I never understood a child's journey toward walking before. I mean, I am not able to remember my infancy, so I am not able to comprehend what was going through my head when I was teaching myself to walk as a toddler. UNTIL NOW! I have the god forsaken task of teaching myself how to walk in my boot for the next couple weeks. Holy Crap... Its scary!
Notice those small, sorta sideways steps. Yep, I am doing that too. That's the brain telling my injured leg that it isn't strong enough to handle all the weight of my body, so quick, sideways steps that get the other foot to the ground pretty fast helps. Notice how fast that other leg gets to the ground. Notice the fall, I have just taken my first "learning to walk" fall. I subsequently crawled to my destination as well. The only difference between my current journey and that of the baby in the video is that his falls don't hurt, my falls suck!
I am an infant again. Thank You for your continued support.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
That Damn Shower!
I like my inlaws, I really do. I took Chris Hill to a Cubs game last Fathers day. That weekend we (Nikki, Darlene, Chris and I) happened to go to Giordano's near Midway Airport. When I say near, I mean across the street from Midway. Anyway, as a plane was coming in for a landing, it scared the absolute shit out them both, sorta like this:
Anyway, I posted that video, not as a nastalgic memory of last years comedic experience with a plane, rather to illustrate my reaction to seeing my leg after a fateful shower at drill. "Shit", "Oh Fuck" and "Fuck Me" were phrases that described my reaction.
So, again, I took a shower on Sunday of drill. I have been using a shower seat at home when I showered. I had the ability to keep my incision relatively dry by putting my leg outside of the range of the water while seated. I had no such luxury at drill. So in the enclosed space of a standard military shower, essentially, my incision was directly under me and the shower-head while I showered. My doctors had stated that as long as the incision didn't get soaked (as in submerged), it and I would be fine. I never really trusted that notion, hence my showers at home with the incision outside of the water, but I had no real choice at drill. So after the shower, no problems, well except the fact that my underwear went MIA, but no problems with the incision.
Fast forward, its Wednesday night, I noticed that the tape on my incision was wet. IT HAS NEVER BEEN WET FOR THIS LONG. It generally dries directly after showering. I also noticed, that it looks like there may be a "puss" coming from the tape. I am not sure though. My reaction... OH SHIT!
Next Day... more of the same except for there is a little pain now. My reaction...Oh FUCK!
Friday, after work. This GD thing hurts! It feels like pins and needles back there. WTF!?! So i began the process of removing the tape. I unleash the nastiest looking infected section of month old incision, I have ever seen. Its too late to call my surgeon or his nurse, so I began to clean it with peroxide and apply clean gauze 2x daily, my reaction... FUCK ME!
I am now on an anti-biotic, and have had my recovery timetable pushed back a week. That damn shower!
Anyway, I posted that video, not as a nastalgic memory of last years comedic experience with a plane, rather to illustrate my reaction to seeing my leg after a fateful shower at drill. "Shit", "Oh Fuck" and "Fuck Me" were phrases that described my reaction.
So, again, I took a shower on Sunday of drill. I have been using a shower seat at home when I showered. I had the ability to keep my incision relatively dry by putting my leg outside of the range of the water while seated. I had no such luxury at drill. So in the enclosed space of a standard military shower, essentially, my incision was directly under me and the shower-head while I showered. My doctors had stated that as long as the incision didn't get soaked (as in submerged), it and I would be fine. I never really trusted that notion, hence my showers at home with the incision outside of the water, but I had no real choice at drill. So after the shower, no problems, well except the fact that my underwear went MIA, but no problems with the incision.
Fast forward, its Wednesday night, I noticed that the tape on my incision was wet. IT HAS NEVER BEEN WET FOR THIS LONG. It generally dries directly after showering. I also noticed, that it looks like there may be a "puss" coming from the tape. I am not sure though. My reaction... OH SHIT!
Next Day... more of the same except for there is a little pain now. My reaction...Oh FUCK!
Friday, after work. This GD thing hurts! It feels like pins and needles back there. WTF!?! So i began the process of removing the tape. I unleash the nastiest looking infected section of month old incision, I have ever seen. Its too late to call my surgeon or his nurse, so I began to clean it with peroxide and apply clean gauze 2x daily, my reaction... FUCK ME!
I am now on an anti-biotic, and have had my recovery timetable pushed back a week. That damn shower!
What is Battle Assembly Like as an Injured Company Commander? Part 2
So after all the questions had passed, the logistical question of how the "F" I was supposed to get around all weekend was in front of me. Especially since the unit would be conducted basically mounted movement to conduct convoys in the woods. I decided to get a van, a driver (Morrison, you rocked!) and essentially hop through the snow, ice and slush in order to...
1. Act as observer on the lanes
2. Escort Battalion visitors around
3. Provide AAR comments on the lanes
The only thing I would redo on Saturday was the fact that most of my unit bedded down at around midnight. It sucked to be us that night.
Sunday afternoon started with a shower. This shower has cost me in so many ways, I care not to discuss it in much detail now, but I will talk about my Achilles setback later. Anyway, on the way to the shower, which is a 30 second hop from my office, I lost my underwear. I did not notice that I had lost said drawers until I got out of the shower. Butt-ass naked, I desperately searched for this damn pair of Ralph Lauren boxers until CW3 Dietrich walked into the bathroom. I looked over and said "Chief, I think I lost my underwear". His reply "Thats what those were", he leaves the bathroom, and returns with lost underoo's. He then jokes later that he bet the reason I am alive today is that no father of any girl I have ever dated has ever walked in on me naked and looking for my underwear. I concur! This story has no literal significance, but metaphorically it shows how the unit "picks up for" their injured Commander. HOOAH!
Sunday was pretty cool because I got to do three awesome things. I got to promote previously mentioned CW3 Dietrich to CW4 twice, and re-enlist one of my most dedicated NCO's, SSG Brown. Yes, I promoted Chief twice, yep, sure did. I would do it again if I have too, I would promote him every damn day if possible, he has been a mentor for me for a long time now, and I appreciate what he has done in his military career. Btw, It was pretty priceless to see me crutch to formation, promote someone and hop away. Only in the ARMY! All in all, it was a great weekend, except for one thing... To BE CONTINUED!
1. Act as observer on the lanes
2. Escort Battalion visitors around
3. Provide AAR comments on the lanes
The only thing I would redo on Saturday was the fact that most of my unit bedded down at around midnight. It sucked to be us that night.
Sunday afternoon started with a shower. This shower has cost me in so many ways, I care not to discuss it in much detail now, but I will talk about my Achilles setback later. Anyway, on the way to the shower, which is a 30 second hop from my office, I lost my underwear. I did not notice that I had lost said drawers until I got out of the shower. Butt-ass naked, I desperately searched for this damn pair of Ralph Lauren boxers until CW3 Dietrich walked into the bathroom. I looked over and said "Chief, I think I lost my underwear". His reply "Thats what those were", he leaves the bathroom, and returns with lost underoo's. He then jokes later that he bet the reason I am alive today is that no father of any girl I have ever dated has ever walked in on me naked and looking for my underwear. I concur! This story has no literal significance, but metaphorically it shows how the unit "picks up for" their injured Commander. HOOAH!
Sunday was pretty cool because I got to do three awesome things. I got to promote previously mentioned CW3 Dietrich to CW4 twice, and re-enlist one of my most dedicated NCO's, SSG Brown. Yes, I promoted Chief twice, yep, sure did. I would do it again if I have too, I would promote him every damn day if possible, he has been a mentor for me for a long time now, and I appreciate what he has done in his military career. Btw, It was pretty priceless to see me crutch to formation, promote someone and hop away. Only in the ARMY! All in all, it was a great weekend, except for one thing... To BE CONTINUED!
Monday, February 22, 2010
What is Battle Assembly Like as an Injured Company Commander? Part 1
Its definitely a sight to see for sure. First off, lets talk about prep. You never realize that your gear is all over the place until you have to track equipment down in three separate levels of the house. It took some three hours to accumulate, wash and pack all necessary items for this weekend, even with the help of wifey. It was crazy, and I knew my weekend was off to one hell of a start. Wifey left at about 7, so I was stuck, and had to the carry the equipment to the car, by myself! I literally carried a 60lb ruck on my back to the car, hopping on one leg the whole way (Yes I weighed the bag, and my crutches were dangerous to use in the snow!)
Then there is the car ride. Again, I am driving left footed, and will test your car's frame if you get too close. Anyway, if you think about the body position of someone who is driving left footed, in order to get the left foot near the pedal, the driver must cross his/legs and slightly turn the body. This is NOT a comfortable position. I had never realized it before because I hadn't made a long drive yet, but this body position is the WORST! There was some other craziness that occurred that night that requires its own damn blog entry, just know, I arrived at the hotel at 3am and I didn't sleep much after that either.
BA morning number 1. Rise and shine, I go to shower. I realize, "I don't have a handicap room. How the F am I supposed to get in that damn tub to shower?" My solution... "Well I am on Army time, lets try a combat roll into the tub!" What ensued was an outrageous barrel roll over the tub wall that you could possibly imagine. I have been researching funny rolling videos on Youtube to give you all an idea of this madness. I havent found one yet that does my roll justice! So, after my shower experience, I pack that ruck up on my back and head to the car. Get to car to realize, I left my car keys in the room. Expletives flew, luckily, I am pretty fast on crutches so no problem. I went back and retrieved the aforementioned keys. I get to Atterbury and greet the troops. Approximately 100 troops were on ground and about 46 of them are friends with me on Facebook, so they are aware of the injury. The other 54 asked 1 million questions... IT WAS CRAZY. This prompted me to make a PA Announcement about the injury, about this blog, and about not being my FB friend! I am close to issuing a command directive in writing to my troops to become my FB friend, I promise! Abuse of power my ARSE!!!
Part 2 to come shortly!
Then there is the car ride. Again, I am driving left footed, and will test your car's frame if you get too close. Anyway, if you think about the body position of someone who is driving left footed, in order to get the left foot near the pedal, the driver must cross his/legs and slightly turn the body. This is NOT a comfortable position. I had never realized it before because I hadn't made a long drive yet, but this body position is the WORST! There was some other craziness that occurred that night that requires its own damn blog entry, just know, I arrived at the hotel at 3am and I didn't sleep much after that either.
BA morning number 1. Rise and shine, I go to shower. I realize, "I don't have a handicap room. How the F am I supposed to get in that damn tub to shower?" My solution... "Well I am on Army time, lets try a combat roll into the tub!" What ensued was an outrageous barrel roll over the tub wall that you could possibly imagine. I have been researching funny rolling videos on Youtube to give you all an idea of this madness. I havent found one yet that does my roll justice! So, after my shower experience, I pack that ruck up on my back and head to the car. Get to car to realize, I left my car keys in the room. Expletives flew, luckily, I am pretty fast on crutches so no problem. I went back and retrieved the aforementioned keys. I get to Atterbury and greet the troops. Approximately 100 troops were on ground and about 46 of them are friends with me on Facebook, so they are aware of the injury. The other 54 asked 1 million questions... IT WAS CRAZY. This prompted me to make a PA Announcement about the injury, about this blog, and about not being my FB friend! I am close to issuing a command directive in writing to my troops to become my FB friend, I promise! Abuse of power my ARSE!!!
Part 2 to come shortly!
Monday, February 15, 2010
I Got Booted
I have boycotted my blog. I refused to post until I had a real change in my Achilles situation. I mean, you all could read about my random rants about everything (Go Saints!!!), and never actually get any info about my rehab. That's because the next step in the recovery was getting fitted for my walking boot. The boot was supposed to be in last week, however, it has been delayed on several occasions. So on Friday, I finally got it. The boot essentially locks my foot in the downward pointing position (approx 15 degrees). I have unlimited ability to move the foot down more, but the foot cannot pass the 15 degree mark coming up. The are medical terms to describe this as well. Currently my Dorsi-Flexion is fixed at 15 degrees, however my Plantar-Flexion is unlimited. (I am learning cool stuff) I will not be able to walk until the boot is in the neutral position (0 degrees). I promise to add a picture of this moon boot.
In other news, I AM INDEPENDENT. I have endeavored into left footed driving. I go sick of waiting on Nikki to take me places so I got proactive and taught myself how to drive with the other foot. I am pretty good, however if you don't want me to test the abilities of your car's frame like this:
I advise you to stay off the road Mon-Fri at 8:00-9:00 am or 4:00-5:00pm. Just sayin!
I also have a handicap pass. HA! Close parking and sympathy, ALL IN ONE!
One other note. The Winter Olympics just started. Last night I watched pairs figure skating. The current leaders after the short program were Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo from China. The reason I mention this is a few years ago Hongbo tore his Achilles. Here is what he can do now:
Needless to say, I get recovery motivation from everywhere I can!
In other news, I AM INDEPENDENT. I have endeavored into left footed driving. I go sick of waiting on Nikki to take me places so I got proactive and taught myself how to drive with the other foot. I am pretty good, however if you don't want me to test the abilities of your car's frame like this:
I advise you to stay off the road Mon-Fri at 8:00-9:00 am or 4:00-5:00pm. Just sayin!
I also have a handicap pass. HA! Close parking and sympathy, ALL IN ONE!
One other note. The Winter Olympics just started. Last night I watched pairs figure skating. The current leaders after the short program were Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo from China. The reason I mention this is a few years ago Hongbo tore his Achilles. Here is what he can do now:
Needless to say, I get recovery motivation from everywhere I can!
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
I HAVE BEEN SLACKING
I really haven't had a substantial post in 4 days. Lets get on that! First, I left the house on Friday for the first time in a week. I wish it was for a more glamorous purpose, but it was to go get an Indiana Driver's License (BOO!!!) I was happy with the service. My first social outing was a movie with the wife on Saturday. We saw "Up In The Air." Interesting movie! And then there was Monday!
My Post Operation Check-Up did not go according to plan. So first they unveiled the scar to me. Its about a 4 inch scar that resides vertically on the back of my leg. The incision is still healing and tape is still attached to it. I have dissovable suchres, so there will be no need to have stitches removed. There was no blood in the wrapping which means there were no complications post surgery. My leg has lost almost all muscle mass it once contained. In comparison to my left leg, the injured limb is about 75% of the size of the right and shrinking. I have pretty skinny legs anyway, and this makes it no better. This could also be the result of the extended exercise my left leg is getting right now.
Next, the nurse comes and tells me that the boot I have been waiting for isn't in yet. BUMMER!!! She then states that they may put me in a cast... NOOOOO! This is problematic for several reasons. I have not take a full shower since the surgery, and I really want to. The removable boot could be taken off, a cast cannot. This means no shower until the boot gets there. Plus, casts get dirty, they are less comfortable, my toes would still be exposed (is cold outside!), etc. So I tried to reason with the doctor into some other remedy. His response... keep the splint (removable) and shower. YES!!! I can get clean!
I am getting increasingly sick of sitting in this house. I am going to be practicing left foot driving so I can escape. I am going to work, NO MATTER WHAT, next week. Sick of being bored. Tired of no human interaction during the day. DONE!
My Post Operation Check-Up did not go according to plan. So first they unveiled the scar to me. Its about a 4 inch scar that resides vertically on the back of my leg. The incision is still healing and tape is still attached to it. I have dissovable suchres, so there will be no need to have stitches removed. There was no blood in the wrapping which means there were no complications post surgery. My leg has lost almost all muscle mass it once contained. In comparison to my left leg, the injured limb is about 75% of the size of the right and shrinking. I have pretty skinny legs anyway, and this makes it no better. This could also be the result of the extended exercise my left leg is getting right now.
Next, the nurse comes and tells me that the boot I have been waiting for isn't in yet. BUMMER!!! She then states that they may put me in a cast... NOOOOO! This is problematic for several reasons. I have not take a full shower since the surgery, and I really want to. The removable boot could be taken off, a cast cannot. This means no shower until the boot gets there. Plus, casts get dirty, they are less comfortable, my toes would still be exposed (is cold outside!), etc. So I tried to reason with the doctor into some other remedy. His response... keep the splint (removable) and shower. YES!!! I can get clean!
I am getting increasingly sick of sitting in this house. I am going to be practicing left foot driving so I can escape. I am going to work, NO MATTER WHAT, next week. Sick of being bored. Tired of no human interaction during the day. DONE!
Friday, January 29, 2010
I HAVE A FOLLOWER
My goodness! After 1 week and 130 views, I finally have a follower. YES!
A retraction from yesterday, Olin Kreutz did not have surgery on his Achilles Tendon, but a bone spur near the tendon. Damnit, I thought I had a friend!
Read about it here:
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/2017682,CST-SPT-bsep29.article
A retraction from yesterday, Olin Kreutz did not have surgery on his Achilles Tendon, but a bone spur near the tendon. Damnit, I thought I had a friend!
Read about it here:
http://www.suntimes.com/sports/football/bears/2017682,CST-SPT-bsep29.article
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