Jayniana Jones Discovers the Secret Grotto

[Jayniana Jones]

I'm a bit behind on my activity on the forum because of craziness. I'm finding myself yearning for a peaceful spot, which means I'm not making things that are important to me a priority. With that in mind, my goals for this challenge are: 

 

Maintain my yoga streak.

I'm totally amazing myself with this one. I've done yoga for 303 days straight. It's the only thing I've stayed consistent with despite intense schedules, ACL replacement (knee surgery), ankle tendinitis, travel, and juggling family needs. At the moment, it's probably one of the best things for my mind and I plan to keep it going. 

 

Resume my knee rehab and improve my swimming.

My knee rehab hasn't been happening due to ankle tendinitis and not being able to stand for long periods or walk very far. My ankle is doing better, so I'm hoping that soon I'll be able to actually do the exercises that will get me back to my old sports (climbing, taekwondo, advanced yoga poses, hiking in the woods). In the mean time, swimming seems to be a good alternative.

 

My goal is to get to the pool at least 3 times a week. I'm not a super huge fan of swimming because I find it boring. However, it is one of the few activities I can do without pain at the moment. I figure I can either complain - boo!  Or learn how to make it fun - yeah! My first goal is to master the front crawl. My coordination needs improvement. I found a site that gives some suggested drills to master the technique (http://www.enjoy-swimming.com/learn-how-to-swim.html). I figure I'll see how it goes. Right now, if I push myself, I can get one length of the pool (25 yards) in 27 seconds. I think if I can get all limbs, head, and breathing sorted out I'll be able to go much faster.

 

Edit my novel.

I've had much angst over the last few weeks about whether or not to participate in NanoWriMo (write 50,000 words in a month). It's been a tradition, but because of some major things going on in life I decided not to subject myself to the pressure. Instead, I want to finish editing my novel draft so that it is ready to send out by the end of the year. This round I'd like to do a minimum of 15 minutes 5 days a week editing my novel. Because of unpredictability, if I get 2 hours and 15 minutes in per week it counts as meeting my minimum even if it is done in a day versus 5.

 

Paint

Painting is my outlet for relaxation and I've dropped it the last few rounds. However, after having a migraine that wiped me out for a week, I figure I better work in a little relaxation. At least two times a week, I'd like to paint. In order for it to count, I need to post it here. I think I'll schedule a couple times on my calendar so that I don't forget.

 

That's my plan until something hits the fan... 

[SaltyDragon]

Excellent! Looking forward to the paintings!!

[Jayniana Jones]

Yesterday was awesome. It was a gorgeous 63-degree day and I spent it with my teens, mom, niece, nephew, and sister-in-law. Everyone but me pushed my mom around in her sporty new wheelchair. I was super concerned about my mom's pain level and she was more concerned with my ankle. I used crutches to cover the zoo. I learned a few things with my crutches: it's hard to keep up with a 15, 14, 10, and 9 year-olds while they push a wheelchair down slopes and doing 5 miles on crutches after not using them for five months makes for stiff arm muscles. However, the achy arms and wrists were worth it because my ankle hardly hurts today. My mom had a blast which makes it doubly worth it.  

 

I slept terribly last night because of major pain in my shoulders (I'm pretty sure the shoulder pain was from worry and not the crutches because ibuprofen and acetaminophen did nothing to relieve the pain.). I fell asleep about 5am and woke just after 9. My routine was completely messed up, so my yoga session will happen right after I post this. It'll be day 305.

 

Here's my painting mid-way.  I got a bit absorbed in painting and my hour sped by. The painting is only 8"x6".  I thought I'd finish it tonight but I'm a bit rusty on my acrylics. It doesn't look like much, but I'm removing my training wheels and teaching myself to paint without any instructional video. I'm an excellent copy machine but struggle when I'm left to my own devices. I'm pretty sure it's just insecurities, but the only way to get better is to practice.

 

 

[Jayniana Jones]

Painting post! I'm not quite done, but just about.  I ran out of time because I need to take my teens to the pool as soon as I clean up my paint covered hands and brushes. 

 

Last night I worried that my painting would be a disaster when I finished it. Now, I'm feeling a bit better about how it will look when I'm done. Time really flies when I have a paintbrush in my hand. 

[SnowOwl]

Well done! It really looks 3D.

[Vibrantella]

Lovely painting, looking forward to more!

 

Your yoga streak is amazing!  I hope your ankle is better.

[SaltyDragon]

The family outing sounds wonderful – I'm glad everyone had a nice time. Also glad your ankle is doing better. And I really like your monarch. She's lovely!

[Jayniana Jones]

Sometimes I wonder how a week speeds by so fast... I'm struggling mentally. I don't feel like there is a lot going on (well, relative to what's been thrown at me in past months) but I feel like I'm barely able to keep up with things. 

 

Here're my weekly stats:

• My yoga streak continues. Today was day 314. 
• Swimming happened 2 out of 3 times this week. I'm getting faster. I'm definitely no match for any of the swim team members that swim at the pool, but I can at least do two lengths without losing form. There was a bit of an emergency (everything is ok) that popped up on Tuesday a couple hours before I planned to go to the pool. So the pool got dropped. My ankle is still a bugaboo. I meet with a different podiatrist this week for a second opinion. 
• For time spent editing my novel, I hit 4 out of 5 days. However, I've logged 4 hours for the week so I met the weekly goal. 
• Painting happened on Monday and Saturday. I finished my monarch (acrylic) and then switched to watercolor in my sketchbook. My brain had problems switching mediums. The watercolor is pretty rough. Sorry about the lighting for the birch. 

Overall, a successful week despite myself.

 

 

[Jayniana Jones]

I met with a different podiatrist yesterday. I worried about being told there wasn't anything wrong, but it turned out I could barely stand one leg. I'm supposed to stay off my ankle completely. No walking, no weight bearing exercises, and no yoga until I meet with him after the MRI. I panicked about the yoga at first because of the yoga streak. When I relayed info to my hubby he pointed out that the doctor probably assumed I was doing yoga that required standing and twisting my foot in angles. Since I did yoga the day after my knee surgery completely on the floor, I should be able to continue. I had a bit of pity party yesterday because I was given a walking boot (if you've ever broken an ankle it's the same one). The nurse told me I'd love it, but I think she is a bit delusional. As it stands (haha) my leg is now braced from the top of my thigh to the tip of my toes. Lovely.

 

Activity-wise the only things I can do (besides my yoga) is swimming and bike riding (my heels have to be on the pedals). I'll have to have my crew help me set my bike up inside because our roads are hilly. I'm pretty sure I shouldn't move my bike on and off the car on my own to hit a trail since that probably falls under weight bearing. 

 

My status for my goals:

• The yoga streak continues. Today was day 317. I focused on core work today.
• This week I've logged four hours of writing.
• Swimming - I haven't met the pool this week. I plan to go tomorrow.
• Painting - I did one from a memory of a place. It looks like a 12 year-old made it because I haven't figured out how to paint depth with watercolors. 

I plan on catching up on reading everyone's challenge posts this weekend because I have no plans to be anywhere. I hope everyone is having a good week.

[SaltyDragon]

This may fall into the "terrible advice from internet stranger" category, but I think I agree about the yoga. That is, I think there's plenty you can still do without loading or stressing that ankle. Be careful, but I think you can keep going, and I hope that you do!

 

It sure seems like this thing with the ankle came out of nowhere and just won't go away. Here's hoping the new doc can finally help you beat it. Is the knee doing all right, at least?

[Vibrantella]

Great that you can adapt your yoga in such a way that you don't aggravate your ankle - that streak is very impressive!

 

I hope you feel better soon, and to that end, how would you feel about giving your body some rest, for healing purposes?  I've always been a lazy so-and-so, and an injury would give me a good excuse not to do anything; you, on the other hand, are still doing the yoga - do you really need to cycle and swim without a break?  Just a thought.

[Jayniana Jones]

On 11/16/2016 at 10:00 PM, SaltyDragon said:

 

It sure seems like this thing with the ankle came out of nowhere and just won't go away. Here's hoping the new doc can finally help you beat it. Is the knee doing all right, at least?

So far my knee appears to be doing well. My calf is starting to atrophy from using crutches and the walking boot. I'm not sure there's anything I can do about that at the moment. I'm hoping the little detail won't cause any problems with the knee. I do have a follow-up appointment with my knee surgeon in two weeks. Last round he wasn't concerned with me being forced to slow down since this was my second ACL surgery. Hopefully, that's still the case.

 

[Jayniana Jones]

On 11/17/2016 at 8:42 AM, Vibrantella said:

Great that you can adapt your yoga in such a way that you don't aggravate your ankle - that streak is very impressive!

 

I hope you feel better soon, and to that end, how would you feel about giving your body some rest, for healing purposes?  I've always been a lazy so-and-so, and an injury would give me a good excuse not to do anything; you, on the other hand, are still doing the yoga - do you really need to cycle and swim without a break?  Just a thought.

Thanks.  I haven't been as diligent with the cycling and swimming because of my lazier side. My excuse for the cycling is that I have to have someone get my bike down from the rafters in the garage. It's been there since the temps dropped. The pool has been challenge to get to on a regular basis because the hours are more college student friendly than "normal" adult friendly. My schedule is flexible enough that I can go in the middle of the day I just don't think of it. As for resting my leg (my hubby agrees with you) is probably more critical that I want to admit. He's been silently giving me "I told you so" and "I'm not surprised" looks since I met with my current doctor. However, I've noticed that when I swim I'm less likely to cheat by walk without my gear because I've burned a bit more energy. Speaking of gear, I'll post a picture of my fabulous leg setup. It depressed me for a couple days and now I can't help but laugh because it's so crazy.

[SnowOwl]

My husband keeps telling me to set alarms on my phone to remember things during the day. Someday I'll actually try it. Sounds like it might help you get swimming so you can heal up.

[Jayniana Jones]

Ah, the rollercoaster of cancer. This post may be a bit more personal because my emotions are pretty raw. I just felt like I needed to recap the last week on the forum. 

 

My mom has continued to struggle with pain. She is now wheelchair bound. The pain inhibitor she had placed in her isn't working as well as we had hoped. That means it's either not working or the tumors in her body continue to grow. My family came together for Thanksgiving and it was hard to pretend to be normal when I know that this was probably our last Thanksgiving as a family. Despite this, I'm grateful for it. The only frustrating thing about Thanksgiving (besides not having a working magic wand to heal my mom) was my younger brother's girlfriend (she's about the age of my mom, my brother is 33). She kept trying to get all of us to discuss our feelings about my mom's cancer. (This is the first time they've been by since June.) At one point, I wanted to shout at her, "It's a holiday! Can we just enjoy each other's company and find positive things about the moment?" I'm not sure what she expected us to do. Sit and stare gloomily at each other? Talk about the fact that time is ticking and that my mom might not make it to Christmas? Seriously? The know-it-all girlfriend had many opinions that she felt she needed to share about what we should be doing and what we're 'doing wrong', but she didn't have the courtesy to ask questions to truly evaluate our situation. We did our best to ignore it and do our tradition of sharing stories, making jokes, and loving on my mom. I don't think we needed to be reminded of her cancer. We've talked plenty about it over the last few months and I'm sure we'll continue to do so. The hardest thing was my mom needed to take a nap and wanted us to wake her before we left. When it was time to wake her, she couldn't get out of bed because the pain was so severe. She didn't want us to come in, so we left with heavy hearts. 

 

Today is the first day I haven't driven anywhere for the last week. Most of my days have been spent driving back and forth to help my parents out. During the last week of this challenge, the only thing that has been a constant is my yoga streak. Today is day 326. I started the streak on a whim, but I think it's the thing that keeps me from completely falling apart.

 

Painting happened twice this week (see below). It was a handy escape from sadness. The bird one was inspired by something I had seen in a store a few months ago. The orange one was an experiment with painting a mood. I attempted to paint an interpretation of passion. It felt odd sitting down and moving my paintbrush without a plan and at the same time super meditative. 

 

 

 

 

On Monday I find out if there is a torn tendon in my ankle. I'm hoping it's just overworked. My private fantasy is that the podiatrist will tell me that the pain is all in my head. I'm pretty sure that isn't what he'll say but I like it best out of the other things he could say.  

Here's a picture of my super sexy getup. (Sorry for the bad lighting.)

I'm looking forward to shedding all the hardware. It's almost been 9 months since I could use my leg normally. Over the last week, I've utilized crutches in addition to the boot because by the end of the day my ankle is pretty swollen. 

 

The pool was closed this week because college students are sparse during the Thanksgiving holiday and deer season. Normal hours resume next week. I'm looking forward to it.

 

My writing is getting attention this weekend because I miss it.

 

I feel bad that I haven't been able to keep up on everyone's challenge this round. I miss feeling connected with other adventures. I hope things have been going smoothly for everyone. 

 

Thanks for reading. Have a great weekend.

 

[SaltyDragon]

With everything you've been dealing with lately, the know-it-all just sounds like unnecessary aggravation. Presumably she meant well, but her actions sound really inconsiderate (and probably a little selfish). So sorry to hear about that, and I hope you found some moments of happiness to share with your family. Here's hoping for good news on the foot, and keep up with the yoga – you're still an inspiration around here.

 

As for the rigging... you really wear it well!

[Jayniana Jones]

So bummer news about my ankle. Apparently, the tendon is torn. I have a tough decision.

 

I can try non-surgical options which at this point is staying off it completely until the pain goes away and then do some rehab to strengthen it. The downside is the rehab could take at least three months to do and the ankle could end up back where I started if I walk too far or do a rigorous hike. With this option running, jumping, and yoga (other than the floor routines I've created) would never be able to be done. My guess is rock climbing, cross-country skiing, kyaking, backpacking and other outdoor activities I enjoy would need to be erased from my memory. However, I'd be relatively pain free and would be able to do some short walks.

 

My other option is I can opt for surgery (I'm meeting with a surgeon on Monday). I'm nervous about this option because there is a chance I could resume the outdoor activities I love, but it requires "rearranging my foot" and moving a smaller tendon on my ankle over to support the bigger one. I'm not sure what rearranging involves. This option requires me to be 100% committed on the recovery side because I could undo the surgery with a moment of stupidity and not have a second chance. I was told I'd have to stay off my foot for 12 weeks. I said that was nothing compared to my ACL. Turns out that is just before I can slightly put weight on it. The podiatrist really wanted me to meet with the surgeon for exact details. I did some research and if I do surgery it could be 18 months before I can do the activities that I want to do (possibly longer). This is assuming it works. 

 

Apparently, I very young to have the tendon tear. I have flat feet and my foot is rolling inward. It's a problem more common with older people. 

 

My yoga streak continues. Today is day 330. I almost missed sessions this week because my brain has been elsewhere. I remembered as my head hit the pillow. I'm contemplating stopping but I won't until I know what I'm going to do.

 

 

[SaltyDragon]

Oh wow, that is disappointing news. I don't think I can give you any useful advice, but I'd support whatever you decide. I know it's a tough one, but I think you make good decisions, so here's hoping it goes as well as it can for you. I'm glad you stopped by to let us know what's going on.

[Jayniana Jones]

23 hours ago, SaltyDragon said:

Oh wow, that is disappointing news. I don't think I can give you any useful advice, but I'd support whatever you decide. I know it's a tough one, but I think you make good decisions, so here's hoping it goes as well as it can for you. I'm glad you stopped by to let us know what's going on.

 

Thanks. I've been doing quite a bit of research and have been tempted to ask the doctors if we could just make it official.. cut off my lower leg and give me a super cool bionic leg. I'm not sure if this will come across as funny, but as my hubby pointed out titanium would be much stronger than the weak tendon which will be my end result of the surgery. We had a gallows humor type laugh about it.  

 

I've decided that after I come to a solution about my ankle tendon, I'm going to stop getting my human anatomy and physiology lessons through meetings with doctors who are kindly showing me my results of x-rays and mris and instead read a book or watch a video.  I've become pretty knowledgeable about knees, ankles, and feet. I think that's enough.

[Jayniana Jones]

Well, just because I'm injured doesn't mean I have to call it quits... here's my new thread: 

http://rebellion.nerdfitness.com/index.php?/topic/92349-jayniana-jones-and-the-yoga-streak/