapshots of our mission:

I am happy to announce that no VA nurse or federal property was damaged during this exercise, lol.

10 Months Update: Stepping Up my Game in 2019!

irisappenrodtJanuary 23, 2019January 23, 2019Leave a comment

In this Update:

Adding Structured Training - For Real!
First Mountain Bike Outing in a While!

Adding Structured Training
After spending a wonderful time with my family over Christmas and New Year’s, I was hitting the ground running, starting the first week of January. One big benefit of writing this blog is that it makes me reflect on my progress (or lack thereof). I have to say that I haven’t felt all that great: I have been really sore between my shoulder blades and upper back (you could single out individual knots), my lower back has been fine but also tight, and my endurance level is pitiful. I do treasure the absence of the crippling pain every day though!!!

Here is a significant pattern that I am very much aware of: between my stressful job (and long hours), the demands of graduate school, and day-to-day errands, I just don’t find the time to do true workouts! Last summer, I was trying to commit to a structured workout routine every week, no matter what. I have to admit that this didn’t work out at all – I failed miserably! I realized that without guidance and structure, I won’t be able to do what I need to do in terms of exercise. So, I adjusted my strategy: my dear friend Angela Clough is the owner of the Crossfit Lake Nona gym, and she agreed to help me achieve my workout goals in a safe and effective way. Angela has recovered from a serious back injury herself, so she knows my fears (especially of lifting weights) and where I am coming from. She is creating tailored workouts for me, so that I can get strong and fit again without jeopardizing my new back.

Meet Angela, my photo-bombing trainer:

Over the last couple weeks, Angela assessed my abilities, strengths, and weaknesses in order to come up with a progressive workout plan. There were four “assessment days” during which my posterior chain, hamstrings, glutes, shoulders, and core were put to the test… But don’t let the word “assessment” fool you, I was soooore (in a good way, if you know what I mean) like I haven’t been in a long time!

First of all, I want to thank my physical therapist and trainer Bill for doing a fantastic job rehabbing me after surgery. Apparently, my back muscles are a lot stronger than expected, which was evident during the Sorenson test (see picture). I was able to hold the required position for 3 minutes and 10 seconds, which I was told was an excellent result! But now, I am ready to enter the next phase of fitness and wellness.

DAY 1
Starting out with some very basic movements and exercises to gauge my overall strengths and symmetry .

DAY 2

DAY 2
After Day 1, I couldn’t lift my arms over my head for a couple of days, even if my life depended on it during a bank robbery. I haven’t done pull-ups and push-ups like that in ages, and even though the pull-ups were banded, they kicked my butt, lol!

DAY 3
Day 3 was scary and exciting all at once. I know I need to re-introduce weight training into my routine to keep my bones and muscles strong. But I am not going to lie: I have been a tad leery about lifting weights but having such a competent coach has helped me gain the confidence I needed. To be perfectly clear, though, I have absolutely not ambition to become an Olympic Weightlifter or Powerlifter. But I need to be able to train with weights to protect my back and bones!

Here is the answer to the question that most likely crossed your mind at this point: how did/do I feel? AMAZING! Doing a deadlift correctly will tax your hamstrings and glutes but should never strain your back. At no time did I feel any pain or undesired discomfort during or after the move! After all: that’s why I chose the LP-ESP and its buffering properties. Before surgery, I couldn't even pick up my 13-pound senior-puppy!

P.S.: I also realized that I needed flat, non-cushioned shoes to secure a non-wobbly stance while lifting, so I got a pair of Nike Metcons (my first non-Hoka pair in a long time).

Before surgery, I couldn't even pick up my 13-pound senior-puppy!

DAY 4
At this point, I can already feel the effects of a structured workout program. I have more energy, my muscles between my shoulder blades and lower back are significantly less tight, and I feel overall a greater sense of wellness, if that makes any sense. However, Day 4 had a heavy focus on the hamstrings and glutes, so for the next couple days, I dreaded stairs and walked like a duck! But I am all recovered now and ready to begin my actual workouts this week!!!

Biking in Hal Scott Preserve
I haven’t had the chance to ride my new mountain bike much at all, lately. I am also still in the process of finding the right saddle for my butt, but maybe if my glutes get stronger, my tolerance will, too. So, last Saturday we went on a leisurely ride (my legs were still tired from the Day 4 workout) at Hal Scott Preserve. There is an interesting network of trails, going from grassy-overgrown, to hard-packed dirt, to large-gravel trails, to peanut butter mud holes. It was a beautiful Florida day, just before the next cold-front was rolling in. I think I should get properly fitted at JC’s bike shop to get the saddle-issue resolved. After that, I will be unstoppable!!!

8 Months Update: Back to Volunteering!

irisappenrodtNovember 15, 2018December 29, 2018Leave a comment

In this Update:

Disney’s Food & Wine Half-Marathon
Active Shooter Drill
Hal Scott Preserve Outing

Disney’s Food & Wine Half-Marathon

Sunday before last was another milestone for me: returning to be a medical volunteer for the Walt Disney World running races! To put this into perspective, the last time I volunteered didn’t go so well... My back was so far gone then that I shouldn’t have volunteered in the first place, but I remember the depression and fear of losing yet another activity I really enjoye, to my evolving disability. I had to stand a lot that day, which caused my back to “seize-up” and lock into place. I also couldn’t get down to the stretcher anymore, which added to my pain and frustration. To top it all off, when I got to my car after the event, I stood for about five minutes next to the open driver’s door, trying to prepare myself to sit down. I looked around, and when there was nobody else around, I let out a scream and forced myself into the seat. The pain was so overwhelming that I got nauseated, started to sweat, and cry. It took me another several minutes before I could drive off the parking lot.

Fast forward to Sunday before last: this was the first Disney race since my surgery, and even though I had to get up at 3 am, I was so excited that I was able to go! I watched over 10,000 participants come through the finish line, and even though I was on my feet for hours, my back was doing ok! Sure, I felt a tad sore, but that was also due to the inability to do my proper rehab over the last few weeks (still working on a solution for that issue). But I was really ok and didn’t have a set-back at all!

In fact, after leaving from Disney, I satisfied my civic duty and voted early...

Active-Shooter Drill

Later that same week I participated in yet another event: an active shooter drill at work, complete with fake victims, covered in fake blood. I have been with the Orlando VA Emergency Response Team since 2014, and I am so grateful that I was able to return in full capacity! I was part of the Medical Emergency Tactical Team (METT) and ran with two team mates and a Stryker stretcher to the 4^th floor to stabilize and retrieve “victims” of the “shooting”. The hardest part was to get that stupid stretcher to comply, but after cutting off shirts and applying some pressure dressings, we got everybody to the Emergency Department for “treatment”. Before April 4^th, 2018, I wouldn’t have been able to do any of this! So, ADR surgery saved not just my life, but also my “victims”, lol!

Hals Scott Preserve Outing

Even though I still haven’t figured out yet where and how to do consistent rehab, I went for a nice mountain bike outing in Hal Scott Preserve. My new ride is amazing but I need to find a better saddle that fits better with my “female anatomy” and seat bones. This wasn’t single track but had a variety of different trails, which where challenging at times but gave me a good workout. Besides deer and a black racer snake, we encountered a tortoise having lunch…

I started doing light deadlifts with the kettlebells that we still have in the garage to strengthen my back, and I have not just tolerated the exercises well, it actually felt good while doing them. Zero discomfort! I do listen to my back and go with how movements/activities feel, so this was very encouraging. It still blows my mind that I live in this oh-so cutting-edge “wellness community”, which has not a single calisthenics park to offer… Maybe the new construction close to work will have something suitable for doing some bodyweight workouts? We will find out eventually.

Week 14 Update – Finding a Routine

irisappenrodtJuly 11, 2018July 11, 2018Leave a comment

I thought I share how my efforts of finding a routine have turned out this week: after that first intense week back to work, I finally was off for three days (Friday through Sunday). I already had a PT appointment scheduled with Bill for Friday afternoon and decided to commit to at least one PT session per week. I am already scheduled out for the next three weeks, so that way, I will go for sure. I also want to do at least one fun outdoor activity per week or at least every two weeks (as my schedule permits).

Bill worked on my sore spot over the bony prominence of L3. He thinks that either the ligament is still giving me grief or that I have a slight misalignment that is still present (he carefully mobilized that spot manually; I think it’s already making a difference, but time will tell). It really doesn’t bother me unless you press on the spot directly, so I don’t really notice it much anymore. It doesn’t give me any pain while I bike, jog, or work out, so that is good. Bill truly believes that this will resolve and will continue to work on this issue.

Speaking of PT: I have made huge progress over the last few weeks, and I am very pleased with the outcome so far. Bill adds more or substitutes different movements to my regiment while keeping me safe, which makes me feel at ease. I now do interval sprints on the treat mill, 50 pounds cable pull exercises (shoulder/arms), lunges with weights, and squats. He already informed me that next week, he will ramp-up my abdominal workout – I told him that I expect a six pack! We’ll see, lol.

Another milestone this week was the cleaning of my home! Mopped the floors AND vacuumed the carpet, whoohoo! I know, I know, it sounds silly but before the surgery I wasn’t able to do any of this. Mopping my floors always led to a vicious flare-up of crippling and disabling pain (same for vacuuming). But no more! I am happy to report that I conquered the mop and vacuum cleaner once and for all! *Add victory dance here*

Now to the fun stuff: as I mentioned during last week’s post, my next goal was to take those 15 miles I bicycled on pavement and take it to the woods! Saturday was the day: I ended up biking just shy of 20 miles (!) on trails in the Bull Creek Wildlife Management Area, and despite the fact that it was over 92 F (or more like 200 F in the sun), it was amazing! It’s been a long time since I explored the outdoors like this, and I was rewarded with the sighting of deer, wild boar, and a good-sized black racer (I almost run over). One very unique thing about Bull Creek is the fact that it has an old cemetery – in the middle of nowhere right in the woods. Many graves are from the 19^th century and still well cared for. Never seen anything like it!

Riding the trails was fun, and the only part of my body that got quite sore was my butt. However, the soreness wasn’t as bad as when I first started out biking years ago. Either my seat bones remember the saddle, or I got a big butt (more cushioning) from being dormant for so long… I may never know, lol!

I also crossed many bodies of waters since it has rained a LOT in Florida and some parts of the trails are flooded:

I crossed little puddles…..

… and big puddles, lol!

After this rather intense ride, my legs where heavy and I was quite tired – but no pain! I always wait and see how I feel the next day, and I am happy to report that I felt strong and refreshed. I am still amazed to no end how my condition has changed so dramatically from near-disability to doing things like this in only 14 weeks after major surgery! I am so incredibly thankful that I didn’t end up getting a fusion because I really don’t think it would have been the same outcome.