Road to Recovery Post Surgery

Hello cupcakes,

Today I want to share my road to recovery after my foot surgery. I know others may be going through the same thing whether that is from an injury, surgery, etc. I personally know it can be tough to deal with, so I want to share my experience with you.

I had surgery on my left foot about a year and a half ago to remove an extra bone from the inside of my foot. I was born with an accessory navicular bone which is on top of the bone everyone else has called the navicular bone. The extra bone caused pain and hurt worse due to my activity level. Fast forward to December 2015... I had surgery to remove the extra bone in my right foot. I knew going into this surgery that I was going to have a long recovery ahead of me (7 weeks in a cast and on crutches followed by a walking boot and physical therapy). My goals of going into this surgery was to continue to lift weights focusing more on my triceps, biceps, shoulder, back, and abs.

The first week post surgery is always rough. The picture below was taken a week post surgery. 

This was two weeks post surgery when I was having my stitches taken out.

 The stitches are out... the swelling was worse this week & I barley had an ankle.

This was the day I got my cast off. Don't mind the hairy leg haha!

Here is a comparison of my two legs. You can see the muscle loss on my right leg.

So one of the hardest things for me about the recovery process was being okay with my body. The picture below was taken four weeks into the BBG guides. I was in great shape and I had some definition in my abs. While I was recovering, I was not able to workout to the extent I was before surgery. I was getting so down on myself because my abs were disappearing. My self-esteem, self-confidence, and self love should not be based on the appearance of my abs. One of my best friends told me something that stands out to me now. She said, "You should be proud of yourself. You are doing way more than most people would be doing post surgery." Looking back now, she was so right. Most people would probably not even workout while they are on crutches, but I continued to go to the gym and do the most I could. What I am trying to say is that I was being so negative, shaming myself, and feeling guilty for losing my fitness level. I should have been celebrating for overcoming challenges. 

I also managed to keep more muscle in my leg than I did during the previous surgery. The picture on the left was taken when I got the cast off my left leg/foot. The right picture was the most recent surgery. 

This week was my first week of pre-BBG workouts. If you have never experienced death by kayla, you won't understand how sore my legs were the day after leg day! 

Basically what I want you all to take away from this blog post is to appreciate the body you are given. When I was getting sad about not being able to workout to the extent I wanted to, I was being selfish. Some people cannot workout. Some people have to deal with these types of things on a daily basis. I should have been thankful that I could still workout. I should have been proud of myself for going to the gym and lifting weights while I was on crutches or in my walking boot. All of those things helped me progress through physical therapy super fast! The physical therapist was blown away by my progress each time. I actually got released two weeks early! 

The picture above is my right foot today, about 3 months post surgery. The picture below is my left foot about a year and a half post surgery on that foot. The scar on my left foot is barely noticeable. 

Some tips if you have an injury or surgery:

1. Find 1-3 positive things about yourself each morning

2. Focus on what you can do, not what you can't do

3. Don't be so hard on yourself

4. Follow the doctor of physical therapist orders

5. Surround yourself with positive and uplifting people

6. Work on increasing strength in other body areas besides the recovering spot on your body

7. Learn to let your body heal and recover

8. Learn to listen to your body

9. Continue to eat healthy foods, this could also help you heal faster

10. Be patient

Right now my plans are to continue BBG pre-training for the full four weeks and then start the BBG and complete that in 12 weeks! I cannot wait to push and challenge myself along the way. It is truly amazing what our bodies are capable of :)

And to share a tid bit of my California Adventures this week...

This was one of my breakfasts I made. This is gluten free oats, 1 whole egg, and 3 egg whites cooked in coconut oil.

This is an awesome spot called Torrey Pines. 

I will share more pictures once I get back to Indiana. I have so many beautiful pictures on my camera. 

I hope you enjoyed this post, and comment below if you would like me to explain anything further.

Has anyone ever experiences an injury or surgery? 

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."