12 week update and timeline

Fabulous news- my orthopedist cleared me for running!!!!!!!! But let's take a step back.

It has been 12 weeks and two days since I was hit by a car. Currently this is where I am:

hip/pelvis- bone not getting sore even when being on the for hours. muscles around it can get sore.
rib- no pain. only noticed when lifting heavy weight and that is minimal.
lower back- no more pain.
ear- not convinced I have 100% hearing, but pretty close.
foot/toe- no longer sensitive to the touch. Calluses have stopped bothering me. Top of foot is a little sore and needs to be stretched out. Convinced my toe was broken. Slightly different shape than the toe on the other foot, but doesn't bother me anymore.
stiffness/soreness- in general muscles are no longer stiff. My hip muscles and calf muscles can get sore on occasion. Knees will get sore with long walks.

Timeline:
Super Bowl Sunday: While running, hit by drunk driver who hopped the curb (actually he attempted to do a U turn, went over the median, crossed two lanes of traffic then hopped the curb onto the sidewalk). Diagnosed with three fractures in my pelvis. Lost hearing in right ear for a bit and was required to take medicine to fully heal the ear drum. Told I could develop a fracture in my ribs up to 4 weeks after the accident.
1 week: Leg and butt is swollen. Black and blue all over my side. At the end of week, can get in and out of wheelchair on my own. Muscles stiff and have bad back and rib pain. American doctor confirms diagnosis. Pee has been a good color so kidneys are ok. 
2 weeks: Stop daytime pain meds. Still have back pain and am very sore and stiff all over. No longer need to take ear medicine. Start practicing on crutches. At the end of week 2, suddenly start feeling popping in rib. Can breathe fine, but rib is very sore. 
3 weeks: Notice muscle apathy in legs and butt. When laying down, cannot lift leg. Start going to PT at the very end of the week. Using crutches more and more. Was able to go up and down the stairs with crutches. Regular doctor visit. Heart rate and blood pressure are up significantly from normal numbers. Severe pain when sneezing. With rib and hip pain, feel very broken and in pain a lot.
4 weeks: Only took pain meds a couple of times at night during the week. Less hip pain, but still back pain. Still have trouble lifting head without support. 
5 weeks: No hip pain from coughing or sneezing. Completely off of pain meds. Back still sore and hurts. Started back at work part time, but foot is still swollen and cannot wear shoes. Starting to get calluses on hands from crutches. Started getting lightheaded. 
6 weeks: Still have bad back pain.  Cleared for weight bearing. Can put weight on right leg. Tingling in foot when putting weight on it. 
7 weeks: Slowly eases into walking using crutches- two then one. Able to use recumbent bike slowly. Foot still swollen, but going down. Able to shower by myself.
8 weeks: Off of crutches, walking unassisted. Using recumbent bike faster and longer. Attempted to walk .3 miles, rested for a few hours then walk .3 miles more. Had bad pelvic pain. Very sore in injured parts. Too much too soon.
9 weeks: Able to get foot into a shoe, but still slightly swollen. .45 mile completed without any pain. Late in the week, one mile walk completed. Regular doctor checkup- still have high blood pressure and heart rate. Still getting lightheaded, but doctor says because of the accident, symptoms could continue for months.
10 weeks: Two walks ranging from 2 mile to 2.77 miles. Started to feel like I was hitting my max for my hip during my 2 mile walk but a few days later could do 2.77 without issue. Getting better by the day. Getting less and less lightheaded. 
11 weeks: Knee and calf pain from standing and walking a lot with flip flops. Still needed cushioned shoes. No more back pain. 
12 weeks: Walked 4.63 miles in preparation for half marathon relay. Completed my first race post-injury. Walked 6.4 miles in my fastest pace yet. Bone is fully healed. Cleared by orthopedist to run. Blood pressure down from high, but not quite at normal amount. 


Today I had my 12 week checkup. I had more x-rays standing then with my leg to the side. At my 6 week checkup I couldn't stand up in order to take the x-rays. I also struggled to move my leg to the side. This week I did not have a problem with either. My orthopedist was very pleased with my progress and said I was fully healed. You could easily see how the new bone looked like the rest of the old bone. My pelvis will always look a bit disformed because the broken bones never really shift back into place. Luckily there will be no lasting effects. I can run and 'go crazy' as my ortho said. Now, I wait and see when my PT clears me. 

Back to reality

I have been a little lax on writing posts because I was lucky enough to tag along to the Dominican Republic last week as part of my husband's work trip. In my head, it was my redo of my Cancun. I missed three days of vacation because I was hit by a car so my goal for this trip was simply to relax.

While it was nice to relax and get some sun, it got me out of my recovery routine. There was no fitness center and no sidewalks outside of the hotel. The driving laws seem quite liberal there so it definitely was not safe enough to go for a walk on the side of the road. Since the beach was small, I was only able to do a short beach walk and some basic exercises. The extra standing and stairs while using flip flops seemed to hurt my knees and calves. They were sore by the end of the day almost every day. This is a good reminder that supportive running shoes need to be my go to shoe for awhile.

Speaking of running shoes… thinking about getting another pair of Nike Pegasus 30s. I really like either the yellow and gray or the coral and gray. 
                           

(source: Amazon)

I have an obsession with gray right now so all of my running gear has been oriented to match gray. I also just bought another pair of capris by Under Armour that are a darker gray. Thinking they’ll go nicely with a coral tank by Oiselle (on my birthday list!).

This weekend will be my first race post-injury. I was supposed to run the New Jersey Half Marathon, but instead downgraded to walking the second half of the relay (6.4 miles). The most I have walked so far is 4.63. I felt fine doing it, but I'm quite nervous that I am ill prepared. There are a number of things that can go wrong- my hip could act up, my knees/lower legs could get sore, I could be too slow to meet the minimum time... One positive: the weather should be ideal- about 50 degrees. The course also should be scenic. I do love the beach :)

Three more days...

Taking baby steps (literally)

Happy St. Patrick's Day indeed! Today was the big day. I had my six week checkup with my orthopedist doctor. After a few x-rays, he confirmed that new bone had formed and I was cleared for weight bearing on my right leg. I am suppose to ease into putting more and more weight on my leg, but this is a huge first step. The healing phase was a long one, but now I can focus on walking again. I am not cleared for running or anything with impact for awhile, however, I can start walking and exercising. 

Once I was at home, I started putting *some* weight on my leg. I put half my weight once to make sure I did not have any sharp pains in my hip (something the doctor said to look out for). For now I am using the crutches to slowly start putting more and more weight on that leg. My foot is very tingly and sensitive, but with more movement and less swelling I imagine that will go away soon. 

I am not afraid of working hard or being sore. Hopefully the PT will push me as hard as she can that is still safe. Ready to start phase two of my recovery!