Oh So Tired!!!!

It's been another long week. I am tired. That seems to be how I feel all the time now. I am not quite used to that, but lately I am not getting enough sleep. My goal for this coming week is to try and get at least 8 hours of sleep every night. I am not sure how well that will work out for me. Jason will be traveling to Vermont for the week. I never sleep well when he is traveling. So, hopefully I can manage to get 8 hours of good sleep every night while he is away.

I did not have a stellar workout week this week. I did an upper body workout with Tye on Monday. I was experiencing a bit of hip pain so I begged off of having leg day on Monday. Turns out this was a smart plan for me. I admit last week I was not a good stretcher. I tore my legs up too. I saw Jeremy Monday afternoon and my legs are all out of sorts. I have tight adductors, abductors, hamstrings, and glutes!! Lucky me!! I am overcompensating due to injury and causing my right side to be out of whack. And I just totally screwed up the lower body by missing my massage for 3 weeks and by not stretching properly!!! All I can say is ouch!!!

And that is exactly what my hip has been saying since last Sunday. So, I am on a mandatory plan of stretching for at least 30 minutes every day. I took it easy Tuesday and did not engage the hip any more than necessary. I woke up Wednesday feeling really sick, so I cancelled my appointment with Tye. My hip was also not improved. And I did not do anything strenuous on Thursday to give my hip a rest. Friday morning, it was feeling a bit better. So, I went for a short walk with Chuck. And then I remembered Friday night that I can ice my hip when it is bothering me...duh!!! So, I have been stretching every day for at least 30 minutes since I saw Jeremy. I started icing it since last night. I really hope all this extra work is going to ease out the pain in those too tight muscles!!

This morning, I went out with Cathy and we walked the dam. I had hoped after walking a bit that my hip would warm up enough for some light jogging, but it seemed to be a little tender. So, we stuck to just walking. I am hoping this week that I can reincorporate some jogging back into the routine...and most definitely some cardio and strength training!!! We'll see!! I see Jeremy on Monday to find out if the extra stretching is helping. And to be honest, if it is not helping, I think I will go crazy!!!! I have not missed a day of stretching since he told me to, so my body better not tell him otherwise!

Other than just normal life, I am just really tired. I am heading to bed in just a bit. I need to get up early and get Jason packed in the morning and off to Vermont. Here's hoping for some good rest this week and maybe someone to entertain me while the hubby is away!!!

Busy, Busy Week!!!

It has been super busy around here this week!! So busy that I have barely had time to blog and there have been several days I didn't even update my Facebook status (Horrors!!!)

Training has been pretty great this week. We were able to do legs on Monday and Wednesday. My legs hurt so badly on Tuesday that I knew that I had DOMS (delayed onset muscle strain)! Ouch!! I also got some more interval jogging in and was able to reduce my walking time some this week! I felt pretty great about that. I have not changed my speed much yet or the time. I am sticking with only 20 minutes of jogging for a little while to give my hip a slow return to running. And I have hit the elliptical rather strongly this week!

Jason had a good check-up Tuesday morning and they allowed him to be fully weight-bearing. We go back next week for stitch removal and see where things are then. I am hoping for another good report!

Wednesday night, I drove up to Charlotte, NC and met up with my friend, Julie. We have not seen each other in I would say about 12 years. It was great to see her and meet her friend, Amanda. Julie has lost 150 pounds and she looks amazing!! It was a great visit! We had dinner at McAllister's and then headed over to Concord Mills and window shopped!!

Thursday night, our friend, Chuck, came to stay with us for a few days. Chuck is a great friend and we enjoy hanging out with him. I had forgotten that Thursday night we also had a friend of a friend coming in to demo the Rainbow vacuum. Of course, I had no intention of buying a vacuum that cost over $2000!!! They asked me to vacuum my areas with most traffic with my vacuum and then with theirs. Their vacuum didn't really pick up a whole lot more stuff, so I really wasn't impressed. And frankly, even if I was, I wouldn't be paying that much money for a vacuum!!! That's insane!!!!

Friday morning, Chuck hung out for a bit with Jason after taking him to work. We, then, went and had lunch together and I ran out for a massage appointment! After a great massage, where I cracked Jeremy up by asking if I had to stretch muscles that I really didn't work that week? LOL, I was trying to get away with the fact that I hadn't stretched the upper body much...he laughed and I laughed too! My muscles felt pretty great after we were done!

I headed home after the massage and got changed. Chuck and I headed over to Harbison State Forest for a walk/hike. I let Chuck pick the trail because I almost always do Firebreak Trail. So, we ended up doing Midlands Mountain Trail with a small portion of Firebreak added on to it. Neither of us realized we were putting ourselves through 5.8 to 6 miles of a hike!! Towards the end, I was having some issues with my hip. It was starting to having a little bit of pain but nothing that was too intense! After the hike, we went to the grocery store and grabbed some stuff to grill.

After an amazing dinner, we settled in to watch a television show that Chuck really loves, Top Gear. It was pretty funny! I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. Basically, there are three guys and they are challenged to buy vehicles and take them cross country. (At least that's what happened in the three episodes we watched...Botswana, North Pole, and Amazon. The shows were pretty humorous and to be quite honest I am not all that into cars, nor do I understand much about any of that technical stuff.

So, today, I am feeling a bit tired! I do have to go in to work a little later tonight, but for right now, I am just resting and recovering from such a busy week! Tomorrow is going to be busy too!!! But busy is good!

Just One of Those Days....

Have you ever had one of those days when you wake up and you don't want to crawl back in bed, but under it? When you want to call in dead? Or you just want to forget that you even exist (even if it's just for a few minutes!)? That is how I have felt the past couple of days.

I admit, that it's my own fault. I got way overwhelmed, took on way too much and frankly, should just learn to say NO! But, if I did any of that, then it just wouldn't be me, now would it?

I normally don't sleep well the days leading up to any type of medical procedures that Jason has. I worry about him all the time, but when I know he is going to have to undergo a procedure, it sends me into overdrive! I love him so much that I would spare him any pain by taking it myself. He's been through so much in his life that it hurts me to think of all that he has endured in his short life and things that he may have to endure later on. So, the past several days leading up to his flexor tendon release surgery, I didn't sleep well. I had a lot to do and did it all on very little sleep. And the sleep I did manage to get wasn't particularly restful!

Jason's procedure went well. He has had some pain but no more than expected. He had a little bit of nausea but I was able to help that with some anti-nausea meds. Mostly, he has just been really, really tired. So, I have let him sleep as much as he wanted because I know his body needs that in order to recover.

Add on top of that, our friend, Chuck, flew in from Korea last night and had asked me to pick him up at the airport. He spent the night with us and may be bunking out here off and on for a little while. If you don't know this about me, you might be surprised but I take on the role of hostess and my desire is to make sure that guests feel completely welcome...like a home away from home. So, of course, this week I was busying about getting things ready for his arrival. And then, I worried yesterday as I left Jason for a little while to pick him up. Luckily, I used my brains and called our niece, Katrina, and she stayed with Jason for awhile which definitely made me feel better.

And perhaps, I should've requested some time off from work since Jason was having surgery. Perhaps that would have been intelligent to do. However, things at work are crazy...as always! Our last audit didn't turn out the way I would have expected for my office and I am very unhappy. Granted, the reasons points were deducted were things that I had no control over and no way of knowing about. But, still, I am angry and I like to run a tight ship. So, I am being even more vigilant than ever when it comes to my office. I have the audit information and I am bound and determined that it will not happen again! I refuse to have points deducted when our next audit occurs in two to three months. (Yes, I am that stubborn!) So, I left Jason this morning for awhile to go into work and will have to leave him for a bit tomorrow to work as well. I feel guilty about it, but he slept the entire time I was gone. However, my mothering instinct is gnawing at me saying I need to be present at all times.

The great thing about today, in spite of the craziness, was that I had a massage scheduled. Now, I know you're probably thinking I am a very selfish wife. I will say Jason insisted I keep my regularly scheduled appointment and I was only 10 minutes away if he needed me. And for the first time ever, my phone was audible in case he needed me. Balancing it all, he was dead asleep thanks to anti-nausea meds and pain meds for the time I was gone. So, with all those precautions and some guilt, I went in for my regular appointment. It was good. It was necessary. I have no regrets about it.

The reason I have no regrets about it is that I would not be functioning right now had it not been for that appointment! My massage therapist, Jeremy, is my friend. I figure after about a year of massage therapy with him and lots and lots of good conversations, I can absolutely say he is more than just my massage therapist. I can tell him things like I would a psychologist (maybe I should give him more money! LOL!) So, today, when I walked in and said I was fine...he called me on it. I told him what was going on...vented for a few minutes and then, as usual, he distracted me from life and all it's insanity and made me laugh...A LOT! I have learned much from him over this year and I appreciate his insights and the way he knows me. He keeps my head clear and refocuses me when I get too caught up in something. And a lot of times, I walk out of our appointments with some profound wisdom that he has given me (and sometimes it can be something others have told me). Maybe it's the simple way that he explains things to me or the way he mentions things without ordering me to do something. Or maybe it's because he knows how to get through to me. I don't quite know, but what I do know is, that today I needed a friend to talk to and he listened and advised. And he is a good friend!

And my aching muscles got some relief because we were finally able to start back to our normal routines since I am no longer in physical therapy. While I was in physical therapy, the surgeon didn't want anyone else doing joint mobilizations. So, now we are back to that. I don't know if that is a good thing or not because after hip surgery I have become really nervous about my hip. I trust Jeremy and that says a lot about him. I respect him and I know that there are days I make his job difficult because I am such a control freak. But this hip injury has me intimidated. I know without a doubt that he would never do anything to hurt me. So, I have to remind myself whenever my hip is involved that he is there to help me and wouldn't ever dream of hurting me. And of course, as I predicted to him, I did much better on the right leg than the left. I am sure in time that will cease to be an issue for me...but I hate that I am reacting like that! At least, he understands and that helps! And hopefully it will be better soon!


So, in the midst of one of THOSE days, I was blessed to have a friend to listen to me and clear my head. I am blessed to have a sweet hubby whom I love more than anything and who knows what I need. One thing is for sure, I have found during my journey that true friends are quite simply a treasure. Finding someone who not only gets you but also allows you to be exactly who you are is priceless. And having friends who can tell when you are not being completely honest and call you out on it is just too awesome for words. I am grateful for the dear friends that fit in these categories. I am blessed that God has placed these people in my life. And I am more than blessed to have God who always knows exactly what I need and provides even more than I can ever imagine! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

A Return to Normalcy??

So, my surgeon's appointment this morning went really well! I have full range of motion and he said that my labrum didn't slip or pull when he was maneuvering it. He said that he felt really confident that I am healing extremely well. He actually told me that I should keep making him look good! LOL..he's a very good-looking doctor, so he really doesn't need me for that...but I will keep listening to him and my physical therapists so that I can have a full and complete recovery! I also got released to move to the next level. He said that I was walking now, then I could start jogging. If I was jogging already, then I could start running. He said that for the next month, I can return to some of my more normal activities but I should start off slowly and build back up to where I was pre-injury! I am very excited!!! Tomorrow, I will see the physical therapist and I will see what they have planned.



The original physical therapy plan was that starting week 10, I would start jumping and starting week 12, I would start running. It sounds to me like Dr. Ekman thinks I am ready to start jumping already. Tomorrow will mark 9 weeks since my surgery. But, I will wait to hear what they have to say about that.



Today, I enjoyed lunch with my dear friend, Betsy. I love her! She is so amazing and I so enjoy her perspective on things and her encouragement! She reminds of all the important things I tend to forget. For example, today, she told me that all of this frustration is preparation for the mental toughness that I need to continue to develop to complete a full marathon. I admit it has been very difficult for me to listen to the doctor and the therapists and simply take things slow. I want to get back to work...I want to see what this hip can do. But I have been compliant, not patient, but compliant with the doctor's orders. I have spent a couple months of severe frustration and waited out my time so that I can return to my sport, healthy and ready for action! It was so awesome to spend time with Betsy though. She is a good friend and I enjoy our time together!!

And this afternoon, I got my first real cardio session in!! I cannot tell you how excited I was to finally put a little bit of intensity into my cardio! I will admit that I did jog for the first time in 2 months and it was awesome!!! I played it smart and warmed up on the treadmill for 10 minutes and stuck with a slow jog for 2minutes and walking for 1 minute for 15 minutes (10 jogging, 5 walking). And then I followed it up with 30 minutes on the elliptical. The exciting part was that it was intense...I kept my heart rate up and didn't overdo it!! I won't be jogging everyday...Dr. Ekman did tell me to take things slowly. I will likely intersperse my interval jogging for awhile with elliptical and arc trainer cardio. I will talk to my physical therapist and make sure I am following the right path to recovery. And I played it smart, I came home and iced the hip.

And to top off a pretty great day, I finished it with my first 1 1/2 hour massage in 2 months! It was awesome!! My muscles feel so relaxed and so amazing! It was a great massage...of course, my upper body had some really tight areas that needed work. And I forgot to stretch after my cardio this afternoon. I admit that I did get a quad stretch in but I did not take enough time to stretch the rest of my lower body. I promised Jeremy tonight that I would make it a habit to not forget my stretching from now on. We joked that I should get a tattoo on me that says "Stretch or die!" and he said that it should be "Stretch or Jeremy Will Hurt You!" LOL!!

So, is this a return to normalcy?? Possibly. I am starting to feel a little more like myself. I am happier than I have been in awhile. I feel like things are starting to fall back into place. It's not perfect but it's close enough for me right now. Maybe there is no normal for me...maybe this is my time to get used to just how much and how often things change. I have never been a huge fan of change and maybe this might be time for my opinion to change. I guess we will just have to wait and see!!