Tag: health

Meniscus surgery

Kris Freedain2 Comments

So a little while back I hurt my knee. I don’t think I did it in the gym, but out in the garden of all places; picking strawberries. I tried to let it heal on it’s own but, well, it didn’t. Finally saw my doctor and after an x-ray and MRI, we found out I’d torn a small flap in the meniscus of my left knee.

A referral over to the orthopedic doctor and he confirmed I’d need a surgery. Not what I wanted to hear, but what can you do. It was my first surgery, so that meant it was my first time going under. Giving up control of falling asleep and being woken up definitely caused me some anxiety, but Dawn told me it would be the best nap I’d ever had and not to worry. Seemed everyone I talked to had a similar surgery and assured me it wasn’t a big thing to worry about; all of which I definitely appreciated. 

I had the surgery yesterday and it went off perfectly. I was a little anxious but everyone at the hospital was wonderful. My anesthesiologist asked if I wanted something to reduce the anxiety so I agreed – moments later I was floating. LOL. Oddly, that medicine gave me a minor cough, but she said that wasn’t uncommon.

They wheeled me into the operating room, got me over to the table, and had me start taking a couple breathes of oxygen. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in the recovery room, happy to see anyone that came to talk to me.

Dawn said it was pretty funny.

 

I took off my sock and noticed my left foot was a different color – turns out my whole leg was. Then I remembered they said they’d wash me with anti-bacterial right before. So, here’s a shot of my mercurochrome skin.

 

I had a couple pages of pictures the surgeon took while in there. Here’s a before and after of their work. Pretty cool to see.

 

The rest of the day I definitely felt a lot of pressure on the knee area and hobbled around the house on crutches. Surprisingly though, I haven’t needed them at all today. Mostly sitting on the couch with my leg elevated and putting ice on it every couple of hours.

I’m happy it’s over, I’m grateful to all the wonderful people at the hospital that took good care of me, and I’m extremely lucky to have Dawn and Ian at home taking care of me.

Study Promises Benefits of Exercise in a Pill

Kris FreedainLeave a comment

Wired has an article that it an interesting read.

People are always looking for the ‘quick fix’ magic pill. And, as we continue our way into the future it continues to present itself in different ways. This is a very conflicting subject though. The part of me excited about the future (and also the part of me that knows we’re already there) is quite interested to see this type of study. Healthy or not, this is fascinating. The part of me that enjoys bodybuilding is interested to know what this type of treatment would do to enhance progress in weightlifting. But, the ethical part of me is worried about this. Not only for the animal testing I imagine that went into this research, but the long-term benefits/risks associated with quick fix pills, and the unhealthy expectations this could have for people.

Bottom line is — if it’s worth doing, the hard work is typically the more rewarding path to go.

Working out

Kris FreedainLeave a comment

I’ve begun working out regularly. Funny, when I started, I intended to “just go two or three days a week at first”. Yep, that lasted about a week. Now I go almost every morning before work. Jerid said it, and was completely right — if you’re going to do it, getting in a daily habit is the easiest way.

I didn’t know if I’d like it much, but I committed to trying it out. I love it. I’ll be honest, some days are definitely better than others, but I always feel better when I exercise. I get there between 6 and 6:30 AM each morning before work; depending on the morning meetings I have. A typical workout will consist of; 15 minutes of cardio on the cycle, 5+ minutes of cardio on a treadmill at it’s top incline, then the fun stuff — weights! I REALLY never thought I’d enjoy weights. Once you start to notice the small changes in your physique, that happen relatively quickly, you get quite interested to continue those changes. Seeing progress is really motivating. I have more energy throughout the day, I eat better, and I sleep much better at night. I’ve even lost 7 or 8 pounds.

It seems a lot of us are getting fit and I think that really helps. Tony is getting more fit (he’s also training for his El Cap trip — yes, he’s insane but more on that later.. haha), Tricia is really into rock climbing now, Jerid and Steve are going to the gym (they were the ones who got me to start), and David is an entirely new person! Having the motivation of friends is helpful too.