Happy Memory

October 26, 2010

I woke up early yesterday to avoid long queues in the basketball court, which was the designated polling place for our village.

I did pretty much the same thing on the last Monday of October, three years ago, when we had the last Barangay elections.

Do you remember where you were 3 years ago? While I generally have grown more and more forgetful of names and birthdays, I surprisingly have vivid Kodak photos in my head of that long weekend. How my friends and I drank before the liquor ban and listened to videoke singing that Saturday night. How much I panted while trying to run the day after. On the road, along Katipunan Extension, listening to Colbie Caillat singing Bubbly. Lunch with Divine. QCMC - with its bubbles and bicycles. Nanette's burrito.

I decided to relive a happy memory by trying to learn how to ride a bike again.

One bicycle swap and 40 minutes later, I still was at square 1. But I remembered happy, and I just smiled to myself. I would have wanted to stay and linger in the park, or even try biking some more. But I promised Jed and Karlo I'd take them to Yeu, and I didn't want to be late. (Esp. since the last time I saw Jed was 13 years ago.)

I'd go back, do the bike thing again. Soon. After all, the unlikely triathlete will still be one someday. Soon.

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PT Sessions

I met Anne last Sunday. That was for my 1st PT session, which consisted mostly of lying on my tummy for a good 30 minutes or so, with hot compress and ultrasound being applied to my feet.

I would have fallen asleep if not for the questionnaire she was required to go through with me. I think she was one of the more senior therapists, and I immediately warmed up to her because of her cheery disposition. I had her laughing when she asked me for any heart conditions and I replied "broken". ;p

The rest of the session included feet stretching and exercises using rubber tubing. I also had to crumple a towel using my toes. The finale was 20 minutes on a stationary bike. I did 3+km (And applying Coach Ige's math, that would mean effort equivalent to a 1km jog for my legs)

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PT session # 2 this morning was with Anna. More soft-spoken and gentle.

I basically did the same routine as with last Sunday. Anna just recommended though that I do some of the exercises at home. I could look for the rubber tube (she calls it Theratube.) in the sporting goods shops.

I've been recommended to avoid flats without proper support, and to use my rubber shoes as much as possible when walking...

The non-runner really misses running...

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On a happier note, I found myself thinking that Medical City would be a nice place to practice medicine in. Something about its design and scale makes it feel more homey and humane. I guess I'd be able to articulate it better in the next few days.

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Busy

I haven't been able to make time to write the last few days. Been busy. It's actually been a rich 3-day weekend. The kind you want to share about. Maybe that's why I was a bit reluctant to muster the strength and find the time to write. I would have loved to talk more.

:)

I'd have to put off the writing for tonight or tomorrow though. Still a busy day. JCG meeting in and 2 1/2 hours, and I just came in 30 minutes ago after my PT. Time to work some magic. :)

Yeah, I'd still write so that I'd remember, for that time when we can talk already about it.

For now though, it's time to lose myself in my work, in my music.

Flo Rida's been in my head the last few days. Happy, in-the-zone music. Can't wait to be able to run again. This would feel good in my playlist.

Watchin' you watchin' me, I go all out...

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long day. far from being over.

i am so ready to look for running shoes and run tonight.

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I Don't Know How to Name this Blog Post

I don't know the best title for this most, mainly because I don't know how to articulate what I'm feeling right now.

I got home 30 minutes ago. And I'm ready to hit the sack. But I need to articulate what I feel, so I'm trying to muster the strength to write.

It feels like a long day, even if I didn't go to work. I practically spent the whole afternoon and some part of the evening at the hospital -- talking to doctors, but mostly waiting. I was able to tuck in some work and business stuff, but with all the walking around from clinic to clinic, that's actually not that much. I'm grateful at least that Medical City, being (still) fairly new was a comfy enough hospital to hang out in.

I was also lucky to have found my HMO card in one of the envelopes in my room. The checkups wouldn't have to be so costly this way. Picking out the doctors though is a lot like digging in a bag of jelly beans -- you're not quite sure how good the one you got is.

Another lucky strike for me -- it turns out that Dr. Asedillo is an Orthopedic Surgeon who specialized in joint problems. I overheard that he also taught in med school, and his inclination for teaching was quite evident in how he explained my condition, diagrams and all.

He confirmed that I did have bone spurs, but corrected the notion that these were causing the pain. He explained that I could have had some torn tissue and that caused the bone to cement itself, or add protection, thus the outgrowth.

He said that I had 2 concerns -- plantar fasciitis and peroneal tendonitis. Several reasons could be aggravating my condition: using the wrong shoes, my weight and being a heel striker. All 3 of course could be corrected, but would likely take time. In the interim though, I was advised to take some meds, go for PT 3x a week for the next 2 weeks, and to lay off the running. :(

I was such a nerd that I brought my rubber shoes during my consult. I got the biggest surprise when he told me, by looking at the wear pattern of my soles that I had the tendency to underpronate/supinate. Damn. I've been wearing rubber shoes specifically designed for people who overpronate for the last 9 or 10 months. I even remember the time I took the running test to check for my gait. Urg.

Doc said that I could run again after the PT. I breathed a sigh of relief.

That didn't last long though. The rehab med doctor I saw after wasn't as comforting. He told me that the spurs would never go away and that at best, they could strengthen my feet through therapy, which hopefully will minimize the pain. I could try running after the PT, once the pain goes away. But if it returns, it might be best for me to lay off running all together. :(

He also said that I had a quite high arch, which was contrary to what the running machines said. Howell. I guess it's best to trust the doctors.

I might really have been wearing the wrong pair all along. Hay. I should have learned more of the theory last year when I was starting.

While I know that there is definitely a silver lining somewhere (being forced to learn how to bike and swim for instance), I feel... bad? sad? It might seem weird for a non-athlete to feel this kind of a loss. (I can only imagine how devastated real athletes feel when they're sidelined.)

It feels stupid to have signed up for all these races and not be able to run. (I wonder if I can change distances. Ang yabang kasi e.)

Running is good pain medication. It's been the me-time I could have under my own terms. It's indulgence I could justify and not feel guilty about. Howell. Damn. I just have to be a big kid and hold out for now while I can't have it.

How I wish the anchor wasn't so far away. Would have been comforting to talk this out. Eyes blinking furiously now.

Howell. I hope all goes well. Maybe this is just God's way of telling me that I now have the chance to learn how to run properly.

I'm going to sleep this off. I'd be better in the morning. With everything that's going on, the earliest time for my 1st PT session is next Sunday, first thing in the morning.

I was reminded to take note of my therapist's name when I show up this weekend -- Anne. Ok then. :)

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Yesterday's Running Misadventure

I gave in to my body last night and decided to have my feet checked. I was actually fine after my quick exercise yesterday. But, as the day progressed, the pain went along with it.

So it was hospital tripping for me at 9:30, after everything I had to finish for the night. In a span of a month or so, I have seen the insides of Capitol Med, St. Luke's at the Fort, and the fairly new Makati Med. Not the kind of record I want to hold, I must say.

The doctor said that they saw bone spurs on both feet. (Both feet! Akalain mo nga naman! Mana sa amo ang dalawang paa ko, hindi marunong pareho magpatalo! Hay.)

What are bone spurs? According to the doctor and my research, they're basically excess growth / projections along the edge of the bone. According to Doc Che, there is no single isolated cause for this and it happens to many people. The xray technician though was saying that it might be due to my running since it's a high-impact sport.

They bandaged my foot to alleviate the pain. While it looks goofy having both your feet wrapped up, I must say that I'm glad they did. The extra support is actually helpful.

I was very lucky to be wearing my Accel slippers last night. They're the kind that you can adjust so it was actually able to accommodate my bulky bandaged feet, still allowing me to drive home. Over a year after I got them, I realized that it was really fortuitous that they were given to me. (Just goes to show that maybe things really do happen in our lives for a reason.)

Extreme cases require surgery for treatment. I don't want to have to go through that route. (Lilihain daw ang buto para matanggal. Urg.) Doc Che says that I can still run, but I just might be advised to wear some sort of heel pads to cushion impact.

For someone who doesn't like going to get checked, I easily decided to go on leave today. More than the bothersome pain, the prospect of not being able to run is enough for me to go get help. ('Twas just uncomfy and difficult to have to explain at work that I'm going on SL, AGAIN.)

Gotta get this fixed. I don't want to give up on my running and weight loss goals for the last quarter just yet.

Next task: find my health card, find a doctor. I just might visit the gastro while I'm at it. The past weeks' #2s don't look too healthy either.

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30 Minutes

I was hoping I could squeeze in a quick jog last night, but I ended up having a 9pm meeting, so me-time was bumped off to this morning. It's ok though - last night's meeting was another win, another item added to my list of "winning in small doses".

I did a 15min walk, and then a 30min run-walk which is a 1 min walk for every 5 minutes of running. (thanks coach!)

I'm feeling some pain in my right ankle again though :( Going down the gym stairs wasn't exactly the happiest thing to do this morning. Howell.

Hope this subsides soon.

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