2 years 3 months - Stepped in snow for the first time!

Sunday, December 7, 2014

I was so excited to see snow today! Also curious how I'd feel. My brother wanted to go on a day trip to Boreal. So we woke up at 6am, left at 630, and got home around 8pm. I did all the driving! About 8 hours of it all with traffic! Boo. 

Last night I had an itch to snowboard and knew it wasn't a good idea. I confirmed it by trying on my boots and stepping into my board. Bending every which way to see if it felt ok. Of course it didn't. The boot squeezing was something I'm not yet use to still. It was pretty uncomfortable. 

Made it up to Boreal with my brother and immediately felt some weird tingling in my ankle. Very similar to a toothache, throbbing. However it wasn't painful, just a weird bothersome feeling.

I was just happy to be able to step in snow because I missed it so much! I was an avid snowboarding that went every year. I sure miss it! I wasn't nervous at all about slipping. I had some pretty good shoes with treads below. Even with these shoes on, it was a bit bothersome against my ankle. No pain, just a weird feeling having something so tightly around my ankle. Something to get use to. Even while wearing other boots that's close against my skin. The snow wasn't slippery. I was a very happy person! Haven't seen snow in about 2 years since the injury! 

I've told my friends I've retired from snowboarding. Sad. Better to be safe. 

2 years 2 months - Went on vacation to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan! So much walking!

Thursday, November 20, 2014 

I'm back from vacation! Went to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan! I went from November 4 - November 17. I walked so much! So much to see, shop, and eat! Food was delicious! 

I went to my relative's wedding in Hong Kong and wore the only same wedged comfortable heels I can and continue to wear. I now wish I purchased a black pair.

For some days, I did wear my ankle brace for support since I walked from morning to night on some days. It swelled just a but I wasn't in any pain. Mostly felt tired. Getting there!

2 years 1 month - Ankle's sore from standing for 40 minutes!

Friday, October 24, 2014 

I went to a preseason Golden State Warriors game with coworkers to line up at the Oakland Oracle Arena for a Stephen Curry bobble head! I know if I stand still for a bit too long my ankle starts to feel a bit stiff. So I did a few stretches here and there every 5 minutes or so.

It was my very first bobble head! Waited in line and stood still for 40 minutes and the line finally started to move. It was an exciting game! The final score is Golden State Warriors 119 to Denver Nuggets 112! I woke up the next day sore! No pain, and felt tired. 

2 years - 2 Years Ankleversary!

Wednesday, September 24, 2014 

Happy 2 Year Ankleversary to me!!!

It's been exactly 2 years since I've broken my ankle! I still can't believe another year flew by just like that. I'll never forget the time I was in a cast for close to 3 months and another 5 months of physical therapy.

I went from crutches, splint, cast, surgery, and a plate with 9 screws. Now back on my feet wearing heels, hiking, yoga, and playing grass volleyball! The top of my scar is just a bit itchy today.

2 Years later, my right ankle scar looks not much different. I haven't used Mederma (Scar removal cream suggested by my doctors) to remove my scar because I want to keep it as a memory and to tell my story. Like my last ankleversary, I consider myself still recovering. I am not completely 100% as expected. I would say I'm about a 98% today. Some day's I do feel 100% and forget I even have the hardware in my ankle. 

I played grass volleyball for the first time bare feet a few weeks ago with some friends and felt no pain at all! Just a bit sore and tired of course. No limping either! I was of course nervous because of some uneven grass but had so much fun! I was so happy! 

Went to the beach last week for a walk and felt 100% for the first time! 

I have taken a break from running since the last time I ran on cement and stressed it out. I still continue cycling on my stationary bike at home at least 3 times a week. Yoga has really helped with my balance! I'm hiking more, now with trekking poles so it gives more support. I do wear an ankle brace for hiking so I don't get so sore after or aggravate it.

I'm so excited! Can't believe still how fast time flew by and to remember what I went through. I'll never forget how the beginning was so tough. I've made it through and now I'm here extremely happy and able to do my everyday normal things again. =) I'll see how I feel in another few months. I definitely feel improvement as the days move forward. I still continue my stretches and some of the physical therapy exercises most days. To another better year of recovering!

1 year 11 months - I felt 100% this time walking around Ft. Funston!

Sunday, September 14, 2014

It's been a while since I've been back to Ft. Funston! It was a perfect nice day to take Pebbles out for a walk on the beach. After about 2 hours there, my ankle felt like it was back to normal! Like 100%!!! I walked on uneven sand, down the hill to the beach, over rocks, and in flip flops!

I felt no pain, no pinching, no limping, nothing for the first time! I wasn't even tired either. It was a beautiful day! =)

1 year 11 months - Played Grass Volleyball for the first time!

Monday, September 1, 2014

Happy Labor Day!!!

I went to have a BBQ at the park with friends and played grass volleyball for the first time! It was a beautiful day! No wind and perfect to play! At first I was nervous because of a few uneven grass and soiled areas. Played 2 games and felt fine! Jumped to spike a ball and landed fine. No pressure on the ankle or swelling at all. Afterwards, I definitely felt tired and now bit sore at home. No limping! It's feeling a bit hot now. Deciding if I should now ice it. Great workout! I'm so excited! I want more!

1 year 10 months - Hiked Matt Davis Trail at Mt. Tamalpais!

Monday, August 21, 2014

LoL I just fell off my stationary bike. I thought something wasn't right. All of a sudden it unscrewed itself. It's just as dangerous riding indoors. I'll find out tomorrow where my bruises will show up...so should I be wearing a helmet indoors?

My ankle has a bit of a pinch but I'm fine. So clumsy!

1 year 10 months - Hiked Matt Davis Trail at Mt. Tamalpais!

Saturday, August 9, 2014

Today, I went hiking with friends at Mt. Tamalpais, Matt Davis Trail!

My friend gave me 2 trekking Leki poles to help me on the hike! I also wore my brace and it really helped! We hiked for a good 3 hours. I felt great! Got a bit tired towards the end on the uphill back.

It was a perfect day to hike, so much green and shaded trail. There weren't too many people either. The ground was very uneven but I did fine. The only difference hiking now with the hardware in my ankle is that I pay more attention looking down on the floor to see what I'm stepping onto rather then enjoying the view. Still I am happy to be able to hike! No pain! No limping! No soreness either! More hiking to come!

1 year 9 months - Hiked Crater Lake, Oregon on July 4th!

Friday, July 4, 2014

Happy 4th of July! 

A friend of mine and I did a road trip up to Klamath Falls, Oregon to stay with a friend and to hike Crater Lake on July 4th weekend! I had so much fun! We hiked up Garfield Peak Trail, narrow, windy, rocky, and picturesque! It was sooo pretty! Saw snow, water, lots of trees, and fresh air!

This time, I purchased a hiking stick to aid me. I also put on my ankle brace since I've learned my lesson hiking in Tahoe the week before. 

Along our hike, I came across this rock to sit on with the most gorgeous views! My friend snapped a panoramic shot of me. It was the bluest water I've ever seen in my life! 

It was a great 4th of July! Fun fireworks show! 

I got to purchase and light my own fireworks too! It was my first time and it was too much fun haha. 

The next day, my friends and I went back to Crater Lake! This time for the boat tour inside the lake! I was prepared again with my hiking stick and brace. It actually made all the difference! I wasn't even sore that much. What a difference compared to not wearing a brace! 

The hike down to the boat was only about a 25 minute hike. It was so exciting! 

The tour itself was about an hour and a half total. The water was unbelievably clear and blue. Everyone was just so mesmerized. The guided tour was great! We learned so much, so much history and beauty of the changing seasons.

I still couldn't believe there was still snow on the crater and we're in shorts in 80 degrees weather. Something I've never done before. 

After the tour, we went for some scenic drives and stopped at Cloudcap overlook with the view of Wizard Island in Crater Lake! My ankle was happy and surprised to still be able to hike for a second day straight! 

The final hike after, was to Pinnacles Trail. It was an amazing straight, and flat trail with views of the volcano spires. It was a great trip! I'll never ever forget it! Though after the second day of hiking, I did feel more tired in the ankle. Surprised I wasn't crazy sore. Yay! I want to do more hikes! 

Here's a beautiful view of Crater Lake from Garfield's Trail.

1 year 8 months - Hiked Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe!

Saturday, June 28, 2014

It's nice to be back in Lake Tahoe! I organized a summer cabin trip for 12 with friends for a weekend trip. So much fun! On Saturday, we went to Emerald Bay for a hike! It was a beautiful and perfect day!

We decided to take the Rubicon Trail.

It was a pretty easy hike. No hills, just a flat and rocky uneven trails. To the right is the pretty blue bay along the entire hike.

Our hike in was about an hour. We stopped at this point to take pictures before turning back.

It was about 2pm and we were all starting to starve. With just a bowl of cereal, grapes, and 1 energy bar to share between 4 people, all we wanted to do was head back to eat a buffet! 

I decided to not wear an ankle brace to see how I'd do. It wasn't good. Glad we found some walking sticks. I started with 1 going in. On my way back, I had to use 2! It really saved me and supported my walk back! I started to limp towards the end and was feeling exhausted. By the time I got back up to the last hill towards the car entrance, I had to take a few sitting breaks. My ankle felt swollen and definitely sore. We finally ended our hike around 4 and was starving. Great hike! But a sore ankle! I had to ice it when we got back to the cabin. Next hike, I'll be sure to wear a brace! Thought about buying a hiking stick. It really helped!

1 year 8 months - Went to Disneyland and wore an ankle brace!

Monday, June 9, 2014

Disneyland! The happiest place on earth! My coworkers and I were down in LA for E3 and decided to go to Disneyland the day before. It was so much fun! A lot of walking though. 

We went from 10:30am - 10pm. I knew I needed to wear an ankle brace for the long days of walking and standing in lines for rides. While waiting in longer lines for rides, I had to shift or stretch every 5-10 minutes or the stiff weirdness begins. My circulation will cut off when I stand for too long. I'll never forget my New York trip with all that walking giving me a bad limp and slow walking by the end of the day. So I wore this very flexible ankle brace by Futuro, purchased from Target. It was the only one that was light and comfortable enough to wrap about the hardware and wear shoes comfortably. Glad I wore it because by the end of the day I felt ok. Nothing like New York. It saved me! Still I was very tired but not as limpy as I expected. By the time I sat down, I finally felt exhausted. I didn't swell up but I did feel sore. A bit of aching too. I always carry Advil as a backup, suggested by the doctor. Happy I wore it! It was great support! I love Disneyland!

1 year 8 months - Got an MRI today

Thursday, June 5, 2014

I had an appointment for an MRI this morning at 8:40am. I went back to the same hospital where I got my ankle surgery on Friday September 28, 2012. I'll never forget that day. This time it brought back eerie memories. I was able to walk up the stairs this time to get to the entrance and not in crutches through the ramp and up the elevator. From my last posts, my visit to my surgeon Dr. Lundy wanted me to get an MRI to check out what kind of party my ankle's been having that's causing me to ache, limp, pinch, spasm, click, and get this hot/burning sensation inside my right ankle where the hardware is. 

After filling out my paper work, I was called in to remove all metal and clothes, and wear a gown. When I saw the machine, it brought me back memories of when I got I concussion from snowboarding back in 2008 and had to get an MRI then. Because I had some hardware in my ankle, the test would take a bit longer to process. The entire session took about 45 minutes of non movement. Luckily I had a choice to listen to music. They only had 2 options, Classical or Pop/Rock which I chose. A few times I almost fell asleep but the noise was so loud. I also was glad to have asked for a blanket that was heated prior. It wasn't bad at all, I did well and did not move one bit!

I came home and my ankle felt achy today. It did click, feel hot, and looks a bit swollen. I actually felt the inflammation on the and around the inside of my ankle. You can actually see the little bulge on the right in the picture below. It just made me tired. Next I'll have to make an appointment to get myself back into Physical Therapy! I'll be back with more updates. Sigh, felt like I'm going backwards... So sad. =(

1 year 7 months - Mom noticed me limping today...

Saturday, May 31, 2014

I had family dinner today to pick up some Zongzi, a yearly traditional food made during this time. My grandma makes the best! It's so yummy!

After dinner on my walk to my car with my mom, she said to me she notices me limping. She asked if I was ok and it made me sad. Usually I wouldn't even limp until after about 30 minutes to 1 hour of walking. I told her it could be the cold, or maybe the shoes I wear sometimes. This is just something that happens. She just seemed very sad and it made me sad. It was the first cold day of the nice sunny week we've had in San Francisco. 

This entire month has been very emotionally tiring. This weird ankle started acting up with the clicking and limping more often then usual. I'll get an MRI this coming Thursday.  I continue to do Yoga, and Stationary Biking. I'll see what happens after scheduling and getting in some Physical Therapy. I feel like I just took 100 steps back in my healing. Thing's just happens.  

1 year 7 months - Check up with Dr. Lundy!

Friday, May 30, 2014

I'm back for a check up! I called in because I was concerned about my ankle being more tired lately, spasms, clicking, and aching. I also mentioned I couldn't carry more than about 35 lbs of dog food when I do shop. I think it was all because of that last time I ran on cement at Lake Merced. It was a few months back and noticed my ankle hasn't been great like it was before then. I tried waiting in out to see if it improved. Then noticed all this weirdness happening.

It was great to see Dr. Lundy and everyone in the office again. Everyone's so nice and attentive as always. I feel very welcomed and made sure I was taken care of. He seemed a bit sad and it made me said to hear that I was his star healer and was doing so great when I graduated PT. 

Dr. Lundy checked my ankle, watched me walk, tip toe, twist it from left to right, and felt the clicking/popping. The clicking sounded like it could be the tendons. I asked about the random heat I feel and it was inflamation. So he sent me to get xrays to double check to see if everything is still in tact. I got to keep the xray CD! I got so excited haha.

It was so funny, I freaked when I saw the 3rd xray and asked why it was floating. Then Dr. Lundy showed me the next middle xray. Said that it was what was holding the fracture site together. The other nails on top and below were for extra support. Everything looks great and the very bottom of the hardware maybe what's irritating me. Moving my tendons and so it can cause clicking. 

I said that I had quit running all together. I'm now only doing stationary biking and yoga. Next I have an MRI this coming Thursday and being sent back to Physical Therapy. I'll be back for a follow up in a few weeks! 

1 year 7 months - First time back at Bikram Yoga!

Saturday, May 24, 2014

My first time back at Bikram Yoga! It's been about 7 years? It was a 10 a.m. 90 minute heated class and I felt like I just got beaten up haha. I came in with a mini migraine and the heat and heavy breathing during warm up helped make it go away. I was already sweating up a waterfall but it felt so good and relaxing. 

I have stopped doing regular yoga for a few weeks and already it feels like I've lost it all. I was doing so good going about 4 times a week now down to 2 times a week and on only weekends. Today, I absolutely lost all balance on my right ankle. These were all the poses I could not do. 

                           Balancing Stick                                     Standing Bow

                              

           Standing head to knee                                     Tree

I will strive to do more yoga and gain back balance to my right ankle. I only lasted about 60 minutes of the class and was in a rested laying down position for the final 3rd of the class. I may have been a bit dehydrated too as my headache slowly came back, also felt a bit dizzy. My ankle is fine. I'll be back for more and hopefully can last a bit longer in my next class. Or maybe just go back to regular yoga. 

1 year 7 months - 1 year Physical Therapy Anniversary!

Thursday, May 22, 2014

Happy 1 year Physical Therapy Anniversary to me!!! 

I can't believe I forgot to write my 1 year Physical Therapy Anniversary on May 7th! 1 year flew by fast. I'm still within the month so it still counts! Yup, that plate and 9 screws is still inside this right ankle. The scar healed nicely, it lays over my hardware so close you can see the ridges of the nails from when you look at it a certain way. 

How I am feeling? For sure not 100% but still a healing process. As of the late few months, I've notice some random spasm pinches that stop me from walking for just a second. I am also noticing some clicking around the bottom of my ankle when I stretch, move a certain way, or when walking. I wonder if it's just the tissue inside that's healing. I also still get tired after walking for too long. It's really random, some times I'll get tired after just 30 minutes, and sometimes I'll last up to an hour before I start to slow down. And anything over hours, you can clearly see my slower pace and a baby limp. Then it feels hot and sore in the ankle. I have contemplated months ago for requesting for another handicap sign because it's a pain to carry my 35 lb. dog food and heavier bags of grocery days. Sometimes I wonder if the running aggravated, and stressed out my ankle. I stuck it out for a few more months, did more walking and still not much of a change. Maybe because I gained a few pounds too? Nooo..... I don't really know. I did schedule an appointment for a checkup with my Surgeon for next Friday to get an xray of my ankle to make sure nothing is loose and hoping it looks well. I have some questions of concern and wanted to see if it was even possible to get a handicap placard to make it easier for me.

I am sad to say that I have stopped running since the last time. I don't want to feel that uncomfortable feeling, being sore for days, and sometimes limping afterwards. I know I was gung ho and so excited at the beginning. But really I do feel like I have extended myself a bit then when I was just started out. I have since picked up yoga and it's really helping me build back my balance on this ankle. Very slowly but surely getting there. I have to be diligent about going to yoga classes often enough in a week to continue the strengthening of my ankle. The teachers are so kind and helpful in making sure I am safe and not in pain. I will be sure not to push myself too far or get too excited with poses like I did with running and over extending my capabilities. I I am starting to love yoga!

Most importantly, I am happy to be walking! A coworker of mine just fractured his ankle and came to work with crutches and a walking boot. It brought back so many memories. Over time, it does get better. Last year I called it my hermit year because I was tired by 9 and became sort of anti social and focused on healing. This year I call it my YES year! It's time to get back on my feet, get out there and do more activities. I continue to do some of the physical therapy exercises. Aiming to eat healthier, and getting in shape so I can one day again try running! I am getting older and need to take care of my body. I am very excited for the next year! I just have to stay focused, keep going, and staying positive along the way! I wonder what I'll accomplish by next year. I'll be back in a year!

1 year 7 months - First time taking Power Yoga class!

Tuesday, May 6, 2014

It's my second day back in the gym! I decided to try out this Power Yoga class. It was extremely fast and I was working hard and dripping sweat. I am feeling the soreness in my entire body right now. My ankle is also a bit sore and tired. No pain! I'm feeling really good.

To my surprise, I was able to hold my half moon pose on my right ankle! However, I was not able to look up like the example image below. I had my gaze on my mat. I was shaky but was able to hold it up for most of that time. I'm so excited! I'm making progress in building my balance back. The teacher made sure I was doing okay. I felt stronger and comfortable since starting yoga about a month ago. I'm excited to do more yoga! 

1 year 7 months - First time back at the gym and took my first TRX Class!

Monday, May 5, 2014

It's my first time back at the gym! I am so happy! I did about 20 minutes on the elliptical machine before taking my first TRX class! It was an hour long of burning! I feel sore and so tired already. There were definitely some moves that got a bit uncomfortable for me. 

The first one was the Jump Squat, example below. I was able to do about 5 before I started feeling tired and some pressure in the ankle. 

Sadly, another move was the single leg squat I was not able to do. I got extremely nervous just trying to place my right foot into the strap and knew that I had no balance what so ever and stopped immediately to tell the teacher I was not able to do this exercise. 

The teacher gave me an alternative to do squats while the rest of the class continues the two exercises above. We did 3 sets of each exercise and more of other the other positions to do with arms and core work.

One exercise I was able to do with my feet in the straps was the plank! It didn't bother my ankle or foot at all. Just that this position made me sweat a ton! Well actually, I was sweating throughout the entire class. Great workout! It was fun and I feel like I got a great workout! I may be back for more!