Year: 2016

ACL Surgery: 3 Weeks Post Op

Anna Blankenheim Health , , ,

I can’t believe it’s been three weeks (and one day) since my surgery! My knee has been healing really well – all of my incisions look great and I started physical therapy this week. I’m proud to say that I’m ahead of where they expected me to be at this point; something the therapist credits to my pre-surgery exercises. If you’re considering ACL reconstruction, DO YOUR PREWORK!

Even with a lot of up front work, I’m still amazed at how much my quad has atrophied in the last three weeks. In the picture below, I have both legs flexed as hard as I can. 


Seriously, in real life it looks worse than the picture. I’ve been lucky – I was able to do straight legged raises since the first day – a lot of people struggle with just that!

I’ve still got a long way to go, but am happy with where I am so far! More to come!

This Little Piggy Made Me Swear

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As you know, I’m tucked away at home recovering from ACL surgery. Yesterday was my first day “back” at work – I’m so, so, so thankful to have an employer who is willing to let me work from home for a little while so that I can keep my knee up and continue healing.

This afternoon I took a potty break and while coming out of the restroom, caught my right pinky toe on my crutch as I swung through. I heard the telltale crack and felt really bad pain. When I looked down, here’s what I saw:

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Yup, I broke the damn thing – it’s pointing at about 2 o’clock. And, it’s on my “good” leg, so walking with crutches has just become even more fun. I called my mama and promptly lost.my.cookies. Like crying A LOT. I didn’t even do that when I hurt my knee… I think it’s just everything all at once and feeling really stupid for now doing this. She calmed me down and told me to call the advice nurse who basically told me to ice and elevate, that if I went in they’d likely take an x-ray and tell me it was broken, which we already know. She had me send a picture to my regular doctor and he’s supposed to call me back with additional instructions.

My awesome brother-in-law came over this afternoon to let the dogs out (something I struggled with when I had one working leg), which officially makes him my hero (Mike is off on a control burn in his battalion).

Is everyone ready for the #thetoe posts on Instagram?

ACL Surgery: Day 2

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The headache is finally gone, so that’s good. I was able to spend a good part of the day somewhat sitting up, which was nice… My back is tired of laying down!

I think the local anesthetic is wearing off though because I’m definitely more “aware” of my knee. 

I also started my exercises… I have 3 jobs: rolling my ankles, leg lifts, and heel slides. I was utterly shocked at my inability to even lift my leg today… I eventually got two whole leg lifts in. This is gonna be some hard work! 

My sister, nieces, and Dad came to visit today… It was nice to see everyone!

ACL Surgery: Day 1

Anna Blankenheim Health ,

It’s been a long couple of days.

First of all, I survived surgery. Yay! The doctor said it went really well… It was a complete tear that had started to reattach and if I had done any sort of cutting activity, I would have torn it again. 
After a little bit of a meltdown right before surgery, they gave me some wonderful concoction of drugs and the next thing I knew I was here:  

Apparently I’m one of THOSE people under anesthesia and when I woke up I took a swing at a nurse. I don’t remember that, but oops. I didn’t swing at this guy:  

Coming home was rather uneventful and I decided I was hungry. I also had a pretty bad headache. Several saltine crackers and some chicken noodle soup later, I was barfing and then headache was definitely not better. It was a long, rough night and most of today:  My mom, Mike, and the pups have been by my side taking really good care of me. My headache finally went away and I’m getting a little hungry. Hopefully this is the upswing!

I’m overwhelmed with the calls, texts, and messages everyone has sent! Thank you all so much!

More tomorrow!

This Is What It Sounds Like When Doves Cry

Anna Blankenheim Death, Music

I had planned on posting a little blog tonight ahead of tomorrow’s ACL reconstruction surgery. I probably would have talked a bit about my anxiety going into it and how great my friends and family have been this week in supporting me.

Then, this morning, universe slapped me in the face. The news broke this morning that music legend Prince had died at the age of 57.

“Dearly beloved / we are gathered here today / 2 get through this thing called life”

I was super lucky to have the chance to see Prince live in Vegas back in 2004. Not only do I love his music, but I was supremely impressed by what a stunningly amazing musician he was. In the few hours we were at the show, he literally played every instrument on stage – no joke, drums, guitar, horns, he did it all. And did it all better than most professionals. He had complete control of the audience at all times. His show was flawless. Even those who didn’t know his songs well couldn’t help but be drawn in. It was literally the best concert I’ve ever been at to this very day.

005-Prince Dancing
Prince In Las Vegas, 2004

The details surrounding his death are still mysterious and are no doubt tragic. Regardless of the cause, the music world mourns the loss of one of the best tonight – another angel in that heavenly choir that seems to have added quite a few members this year. Rest in peace, Prince.

 

Subconsciousness

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Welp, my brain is definitely working this surgery thing out while I sleep… the other night I had my first surgery nightmare. I woke up in recovery and the doctor told me he had bad news. He had to amputate my whole leg and I needed to learn to ride my horse one legged. Yup folks, apparently that’s the worst thing my brain can think of.

We’re now 11 days away from surgery. I really am kind of excited in a weird way. I miss riding. A LOT. And until I have the surgery, I can’t do it. Really, there’s no other alternative, so at least once I get through the worst of it, I’ll be on the road to recovery and actually healing instead of in this frustrating limbo.

We’ll see how it goes over the next couple weeks! Here’s to some dreamless nights!

A Decision and a Date

Anna Blankenheim Health

My last post about my ACL was one of cautious optimism. I headed into physical therapy with that optimism, but very quickly learned that if I want to get back to the way things were, I’m going to need surgery. In the end, it was a really easy decision.

My surgery is scheduled for Friday, April 22nd. I probably shouldn’t be, but I’m ridiculously excited to actually have a date. It finally feels like things will be back in my hands, that I’ll be in control of my rehab. I can’t wait to get past that first awful week and into physical therapy!

Between now and then, my job one is to get that leg as strong as I can get it. I was amazed at how quickly I lost muscle tone in the two weeks that I was on crutches, something I’m told by my physical therapist will be much worse after surgery. So, I’m working it… quad squeezes, leg lifts, and soon the bike.

Here we go!!!

Cautiously Optimistic

Anna Blankenheim Exercise, Sports , ,

I met with my surgeon today to discuss my options with regard to my poor, torn ACL.

Right now, my knee is still a little too swollen for him to tell 100% if it’s a complete tear or a partial tear. He can tell from the MRI that it’s definitely torn though. A partial tear would open up a door to a non-surgical solution. Essentially, I can work through lots of physical therapy to build up all of the muscles in and around my knee to help support it if the tear is partial. If it’s a full tear, I’ll pretty much need surgery without a doubt.

Here’s what I really liked about this surgeon – he’s not rushing me into surgery, but we have a game plan. It’s still a very viable option, but we’re going to give it a month of PT (which I would be doing if I had surgery anyway). After that month, I’m going to meet with him again and he’ll mess around with my knee some more. That will tell him one of two things – it’s fully torn or it’s not (that month is enough time for the swelling and fluid to go down). If it’s fully torn, we do surgery. If it’s partially torn, I have a choice to make based on how I feel the therapy has gone – if the knee feels great, I can try life without part of my ACL. If I don’t like how it feels or am worried about future stability, then we go into surgery.

I feel like I’m rambling, but I’m so so so excited to have a plan and something to work towards. Over the next couple weeks, I get to start weaning myself off the crutches (seriously, I’m so amazed at how weak my leg muscles have become over the last two weeks) and then the brace. I start PT on Tuesday, so in addition to biking and swimming (my only two approved activities) I’ll have some exercises to work on.

Fingers crossed!

Grammys in Your Jammies 2016

Anna Blankenheim Music, Television , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Tonight I continue the tradition of watching the Grammys and live blogging – I’ll be updating throughout the show, so check back frequently for updates!

For the 5th year in a row, LL Cool J is hosting. I’ve said before, I love him as a host and can’t wait to see what he has in store this year!

We’ve lost quite a few of my favorite composers and musicians this year… I can’t wait to see how they honor them!

The Clothes

  • LL Cool J’s suit: he seriously has the best style! Loved the simple tux with the cool LL lapel pin.
  • Carrie Underwood‘s performance dress: it was so pretty and feminine! I loved the flowy bottom and fitted top!
  • Ariana Grande: Her dress was really pretty! Love a good red dress!
  • Selena Gomez: I wanted to like her dress, but it did something weird to her boobs. It needed a little more life!
  • Cam: The yellow dress. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
  • Demi Lovato: Her simple black slacks with white blazer was stunning! She looked great!
  • Karen Fairchild’s (Little Big Town) all black ensemble: Was it pants? Was it a dress? We may never know. It was an awesome combination and I loved the black leather/lace combination!
  • Anna Kendrick: First of all, I loved her simple black dress with the halter top. Stunning. Also, if you need a good laugh, follow her on Twitter.
  • Bruno Mars: loved his purple hat and jacket!
  • Adele: that dress. She is so classy!
  • Beyonce: Ugh… I don’t like this one. Is it old fashioned? Is it not? Is it see through? Not my cup of tea.

The Performances

  • Taylor Swift: I honestly think I like her better as a pop singer than I did as a country singer. She still has the awesome lyrics, high energy performances, and fun feeling, but it fits much better in a pop setting. I’m not going to pretend like she’s the best singer ever, but it feels more honest now.
  • Carrie Underwood & Sam Hunt: I loved the way they wove their songs together – I love “Take Your Time” and, of course, “Heartbeat“, one of my favorites from her latest album.
  • The Weeknd: The man can sing, has great style, and I loved the section of him singing accompanied by just a cello and piano.
  • Andra Day and Ellie Goulding: I hadn’t heard much of Andra Day, but absolutely LOVED her performance. What a stunning voice and really great control! I’m not a huge Ellie Goulding fan, but their duet actually worked!
  • John Legend, Demi Lovato, Luke Bryan, Meghan Trainor, Tyrese: Tribute to Lionel Ritchie (Person of the Year). I love me some John Legend – like a lot. John Legend singing “Easy” is near perfection. He’s on my concert bucket list – I must see him! Demi Lovato did a great job on “Hello“… I was impressed! Luke Bryan was an odd pick for me on this one, but I think he held his own. Meghan Trainor was just ok for me too… I wasn’t totally in love with her version, but did like her new hair. Tyrese’s “Brick House” was ok as well. I loved that they brough Lionel Ritchie up to sing “All Night Long (All Night)“!!!
  • Little Big Town: They are seriously one of my favorite bands ever… I love the harmonies, the songs, and just about everything they do. This version of “Girl Crush“, complete with classical string backup was absolutely amazing!
  • Stevie Wonder & Pentatonics: Tribute to Maurice White – seriously, is there anything Pentatonics aren’t doing these days? They’re awesome!
  • The Eagles & Jackson Browne: My heart still hurts that Glenn Frey is gone… I can’t imagine that this performance was easy for any of the band, but there’s no better way to honor him than a little “Take It Easy“. They kept with the style of the Eagles – simple, harmonies, pure. Well done.
  • Tori Kelly & James Bay: Their acoustic duet was really nice. I love people that stand and sing at each other. Both have amazing voices!
  • The cast of Hamilton: So this is new… a live Broadway performance in the middle of the Grammys! Definitely a musical I’d like to see! They performed the opening number “Alexander Hamilton”.
  • Kendrick Lamar: I liked the jailhouse theme followed by the African bonfire… such a cool stage setup!
  • Miguel: I absolutely love “She’s Out of My Life“… and Miguel did a really great job with it!
  • Adele: Bruno Mars introduced her and mentioned that he helped write “All I Ask“… which makes me love it even more. It’s an amazing song with the most beautiful lyrics. I wish I was blessed with a voice like her… I could listen to her sing the alphabet!
  • Justin Beiber, Diplo, & Skrillex: I just can’t even.
  • Lady Gaga: Tribute to David Bowie. I am a little biased in that I work for Intel and we’ve partnered with Lady Gaga for this performance – so cool to see technology used in such a unique way! I could not have picked a better person to pay homage to David Bowie… Lady Gaga really did him justice! For me, this was one of the best performances of the night!
  • Chris Stapleton, Gary Clark Jr, & Bonnie Raitt: Tribute to B.B. King. I absolutely love Chris Stapleton and think he was the perfect pick for a tribute like this. I am not super familiar with Gary Clark Jr, but absolutely love him after this performance! And you can’t go wrong with some Bonnie Raitt! Their performance reminded me of Mike and I sitting in a little bar on Beale Street in Memphis… perfect blues!
  • Alabama Shakes: I’m still a little peeved that they won best rock band over the Foos, but I can’t fault their music – they have a cool sound!
  • The Hollywood Vampires: Just when you think you can’t love Johnny Depp any more, he joins a band with Alice Cooper and Joe Perry. This is rock!!!
  • Pitbull, Robin Thicke, Joe Perry, & Travis Barker: Pitbull’s performances are just always so fun and totally make me want to dance!

They Got Robbed!

  • Little Big Town: They should have won song of the year for “Girl Crush”. Period. And why does Taylor Swift always lose her shit, even when she doesn’t win? She can’t be that happy for Ed Sheeran…
  • The Foo Fighters: honestly, none of the other people in that category are rock bands!!! Are you kidding me?
  • Chris Stapleton: Let’s be real, he didn’t stand a chance against Taylor Swift in the best album category, but musically, he should have won. By a lot.