First, I went to a Halloween Ice Show at the APEX Arena on Friday evening and it was great! I love how it's a smaller club and everyone was involved in the process. The skaters were a delight to watch!
Second, I was toying around with the idea of going to a public session on Sunday to try things out. I re-laced my skates and tried them on. The left skate went on smoothly enough even though it felt really tight (I still have some swelling) but when I stood up...ouch! I walked around the apartment with my skates on for about 15 minutes and the pain didn't seem to subside. I was expecting my ankle to hurt the most since I have two very long screws there and it's such a sensitive area being just skin and bone. But it wasn't my ankle that hurt, it was my fibula where they put the plate/screws in. It hurt enough that I decided not to get on the ice that day.
I'm going to try again this week. I knew there would be some pain, but geez, I wasn't expecting that much. It really made me fearful for getting on the ice. Now that it's becoming real and I've been given permission to skate again, I'm scared of re-injury. This is just as much a mental hurdle as it is a physical one.
Monday, October 30, 2017
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Final Update
17 weeks since the break - I went to my final orthopedist appointment today and I'm all healed! They took a final set of x-rays and everything has healed completely at this point. The doctor said "go skate."
He warned me that the hardware in my leg might start to bother me once I get on the ice due to how snug my skates fit. If this happens, he wants me to come in sooner rather than later to get it all taken out. He suggested November or December. With that surgery there will be a period of about 2-3 weeks where I'm in a soft cast or walking boot while it heals and then he said I'll need to do therapy that involves twisting action (like pirouettes) so that my bones know how to twist, I guess. Seems weird but he's the doc. I asked him if I should just leave the hardware in since it seems like my leg is now super reinforced and can't break again and he said that the bones are actually stronger than the hardware. The hardware just takes up space.
So here we are at the end of this broken leg journey. I'm excited to get back on the ice but I'm also pretty nervous. I know that first fall will be the scariest. I'm still not sure if my future in figure skating will contain jumps. My brain says "yay jumps!" but my body may say otherwise once I get on the ice.
I'm still planning on signing up for the advanced adult beginners class at APEX. I'll know for sure at the end of that if this whole skating thing is still a good idea. I really don't ever want to have to go through this ordeal again. It's not fun.
He warned me that the hardware in my leg might start to bother me once I get on the ice due to how snug my skates fit. If this happens, he wants me to come in sooner rather than later to get it all taken out. He suggested November or December. With that surgery there will be a period of about 2-3 weeks where I'm in a soft cast or walking boot while it heals and then he said I'll need to do therapy that involves twisting action (like pirouettes) so that my bones know how to twist, I guess. Seems weird but he's the doc. I asked him if I should just leave the hardware in since it seems like my leg is now super reinforced and can't break again and he said that the bones are actually stronger than the hardware. The hardware just takes up space.
So here we are at the end of this broken leg journey. I'm excited to get back on the ice but I'm also pretty nervous. I know that first fall will be the scariest. I'm still not sure if my future in figure skating will contain jumps. My brain says "yay jumps!" but my body may say otherwise once I get on the ice.
I'm still planning on signing up for the advanced adult beginners class at APEX. I'll know for sure at the end of that if this whole skating thing is still a good idea. I really don't ever want to have to go through this ordeal again. It's not fun.
Friday, October 13, 2017
The plan
15 Weeks since the Break - Although I'm still in pain (more sore than anything else, really), I'm making progress with the rehab. I'm able to balance for long periods on time on my left leg, do a small hop, and walk without a limp. Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself, but I think I'm ready to get back on the ice.
I'm not planning on picking up where I left off, obviously, and I'm not even sure how my mental state will be once I lace up and get on the ice so I don't want to get right back into lessons with Christopher quite yet. I'm afraid of wasting his time if I end up too scared (or in too much pain) to continue. My plan, therefore, is to enroll in an adult beginners class at another rink. I really just want to start from scratch and work on the basics of skating for now until I am comfortable enough to take lessons with Christopher.
This will force me to focus on things like getting my edges (and my confidence) back all while being in an environment where the expectations for progress are kind of low. Basically, they won't expect me to be jumping and spinning at a high level anyway so I don't have to worry about not being able to do that right now. And I can go at a sloooow pace.
Additionally, I cannot fathom getting on a freestyle session right now. I'm just not going to be able to dodge upper-level skaters who are trying to jump and spin all around me. If I start back with Christopher again, I will either need to take my lessons with him during a freestyle session or during a crowded public session at the Promenade. I'm just not ready for that yet.
A new adult beginners session starts at Apex on November 4th so that gives me another 4 weeks to continue with rehabbing my leg. The class is an advanced beginner class that will focus on Adult Basic 4-6. Nothing fancy. No commitment. No disappointment if I am not strong enough to continue. Before I register, I'm due to see the doctor again so I want him to be honest and tell me whether or not this is a good idea. As much as I think I'm ready to get back on the ice, I don't want to do it if the doc doesn't think I'm healed enough. If everything goes well with the adult session, then I will start back again with Christopher in January :)
I'm not planning on picking up where I left off, obviously, and I'm not even sure how my mental state will be once I lace up and get on the ice so I don't want to get right back into lessons with Christopher quite yet. I'm afraid of wasting his time if I end up too scared (or in too much pain) to continue. My plan, therefore, is to enroll in an adult beginners class at another rink. I really just want to start from scratch and work on the basics of skating for now until I am comfortable enough to take lessons with Christopher.
This will force me to focus on things like getting my edges (and my confidence) back all while being in an environment where the expectations for progress are kind of low. Basically, they won't expect me to be jumping and spinning at a high level anyway so I don't have to worry about not being able to do that right now. And I can go at a sloooow pace.
Additionally, I cannot fathom getting on a freestyle session right now. I'm just not going to be able to dodge upper-level skaters who are trying to jump and spin all around me. If I start back with Christopher again, I will either need to take my lessons with him during a freestyle session or during a crowded public session at the Promenade. I'm just not ready for that yet.
A new adult beginners session starts at Apex on November 4th so that gives me another 4 weeks to continue with rehabbing my leg. The class is an advanced beginner class that will focus on Adult Basic 4-6. Nothing fancy. No commitment. No disappointment if I am not strong enough to continue. Before I register, I'm due to see the doctor again so I want him to be honest and tell me whether or not this is a good idea. As much as I think I'm ready to get back on the ice, I don't want to do it if the doc doesn't think I'm healed enough. If everything goes well with the adult session, then I will start back again with Christopher in January :)
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