Lumbar Artificial Disc Replacement Archives

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.

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.

7 1/2 Months Update: A New Commitment 1

irisappenrodtOctober 31, 2018December 29, 20181 Comment

In this Update:

Need for new commitment
Santos Single-Track Adventure
OPM Appeal

Need for New Commitment

This realization is actually nothing new as I have struggled with this issue before. Over the last two weeks I have been so stressed and busy with work, school, and other obligations that I didn’t have the time or energy to do much in terms of structured rehabilitation.

I love my job as ED nurse but the demands and needs of the department do not leave much time or energy for anything else. First of all, we have to work every two weeks an additional 8-hour shift to make up 80 hours per pay period, and for some reason, this additional shift always screws up my schedule. Secondly, I now have jury duty pretty much every other week for the next year. This is especially fun when I work until midnight the day before, just to be at the downtown courthouse at 08:45 am. I had my first day today and I am EXHAUSTED! Thirdly, I am still in graduate school until the end of 2019, which demands a significant amount of time as well. In addition, I just had to re-commit to teach the PMDB (Prevention and Management of Disruptive Behavior) class at our hospital on a regular basis. This is a mandatory class that has to be taken by all staff members working at my facility, and classes are eight hours long and scheduled at least twice a month. This is in addition to full-time work which is a mid-shift (11 am to 11:30 pm), mind me not. So, when should I commit to rehab?

I admit that I am struggling with this. I am trying to stick to my rehab stretches but I haven’t done much in terms of working out. I am overall feeling a tad “creaky”, including my lower back. Not pain, which I am grateful for, but I can feel the effects of not exercising. I do run around at work a lot, but that doesn’t substitute for a structured workout. So, starting this week, I will go to a gym (preferably three times a week) and follow a workout regimen that is initially body-weight based. Once I feel ready, I will add weightlifting to the mix to finally get strong again. My fiancé is very knowledgeable and fit himself, so I will have him come up with my initial workout plan, which I can follow safely. This will be hard due to the above-mentioned challenges but I didn’t go through this nightmare to start neglecting my new back. I am also considering a career change to a more consistent schedule and less stress, even though I would certainly miss the adrenaline and crazy situations in the emergency department. We’ll see…

Santos Single-Track Adventure

Remember my new mountain bike? I didn’t really have the chance to take my new ride out into the woods until last Saturday: Ralf and I met up with some dear friends at Santos, where a network of 100 miles of single-track mountain bike trails spans like spaghetti throughout the Ocala woods! I must say that at least to me, those trails where rather technical but also so much fun!

I rode many trails in the various Florida woods in the past, but this is only my second time to explore true single-track trails. I have to work on my timing though, as I was thinking to myself “oh, a rock, let’s ride around it… CATUNK…oh, well, next time…”. In the later portion, there were also some scary drops involved, and a I decided to walk my bike through a couple of them, rather than ride it out, lol! We clocked out at 28 miles, of which 8 were on the paved trail back to the parking lot. After that, I was toast…

The day after I was quite sore (especially the thighs and shoulders) but I can’t wait to do it again!!!

Unfortunately, the GoPro didn't capture any of the more technical trails but this is a small clip from the beginning...

OPM Appeal

So, here goes nothing! I submitted my appeal request to OPM and hope that I was able to make my case. The discrimination and unethical practices of health insurance companies, such as Blue Cross Blue Shield, are infuriating! It is beyond comprehension how they get away with all this, covering one person while denying another – for the exact same procedure/disc! But I am not giving up!