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Archive of ‘Medical’ category

I’m Falling Apart, Blah Blah

The Santana Cam server is down so I am very sad today.

But I have lots to be happy about anyway!

I met with my PT last night and she said it is a GOOD sign that my knee didn’t hurt during spin. She said soreness after is to be expected and the fact that it didn’t last more than a day is also a good sign! She put a laser on my knee which is supposed to help with the pain and did some massaging. I told her how difficult it was for me to keep my knee stabile while in the standing position, which leads her to believe that the problem is stemming from my pelvis and feet rather than the knee itself.

Also interesting to her is the fact that I have the same alignment issues on my right and left side, yet only my left side hurts — and only my left side seems difficult to control during spin.

So for now I have some foot exercises to do in addition to my balancing butt ones. She also wants me to try running 1 mile on the treadmill. She suspects it will be similar to my spin experience — I will feel fine during it and be sore after. I am also seeing my doctor on Thursday so I’ll see what he says. PT does think that if I improve my pelvis and feet, the soreness after spinning/running will cease.

But more worrisome than my knee these days has been my shoulder. A few months ago, I began experiencing sharp, intense pains in my left shoulder and upper arm. It would happen if I bent my arm back to put on a scarf or coat, or if I leaned on my arm. I had an MRI which revealed bone marrow edema and went to physical therapy (not at the place I am at now).

But the pain never stopped. Rather, it morphed. I no longer feel a sharp, intense pain in my shoulder when I bend it. Now, I feel a constant dull throbbing ache that radiates down my arm, sometimes to my fingers. The ache never goes away, although it is intensely worse in the evenings for some reason. I have a limited range of motion in my left shoulder as well, and something as simple as shrugging has become painful and impossible.

The doctor mentioned last time I was there, about 6 or 7 weeks ago, that if my shoulder still hurt in a month I would get another MRI, since bone marrow edema should heal on its own by this time.

I started calling my doctor last week to find out if I could go in for my MRI before my appointment with him this coming Thursday. This way, he would have the resuls right away so we could get started on what to do.

Let’s just say that 7 phone calls and 6 days later, I did not speak to the doctor and therefor could not get an MRI before my appointment tomorrow. He finally called back, though, and told me he was in the Bahamas. Which is strange, since every time I called the receptionist yelled at me and said he was in surgery. I think I’ll start using “surgery” when I really mean “Bahamas.”

So I will update you on that visit on Friday. I am eager to get the shoulder and arm MRI (which will hopefully be Friday or Monday morning) because I am dying to know what is wrong. When the boy presses on the line of pain down my arm I can feel the pain buzzing. Even right now, as I type, I have the dull ache and can barely move my shoulder. What did I do to myself??!

Hair!
In better news, tonight is my haircut at Devachan, the curly hair salon! As you all know, I recently made the decision to transition to my natural curls. Tonight I will get a MUCH needed haircut, learn about my hair and how to style it in the transition and after and hopefully figure out how to not look so ridiculous with 3 curly inches on top and many straight inches all the way through! I brought my before and after poster with me so the stylist will have a full understanding of my true hair so he can give me the best cut possible. My hair is ready to go — they have you come in with your hair dry and cut it that way because of the unique nature of curl springiness. I have read nothing but amazing reviews on the stylist I will be seeing (explains the hefty price tag, but hey, I need to learn this!) and am very excited. I’ll recap tomorrow!

These photos show my current state of curly top, straight bottom!

  hair 001     hair 002

Sante Fe Review
And now, lastly, FOOD! I am proud to announce that the boy and I officially found our favorite restaurant. Whenever we want to go out to dinner close by, we are plagued by our limited options. Amber is a decent default, but we wanted something different, something we could love and go to not as a default but as the place we always WANT to go.

We didn’t know where to go out to dinner one night so I opened up MenuPages and started browsing. I spotted a restaurant that I’d never heard of and was close by. “Have you ever been to Santa Fe?” I asked the boy. “No but I’ve always wanted to,” he replied. And the decision was made!

We both LOVE Mexican food (who doesn’t?) but aren’t fans of the super high price of the convenient Rosa Mexicano. We had wanted to find a good, not so expensive Mexican place nearby for awhile so this worked out perfectly. We immediately walked over. The restaurant was right off a major street, tucked away a little. We walked in and I was immediately happy. It was cozy, with tables on one side and a bar on the other. Walk a little further in and there is an entire dining room. Much bigger than it seems from the outside!

The boy and I have been there twice and the first time we sat at a table by the bar and the second time in the back dining area. Service was impeccable both times. I had a Sangria (my favorite summer drink!) the first time and it was delicious. The next, I opted for their top shelf margarita which was so yummy it tasted like lemonade. They have a major selection of frozen margaritas, which they are known for and voted best in NY in this category in something that I can’t remember. Next time I will try one of those!

We both loved the guacamole, which is a major indicator of whether a Mexican restaurant is good (much like Lo Mein is an indicator in Chinese Food in my family). Black Bean Dip aged cheddar, chopped onion, and sour cream, amazing. I had a hard time deciding between Steak Quesadilla grilled onion, skirt steak, jack and goat cheese with poblano puree and a turkey burger (seems strange but it fit right in!) I opted for the turkey burger but will definitely go back for the quesadilla next time! The boy loved his Black Bean And Sweet Potato Burrito in a spinach tortilla with tomato salsa and rice (YUM) the first time and salad the second. We never got dessert but I saw CHURROS making their way to a table — which the boy has never tried before — so I am sure that will be making its way into our mouths sometime soon.

The menu is large enough that there is a variety of foods I would eat there, but not so large as to be overwhelming. I am a big fan of the drink menu which included a sangria topped frozen margarita!

An observation I made about Santa Fe is that it is always filled with people, but never jampacked or uncomfortable (based on two weekend nights). So far, there has not been a wait but it has been boisterous! I’m not worried about them closing and yet I don’t have to have a reservation to eat there.

I am disappointed that we have so many plans this weekend and won’t make it back there — that is how much we like it! I am thrilled we have “a place” that we both like (it never works out that way!) and can just go to whenever we have nothing else to do, or whenever we want!

Sante Fe is our official favorite restaurant of the summer.

Coming this week: Whole Foods Almond Cake, Orthopedist Appointment, Haircut Results, New Approach to Food

I Spun, I Puppy Watched, I Got Spam and I Learned To Drive

Hi kids and pups. And I mean it when I say pups — I have been watching Santana for the last few days on a live camera feed! She is adorable and sweet and a very sleepy baby. I love her so much I sometimes don’t know what to do other than make smushy sounds and instant message Mallory to discuss how much I love her dog and give her a play by play of Santana’s every move, as Mallory does not have access to this site. She curls up into a little ball to sleep sometimes. santana ball

Sometimes she lies on her side. No matter what, it is adorable. I really want my own puppy so I don’t have to miss my brother’s from across the country. I think it is wrong that I miss Santana this much. If I had my own puppy I could just love it in real life. Anyway…

santana sleep     santana sleep

Funny Spam Comment
I have excellent spam filters on this blog, and sometimes I read through my spam folder for fun. Here is one funny spam comment I received yesterday:

You know so many interesting infomation. You might be very wise. I like such people. Don’t top writing.

I have to say… I agree. I kinda wanted to unspam this so the comment could live on my site for eternity. But then I thought about being responsible for people clicking on that link and getting infected with computer-eating viruses and I decided not to. Although I do think it is important for everyone to know that I have many interesting infomation! So many! Infomation, for those of you who are not familiar, is the fomation of info. It is true that I might be wise. I might not be, though. I like such people too — you know, the ones who have so many interesting information and might be wise. Those are the best kinds of people. I won’t top writing, but if I did, what could I top it with? Playing an instrument, maybe? I always did want to learn how to play the piano… For now, though, my writing will not be topped!

Spin Update
Yesterday morning, upon my physical therapist’s insistence, I took a spin class. PT told me she doesn’t know what to do with me until I test it out and see how I do. I had been seeing her for over a month now and have shown considerable improvement. (Read her letter to my doctor here). So yesterday was the day.

I went to spin with Missy and her sister at New York Sports Club at 7:00 AM. I selected a bike in the front of the room so I could watch my knee in the mirror. Missy and her sister remained in the back. I really enjoyed explaining to her sister that I had to be in the front because I have valgus. I said that! As if she would even know what that was. I felt really cool and medical and smart and sporty saying, “I need to be in the front to watch my knees because I have valgus.” I USED VALGUS IN A SENTENCE!!!

 Class started and I immediately pushed my left knee outwards. It felt like a lot of work but the mirror showed me it looked forwards. It just FEELS outwards to me because that is not the natural way my bone structure lies. A couple of times, I let my knee go normally to see the difference. It was bent SO FAR inwards — no wonder I had problems. Imagine spinning like that multiple times a week for months!

My right knee was facing forwards just fine. I actually remember noticing this one during my spin days. I remember seeing my leg twisting in and looking around to everyone else’s facing forward. I thought there must be something wrong with the way my spin shoe was set up, that it was locking in to the pedal at an incorrect angle. Now I realize that the problem is me!

I used to spin 3 to 5 times a week. It had gotten to the point where while it was a great, drenching workout, it just wasn’t that hard. Well, after not spinning for about 2 months I was shocked by just how DIFFCULT spinning was for me! Within the first 10 minutes my heart rate had jumped to 195. My entire chest was red from exertion and I felt my lungs laboring. The class itself wasn’t any harder — in fact, it was most certainly easier — than the classes I took at my gym. My heart rate stayed in the 190s and 180s the entire class. My max HR was 197, average 181. I burned 470 calories. I was simply out of spin shape!

I didn’t even realize that spinning so much lessened the challenge of the workout. I made a decision that when (if?) I go back to spinning I will only do it once a week so I can get a real challenge and attain the most benefits.

Anyway, back to my knee. While in the sitting position, I was able to keep it stabile and facing forward. Standing in second position wasn’t so simple. I found that even with my greatest effort, my knee still seemed a bit wobbly. It was much better than when I used to let it bend inwards, but it wasn’t as straightforward as I would have liked. Third position was a bit easier since I was supporting my upper body more. Toward the end of the class I found that holding my upper thigh out and tightening the muscles there helped my knee stay in a constant stabile position.

When class ended, I was thrilled to have finally spun again — and thrilled that I felt NO knee pain during the entire class. I did feel shoulder pain, but that is for anothet entry. I was excited to tell my PT, and while I decided that I will not rejoin my gym (too expensive) I would begin taking a spin class every now and then at friends’ gyms.

And then the knee pain started.

A few hours after getting to work, I was sitting down chatting with a coworker when I felt an intense pain in my knee; in the same spot that always bothered me during spin. I figured it was nothing, a fluke and dismissed it. But then I had to get up and walk. And I couldn’t move my knee. I couldn’t straighten it. I couldn’t bend it. My knee was caught in the exact position it was in when I was sitting. I assume the “catching” occurred at the time I felt the sharp pain.

I got up and hobbled my way back to my desk. After a few minutes my knee was no longer caught — but now the pain was constant. After about 20 minutes the pain seemed to have dissipated. I was on the phone with the boy and he thought the knee catching might indicate a more serious problem. He asked me to bend and straighten my knee. I did this and it HURT. At one point it also caught again. I stopped doing this.

Throughout the rest of the day, the knee pain was there. It wasn’t constant, but it was often. It hurt most when I walked. I didn’t feel it while sitting. Later in the evening, the boy and I were walking to the Boat Basin for dinner (YUM) and my knee was killing me.

I think that I was not ready to spin. Which also means I am not ready to run. PT had told me that if I can walk without pain (which I can), then I can run without pain. But maybe I need more time to recover, more strengthening, more stretching. I have an appointment with her tonight and I look forward to hearing what she says. I also have an appointment with my orthopedist on Thursday, so I will see what he says as well.

I was doing my absolute best during spin. I didn’t take my eyes off my knee once during the entire 45 minutes. If I still feel pain, then perhaps my problems are bigger than we realized. I guess we will see… in the meantime, I can still do Core Fusion and honestly? I am liking it much better than spin now anyway.

Drivers License Photo
And lastly…. yesterday I wrote about why I love my drivers license picture. Here is a refresher in case you didn’t read it yesterday:

I never changed my license address when I moved to Manhattan. Three and a half years ago. But I have a good reason!

I, uh… love my drivers license picture. And I was worried that if I changed the address they would make me change the picture, as I somehow entered a loophole in the picture changing timeline. I didn’t want them to realize that I haven’t taken a new picture since I was 16. I am 26 now. But I love that picture! If it were up to me, I’d have this license picture forever.

Like I said, I was 16. I was slightly ghetto-fab, being from Queens and all, so I had the two front pieces of hair framing my face while the rest of my hair was half-up. (Remember half-up!) I had also applied generous amounts of fake tan the night before — in preparation for this photographic opportunity. I was also rocking perfectly applied eyeliner. Because of (despite?) all this, my picture turned out beautiful! I loved it, I love when I have to show it to people, I love the compliments I get for it!

And here you have it… my drivers license! (My middle name is Heather, I don’t know how it got on there!) Also, note how I dotted the i in Dori with a star. And I am actually 5’5, NOT 5’4. My mom is 5’4 so I always assumed I was the same height as her, so that is what I wrote. I used to also assume I had the same shoe size as my mom and spent a few years buying size 7 when in fact I am a 6 or 6.5. Oops.

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