Surgery with Dr. Lenke

[Doreen1]

Hi Doreen,

My surgery has not been scheduled yet. My follow-up appointment is on October 31 - we'll go over MRI, bending and traction x-rays etc and then... go from there. I am thinking of having it done at the end of January or February 2013. Long wait... It's probably the worst part because I am driving myself crazy. I exercise every day to stay in good shape and it makes me feel proactive. Any advice on how to stay cool and not worry too much?

Let's face it, coordinating/planning for this kind of surgery can be daunting to say the least. What worked for me was focusing on the immediate task(s) at hand and not worry about things that would occur later. Literally, take care of what needs to be done today/this week and as your journey unfolds, keep adjusting your To-Do List.

Who is doing your surgery?

Warmly,
Doreen

[Irina]

Let's face it, coordinating/planning for this kind of surgery can be daunting to say the least. What worked for me was focusing on the immediate task(s) at hand and not worry about things that would occur later. Literally, take care of what needs to be done today/this week and as your journey unfolds, keep adjusting your To-Do List.

Who is doing your surgery?

Warmly,
Doreen

Dr. Serena Hu from UCSF - I really liked her.

[Doreen1]

I did it!

I finished the race! Here are the pix and updates http://bit.ly/NZ3Q66

Warmly,
Doreen

[JenniferG]

Good for you Doreen. I bet in your wildest dreams, you never thought you'd be racing after your surgery!

[Irina]

Congratulations of finishing your race, Doreen. It is amazing that you were able to do it at 9 months post-op and I love your pictures.

[Doreen1]

Atlanta Area 5k Race & 1k Fun Run, Sep 16

Hi Everyone!

Our family will be participating in an upcoming 5k race on Sun, Sep 16 at the Town Center Mall, Kennesaw, GA. I'll be walking the 5k race. There will also be a 1k Fun Run too. If anyone is interested in walking with me or cheering me along, explore http://www.active.com/running/kennes...k-express-2012 for all the details.

I am training with the Achilles International Nashville Chapter who graciously took me under their wing since there aren't any Achilles chapters in Georgia. They have guides who will train and race with me to make sure I'm safe. My October race will be in Nashville, one more race before the end of 2012 locally in early December and then I'll plan my 2013 races for Jan - May in preparation for the June NYC race.

Warmly,
Doreen

[Doodles]

Wow, Doreen, that's awesome. Good luck. Janet

[Doreen1]

Connected with the Achilles Team!

Had an amazing evening in Nashville this week meeting and training with the Achilles Nashville team. Details and pix http://bit.ly/Nt3q5I

Warmly,
Doreen

[Doreen1]

Excessive Muscle Atrophy?

I'm almost 10 months postop and am a bit surprised at how my back looks Almost 10 Months Postop.jpg
Should my muscle have atrophied this much or is this normal?

Warmly,
Doreen

[Doreen1]

Had a busy day on Wednesday here at the house with my daughter's photo shoot. Ended up standing for 4+ hours swapping out food items for the different seasons they were shooting, wardrobe changes, etc. Last year's photo shoots were so painful for me because of my back, but this was the first postop shoot and I felt great at the end of the day. I'm not able to say who the client is for a few more weeks, but the first edition roles out September and I'll share details soon.

If you happen to be in a doctor's office this month and you see WebMD magazines in the waiting room, my daughter was featured in the September issue with her review of Michelle Obama's cookie recipe http://bit.ly/LD2boo

Warmly,
Doreen

[walkingmom]

Muscle atrophy

Hey Doreen,

That Lizzie is some kind of star! Congrats to her!

Sounds like you are doing great. Regarding your muscle atrophy question, I looked in the mirror at my own back after viewing your picture. No I don't have that going on with my back. I have been doing weight machines 3x/wk and then play tennis 2x/wk both of which have helped me in the muscle strengthening mode. The machines that I use are the pulldown, seated row and pectoral fly. I only use 40-50 pounds but it is enough for me. Up until my 1 yr post-op, I was only using handweights on a regular basis. Then at one year, I added the upper body weight machines.

Donna

[Doreen1]

Hey Doreen,

That Lizzie is some kind of star! Congrats to her!

Sounds like you are doing great. Regarding your muscle atrophy question, I looked in the mirror at my own back after viewing your picture. No I don't have that going on with my back. I have been doing weight machines 3x/wk and then play tennis 2x/wk both of which have helped me in the muscle strengthening mode. The machines that I use are the pulldown, seated row and pectoral fly. I only use 40-50 pounds but it is enough for me. Up until my 1 yr post-op, I was only using handweights on a regular basis. Then at one year, I added the upper body weight machines.

Donna

Thanks, Donna. I've been using hand weights x3/wk since 3 months postop and will introduce machines once I'm 1 year postop. I'm itchin to get onto the machines because we have them in our basement and miss doing the exercises you mentioned. Maybe my weekly walking routine is slowing down any possible muscle growth since I do a lot more walking than weight training? Very odd.

[jrnyc]

i wonder if this is something beyond what exercise can do...
i remember seeing you sitting at a "bicycle" machine for arms...
it seems as if you are quite active...
perhaps somone in Dr Lenke's office can answer the
muscle atrophy question...
just personally, i think you look great....

jess

[JenniferG]

I checked my back and I have an area of about 2 inches at the base of my spine which has become slightly sunken in just on the incision line. I don't have what you have but then we're kayakers. Not sure if that has any bearing on it. Somehow I doubt it.

You look very fit Doreen.

[Irina]

I'm almost 10 months postop and am a bit surprised at how my back looks [ATTACH]1349[/ATTACH]
Should my muscle have atrophied this much or is this normal?

Warmly,
Doreen

Hi Doreen,

I compared this picture to a 9-month picture that you have on your blog and the first thing that came to mind is that the position of your arms is different. On a 9-months picture you're standing with your arms along your body, but it looks like you're holding something in a 10-months picture. Camera maybe? Did you take this 10-months picture as a reflection in a mirror yourself?

I know that when I try to see my back in the mirror holding another mirror in my hand, my spatulas will stick out. Could that be the case?