Strained and Torn Calf Muscle - What Happened? (you need to know this)

Hi everyone. Having come back from vacation about a week and a half ago, I was in desperate need of rest from vacation.

But first, an update on my leg condition. It's been hard to walk around since I got back. My right leg still wanted to give out every once in a while, and just thinking about going up and down the stairs caused me to sleep on the loveseat downstairs in the rec room. This is the diagnosis:

So you know when your coach or aerobic instructor tells you to warm up your muscles before you start vigorous exercise? This is the result of neglecting that instruction. This is different from a leg cramp in the calf, which is massaged and relaxes slowly over a few hours or a couple days. A tear or strain (micro-tears) requires muscle repair and rehabilitation.

This is basically what happened:

When I arrived at the airport to go home, I was met with the check-in attendant who immediately said "Oh, here you are!" and then proceeded to radio to the pilot that the "last" passenger was checking in. Apparently the plane was ready to leave early. Never heard of that before! I got a "priority" stamp on my boarding pass so they could whizz me through customs check and away I went.

I ran and ran, and after reaching the hallway of departure gates, mine was at the very end... so I ran and ran again. I was so exhausted, but I just kept running through it until I arrived completely out of breath and a little wobbly in the legs.

When I went to sit down at my window seat, I turned my leg towards the seats to go in, and that's when it happened. It was like someone pushed the inside of my knee to knock me down, and I felt a little "pop" like two pieces of "something" inside my knee shifted. It wasn't painful, which was why I didn't immediately think anything of it. But the pain started after I sat down -- first kind of sore and then every once in a while when I moved it I felt a pinch that would make my flinch.

 Every attempt to get up and move after that (I moved to another seat to give the two ladies I was seated with some breathing room to sit down), my knee would give out again. And each time, the "after-pain" got worse.

I just want to say just how awesome the flight attendants were on my Westjet flight home. I mean -- exceptional. They checked up on me every 30-45 minutes to find out how it was going. They were the ones who insisted to have a wheelchair ready when we land -- just in case. They carried my bags out and showed a great deal of compassion. Yes it's their job -- but I'm saying, they did their job very well without making it into some huge fuss.

The doctor at emergency did just what emergency doctors do. They diagnose as best as they can from the information given, and then give you anything that would require immediate attention. Since it didn't seem like a major situation, a pair of crutches was enough to get me back home.

Next two days just got worse. I was unable to walk on the foot at all, and hopped to the bathroom on my crutches anytime I had to go to the bathroom. I really reduced my water drinking those days! But then it started to get a little better.

Physio started two days ago and Steve, my physiotherapist, analyzed it and gave me some exercises to do, just until it was too sore to continue. The best part was the cold pack machine which they wrapped around my leg for 15 minutes... and every 5 minutes it would slowly compress and squeeze your leg... oooh feels SO GOOD!!!

I'm relieved that I'm walking around without my crutches already. I can almost walk up the stairs normally though coming down is still a real hassle. And today when I received some massage therapy, he found the exact spot of the tear. Everytime he moved over it, I could almost feel the whole length of the horizontal tear. And it was indeed very very painful.

So just doing my daily exercises he gave me to keep rehabilitating the muscle, I'm hoping I'll be back on my feet and walking in the sun by end of next week.

THE KITCHEN:

Yes, there has been some progress in the kitchen. Dishes that were unpacked have all been through my new fancy dishwasher! And it's amazingly quiet. If I don't try to listen for it, I can't hear it. If I have some music on, it might as well not be running, it's so quiet!

I'm working on moving my piano back to its original spot in the room before I do anymore weather and temperature damage to it. I'm a little nervous about the condition of the hammers and keys. But it'll be nice to play music again.

I have lots more kitchen pictures to post, and am working on the before and after shots. I'm excited to show them to you all!

Where I Am...

Well, the trip turned out to be a filled with lots of adventure, but not necessarily the good kind. I loved that I could hang out with my brother and cousins in LA, and get to know my nieces and nephews. And I can finally cross off that "go on a cruise" off my life to do list.

Unfortunatley, I developed a bad cough and congestion while in Southern California. The windy season started and I'm just not used to hot and dry weather. To make matters worse, most of the cruise was very UNsteady. We had a major storm warning the night of embarkment and had to go out to open water to avoid the storm, meaning that the Astoria layover was cancelled. Then nearing LA, the waters got choppy again. It's okay, I didnt get seasick. But it was not fun walking around the ship. And it wasn't pleasant for my brother who was in the cabin with me listening to me shout "Stop moving stop moving" to the ship every 30 minutes.

And to top it off... my knees started to buckle on me on the airplane on my trip home to Vancouver from LA. I had stepped off a 2-foot high curb in SoCal earlier that day, landing with my foot rocking onto my ankle. It was painful for a while, but I felt lucky that it was not a full-out sprain. Now perhaps the steps I took on the plane may have been a result of that.

Well I was brought out of the airplane on a wheelchair. Five hours later, I came out of the hospital on crutches. It was supposed to die down in a few days. But today, when my brother and I were moving the fridge and stove into the kitchen, I had another major buckle and my knee is back to being sore again. Doctor's visit will be early this week, you can count on it.

So to make a summary, I'm sick, I'm injured, I'm still recovering from the trip (I still have to unpack), and sitting here with my leg up to give my knee a rest.

While I was gone, my brother bought some temporary pendant lights ($15 each) to see how the kitchen would look like. Solomon installed the sink and the garburator that my brother bought and found a way to make the dishwasher fit the not-so-good space I was given for it. Other than that really there hasn't been much movement forward. But things are coming together.

THINGS LEFT TO DO:

1. Baseboards
2. Sealant on the grout
3. Backsplash and magnet walls
4. Lining all the cabinetry with cork (ooh can't wait to show you this!)
5. washing all the cooking and eating items in the dishwasher before putting them away.
6. transition strip between the kitchen floor and the rec room carpet.
7. Finish sanding drywall and painting

The kitchen is roughly useable, but I have to be careful with where the water goes since the backsplash and caulking hasn't been done.

Sorry no pics this time... will resume that part next time.  :)