New blog

I've decided to archive shastalife (primarily because of my technical inability to upload pictures on this blog) and have created a brand new blog! With pictures!
So, I'll be on shastasundancer.blogspot.com. See ya there!

Happy Birthday, Coach!

Scott turned 56 yesterday...he celebrated by going on a ten-mile slog in the rain and snow, then going to Stewart Mineral Springs for a soak and sauna in that hippie enclave. The only thing he wanted for his birthday was for me to make pepperjack cheeseburgers, which I happily did.

Happy Birthday, sweetheart!

Treadmill time!

So much to report!
First, I got my $%#kicker steel-toed boots that I plan to wear to work. They are stomp-proof and body fluids proof, so they fit the bill. Then, I got on the treadmill...very cautiously. Did a quarter mile at 2 miles per hour on the flat. It was very weird...like I had forgotten some of those muscles in my legs. No problem with the foot, so I'm going to ramp it up today to a third of a mile....felt good to actually do some walking, no matter how gingerly.
Later on today, I get to see the orthotics guy and see what kind of gizmo he can make for me so I don't flap around in my shoes once I don't need my dressings any more.
Then, tomorrow morning, I get to go to work! A teeny, tiny shift, from 8 to noon, but, hey, I'll take it! If all goes well, I'll get back to more substantial hours in December, but I'm tentatively scheduled for 12 mini shifts this month. That will bring in some bucks while I'm waiting for my disability to come in.
We finally got some rain here and snow in Mount Shasta. It's amazing how different the weather is in our little banana belt of Lake Shastina. I have to get on the freeway cams just to see what the drive will be like.
Very pumped about Obama getting elected. It feels even better than when Clinton was elected, and that was pretty darn cool.

Wind and rain

It looks like winter is coming to the mountains. Lots and lots of wind, lost power, and rain at my house, but snow on the mountains. Scott is coaching four of his clients today at a race in Sacramento, which should be deluged with rain...a long, but good day.
Hannah sounded like she fell in love with Elon University...her audition was yesterday. She said that 500 people competed for 16 slots, but she has an awesome resume, recommendations, and talent to boot. She doesn't think she'll hear anything for a few months.
My big trip yesterday was driving to Walmart all by myself. That's even better than being able to unload the dishwasher!
Hope all is going with you folks.

Happy Birthday, Mimi!

I wish that everyone had a mother like I do. She taught me the most valuable lesson of my life: unconditional love. This is so incredibly vital and so hard to do in real life. She taught me to be curious, tolerant, respectful, not to follow the crowd. She taught me that life wasn't always fair, but that with quiet patience and strength, even the unfair things could have an element of beauty. She is a pushover for little black labs who put their head on her leg. She loves to play canasta with her grand-daughters. She is an absolutely ruthless Monopoly player. She walks steadily and enduringly with her Lord. She is Dear Abby. She is fearless. She is wonderful. I love her with all my heart.
Happy birthday, mother of ours.

I love Tony Horton!

Read his chat room rant for some awesome tough love....
I think I'll print it up and tape it to the fridge!

So far, so good

Weaning from the crutches has been awesome! I'm behaving myself, but becoming more active, with my doctor's permission. I have gotten on the stationary bike for about 20 minutes for the past two days, soft-pedalling with my left foot and actually getting a little exercise!
Today, I am embarking into Mount Shasta to get my hair cut!!

The weather is still beautiful! It's getting warm in the afternoon, but cooling down a lot at night. The maple next door is a brilliant gold, my birch trees are starting to turn, and the finches are going crazy over their birdseed. The mountain is back to being almost bare...I'm sure that the ski park people are starting to wonder if there will be enough snow to open in November. Lake Shasta is dry, dry, dry...Lake Shastina is the same. I think that it has rained once in the past month.

Looking at working again on November 6th, if Dr. Osbourne okays it. I can't wait!

Good News

I just got back from getting my staples out from my graft donor site. They are very pleased with my graft site and I was given the go-ahead to start "weaning" from my crutches. They took me out of my leg splint, put my foot in a post-op shoe, and said that I could walk little bits at a time! The first place I went was PetSmart, where I petted the kitties while Scott bought dog food. The next stop was Manhattan Bagel...I walked in without even crutches! Then, Scott drove me by the trailhead for Craggy Bob, which was our favorite 5 mile trail loop south of Dunsmuir. He said that as a psychological victory, I should just step on the trail and go about 20 paces, then come back to the car....it was wonderful! Then, I went to see my little horses, Buddy and Bella, who were glad to get their ears scratched. I even walked into my backyard and saw what the greenhouse looked like on the inside.
I have to remember the word WEAN. I will see Dr. Osbourne again in a week and hopefully he will okay me to go back to work.
Good stuff!

Recuperation

Boy, these days are long. I love to read, but not THAT much. That said, I have read some amazing books:

The Crystal Palace
The Reader
The entire Boudica series
A funky vampire book recommended by Dylan
Several pulp-ish garish crime novels.
Dog books

Then, I have watched a bunch of movies...some good, some trash:
Apocalypto---wonderful!
Peyton Place---trash!
Atonement---wonderful!
Swing Time, Jane Eyre, Running with Scissors....

I am so, so sick of not getting outside...I know that this, too, will pass...I hope very soon.

Graft update

I had my appointment with Dr. Surfer Dude, who has become a brunette...must be his Dr. Snowboarder persona for the winter. He is a fabulous trauma orthopod who I will not hesitate to send people to in the future, in spite of his tender years. He was very pleased with my graft, commenting that I had 100% take, with his usual being 80%, but then amending that with "but there's nothing wrong with YOU". I have to keep wearing my splint while up and about, and be nonweight-bearing for another 3 weeks. After that, I will see him and hopefully he will release me to go back to work!!!!!!!
He said that I couldn't start "pounding" my foot for 12 weeks, so I suppose my original goal (pre necrotizing fasciitis) of running Rocky Raccoon 100 on my 50th birthday this February is out......(how did I know this......) Maybe I can walk around the block on my birthday! I'll take it!

Post op

I'm back home, with a big splint on my left leg and explicit instructions to not, under any circumstances, bear weight on that leg until I see Dr. Osbourne (AKA Dr. Surfer Dude) on Monday. I also have a big ace wrap around my thigh. Don't know how big the donor site was, but it was taken from below my burn scar. Even Bermudas may not hide the scar, but, hey, maybe they won't notice the cellulite and varicose veins....

On a non-woe-is-me note, Mount Shasta is spectacular. A nice rain the other day deposited some great snow on the Mountain.. No longer bare and sad, but shining and beautiful. Check out www.shastacam.com.

None of the trees have turned yet, but it's coming. We've got some maples next door that may not be as beautiful as Annie's, but they should be close.

Thinking about bulbs....

Recovery

I can't believe that it's already October. My three weeks post partial ray amputation have flown by...kinda. It seems that the last time I had so much time on my hands, I had a two year old who loved to read Hop on Pop and I did lots of cross-stitch. This time, I'm reading lots of historical fiction and basking in the sun with the cat. I prefer Hop on Pop.
I should have my skin graft procedure done on Wednesday. Outpatient, from what I hear, unless they have problems with pain control. I go home with my old familiar wound-vac for another five days to accelerate healing, and then the touchy part starts. If I am very, very good and cross my fingers, this graft will take and I should be able to bear weight in 2-3 weeks. As my surfer-dude orthopod stated, though, I can't start pounding on it. I interpret that as touch-down weight-bearing. It looks like I'll be looking at mid to late November before getting back to work. Don't want any nasty fluids leaking onto my fresh, new foot.
Scott predicts that within a year, I should be able to do anything I want with this foot. I hope it doesn't take that long.
I appreciate everyone's well-wishes and kindness.
Wash your hands.

A diagnosis

After doing my research, I have diagnosed myself. What I have is necrotizing fasciitis. This was considered by the docs that took care of me and has actually been treated appropriately. It is hugely scary, though, rare as all get-out, and 73 percent fatal if untreated. It looks like I will have weeks, if not months, of dressing changes, debridements, and grafting. Rats! Don't know when I can go back to work.
I appreciate all your prayers and good thoughts.

Back home

Hi, everybody.
I'm back home after two and a half weeks in the hospital. What an unexpected and totally frightening experience. I so, so appreciate everybody's good wishes and prayers.
So what happened?
About 3 1/2 weeks ago, I was trimming a callous on my left foot with a sterile scalpel at work. I barely nicked into good skin...about what I would equate to a paper cut. I stopped. It didn't even need a band aid.
3 weeks go, I went to Sacramento to do a gentle walk-run around the a lake. I had 12 hours to go as far as I wanted. I stopped at 31 miles, and rested on a picnic table for the next 3 hours or so for Scott to finish up. I felt fine. The only reason I stopped was because my right Achilles was feeling tight and I didn't want to overdo it on my first ultra back.
When we got back to the hotel (in Sacramento), my left foot was noticeably more swollen than my right. It started to hurt. I took a couple of vicodins.
Driving back the next day, it hurt more and more.
Sunday night, I went to work, where it swelled more and hurt more. I iced it, took ibuprofen, wrapped it in ace bandages, and as the shift progressed, I could no longer put my foot in my shoe.
When my relief came, I had him look at it. He prescribed some antibiotics and told me to keep it up. He gave me some vicodin and told me to follow up if it didn't get better in the next day or two. I also had an x-ray, which didn't show any fractures.
I lay low on Monday, but had so much pain that I took both vicodin and ibuprofen and still had no relief. I kept thinking that if the antibiotics could just get established over the next 48 hours, that I would get better.
Tuesday, I started to vomit. And vomit. And vomit. It became evident that I was going to need to go the ER.
I got checked in and my good buddy Tom Morris took care of me. They thought that I had a cellulitis, which is a soft tissue infection. The 5th toe on my foot was purple, my leg was swollen to my knee. I went to the OR for an incision and drainage, as well as culture of the drainage they got. Then they put me on three IV antibiotics, pain meds, and put me to bed.
The next week was an absolute nightmare. I was so nauseated that I could barely hold clear liquids down. They tried nine different meds for nausea before this started to subside. In spite of multiple antibiotics, the toe continued to look worse and worse, and the area of infection wrapped around the later aspect of my foot. My swelling continued. Ultimately, I gained 44 pounds of fluid, all in my left leg. They started to fear for my toe.
Because this was much more severe than the run-of-the-mill cellulitis, they started to look for other problems. I had a CT scan of my entire body (except my brain), which showed no blood clots in the lungs or legs, no pelvic masses or lymph nodes, no bone infections. The only thing they found was that I had so much fluid overload that it was also in my lungs. Why so much fluid? My protein level in the blood was about the level of a 100 year old nursing home patient. Why? Don't know. So then they gave me protein. Lots of protein. Protein shakes, meat, Whoppers from Scott (once the nausea subsided), and IV protein. My protein levels came up. My swelling started to subside.
I started to get better (everything except my foot). They took me back to the operating room to do deep debridement and I ultimately ended up with a defect in the skin and subcutaneous tissue about the size of a kindergartener's hand. Can you say flesh-eating bacteria?
So now I get to go to the Redding Hyperbaric Oxygen Unit for 90 minute treatments three times a week to help accelerate healing. I also get to see a plastic surgeon to see about whether this will need grafting.
Great fun.
To see Scotts take on it, see his website and www.coachweber.com and go to his training log.

I don't exactly know when I'll be back at work. I know for sure that I can't bear any weight on that foot, which means working on crutches once I get back. It's been done before. My partners have been absolutely great at working with me on this. I hope to be back in the next couple of weeks. I NEED to work.

I think that this whole experience has made me a better doctor overall. Everybody should be a patient every now and then just to remind them how powerful their words are and how miserable their patient can truly be.

Sisterly stuff

Holly's here! She, Brad, Scott and I went to our favorite Thai restaurant, Sengthongs, which is a stone's throw from our back door. We had the best time! They loved our little bunker at the railroad tracks!
Holly and I are going to go on a hike in the Eddies this morning...Deadfall Lakes, which is one of my favorites! On the way out, we'll stop by to see those little paint horses.
Then, Scott and I will head to Sacramento way to do a 12 hour race called Hotter than Hell...how far can you go in 12 hours...around and around a 1.25 mile path surrounding a lake. I forsee lots o' walking. But I have always wanted to do one of these races...lets you get into your head and just chill.
Congrats to everybody on their weight loss...this is the hardest part, when you keep plugging away.

A happy camper

This is the picture of someone doing exactly what they love.

A special treat for horse lovers.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nm6BTAhYxbA

Back in the saddle again

I got to get on Buddy yesterday! First time! As Scott would say, that is just as unpredictable as trying to ride on Joey Kitten. But he was great! Shirley took me for a pony ride, leading him with me on his back. It was so funny...you realize that a lot of what you associate with your horse's identity is what the back of his ears look like from the saddle. This was the first time that I saw the world from between Buddy's ears. Pretty neat. We just walked around a little, got on and got off, with no big problems. He is very willing to do whatever.
Then we did some ground work, teaching him the basics of lungeing. Once he understood what we wanted, he did his best. He knows that Shirley and I keep a generous supply of carrots in our pockets for when he is a good boy. And that boy LOVES carrots.
Before doing the Buddy stuffy, Shirley and I went for what she calls a "horsey ride" through the forest service roads that connect with her place. She rode Buddy's daddy, Danny, and I rode his mother, Sugar. Her little Jack Russell Terrier, Spike, came along with us. His brother, Vigo, stayed home.
After all the horse stuff, I walked home. I had planned on running the ten miles, but my legs are a little sore. The walk was very nice. I saw a doe and her two fawns, and then saw a nice buck later down the road. The blackberries continue to be plenteous and juicey.
And that was my day off.
You should check out Scott's training log for today. Nice picture of the Beej and Nadia.

The times they are a'changing

Call me crazy, but I think I feel the slightest nip in the air. August in the mountains is the start of fall. Feels good.
I had a very nice, slow night with not a lot of craziness. I had a very nice nap, watched part of Wings (the silent version, not the kitchy sit com) on TCM, did some knitting, and did my work. Sometimes things just are nice.
I felt good enough to run home...11 miles in 2 hours and 37 minutes. Run is rather euphamistic. I trot along for 20 exhalations and walk for 20 exhalations. I was able to pace myself pretty nicely so I could keep it up the whole way. The nicest part of the run today was seeing two separate deer families, each with a doe and two of the cutest spotted fawns you could ever imagine. They were pretty fearless and GORGEOUS.
Now, it's off to the shower and bed. Back to work tonight at 7. Plan on doing some manure shoveling and horse brushing before work. I should smell great!

Getting Stronger Every Day

Still a bit fatigued, but doing better.
Ran from work to home yesterday morning, total of 11 miles in 2 hours 50 minutes. Lots of walking. The best part was the sweet, juicy blackberries by the road at about mile 9. Second best part was the water fountain near the community pool at mile 10.
Ben left me a voicemail saying he had a layover in California on his way to see his true love. 24 hours in an airplane...last time he did that was when he was six months old...
The Tour de France officially ended today. With Badwater over as well, it feels like the New Year.

I'm So Tired

I haven't slept a wink....
Not really, but I'm pretty wiped out. Scott and I drove up to Mount Shasta fully expecting to go on a little walk, but we contained ourselves to horse depooperizing, then went to Berryvale for some iced tea. We couldn't even get ourselves to think about what to get for supper. That's tired.
One of my new favorite people is Connie Karras, who crewed with me at Badwater. Her blog is included in my list. She's pretty cool.
Here's a picture of our place back when it was a fabric store.http://www.moshercommercial.com/real-estate/89393.htm.
Didn't go out to do my Craggy Bob loop, because of a huge amount of bees. The smoke must have driven them there...they're drowsy and slow, but EVERYWHERE.
Funny how bears don't bother me like bees do.
Sorry for all the randomness, but that's how my mind is right now.

Deadfall Meadows

Just got back from a two hour hike through Deadfall Meadows to Deadfall Lake. Wonderful wildflowers, butterflies everywhere, even a shy little doe.
Here are some pictures of the place.
http://milgil.com/our-photo-albums/deadfall-meadows-photo-album/

Don't push that button, Max!

A little finger malfunction...
Happy birthday, Karen! I hope you have a loverly one!

One of the neat things that Scott and I did in Vegas was to see the Lippizans. I have never seen them before, but they were gorgeous! Really graceful, strong and awe-inspiring. Airs above the ground. Made me want to cry.

I thought about you, Mimi. Wish you could have been there.

Happy

Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend....

We're back! The house didn't burn down, the dogs didn't run away, Joey Kitten is still prowling around, and the Ki stayed fat and happy.
Scott had a great crossing! He never was in time trouble, never had significant problems with his feet, his stomach, his emotions...he did great!
My crew members were pretty interesting. One is a female ex-marine exercise physiologist who did a solo crossing of Badwater when Benjamin did it and is one of his special people. The other is a 65 year old Mexican concert pianist who has done ultras as long as Scott has. An interesting mix.
As usual, I'm glad to be home. It's hard to believe that this is my ninth year of crewing. Shouldn't I get some kind of award?
It was pretty weird...lots of thunderstorms, flash floods, road closures, lakes where there is usually sand. Cooler than usual (only got up to 117 degrees), but much muggier than usual.
I love the way that the other Badwater runners respect and enjoy Scott. This really is his family...a bunch of assorted long-distance runners from around the world who LOVE the desert. Very cool.

Another wonderful photo

Enjoy.

Contact: Photo by Photographer Josephine Chervinska - photo.net

Badwater, here we come!

Scott and I are headed to Las Vegas this afternoon. We'll be meeting up with two crew members, renting a humongous Suburban, and driving to Death Valley. The race starts on Monday and will be over on Wednesday. We'll climb Mount Whitney on Thursday, then fly back home on Saturday.
There is a pretty extensive webcast at www.badwater.com, if people want to check it out.
Good luck with the weight loss this week. As for me, I'll be living on PB and J (and a lot o' gatorade).

Alleine: Photo by Photographer Marius Sabo - photo.net

I found a wonderful photography site, with all sorts of beautiful shots. This is one of my favorites.


Alleine: Photo by Photographer Marius Sabo - photo.net

Fourth of July

Mount Shasta's biggest weekend is the fourth of July. About four thousand people come to run the Mount Shasta 5 mile walk/run. www.mtshastarunners.com. It's a &$%^$ zoo. Guess who gets to man the ER the night of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th.....Yeah, you're RIGHT!! Lucky me....
To get my mind right, I did a new loop in Castle Crags that I call Big Bob. It is probably 7 miles of climbing and then descending, with the highest part looking across the valley to the crags. http://www.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=454 It's spectacular. No bears today, just one little woodpecker.
Now, it's off to my little nap before chaos strikes.

Mount Shasta

I had a fabulous shift last night, actually being paid to sleep...
So, Scott and I headed up to Bunny Flat, which is the highest parking lot you can get to on the way up Mount Shasta. We hiked up to the Sierra Club Horse Camp (where John Muir, et al would leave their horses before climbing to the summit). Absolutely beautiful day...we got above the smoke and didn't see any bears this time.
I made colcannon with kale, potatoes, carrots, and feel absolutely self-righteous.

Bears!

Scott and the dogs have seen the same bear (he hopes) on the same loop about five miles south of Dunsmuir. It runs away and hasn't been a threat. I asked Scott is he was going to keep going on that trail and hope for the best. So, today, he and I went on our Craggy Bob loop, which is about five miles total in Castle Crags State Park. Sure enough, about 15 minutes into our climb, I heard crashing off to my left, and what do I see but a curious looking half grown bear. I looked quickly to see if mama was around, but I didn't see another. Little guy just kept doing his rummaging around the logs and we went on our way. In a way, I'm much more worried about rattlesnakes, which we have seen, too.
Regardless, it was quite a nice thing. I remember Cindy Jacobs saying that bears were "good medicine".

Still here...

Yes, I must have gotten lost in xray....

Yesterday, on my day off, I spent many delightful hours with Buddy and Bella, the horses. It was the Bella beauty shop, with lots of girl-type mane and tail coiffing and general goofiness. Buddy tolerated the mane combing, but was mildly annoyed with the tail stuff and kept sidling away. They're both good horses. They sure make lots of good manure, though. But nothing smells sweeter than pine shavings that you lay on the stall after it is good and clean. Abby likes to go with me to see the horses.

I got on the scale for the first time since April. 157. I haven't been as diligent with my exercise (or my diet) for two months, but was gratified to see only 3 pounds or so damage. Time to rein it in again. So, thus far today, I have had two bananas. Heck, it's only 5:30 AM for me, so that's pretty good. But, I was dismayed to awaken to NO COFFEE IN THE HOUSE. Uh, oh. Better get to the hospital early for a cuppa.

I just read the sweetest, saddest book in the world. If you are up to it, you should read Cormac McCarthy's The Road. Haunting, devastating, utterly beautiful. Maybe a little too much.

Well, it's off to the races.

Life in the call room

Tonight is a little quieter than last night...time to do some knitting, watch some Olympic trials gymnastics, type up my blog...
I didn't do very well yesterday...if I don't keep a food diary, I pretend that it doesn't count. One thing there is no shortage of in hospitals at night is COMFORT FOOD...rice krispy treats, danishes, and all sorts of bad stuff. Now, I am back on track. I get everything that I'm going to eat for the night and dole it out little by little.
Off to read an xray.

Me, too!

I just discovered that I am the last of the siblings to become a blogger. No fair!
So, now I am embarking onto public accountability. Pretty cool!

Since last Badwater, my weight has dropped from 192 (AARRGGGHHHH!!!) to a much more svelte 154. How did this get done? Simple rules have changed my life.

Rule number one. Do not EVER, EVER, EVER eat fast food.

Rule number two. See rule number one.

Rule number three. Be consistent with exercise. It doesn't do much to walk for three hours one day and nothing for two weeks. P90X has helped me with that.

Rule number four. Keep a food diary. When I do that, I rarely go above 1800 calories a day.

Rule number five. Dessert is not evil.

It's just that simple.

"The most important pound is the next one." So, I am working on getting to 153. I don't really care how long it takes me to get there, as long as I get there and not back up into obesity.

So, this morning, I ate smart start with soy milk and an apricot. I'll do P90X legs and back, and ab ripper X. Then, I will go to sleep and get ready for a fabulous Friday night in the ER.