Training Log Archive: iansmith

Up and down the stairs, with some minor trooping about. I dual booted Ubuntu 10.04 (with Windows 7) on my home laptop. I'm excited; I have only used Red Hat in the past. I thought about experimenting with Gentoo, but I prefer something more practical, and proficiency with Ubuntu is very useful.

I trooped out of my apartment for tea in Harvard Square, followed by tech support on a friend's Macbook and dinner at Cambridge Common. A pleasant day, though I did smack my left foot rather hard when I stumbled on the stairs ascending at the end of the day. The compressive force was directed along the tibia (from the heel to the knee), which is probably less destructive than shear force.

A great victory today: I took out my trash, did a load of laundry, and went to the grocery store. I probably wouldn't have done this if my garbage hadn't smelled as bad as it did. The garbage motivated the trip, and while I was on the ground floor, I decided to get errands done.

I learned that a descent to the ground floor in my building requires 41 steps (by the back way), with laundry in the basement an additional thirteen. In total, today I took 246 steps.

I had some excitement; I had paused on a landing to set down my backpack before descending into the basement. My crutches, which were propped up against a wall, fell down a flight of stairs. I had to descend about ten stairs without crutches, but the rails were strong enough for me to hoist my weight while I moved my right foot between stairs.

My leg is feeling much better than it has been, but it still swells considerably when I lower it from an elevated position. I'm operating under the assumption that tiny jolts can break open the fracture. Until my next appointment with x-rays on 7 September - two days before I would have been flying to Munich (alas).

Once my leg has improved, I'm tempted to do a casual mile time trial on a track on crutches, just for kicks. By early October, I think 12:00 is attainable.

Update from Gimpyland, Day 6

I draw comfort from knowing that my friends and colleagues know and understand my plight and my struggle. This doesn't entirely make sense to me, though I don't think I am unique. For instance, while Sam's races at WOC don't directly affect my life, learning of their details and understanding her great success allowed me to share in her triumph and appreciate what she had accomplished. This is a very different situation, and I could carry on without sharing these details (apart from with my family and close friends, which I am already doing). However, both because of this inexplicable benefit of specific empathy and for my own records, I will document some of my experiences. Please excuse my failure to justify precisely why I feel the way I do.

After my initial experiences at the ER on Wednesday 11 August, I had a followup appointment with my orthopedist on Monday 16 August. He observed growth in my tibia that he described as "spongy" which warranted further investigation. He was concerned that the growth could be a tumor, which might have weakened the bone and contributed to the fracture. He ordered an MRI for the afternoon of Monday 16 August, which would offer more clarity than the x-ray about the nature of the tissue. He also took me out of the knee immobilizer the ER gave to me, and put me in an ankle air brace that immobilizes my calf up to my knee. This restricts the torque that can be applied to the leg through my foot, but my knee can still apply painful stress to my injury.

The MRI revealed no abnormal growth or problems; the spongy tissue appeared to be growth from my bone's efforts to heal the stress fracture while I was happily walking on it. My orthopedist, in whom I now have more confidence than I did on Monday, said that the fracture is completely through the tibia. This surprises me, because my leg hasn't deformed, and the fracture was simple. It seems to me that there is some residual strength in the bone, though the structural support could be coming from the muscles and fibula. In any case, I need to avoid moving the leg as much as possible for the next three weeks. If I cannot immobilize myself sufficiently and avoid displacing the bone, the possibilities include a long leg cast and surgery to insert a rod into my tibia. I am doing my very best to keep the fracture immobilized.

The doctor estimated I will be on crutches for 9-12 weeks, though he was just speculating based on typical injuries. When I get a new set of x-rays in three weeks, he will have a more informed prognosis.

After an MRI and work at my office, I decided to crutch home from the Porter T stop rather than wait for a bus. It was hard work - conditions were difficult with a temperature of 28 C and high humidity. Later, Brendan and I cooked dinner with his ingredients and recipe; it was excellent.

C • Keep moving on! 13