Let’s update since my first post about my labral tear…
Going through Physical Therapy is very time intensive. Both at appointments and at home. It’s good, and I highly recommend it to anyone! Ever since my first round after my foot and calf surgery a few years back. I ALWAYS opt and recommend Physical Therapy, both for myself and anyone else considering it. That in mind, I was doing everything I had to do both at the appointments and at home. Then, at my last appointment, he released me to go on my way…
Shocked. That was my first emotion. Then, questions. I thought things had been going REALLY well at the appointments and that I would continue. Instead, he was all like…
“You got this, go do what you do! Let’s follow up in 30 days”.
Umm, ok.
So on with it I went.
I have run, I have done life and even started at a new gym that I’d been looking at joining for over a year.
I was released from Physical Therapy in September, and on October 3rd I joined the new gym I just told you about. I had been super diligent with the exercises the Physical Therapist told me about, and combined those with the instruction at the gym with the trainer, Omar. I decided to give it a good one to two months at the new gym to see if I could increase muscle around the Labral Tear and get away with NOT having surgery. Surgery had to be before insurance re-upped at the end of December. So, I was literally racing against the clock with this decision.
On November 13, I decided to try a run. I was able to run 5 miles that day!!! Excited, to say the least. Things were looking up!
It’s now February 2017 and I did NOT have surgery. There were a few times in the last 5 months that I wondered if I was making the right choice, but on January 1 this year, it was too late to go back on that decision as my insurance had renewed, and our out of pocket expenses start new. To be frank with you, NOT having surgery was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I was very hesitant to go under the knife in the first place, but looking back now, taking time, thinking on things, not just taking one opinion but getting multiple medically-professional opinions… sticking with my gut and doing my research most definitely paid off.
I’m happy to say that under the instruction of my trainer at the gym I have not only built up the muscle around the tear to protect it, but I’ve lost over 13 lbs and long distance running again is on the horizon for me! Day by day, week by week, not letting a discouraging encounter wreck me…I’m getting to be the person I want to be again.
So, there’s the update, in case you have been wondering and/or following along via the original blog post and IG posts. It’s been slow and steady with gradual increases. I’m happy with where I am, and excited for where I’m going!
