Thoughts for Blair

Hi all,

My brother-in-law Blair recently suffered a severe knee injury (due to a small house fire - long story, but the house is okay) and had surgery today. Please send out thoughts and prayers (if you pray) for him and my sister Amanda, as his recovery is going to be long and painful. Thanks!

I could have sworn I was only 32...

When I was an athlete in high school (and even when I played intramurals in college), I never bothered with stretching or warm ups, and I never put much thought into cooling down either. I figured I felt great and that would never change. Stretching and all that other stuff was for old people, and I had better things to do. I also played sports for about two to four hours each day and never gave that a second thought either. I was young, in good shape, and felt great.

Fast forward to today - I'm only 32 and my body is falling apart! My right ankle is structurally unsound from all the sprains, and the tendon inside it is splitting. I demolished my right knee almost four years ago playing softball (tore the ACL, MCL, and both menisci), and that's never been the same. I had severe tendonitis in my right elbow during high school, and that still bothers me. My left elbow is super sore from - get this - carrying heavy bags on the train. How pathetic is that? And to top it all off, I'm pretty sure I have a pinched nerve in my lower back, as my back hurts and the pain runs down my left leg - a fiery sort of pain. My doctor wants me to have an MRI on my back, but I'm trying to save money for the house so that will probably have to wait a bit.

All these ailments make me look pretty funny from time to time. I have knee braces, elbow braces, and ankle braces. I have ice packs and heating pads, and lots of mineral ice. I wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom and literally hobble to the bathroom, hunched over. Honestly, if someone didn't know better and couldn't see me, s/he might guess that I'm 82 rather than 32. Funny. Sad and funny. Good thing I at least have my youthful looks; no one ever guesses I'm even close to 30, let alone 32.

Anyway, looking back, I'm not sure if my lack of stretching and all the sports actually caused any of these ailments, but it's hard to imagine they didn't at least contribute to some of them. Overuse injuries in kids are becoming more and more common, and I was probably the queen of overuse when I was a kid. Overuse in combination with no stretching, etc. However, even if I could pinpoint all the childhood sports as the cause of my current condition, I'm not sure I would change a thing. I loved every moment of my athletic days! I guess my creaky old body is something I have to live with in exchange for the fun I had back then. Stretching once in a while probably wouldn't have hurt though - a lesson to pass on to my kids I suppose. As if they'll listen...and then the cycle will begin again! :)

In all seriousness though, I do recognize most of these things are not a laughing matter, especially my back. And I worry that I maybe inherited my mom's bones/joints, which means I will be in REALLY rough shape in 20 years (Mom - I mean that will all due respect. I hope you know that). I actually decided to really commit to losing weight via Weight Watchers because I recognized something had to change if I wanted to feel good in 10 years. My poor joints are in rough enough shape without all the extra weight to carry around. Plus, I figure being a lot lighter can help delay and decrease some of the genetic trouble I may encounter later. Even though the damage is already done, I don't have to worsen it by carrying extra pounds. Knowing the potential health consequences of being heavy makes my weight loss even that much sweeter - it's easier to stay on track when I have a concrete reason to do so. I hope I can keep that perspective as I continue on the journey, as it's a long one; a lifelong one really. I guess I have no choice but to stay the course, as I really want to be able to play catch with my kids in a few years or to walk when I'm 70. I don't want to feel like I'm 102 when I'm 52! I can only imagine what that might look like... :)

Fun fun fun (and a tiny bit of ouch)! - myspace blog post

Many of you know that I demolished my knee in May of 2005, and some of you probably know that before that, I spent a great deal of time playing sports (volleyball and basketball teams, two softball teams, and sometimes flag football). Since the injury, I really haven't played much of anything, except for tons of physical therapy and one volleyball match. The injury was devastating for many reasons, but mainly because I've loved sports my entire life and I'm truly an athlete in my heart and soul. The second I got hurt, I knew what I had done and what rehab would entail, and also that I might never be the same.

However, as noted above, I absolutely love playing sports, so I decided to get back into the game with my old volleyball team this season. I did this even though I still cannot forget the sound my knee made as I tore everything in it (it was seriously sick - at least one of my friends in the outfield heard it too!). Thinking about that sound and the way my leg bent makes me nervous to play again, but I'm going to give it a shot anyway.

So, last night was the first game of the season, and despite some weakness/soreness, I had an absolute blast. We lost all three games, but the other team was very good and we hung in there quite well, considering most of us hadn't played in a long time. I really didn't care that we lost; it just felt terrific to be playing again! Who cares if I had to ice my knee twice and my ankle once (my ankle is a different story, let's just say it's not structurally sound according to my doctor)? And that I am quite stiff this morning (walking around like an 80 year old)? Not me. It was fantastic to be back...now if only I could remember how to pass/serve receive! Anyone want to take some time out of your day to hit serves at me? Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Hope everyone is well!

Spring Break - myspace blog post

So, I'm on spring break from law school, which is quite nice. However, I am still teaching and also need to complete tons of internship hours this week (not to mention catch up in some classes), so it's not all that much of a break. At least I don't have class.

This weekend was Amanda's wedding, and it was absolutely fabulous. She looked beautiful, Blair looked great, and everything went smoothly-just about perfect really. I danced so much that my feet and calves actually hurt the next day. Insane, but really a terrific time. Congrats to Amanda and Blair, and all my love to you both! To everyone else, check out my pictures, as I posted a few from the wedding day (including me in the lovely green dress with my hair done).

In other excellent news, I played volleyball last night! It's the first time I really played a sport since I tore my ACL in the summer of 2005, and it felt absolutely terrific to play again. I hit well but passed terribly, but I really can't complain since I hadn't played in so long. Perhaps a softball comeback is in order for this summer...too bad cleats still scare me a bit. If only I could get the sound of the ACL tearing out of my head, and the realization that my leg was bending in a way that no leg should ever bend...maybe I'll start with the batting cages and see how that goes. I would love to play again. Stacey and I are also chatting about recreating the basketball team for next winter, so if anyone out there plays, let me know. We particularly need tall people that can play forward/post...but we would also take warm bodies. Finding basketball players is not easy.

I also went bowling at Park Tavern last night with some of my fabulous law school friends. A fun time was had by all, and you can't beat the deal we got-bowling is free after 9! You just have to pay for your shoes. Rock on!

Back to internship research...