Where's Otter?

     Where have I been? Well, nowhere good, actually. Let's see, I've been in pain, for starters. I've also been wallowing in self-pity and doubt. I took a lovely jaunt through depression and self-loathing and then I somehow ended up in the doctor's office. Only one of those places was productive. 

     I'm not going to rehash all of my destinations; I've been to them all before and they all still suck. Luckily, I'm never very inclined to stay in any of them very long and I always manage to trudge my way back out again. I can say there are better places to spend your time. Let's talk about the doctor's office though. 

     A little over a month ago, after a marathon weeding session in my garden, I found myself unable to bear weight all that well on my right leg. Within a few weeks, if I wasn't sucking down ibuprofen every 4 hours and keeping my knee wrapped tighter than a bull's ass in fly season, I couldn't walk at all. So, like any intelligent human, I called my primary care to be seen for the crazy pain that I was in. they wonderful at seeing me a week after I called (please read that in the sarcastic tone in which it was written).

     She did nothing aside from poking and prodding and then referring me to an orthopedist. Another week or so rolled by and then I went for x-rays and my consult. She confirmed what I had really already known. I have chondromalacia and patellar maltracking.  Fancy ways of saying that my kneecaps don't move correctly, and my cartilage is all chewed up. She said on a scale of 0-4, 4 being the worst condition, I'm currently at a 2 or 3. I'm certainly not incapacitated, but definitely at a point where I need to take some precautions. 

     She gave me the option of either wearing braces on both knees or using KT tape on both knees. I opted for the tape because it's much less cumbersome but I'm not sure I'm using it correctly. I'm scheduled for some PT in a few weeks, so I'll have them show me how to do it correctly.

     In the meantime, I'm trying to get back to doing something. My muscles are ungodly tight, my body just hurts in general, and honestly, my mental state could 100% use the boost of serotonin. I've been a miserable dink to my family, and they don't deserve that. I don't make any secret of being an emotional person. Well, maybe I do like to keep that close to my chest (emotions can be seen as a weakness), but it's true; I'm an emotional person. Working out gives me an outlet to release some of those excess emotions, whether they're positive or negative. I just can't skip it anymore. For the sake of everyone in this house, I need to stay active. I'm not saying I've been miraculously changed into some super disciplined machine, but admitting the issue is the issue is the first step. 

     All that being said, I schlepped down to the dungeon right when I got home and did some upper body and core work with just a tiny bit of leg work. I'm still trying to figure out what I can and should do. I'll learn more after PT. Here's what got done:

SHRUGS:

30lb x50
BENCH:
Mid x10
Wide x10
Mid x10
Narrow x10
UPRIGHT ROWS:
(Bar x10) 4x
PRONE REVERSE FLYS:
(10lb x10) 4x
SEATED OH PRESS:
(Bar x10) 2x
Bar x6, x4
Bar x7, x4
DUMBBELL HAMSTRING CURL:
10lb x50
SWISS BALL KNEE TUCKS:
(x10) 4x

     And with that, I'm done for the night. I'm waiting for the Man of the House to come home and then we'll have some dinner, and some lovely, strong coffee and enjoy some downtime with each other. Maybe I'll even be able to get the girl out of her room to watch a movie with me!