08 April 2016 - 41 Days and counting....

In July 2012 I tore my ACL. Surgery in Nov 2012. I started writing this Trg /Recovery Log because I would be asked 20 times a day how my knee was doing. 8 mths post surgery I started having mild back issues and some hip impingment that i kept fighting through, working around, or getting treatment for when it got really bad. Nov 2014: an X-ray and MRI confirmed that I had bones spurs and arthritis in my hip. Sept 2015: I found out this meant a hip resurfacing (read: form of replacement). I write this for me now, to track things, and to organize my thoughts. In addition to giving my friends and family somewhere to go when they want to know how I am doing. It might also help someone else who has similar issues. I am not a medical professional. I did not stay in a Holiday Inn last night. This is simply my story as I progress through things.  Thanks for reading.
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"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together" -African Proverb
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8 April 

So as I logged to post this i realized it has been much longer than I thought since my last entry. It has been a busy few months, I have seen another surgeon, had 2 sleep studies, been seeing a Demon hunter (psychologist)  once a week and have been managing to get into the gym. So this is bit of longer post. My plan is one post a week (at least until surgery). Yes i got a surgery date a little over a month ago. So this whole journey, that started approximately 8 months post knee surgery will have another transition period or possibly an end which brings a new beginning. 

RIP Lem, you will be missed. 

Yesterday marks the 6 week mark until surgery. Sounds like a long time until I say 42 days until surgery. Considering this hip saga has been going on for nearly 3 years now that is not a long time at all. It also means the start of 14 weeks of suck, or rather 98 days. It is not going to be misery the whole time and rest assured I plan on being present and attempting to enjoy most of this experience. Not many people get a hip resurfacing to celebrate their 40th Birthday. No matter what this is a transition period in my life.

Why am I saying this is going to suck? besides the obvious surgery, post surgery pain /discomfort, needing assistance for everything? I am in the final stages of prep for surgery so I have planned out a few things. Plan one is lots of basic calisthenics . Plan Two is daily Kb swings. Plan three is low carb eating as much as possible.

Plan One preps me for having to heave my carcass around with my upper body for the first few weeks post surgery. Plus it is an idea I got from Coach Selkow that I have been doing since the start of the year. I am simply going to start increasing the volume weekly.

Plan Two is preparing my cardiovascular, glutes, and hamstrings for the trauma to come. My goal is to average 300+ swings a day until surgery. My body is doing this easily so far, my hands are getting a little chewed up though. This will also help when I do my annual fitness test 2 weeks before surgery. I will explain this in greater detail in the next log.

Plan Three helps to reduce inflammation in my body as well as drop my body weight pre-surgery. I know there will be an initial weight gain. Also when your body goes through a period of reduced calories and then gets those Calories back there is usually some sort of hypertrophy effect. So post surgery when I gorge for the first few days my body may just want to build tissue a little faster. The long and short of it is though low Carb eating does have periods of suck.

My prep for surgery still has a few steps to go. I have a few appointments with my physician to get the palliative care sorted out post surgery (Apartment vs Home recovery among a few other scenarios), picking up canes, crutches, cryo-cuff, etc. I have a 2 hr information session as well as blood next week. As well as one more visit with the surgeon before the final day.
So that is surgery and prep covered in a nut shell.

What have i been doing since the last log. Quite simply "working out". No real plan except for my Bench work and doing daily calisthenics. Stay active. Doing what I can when I can. I had no interest to exercise and my mood sucked so I knew from past experience that simply being in the gym daily was better for me long term.

That is something people seem to not realize. You are not always going to want to be in the gym training hard. The only way to get through a valley in life is to keep moving through it. If you stop, you are merely prolonging your time in the valley rather than moving up to the next peak. (That's my motivational speech for the week folks)

I have been spending an hour a week with a psychologist (aka Demon Hunter). The Mind needs to be trained as much as the body. Sometimes we need extra tools or guidance just like seeing a coach for in the gym.

Someone asked me today why do cal it Demon Hunting? "because you don't hunt and kill the fairies in your head" 

I have had a few factors that have caused me to struggle as i previously mentioned. The obvious one, loss of function and ability. Secondly, the chronic pain and inflammation. Third, my sleep. The three factors combined pulled up other things. When the defenses are weak the enemy will find a way in. So spending once a week tackling those things head on is helping. I am seeking answers from my own mind. So in essence I am back on the offensive. I have re-gained the initiative.

Chronic pain wears on anyone, no matter how resilient the person may be. It seemed to be even more bothersome when simple daily acts like putting on socks or tieing my shoes bring discomfort or sometimes pain. Sucking it up on a minute by minute basis takes on a whole new meaning. The inflammation from my hip i did not realize was something that could mess with your brain chemistry. Escpecially when you factor in how long I was going without treating the inflammation, I started working shift work, as well as the normal stress of life.

Working shift work while not being able to sleep well due to an aggravated hip is one thing. I started to realize my sleep and quality sleep has been a long term problem. The longer I slept the worse I would feel. With my shift days I am able to punch out 10-12 hrs of sleep. So length of sleep was not an issue it was quality of sleep. So after reading a few articles. (see below for links)  I requested a sleep clinic.

Sleep Apnea -Elitefts

Sleep Apnea part 2 -Elitefts

2 sleep clinics later; lo and behold I have the wonderfully known sleep apnea. If you want to know what that is in detail click on the articles.

The noticeable side effects for me were:
-depression, mood swings, general malaise
-always tired, bonking while driving, passing out while watching tv or reading (borderline narcoleptic)
-multiple bathroom breaks every night (I am 39 not 89 yrs old), simply waking up multiple times a night (as well as the dozens of times I did not remember according the sleep tech)
-bloating, cramping, joint pain (besides my hip), heart burn (no i am not pregnant or menopausal either)
-concentration or memory problems and vision problems (my vision would get cloudy from time to time, to the point where i thought my eyes needed to be checked)

Short form, I stop breathing while I sleep. Yes this is a problem in numerous ways. I received a loaner machine for a month and then last week I got my very own CPAP machine. In the short time I have had it  I would say almost all of those symptoms have disappeared (my vision has recovered also).

 My energy levels are up. I am excited to exercise and train again. A few other side effects of being on a CPAP machine long term are improved body composition (as hormone levels adjust to normal) and strength increases. So we will see.

"It is not how much you can do, it is what you can recover from" -Matt Wenning 

In addition to my body recovering and hormone levels re-adjusting my mind is able to process and reset every night. Hitting REM sleep is key for that. My mood is improving, i am regaining my normal level of intensity as well as my resiliency is returning. I still have some more ground to cover to I feel myself. I know I am on my way to getting back there.

The CPAP mask is the least sexy thing you can wear to bed but if your waking hours are vibrant, resilient, and confident a few hours with a mask are worth it.
Number one training supplement people overlook? SLEEP.

Keep Moving Forward, Keep Getting Strong(er)