Ups and Downs

I can't say I've made stellar progress over the last several weeks. I'm hovering right about where I was weight-wise. But I've gotten my sorry ass back to the gym and have been doing some treadmill walking. That's a start. And I'm getting my motivation back, which can't hurt the situation.

This weight loss stuff is hard. Maybe the hardest thing I've been up against in my life. And I have a hard time staying focused on it. Life gets busy, I injure myself, I get sick, I have a mood dip...and all of a sudden I'm off the wagon, spiraling downward (upward?) again.

A few weeks ago, I was walking back to my car from my last teaching session of the quarter, stepped off a curb funny, twisted both ankles, an fell, landing on my right knee. My ankles, thank goodness, seem to be healed, but my right knee is still complaining. I'm trying to be gentle with it. It doesn't feel good to get up from a sitting position, and sometimes when I am lying in bed at night, if I'm in one position too long, and try to move, my knee is very stiff and painful. Arthritis, I guess. Hopefully it will calm back down over time.

According to google, the site of my knee pain indicated meniscus or collateral ligament tears and arthritis. Ugh.

My plantar fascitis, while still present in small amounts, hasn't been causing me much grief lately. I am still wearing my orthotics every single stinkin' day. Which is probably a good idea for the foreseeable future.

That day I fell off the curb? I was lying there, on the pavement, in really bad pain...wondering if I would have to take an ambulance somewhere, if I broke something. A guy walking by stopped and asked if I was alright. "No!" I said, "I've sprained both of my ankles. It hurts really bad." He paused awkwardly, asked if I was going to get up. I said I didn't think I could yet. He walked away. Walked. Away. I can't imagine ever just walking away from someone lying on the ground in pain. Wtf?

Two motivation boosts for me right now:

(1) It's almost the new year as I write this, and even though that's just another day, it's a new goal-setting, reflecting time for me.

(2) If all goes according to plan, I will be starting nursing school in about 8 months. Eight short months. And I don't want my weight to be a big issue when it comes to being on my feet for clinicals.

I just have to keep that in the front of my mind and stay focused!!

Couch 2 5 K Update, Aches and Pains

The morning after my first try at Couch 2 5 K, I had the worst plantar fascitis pain I've had in a long time, and also was having some sharp pain in my right knee with just walking. So, for the time being, I'm won't be trying to run anymore. I am going to wait until I get down to a more reasonable weight... what would that be? Maybe below 300 lbs? Below 250 lbs? I'm not sure. It is probably something I should try again at intervals of weight loss and see how I do, how my body responds. But right now it is sending me a pretty clear message that I should walk instead of run!

Plantar fascitis has been a frustrating thing for me to deal with. I think I experienced my first symptoms about 5 years ago. It has gotten worse and worse since then, and the more active I am on a given day the more pain I can count on the next morning. I have talked to my doctor about it. He gave me some stretching exercises to do, and suggested I buy some orthotic shoe inserts.

I bought the shoe inserts (something like this), and also bought a special pair of "orthoheel" shoes (something like this). I try to remember to stretch out my feet with the exercises he gave me at the end of the day but I admit I have been slacking a bit there lately.

I understand that the next step is to go to a podiatrist and get an injection of cortisone in the bottom of my foot, which I have heard is pretty painful but would pretty much take care of the problem as long as they get it (guided by myself) in the right place.

If that doesn't work there is also a surgery to consider. Rather not go there!

I've also seen various products online...foot exercisers that are supposed to strengthen your foot muscles and in so doing lessen the pain, and splints that are designed to stretch your foot while you sleep. My doctor didn't mention these things, but I sometimes wonder if they would help. I also hope that once I get down to a more reasonable weight, maybe that will ease some of the strain on my foot, but I know that even very slim athletes get plantar fascitis, so that's not the entire root of the issue.