Ankle fusion recovery

TW: open wound
Context: 21yo woman, EDS+OI overlap syndrome. I’ve had two orthopedic surgeries so far, at least five more to go in the near future. My ankle reconstruction last year went off without a hitch, with some issues from excessive scar tissue about eight weeks into recovery. I’m now three weeks out from an arthroscopic anterior and posterior capsulorrhaphy (tacking the ligaments in the front and back of the shoulder to the bone to stop dislocations) and have experienced a complication that seems preventable.
The day we took the bandage off, I noticed that the more distal incision in the front was puckered. The proximal incision had two stitches but the distal one only had one but clearly needed two. Surprise, surprise, when the PA took the stitches out last week, the wound dehisced (opened) three layers immediately. He said this was not a problem. The rest were closed because they had enough sutures. The wound quickly became infected, which I knew it would; I caught it before the infection became systemic, so Bactrim is kicking it just fine. The incision just now started to scab over. Come to find out, the PA stitched me up, not the doctor.
So I’ve come to ask you all for advice on talking sutures pre-surgery. I knew to ask for nylon because I can tolerate them and requested two layers of sutures like was done with my ankle, but the surgeon didn’t know what that meant? Should I also be asking them to do extra stitches? Do I ask for the doctor to do the stitches, or was this probably just an EDS roll of the dice? Anything else to mention about sutures?
Thanks in advance!

Mile distance challenges on the treadmill and rower. Fusion exercises on the floor. 90 seconds recovery between blocks
Tread / Row Block - 23.5 minutes * Goal: Get within 2 minutes of your last mile benchmark time, PW is half distance starting at 3% * 160m / 0.1 mile tread @ 1% * 160m / 0.1 mile tread @ 5% * 160m / 0.1 mile tread @ 1% * 160m / 0.1 mile tread @ 10% * 160m / 0.1 mile tread @ 1% * 160m / 0.1 mile tread @ 15% * 160m / 0.1 mile tread @ 1% * 160m / 0.1 mile tread @ 10% * 160m / 0.1 mile tread @ 1% * 160m / 0.1 mile tread @ 5% * Switch to rower * Repeat until you reach 1600m on the rower: * 200m row + 10 x squat jack * 200m row + 10 total x alt forward lunge with overhead reach * Bonus: * Tread for time OR * Row for time * Finisher: 1 min AO tread OR row * Collapse (member’s choice)
Floor Block 1 - 8 minutes circuit * 8 total x alt lateral lunge * 8 x hammer curl * 8 x neutral grip front squat * 8 x neutral grip shoulder press * Repeat until buy-out fusion: 90 sec of alt lateral lunge to hammer curl to neutral grip front squat to shoulder press
Floor Block 2 - 8 minutes circuit * 8 x dumbbell push up * 8 total x high plank alt low row * 8 x clean * 8 total x front loaded neutral grip alt reverse lunge * Repeat until buy-out fusion: 90 sec of dumbbell push up to high plank alt low row to clean to front loaded neutral grip alt reverse lunge
Floor Block 3 - 4.5 minutes circuit * 4 x broad jump to shuffle * 4 total x high plank to low plank * 4 total x alt low side plank * 4 x plank pop * Repeat until finisher: 1 min of broad jump to shuffle to high plank to alt low side plank to plank pop
DC commentary: >! Mayhem #5 felt like a mini everest + not quite 2k row with restercise and then a mashup of weights and power moves on the floor. Pretty brutal today with all the incline work, rowing. Did feel pretty non-stop with not too much breaks in between. I think this is the punishment for those who skipped yesterday’s partner row mashup. \ \ Your run / row block today is a doozy. First off is a mile run where your goal is to complete this within 2 minutes of your benchmark time. Think that is easy, what you also have to do is flip between flat road and an incline every 160m / 0.1 miles. Start off on your flat road and then after 160m you up the incline to 5%. Keep going up in increments of 5% until you get to 15% and then work your way back down again. I thought this was pretty tough and you will need to bank distance on the flat roads and moderate your speed on the high inclines. I just missed my two minute cut off by a couple of seconds - 7:05 on the mile run, I think if I did it again I would have gone a little faster on the flats and then maybe an all out right at the end even if it was at 5%. \ \ Once off the run you move to the rower where you have a mile to row as well - 1600m. This time the row is broken up into 200m sections with two different types of restercise you will work with in between. The first exercise is a squat jack and the second is a forward lunge with an overhead reach. Keep repeating this pattern until you get 1600m and then you have a choice to either keep rowing or go back to the treadmill. Tread or row for time until the finisher - a minute all out. \ \ Pretty brutal and most people only just finished the row before getting back on to the treadmill (no one was willing to row after yesterday). I had plenty of time on the treadmill but the legs were super heavy after all the rowing and the incline work. \ \ After the run / row you head to the floor. You have three blocks here. First block and second blocks are weighted. The idea is that you are completing four exercises in a row circuit style and then bring them all together in a fusion buy-out for 90 seconds. In the first block you are doing a lateral lunge, hammer curl, front squat and a shoulder press. The Frankenstein’s version of that for the fusion buy-out then c becomes a lateral lunge to a hammer curl to a front squat to a shoulder press. Second block is similar but it now has a pushup, high plank low row, clean and a reverse lunge. The fusion buy-out then kind of reminds me of those ultimate burpees with the weights. \ \ Last block is a power block - broad jumps, palms to elbowshigh plank to low plank, low side plank and a plank pop. Bring it altogether and it is a jump to a shuffle to a high plank, down to a low side plank and then a plank pop. \ \ Liked this one but it is definitely on the tougher side, particularly the run / row. I give today a 1 (🪶) out of 5 for gentleness and a 4 (☠️ ☠️ ☠️ ☠️) out of 5 for Mayhell. !<

I want to purchase a red light therapy device that can help speed up my ankle injury recovery, but I also want to be able to use it for my face after my ankle injury has recovered. Most of the facial RLT devices that I'm seeing have a wavelength of ~630. Would this help for my ankle injury too, or do I need a wavelength between 800-900 to speed up recovery for my ankle?
In general, what device would you recommend for both facial skin improvement and injury recovery?

I’m 23 and just got diagnosed with unstable spondy. Still haven’t met with neurosurgeon or any specialists yet but I imagine I won’t have much choice but to have the surgery. If you had it young, how are you doing now? Did it relieve your pain? What was your recovery like? What complications did you experience? And if it’s been 5-10 years for you, did you end up needing another fusion due to adjacent disc disease?

Hi there! I was recently diagnosed with Grade 1 spondy based on an x-ray showing a 6-7mm slip of L5 over S1. I also have a pars defect. I’ve suffered with back, hip, and knee pain for years, but doctors always looked at my hip, knee, or other places where my issues were not occurring. So, after years and years of going to the ER and being told that I’m “healthy” and “normal,” I assumed that the pain I have been experiencing was just a normal part of aging. However, I’m only 37. My pain has progressively gotten worse over the years and about two months ago, I was trying to stretch my back in child’s pose after wrangling my 34 lb toddler and when I started to get back up, I felt a jolt of pain on the right side of my back and I haven’t been the same since. I can barely walk up and down stairs or ride in a car even while taking gabapentin every day. PT has helped me no longer bend at the waist and strengthen my core, but I’ve continued to go downhill.
I just had an MRI that showed no evidence of my anterolisthesis while lying flat, but it does show the disc herniation and narrowed nerve space. My physiatrist said the reason the standing x-rays do not match the MRI is because my vertebrae are shifting by up to 7 mm when I stand up, pinching the nerves even more than they are while I’m lying down (which is my most comfortable position). My physiatrist is now referring me to an ortho surgeon and he said I will most likely need a fusion. Has anyone else experienced unstable spondy who eventually got surgery? What was the recovery like? I can’t get injections due to past medical issues.

Hi there! I was recently diagnosed with Grade 1 spondy based on an x-ray showing a 6-7mm slip of L5 over S1. I also have a pars defect. I’ve suffered with back, hip, and knee pain for years, but doctors always looked at my hip, knee, or other places where my issues were not occurring. So, after years and years of going to the ER and being told that I’m “healthy” and “normal,” I assumed that the pain I have been experiencing was just a normal part of aging. However, I’m only 37. My pain has progressively gotten worse over the years and about two months ago, I was trying to stretch my back in child’s pose after wrangling my 34 lb toddler and when I started to get back up, I felt a jolt of pain on the right side of my back and I haven’t been the same since. I can barely walk up and down stairs or ride in a car even while taking gabapentin every day. PT has helped me no longer bend at the waist and strengthen my core, but I’ve continued to go downhill.
I just had an MRI that showed no evidence of my anterolisthesis while lying flat, but it does show the disc herniation and narrowed nerve space. My physiatrist said the reason the standing x-rays do not match the MRI is because my vertebrae are shifting by up to 7 mm when I stand up, pinching the nerves even more than they are while I’m lying down (which is my most comfortable position). My physiatrist is now referring me to an ortho surgeon and he said I will most likely need a fusion. Has anyone else experienced unstable spondy who eventually got surgery? What was the recovery like? I can’t get injections due to past medical issues.

Just curious if anyone has an outlook of recovery time and when our guys should be 100%. Would it be closer to December for full roster health?
Robinson C Ankle B. Bogdanovic SF Foot C. Brown SG Concussion D. Washington Jr. PG Knee J. Randle PF Shoulder O. Anunoby SF Hamstring J. Brunson PG Hand J. Hart SG Abdominal strain

If I train in the gym (for example, do bicep curls) and I have a fractured ankle, does that slow down the healing process of my ankle because muscular recovery also takes up resources, or does it not work like that? This isn't a medical advice question, I was just wondering how the body allocates resources to heal your muscles and bones.

I have a torn mcl and partially torn acl after a martial arts accident. I'm in a full leg brace locked at 30 deg and may need surgery (although I'll do whatever is needed to avoid it). I'm so sick of people that tell me stories about their sprained ankles and knees, and then tell me about how long it took them to heal and that they feel fine now or that it sometimes bothers them, and they just gave it time indicating that they didn't go to the doctor and they did just fine...blablabla... Great! I'm so freaking happy that you had a sprain that didn't require a full leg brace! Although it's getting better my knee feels like it wants to fold in half just because of its own weight if I hold it out to the side. I can put my weight on it as long as it's in the perfect position, it's not like it's even all that painful most of the time. If you've had a torn mcl I'm sure you'll understand, it seems like people that have experienced an injury that requires more than a compression sleeve get it. I am hobble-bobbling around doing most things without crutches 95% of the time so maybe it gives people a false sense of just how hard it is to walk with this brace on and how unstable my knee feels. Thanks for reading if you got this far. I'm just feeling frustrated and feel like everyone expects me to carry on like nothing happened. If you have tips on recovey I'll take them! Speedy recovery to everyone!
Edit: I just want to say thank you for letting me complain. I feel awful hearing about everyone else's injuries. I am very lucky to be in the place I am and might not need surgery. It also gives me a little chuckle to read other posts about the struggles and knowing what you guys mean (to an extent), like having to plan going to the bathroom or reaching things that are just out of reach. I feel for ya.

Here's the situation:

• I practice 1-2 times a week, for 1-2 hours of effective time every practice
• 1 of those practices is slower tempo (60-80BPM) and the other mid-high-tempo (140-180BPM)
• I only use heel up, and use ankle technique above 16th notes at ~140BPM

The problem in this equation is endurance. After even 10-15 seconds playing at 180BPM tempo my tibialis anterior is absolutely on fire, which means I'm not able to keep up at all, and this is a problem that is actively hampering my ability to play some songs.
I'm trying to figure out whether my ankle technique is bad, or I'm simply not putting in enough practice time. On that note I've got 2 main questions:

1. Is it normal for the tibialis to hold you back? Shouldn't my calf be on fire instead? Because I don't ever feel my calf getting weak.
2. How do you guys approach playing fast bass drum? Do you let the beater's rebound 100% take care of lifting the ball of your foot, or does it feel like you're doing most of the lifting yourself?

It's also worth noting that I tried hitting these muscles at the gym, training the calf did nothing (it just never feels tired when drumming, as mentioned before) and training the tibialis actually made it worse since the recovery time for that muscle seems hella long.
One thing that could be correlated is that I get the same pain when I walk fast. Ditto when driving with a somewhat sensitive accelerator pedal, my tibialis gets tired.
Any thoughts?
Edit: I'm talking about double bass with those tempos.

Just found out the one time I didn’t research a med I was prescribed… it is the exact med I am not supposed to be taking :) I was prescribed it under the guise of “nerve pain treatment” in the hospital, and when it wasn’t in my discharge meds I questioned it. The nurse I was with put the order in for it. They added it and I’ve been taking it every morning.
My lord. It is an NSAID, not a “nerve pill”. The one specific genre of pill I am not supposed to take after a spinal fusion, because it discourages bone fusion :) I’m freaking out and so so angry and upset. Also upset because it’s been helpful every time I take it, and no wonder- I have a ton of inflammation!!! lol!!!!! Now I’m grieving that I won’t have it as assistance anymore (obviously not taking it again!!!).
I’m just so mad that the hospital didn’t explain it to me / that they overlooked the specific procedure I had at the pharmacy. I’m glad I realized now/only a few weeks along in my recovery but I am really anxious about how it has impacted it. I’m also very glad that I was taking this pill specifically only once a day, not twice as prescribed.
Lord almighty let this not ruin my fusion. Does anyone have any advice here?? My doctor obviously didn’t know I was prescribed it or he would have said something at my follow up on Friday, I’m sure.
Goodness I was just in so much pain and there were so many meds. I’m always hyper vigilant, I told myself to let go. Do your due diligence, guys :(

I want to thank Meatcanyon and Wendigoon for starting Creepcast. I've played around with writing horror, and here is my first short story. I will post it for free in a few other places to see what people think. Please enjoy!
A Hike to Remember
By R.L. Oclen
Chapter 1
A woman sits with hastily pulled-up fire-red hair in the waiting room of the state patrol station. The procedurally sterile off-white walls and decade-old magazines do little for comfort. With her head hanging low, her shoulders pushing forward, and her boots rapidly tapping on the floor, something has to give.
"Please just let her be okay." The woman growls as a pair of officers come in from the field. The officers' demeanors quickly change when they see the familiar face.
"Tabitha, did Officer Nichols call you?" one of the state patrol officers asked sympathetically.
"Yes, he asked me to come in and pick up a few things," Tabitha said, shooting back a muted look.
" I'll let them know you're here." The officer said, nodding to Tabitha as they passed the security door. Tabitha leaned back against the hard plastic chair, staring blankly into the fluorescent light. She had done this dance in the macabre repeatedly over the past month. The last image of her younger sister, Lisa, still burned in her mind. Tabitha had always been protective over her younger sister after their parents died. A pang of guilt shoots through her chest as she thinks about her and Lisa's argument.
"Tabitha Hymm, Officer Nichols is ready for you."
"Okay," she stood up, shaking off her guilt, and followed the officer back. The familiar surroundings of the state patrol station blurred as Tabitha stared forward. She followed the officer as they came to a rustic wooden office door, which was embossed with "Officer Nichols."
The escorting officer turns the old brass door knob. "Sir, I have Tabitha Hymm here." A grizzled West Virginia Highway State Patrol veteran sits behind the desk and nods. The escorting officer steps aside, pushing the door open as Tabitha pushes past him and slumps in the awaiting chair like so many times before. An uncomfortable relationship had formed between the two, born out of necessity and duty.
"Cup of coffee?"
"No thanks. Let's just cut to the chase. You don't have anything new?"
The worn laugh lines and Officer Nichols's face flattens. His eyebrows contour sympathetically as he shakes his head.
"Tabitha, I don't have anything else new for you. I wanted to give you the clothes returned from the lab." Her face darkened at the same response she had heard many times.
"As we discussed two weeks ago, there is nothing new and no signs of struggle or foul play," Officer Nichols said while placing a box marked evidence on the table and sliding it forward. Tabitha began to weep at the realization of Lisa's clothes in front of her. In a coordinated queue, Officer Nichols brought out a box of tissues. Reluctantly, Tabitha took a few moments to unblur her vision.
"How does someone stop their car in the middle of the Remington West Virginia State Park, lock it, and then walk into the woods?" Officer Nichols clasped his hands together and sighed at her worn question.
"Tabitha, I wish I had an answer for why your sister stopped her car in the woods and simply walked off. We're still going through her cell phone, but no signs exist that anyone forced her. On that Tuesday morning, she pulled over to the side of the road, secured her car, and walked away." Officer Nichols said empathetically.
Tabitha became stoic at the same explanation she had heard many times before. " So what next?"
"You should go back to Ohio, and I'll contact you as soon as I have more information." She winced at Officer Nichols's words. Reality began to pull at her that bills and work wouldn't wait much longer.
"If I leave, she's gone for good."
" You staying won't bring her back." Officer Nichols said sympathetically.
" So is that it? She's just gone?"
" Tabitha, I'll be honest with you. In cases like this… when people do things like this. Recovery is harder in the spring due to the weather and the animals. You know her mental condition better than I do. I can't explain why she did what she did. But until I find a solution, a suicide note, some intention, or body. She's not here. Tabitha, I'm-"
" Don't you fucking say sorry!" Tabitha stood up, screaming at Officer Nichols, throwing the plastic chair backward against the wall. " I should just look for myself."
"No!" Officer Nichols said momentarily, gripping the desk as his face hardened, then relaxed. Tabitha was caught off guard by Officer Nichols, who was normally composed. "Tabitha, I know this is unbearable. I've sat on this side of the desk and had these conversations. Trust me; I need you to be safe if I need your help later."
Tabitha nods, knowing Officer Nichols is right. She reaches down, picks up the evidence box of her sister's belongings, and leaves.
" Tabitha, if you're heading home, don't stop your car; just keep driving." Tabitha stops to look at Officer Nichols, feeling an eeriness to his words.
" Goodbye, Officer Nichols," Tabitha said as she closed the rustic wooden door behind her. She counted the tiles as she exited the West Virginia State Patrol Station. Placing her sister's belongings carefully in the back seat of her Jeep, Tabitha then sat momentarily behind the steering wheel, staring at the emblem. The familiar numbness washed over Tabitha as she pushed the start button. She pulled onto the highway, driving to the motel that had been home for the last month or so. Muted pop music accented the drive back as her mind raced with questions. Once inside the two-and-a-half-star motel room, Tabitha sat her sister's belongings on the corner table, crumbled onto the bed, and cried.
***
Tabitha wiped the steam from the slightly spotted mirror above the bathroom sink. The hot water from the shower felt good and loosened some of the stress from her body. Looking back at her, Tabitha's face was framed by damp curls around her shoulders. Her face marked the stress of the past month. Frowning, she examined the bags under her eyes; sleep had to come tonight. Walking into the living area, She changed into her favorite gym shorts and oversized sleep shirt. The alarm on her phone flashed "7:00 am," so she could drive home five hours after breakfast.
Tabitha hated feeling comfortable in this once strange room, but falling asleep was getting easier now. Her eyes closed slowly as the ceiling fan droned evenly. At first, nothing came in her dreams, but she let her guard down and slipped further into sleep.
As she dreamed of floating overhead like a bird of prey, Tabitha soared over the vast Remington National Park. The high noon sun bore down on the crisp woods, perfectly contrasting sky and forest. The heat of the sun felt good on her feathers. Distant cries rang out through the dream-like forest, catching her attention. Tabitha tilted her wings toward the screams, feeling a sense of familiar curiosity.
She now recognized the sobs and cries for help as she flew closer, her sharp eyes locked on her sister leaning against a large oak tree. She glided overhead without care, examining the situation below. Lisa clung to the tree, her eyes darting back and forth, scanning upwards. Lisa's face reflected desperation, looking for help in any direction. Tabitha lazily circles Lisa several times before perching on a sturdy branch higher in one of the oak trees. She watched Lisa intently with hunger. She bellowed deeply, hearing the unnatural sound she made, catching Lisa's eyes. Lisa's expression changed; she became calm, almost uncaring, as she stared back at Tabitha's form. Hunger grew exponentially in Tabitha as she spread her large wings. Her large eyes gaze down at Lisa before diving straight for her sister.
Tabitha jolts awake to the alarm on her phone flashing "7:23 AM." She breathes in sharply, shaking off the last horrible thoughts from the reoccurring nightmare. The strange details become more vivid each time. The lingering memories of folk stories her mother told sat in the back of her mind. In those stories, the dead would reach out in dreams as a matter of warning. Leaning back on the headboard, she searched for the advice her psychologist gave her. During their last session, Dr. Ryland explained dreams are a form of self-actualization of guilt. He told Tabitha that it was natural to feel responsible when losing a loved one in this manner.
Tabitha grumbled, lightly running her hands through her red hair; she pushed everything to the back of her mind. "Get it together!" She grumbled to herself. She pushed herself off the bed and got ready to leave. It was going to be a long trip home, and the only thing she could do now was leave things in the authorities' hands. Packing up was pretty easy since she only cycled through the outfits she brought. The local laundromat must have made a small fortune off her. Tabitha took one last look at the box of Lisa's belongings before throwing them in her duffle bag. She was thankful she didn't have to spend another night in this room.
***
Tabitha sat behind the wheel, waiting for the 90's model minivan to finish their order so she could grab a breakfast burrito on the way out. Considering the situation, the Deer Stop Family Restaurant did have a good breakfast. Finally, pulling up to the 70-style drive-in board, Tabitha rolled off the order she had been accustomed to. " I'll take a large iced tea with the double breakfast burrito meal and hash browns, please."
" Would you like some happy hot sauce with that?"
" That's fine, and a few ketchup packets as well."
" Your total is $8.79. Please pull around."
She pulled around to her window, flashed her debit card, got the receipt, and waited for her food. Luckily, the young woman serving her wasn't very talkative in the morning. The last thing she wanted was a conversation about the weather or meaningless small talk.
" Here's your large iced tea and breakfast meal. Ketchup and happy hot sauce are inside."
" Thanks," Tabitha said while mustering her best fake smile. The woman only smiled and nodded as the service window automatically closed. She pulled into the parking lot and dug into breakfast. Turning the radio to the weather, Tabitha sat back and enjoyed her meal. The local DJ read through the headlines, making nonpartisan comments about politics and grumbling about improving the economy. Tabitha powered through the updates of the "out-of-state woman" who'd gone missing. It was nice that the local radio station gave Lisa's name, description, and a missing person's number for sightings or leads. Tabitha even interviewed with the local news and radio stations, hoping it would bring Lisa home. But she soon found all it brought was a sorrowful look from the locals as she interacted with them in her day-to-day life.
Finishing the last of her hash browns, Lisa wadded up everything in the paper bag and threw it in the back seat. The 9 AM weather report said it was nothing but clear skies and sun the rest of the week. Tabitha flipped the radio over to the greatest hit station, pulled out of the parking lot, and began her trip home. She memorized the roads, every bend and turn in the early weeks as she frantically looked for Lisa. There's something hypnotic about the trees: the way they flow together. The trees' green tops and the oak trees' wide trunks were a relaxing view. Tabitha enjoyed the lazy s-curves of the road, bending and winding around the hills and the trees. The occasional farmhouse or field dotted the sides of the road as she made her way to the main highway.
The blur of a semi-truck snapped Tabitha's attention as she pulled up to the mouth of the highway. She had four and a half hours ahead of her, which would be a long ride. Tabitha pulled onto the highway and picked up speed, noting sparse traffic. She relaxed into her seat, letting her gaze gloss over the blur of green foliage. Without warning, Tabitha caught a large shadow from the corner of her left eye. When she registered the black feathery form, Tabitha tensed up and slammed on the brakes as it swooped across the vehicle's hood. Quickly, she pulled the car safely off the road. She couldn't determine exactly what it was, but it was bigger than any bird she'd seen. It was a bird, right? Tabitha turned off her Jeep and grabbed the keys and cell phone. Standing before the Jeep, she looked over the grill to see if she made contact with the entity.
Bewildered, she scanned the tree line, spotting something in the distance. Sitting in the clearing of the large oak forest was an enormous black owl. It stared intently at Tabitha with bright, shiny yellow eyes. She pushed the lock button on her keys, causing the jeep to beep securely. She turned, looking across the open field, an enormous black owl perched in the upper branches of an old oak tree. Each step she took away from the road piqued her curiosity. Soon, Tabitha stood in the middle of the open field, staring intently into the eyes of the enormous owl.
The horn of a passing semi-truck blared, pulling Tabitha's attention away from the mysterious large creature. She looked back and saw that she had walked farther away from the Jeep than she had thought. She glanced back to the forest line only to see the enormous owl was deeper into the woods than before. She narrowed her vision to find the two large, bright yellow eyes staring back. Had it moved? The day's stress, care, and worry suddenly poured out of Tabitha. It was replaced by only curiosity and overbearing tranquility. She warmly smiled for the first time in months as her feet pulled her further into the woods.
Chapter 2
The tug of gravity pulls Tabitha to her senses as her body reacts, falling forward. Her arms thrust forward, bracing for impact. Water rushes around her face as she struggles to get her bearings. Quickly, Tabitha pushed herself up in the ankle-high stream she fell in. The haze slowly clears from her mind as she stares at the muddy water. The dull ache throbs up her legs. Tabitha can smell the sweat from her clothes. Her face contorted in panic as she quickly stood up in the water, looking for her cell. Thankfully, the device was still in her pocket, dry and unscathed.
"One o'clock. How can that be?" Tabitha says, slowly looking up from the screen to see the vast, dense West Virginia forest encompassing her view. She shakes her head back and forth with disbelief. A smile gently spreads across her face, with the last bit of tranquility leaving her body. How did I get out here? Her breathing becomes faster as her pulse begins to quicken. I'm in the forest. I'm all alone—just like Lisa!
"NO, NO, NO, NO! THIS FUCKING CAN'T BE HAPPENING TO ME!" Tabitha screams into the void of trees. Her eyes well up with tears as she crumbles to her knees, gripping her phone tightly to her chest. Her sobs ring out through the thick oak trees. Her breath slows a little as she regains her composure. She begins to search her mind for anything. What is the last thing I can remember? The image of the black shadow crossing her vision while driving flashes into her mind.
"Okay, I got out of the Jeep, the…then what?" Tabitha says, trying to refresh her memories. She thinks her memory is not just gone; it's a black void in her mind. Complete blackness fills her mind right after remembering locking the Jeep and then turning to see the…
"Fuck I saw something. What was it!" Tabitha says, frustrated with her mind. She knew there must be a logical reason she was out here. Officer Nichols warned her not to go looking for her sister. She wasn't stupid; she just said that as a last-ditch effort to get him to do anything. Now I'm here.
"Run!" Tabitha heard Lisa's voice in her ear. Before she could turn around, she heard a loud bellowing coming from overhead. Fear shot down her back, reminding her of the nightmares she had over the past month. She shot forward full bore as something crashed to the ground behind her. Glancing back as she ran, a black mass of feathers convulsed between the broken branches of the trees. Its slick black feathers rippled across its surface as its bones crackled and flesh tore. Its body contorted and twisted from the shape of an owl to something bigger.
"Run, Tabby! Don't let it catch you!" Tabitha pushed forward, hearing Lisa's scream beside her face. Her breath burned in her chest, and she moved past the old oak trees bent over the creek bed. Her feet slammed rapidly, splashing along the side of the creek. Another loud bellow comes from behind as the trees bend and break to the force behind her. A small opening in the rocky creek bed catches her sight from the left. She dives into the crevasses, not caring where the fathoms lead. Tabitha tumbles in the pitch black, taking scrapes and sharp jabs from the rocks as she tumbles further into the void.
She finally tumbles to a stop on the sandy, wet floor of the cave. Her body aches from the sudden burst of exhaustion. The cool water running around her body from the creek is soothing despite her bumps and bruises. Pushing herself up, she scoots out of the water. Feeling her way forward, she finds a dry spot to collect herself. Quickly pushing her hand into her pocket, she finds her phone undamaged.
The sound of footsteps pushing against the creek fills the void around Tabitha as the light steps move closer to each other up the underground creekbed. She slowly removes her cell from her pocket and then shines the camera light toward the sound. A pair of scratched and bruised pale bare legs hold up a frail form in front of her in the creek. She wears the darkness as a shroud with nothing else to clothe her. Tabitha froze, not wanting to shine the light further in the pale form before her.
"Tabby, turn your light off. You need to save your battery." Tabitha turned off the light and then rushed forward, embracing Lisa—the how or why didn't matter, only the now. The pale form hugged her tightly. Tabitha felt her cold, bare skin. The darkness couldn't hide the feeling of the marks across her back and torso.
"Lisa, I'm-"
"Hush! I don't have much time. This wasn't your fault! I'm with Mom and Dad now. You have to survive, Tabby! Listen. Wait until the sun shines through the cracks, making a trail out. Follow it down the creek until you come to the opening. You'll see a large hill you hike up for a cell signal. And remember…If you can't see it… It can't hurt you. I love you-"
Tabitha stumbled forward before catching herself. The void in front of her arms was only filled by cool air. She looked up and noticed a faint glimmer of light pushing through the ceiling. She sat down, relaxing against the limestone wall of the cave, waiting for the trail of light to form.
***
After a few hours, the light shining through the cracks of the cave ceiling was bright enough to lead Tabitha to the other side. She stepped onto the creek bed, thankful for the sun hanging lower in the sky. Scanning the sky, Tabitha saw only a few clouds. The foothills of Appalachia backdropped the forest as she scanned for the hill. Her eyes found the trail leading up the steady slope of an impressive hill. The top of the hill was bare. Part of the hill must have sheared off in a landslide, leaving the top void of trees and a jagged cliff face. Tabitha started her hike up the back of the hill. She was careful to stay under the heavy canopy of the old trees, hopefully avoiding the creature's eyes.
She did her best to quiet her mind while hiking up the trail. Come on, almost to the top, then I can call 911, she replayed repeatedly in her mind. Her adrenaline made up for the lack of food since morning. She drank some water from a clean spot in the creek. She was placing her bet on rescue rather than worrying about the water.
Leaning against one of the trees, Tabitha took out her cell and measured the signal.
"Damn it, nothing!" She swore under her breath. She listened nervously and cautiously peered her head out from the tree line. Standing at the tree line, the cell phone still had a low signal. She pushed her anxiety down with a swallow and slowly stepped forward onto the bare rock. Tabitha was now out in the open. She walked with the cell phone pointed upwards, measuring the signal. Within three feet of the cliff face, her signal bar punched up to full. Tabitha began to punch in the numbers just as a pair of large yellow eyes appeared. She felt her legs become weak, and her vision blurred as the creature snared her in its gaze.
Tabitha ducked, missing the giant owl's claws as it swooped for her. She squinted her eyes shut, momentarily breaking the hold of the infernal beast as it crashed to the ground, tumbling down the path of old trees. On her hands and knees, she tucked the dialed phone back into her pocket. She heard the creature's loud bellowing, followed by the snapping of bone and flesh ripping. It was changing its shape to finish her off.
Tabitha tried to get up, but the flash of its eyes did something to her. Her legs were numb, her stomach was in knots, and she could barely put a few thoughts together.
"If you can't see it, it can't hurt you." Tabitha heard clearly in her left ear. She quickly pushed herself into a sitting position and fumbled for the key chain in her right pocket. Pulling the long chain of keys, luck charms, and keepsakes, her father's Swiss army knife dangled at the end. She slowly opened the half-inch blade. Her body wholeheartedly rejected her plan and tried to fight her. Every internal warning system sounded as her body fought against her as she brought the blade against the corner of her left eye.
She didn't know if she could do it until the creature bellowed in her direction. With one quick motion, the half-inch blade sliced across her left eye. The world dimmed and then went black on her left side. Behind her, the beast's thundering gallop was getting closer. Tabitha plunged herself into total darkness with the last bit of her strength. Her hand gripped tightly around the bloody knife as she folded forward onto the ground. She could feel herself weeping blood. She squinted, doing her best to stem the tide of blood loss.
A large feathered paw drove into Tabitha's right side, flipping her onto her back. She lay still as the hulking creature stood over her. It remained motionless, and Tabitha was confused about why it didn't move or bite her. Then she started to giggle, just a little at first. Then, laughing madly into the creature's face as it growled back at her. She could not see it; she couldn't see anything. Her mind couldn't be eaten!
The creature roared into Tabitha's face while plunging one of its sharp claws into her shoulder. Tabitha screamed in pain, slashing the knife downward. The blade hit something soft, and she ripped the blade down, rending whatever she had hit on the abomination. A bright yellow, foul-smelling liquid gushed in a torrent over Tabitha's face. She turned to cough, having swallowed a portion of it. The creature reared back, squealing in pain. Its hind leg came down hard on Tabitha's leg, snapping her tibia. She jerked her leg up, causing the creature to tumble forward and fall over the edge of the cliff side.
Tabitha heard the creature crash below at the base of the hill. A large dead tree speared the creature through its chest. Tabitha could hear the labored whines of the creature as its cries became weak and slowed. A wave of sickness hit her as she rolled over and vomited. The foul smell drenched her. She did her best to focus, reaching into her pocket and pulling out the phone. By memory, she typed in the unlock pin. She held her breath and placed her thumb where the call button should be.
She could hear the call being made then, "911. What is your emergency?"
"Please help me! A bear has attacked me, and I can't see. I think I am on a hill."
"Ok, ma'am, stay with me! Do you know where you are located?"
"No, I'm lost. Please send help."
"It's okay. Stay with me on the phone, and I'll use the cell signal to try to find you."
"I'm on top of one of the hills. I think I am lying on a bare roc-" Tabitha slipped unconscious with the cell still tightly in her hand. Her body began to tremble and convulse.
"Ma'am! Ma'am! Stay with me. I have help on the way."
Chapter 3
A young man in military fatigues frantically compiles images and reconnaissance data from his drone feed. Confirming his hunch, he commands the winged surveillance drone to make a hard left and send a live video feed. His eyes widened as he saw a large owl-shaped shadow crash onto the top of a hill. He watches in awe as the sleek black owl twists and shifts into something much larger, like a grizzly. As the drone turns, he sees a woman at the cliff's edge trying to steady yourself on her hands and knees.
He bolts up from the command module, jotting down the drone's coordinates on one of the printouts. The drab government-issued office motif for the watch station blurs in the corner of his eye as he rushes down the hallway to the watch commander's office.
"Sir, recon has eyes on AMOS! And it's feeding!" the man said, swinging the heavy wooden door open. He took the hastily compiled file and pushed it forward to the commanding officer.
An older, tanned man quickly stands, reaching for the files. His brow furls, seeing his charge is awake. "Keep eyes on it! Go Adams!" The young man nods, turning on his heel and bolting for the drone command module. As his office door slams shut from the subordinate officer, he grabs his headset and frantically dials the closest military outpost to the coordinates.
"Hello, Sergeant Klein; this is Agent Smith of Black Watch outpost 7948! Shadow is active, code Alpha, Mike, Oscar, Sierra. The coordinates and data package have been sent. A civilian is on the ground; deploy strike-and-rescue ASAP.
"We'll be up in five, Agent Smith! The line cuts as Agent Smith closes out the call on his headset and rushes to the door. The normally quiet watch station buzzes alive, with personnel flooding the central command station. The background echoes resource allocation calls, frantic typing, and the hum of cold computers warming up.
"Adams, get our eyes back on Amos!"
"Coming back around in 30 seconds." Thirty sets of eyes stare at the three giant screens, anxiously waiting for the drone feed to clear the bank of trees. The camera clears the tre top to see the giant feathered grizzly rear back slinging its massive head away from its prey. Its large yellow right eye spews bright yellow liquid all over the red-haired woman and the cliff face. The giant feathered grizzly missteps, crushing the woman's leg and causing the creature to tumble over the cliff face.
"Fuck!" Agent Smith yells in horror as he watches AMOS fall four stories, impaling a sharp, 3-meter-tall log lodged in the boulders. The command center freezes wide-eyed at the flailing dying creature on screen. Agent Smith pulls his cell out quickly and dials.
"Klein, Scrub the current request! AMOS is down! Switch to rescue and harvest now!
"What, someone took out AMOS?"
"YES! It's at the bottom of the cliff, bleeding out essence! The woman is covered in it as well. Clean as much of it off her as possible before you take her to the ER.
"Understood!"
Agent Smith, in a rage, slings his phone straight forward, connecting with Private Adams's skull. Adams flinches at the sudden impact of the hard plastic and covers his head. Agent Smith grabs the table in front of him and flips it over, sending the computer equipment crashing to the government-issued tiled floor.
"A two-year cycle gone! All that essence is gone! Now I have to wait another 24 months for AMOS to resurrect!" Agent Smith screams, causing the rest of the staff to recoil away in fear.
"Jones!" Agent Smith says sternly, turning to a petite woman on his left. She stares at him, pleading.
"Yes Sir?'
"Get Officer Nichols on my office line. That fuck up has some explaining. He should have told us AMOS was awake."
"Right away!" Jones quickly sits back down and begins dialing Nichols, thankful she doesn't have to deal with Agent Smith further. The command center quickly shifts gears as Agent Smith returns to his office.
***
Two Weeks later…
"Tabitha… Tabitha… This is Doctor Wilhelm. Wake up." The kind older gentleman said as they gently nudged Tabitha in her hospital bed.
"Where am I?" Tabitha asked, waking from what felt like years of sleep. She sat up, the world still pitch black, but an odd sense of the world around her seemed to hum just behind her eyes.
"You're in the hospital, dear; you scared us. Do you remember anything?" He said as he sat down on the side of her bed.
Tabitha thought for a moment the last parts after she slashed her eyes were a blur. She remembers people yelling and the sound of two or three helicopters over her. " No, it's really all just a blur."
"Well, it's probably for the best. You had some very serious injuries. The first night, we honestly didn't think you would make it. Then…" The doctor trailed off with a concerned expression, not knowing how to explain things further.
Tabitha felt his pulse quicken somehow. She didn't understand it but fully felt or sensed the doctor beside her. She sensed the two other nurses standing at the end of the bed. Her body didn't hurt. She felt great. She felt hungry.
"Doctor, you said had. What happened to my injuries?" She said calmly, trying not to startle the old doctor further.
"Well, Tabitha, it's the closest thing to a miracle I've ever seen. You had violent seizures from the minute you hit the entrance of the ER. We couldn't even set your leg. The medications we gave you had a minimal effect, and you thrashed so much that we had to restrain you. Then, the early morning check-in found you in a deep sleep. All but your eyes were completely healed. So we switched gears to support care and treated your eyes the best we could." He said, watching her reaction.
Tabitha leaned back in her bed, taking in the wild account. "Do you know how I healed so quickly?"
"What happened to you is beyond all scientific reason. A miracle is the only way the staff and I can explain it. I know you have been through a lot, but I want to check your eyes."
"Thank you for all your help, Doctor Wilhelm." She said, sitting up in bed.
"You are most welcome, dear. Now I am going to unwrap your eye-dressing. Hold still, please." he said as he reached up and pulled on the bandage tape. Tabitha felt a quick tug and felt the bandages loosen from around her head. The doctor slowly unwrapped the bandages. The doctor's brow wrinkled as he examined the two large black scabs covering Tabitha's eyes.
"Tell me if this hurts at all, ok?"
"Yes, doctor." She relaxes as the doctor's gloved fingers pass over the scab. He pushes and gently tugs at the side of one, and it starts to lift. He pulls on the scab more, and Tabitha begins to sense the light as it hits her eyelid.
"Oh, I can sense the light, Doctor Wilhelm!" She said, smiling.
"Wonderful! Nurse Allen, please hand me some saline solution. I think a little water will loosen these right up. Hold still; this may feel cold," he said as he reached for the solution. She felt the cool liquid flush over the left eye, then the right. The scabs fell away with a gentle tug from the doctor. She could see the light shine through her eyelids. She grinned widely, happy to have some form of sight left.
"Please open your eyes for me," he said as he sat back on the bed. Tabitha slowly opened her eyes. The flood of light was almost too much, causing her to squint. After a few moments, she adjusted to the fluorescent lights. Three figures began to take shape in front of her. First, the distinguished older features of Doctor Wilhelm came into view quickly, followed by the brunette and blonde younger nurses standing at the end of the bed. Suddenly, her vision snapped into place, crisp and clear.
"I can see perfectly! This is amazing! Thank you, Doctor Wilhem!" she said, turning to look directly into his eyes, but he stared back at her unmovingly.
"Doctor Wilhelm?" she said as her expression became more worried. Doctor Wilhelm just sat staring, intensely focused on her eyes. His expression was overbearingly calm. She glanced at the nurses, rigidly staring back at her with trapped, calm expressions. Doctor Wilhelm began to twitch slightly. It traveled from the base of his spine out to his limbs, finally convulsing.
"Doctor Wilhelm, are you okay?" Tabitha yelled as the doctor began to have a seizure and fell on top of her bed.
"Help Him!" She screamed at the two nurses only to see both of them crumble to the tiled floor. One of them bashed her head off the bed frame. Tabitha recoils back from Doctor Wilhelm in terror as he starts foaming at the mouth. She climbs over the bed rail and hits the tiled concrete floor with a thud. Her adrenaline surges as she bolts for the door, looking for help.
At the entrance of her hospital room, she sees another nurse leaving the adjacent room. "Please, my doctor and staff need help!" As the male nurse turns to see Tabitha, he suddenly goes stiff before collapsing into a violent seizure, spilling his cart over with him.
"What's happening!" Tabitha screams, thinking something is in the air, or everyone has come down with something. A pair of security guards round the corner, hearing the screams and commotion.
"Ma'am, are yo-" The guard freezes mid-stride as he makes eye contact with Tabitha. Both men start to convulse and topple over, thrashing violently on the hard tile.
"No, no, no, no!" Tabitha yells as she darts into the women's bathroom, a few doors up the hall. She runs in, terrified of the situation. She approaches one of the sinks, bracing herself against the cool porcelain. Her stomach turns, and she dry heaves in the sink. She steadies herself while turning on the cold water. Leaning in, she takes a drink. As she looks up, a glint of two yellow eyes catches her. Tabitha stumbles backward on reflex. Then, she sees her reflection in the mirror. Two completely bright yellow eyes stare back at Tabitha. She screams at herself in the mirror, not feeling hungry anymore.
The end.
I will

I (28M, 6ft, 92kg[Dunno what it is in lbs], in Denmark) broke my ankle in six places some three and a half years ago and went through five surgeries to fix it:

1. Putting pins to hold the bones in place.
   
2. Metal plate installed.
   
3. Metal plate removed because of a gap of about a centimeter the surgeon left in the bone and a new one installed fixing the gap.
   
4. Surgery to open the wound and collect sample as I had a bad E. Coli infection to see how to treat it.
   
5. Final surgery to remove the plate as it was contaminated and had to be removed otherwise the antibiotics wouldn't work.
   

After the final surgery, I had a slow recovery, with heaps of pain and a short stint with physical dependency on Opioids caused by the absurd amount I had to take, but within a year I felt fully healed and had little to no side effects or pain. Last week I was sitting at home and felt a very weird pressure on the same place I felt most pain during the initial recovery, something that felt very much like the bone hurting, although I'm not sure if that's the best description for it, and since then it's been coming every now and then and some of these bursts of pain are quite debilitating, to the point I have to sit down and try not to curse out loud.
I've read chronic pain can happen in an extreme fracture case like I had, but nothing like this showed until this week. Is it something that will keep happening randomly throughout my life or should I look for a doctor to get it checked for something in particular?

Not trying to break any rules but felt an overwhelming sense of belonging when I found this group. I started skating again a few months ago and was having an absolute blast, reconnecting with friends, the whole 9. Couldn't believe it I felt like such a kid again.
Tragedy struck and I broke my ankle. First broken bone. Fell on a silly 2 stair and fell in such a a silly way. So embarrassed. Really the mental toll is just as bad as the physical at the moment. I feel lost and scared that I'll never want to skate again. Can I participate in this lovely place? I would love any advice or encouragement
Going in for surgery tomorrow so prayers for a speedy recovery!

Howdy folks, I ran my first ever full (but most certainly NOT my last) marathon yesterday and wanted to share my experience! I signed as kind of a spur of the moment impulse after running 18 miles for the first time last October. I’m SO glad I did, because it was an amazing and eye-opening experience. I never thought I would have the time, energy or stamina to do a full marathon, but a good friend of mine who has done several gave me good advice last year that really changed my perspective. Anyway, on to the report, and I’ll try to keep it brief!

Race Information

• Name: Cleveland Marathon
• Date: Sunday, May 19, 2024
• Distance: 26.2 miles
• Location: Cleveland, OH
• Website: https://www.clevelandmarathon.com
• Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/11448481433
• Time: 3:48:20

Goals

Goal	Description	Completed?
A	Finish	*Yes*
B	Sub 4:00:00	*Yes*
C	Sub 3:45:00	*No*
D	No walking	*Yes*
E	Miles 20-26 faster than 10:00	*Yes*

Splits

Mile	Time
1	8:24
2	8:16
3	8:01
4	8:15
5	8:00
6	7:59
7	8:19
8	8:25
9	8:10
10	8:17
11	8:24
12	8:26
13	8:18
14	8:27
15	8:35
16	8:19
17	8:35
18	8:58
19	8:36
20	8:53
21	9:21
22	9:17
23	9:21
24	9:24
25	9:55
26	9:10
27	8:28

Training

For several months now I've been focusing on intervals and ever-increasing distances for my long runs. Regarding intervals, they were tough at first, especially since my first time doing it it was pouring rain and standing water in a lot of places I was running. But in spite of that, I enjoyed it. After doing them for a few weeks, I noticed I could run faster with less exertion, and generally recovered faster from my harder workouts. As far as distance running is concerned, I had previously ran 15-18 miles quite a few times, and generally felt very good during and after each of those runs. I have ran a half marathon at least once a month, each month, for over a year now, and always felt very comfortable doing it. Then, about a month prior to the race, I set out to attempt my first ever 20 mile run... and failed, (I posted about it here actually in one of the daily questions thread) only making it 13 miles. But to be honest, I knew the reasons why I didn’t have it in me that day, shrugged it off, and went out 3 days later and accomplished it. That cemented in my mind that I was likely “ready” and “able” to do the marathon.

Pre-race

Without going into details, through a small series of humorous events, I ended up signed up for 4 races in a row, each one on a separate weekend. Two half marathons, followed by a 5k, then the full marathon. I was a little worried that this would mess up my marathon, but fortunately there were two full weeks between my last half and the full, with only the 5k in between. So I just took it easy on the 5k and week following it, made sure to follow a healthy diet (for example no alcohol for basically two weeks prior, as well as higher carbs the days prior), and tried to get to bed earlier.
Fast forward to the morning of the race, and because of an issue with parking in downtown Cleveland (we had a spot reserved and paid for at a lot, which ended up being full, which really pissed me off), we were running out of time and my wife had to drop me off and go off on her own to find parking (she wasn’t running, but wanted to be at the starting line to watch me take off). Fortunately, she managed to find a spot within minutes and made it on time! After dropping off my bag at the gear check and finagling my way to a port-a-potty for a last minute number two, I got a little lost trying to find where I was supposed to enter the corrals at, but finally made it in with about 3 minutes to go til the race started. So I was a little nervous but very excited to be there.

Race

I started in corral B, and during the first 3 miles or so was getting passed by a fair amount of people. But every time I checked my watch I was pretty much on pace for where I wanted to be at that point in the race, and also sticking just behind the 3:40:00 pacers, so I just ignored it and kept plugging along. I’ve done enough half marathons and other races to know some folks come out of the gate a little too fast and burn out, and I would likely end up catching up to and passing them several miles later. Honestly, none of that really matters, as I’m not out there to compete against anybody but myself, but a constant stream of people passing you can have a psychological effect even if you don’t want it to.
The support along the route was phenomenal! It was the largest race I’ve been a part of, with the Columbus Half a close second. I imagined however, that after the halfway point, the support would significantly drop off, since the vast majority of the runners were doing the half marathon. While the support did drop off, there was a surprising amount of support on the “back half”, even though miles 14-26 took us quite a ways away from downtown, all the way out to Edgewater Park via several neighborhoods. But even in the neighborhoods, there were so many local residents sitting on their porches and balconies, cheering us on, and quite a few with their own little refreshment stations set up, handing out water, electrolytes, fruit, granola bars, even pickles. I’ve never been so happy to eat an orange in my life! Others had their sprinklers or hoses out to help us cool off as we ran by (which I took advantage of EVERY time haha).
Around mile 15, I ended up having to backtrack about 30 yards because my medical dog tag came off my neck; DOH! At mile 16 I was bummed to see a young guy convulsing on the ground, but fortunately the paramedics were there and no doubt taking good care of him. At mile 17, the rear-most 3:40:00 pacer caught me and ran with me for a bit before he mentioned he had to catch up to the group further up the road. I said no big deal and he moved on. At mile 19 or so, I saw a long hill that formed part of the final stretch and remembered that most of the elevation was in the last few miles, but I just shrugged and put it out of my mind. After mile 20, I definitely slowed my pace; in part because that was the farthest I had ever run before, in part because of the increased elevation changes, and in part because it’s mile 21 and that’s when you hit the wall, right? Well I never felt I “hit a wall”, I just felt like I was starting to get tired. But I had kept a steady routine of consuming a gel every 45 minutes or so, and grabbing a water and electrolytes at every station, so I was confident that I had the reserves to keep going without having to stop to walk. Then I hit mile 24, which was that hill I had seen earlier, and it was a bit of a struggle. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, but I did notice my pace dropping below 10:00, so I refocused on my breathing, skipped to a motivating song (Rage Against the Machine: The Ghost of Tom Joad in case you’re wondering) and kept on trucking. I managed to finish that mile at 9:55, just under my goal of keeping miles 21-26 at under 10:00... PHEW! At mile 25, the next pacer (3:50:00) caught up to me and another guy going across a large bridge. We got to chatting, asking him about his experience as a pacer, and sharing our story, and it turns out the other guy was doing his first marathon as well. That little chit chat gave me a boost to hit it hard on the last half mile.
At the end of the bridge was a huge group of people cheering everybody on, and the music was so great I paused mine and just soaked in the experience. At the last turn, I could see the finish line, about a quarter of a mile away. I have this thing where I always want to sprint the last stretch before the finish line, but wasn’t sure if I would be able to for a marathon. But I felt pretty good, so I went for it and ended up hitting a 4:49 pace! That surprised me, because while I’ve hit sub 5:00 pace quite a few times doing intervals, and can maintain that speed over a 400m distance, I didn’t think I would be able to do it after running 26 miles. So it felt great to know I still had “gas in the tank”. I crossed the finish line, heard my name and shouted “that’s me!!!”, after which I immediately looked for the banana haha.

Post-race

After crossing the finish line, I did feel somewhat disoriented and clumsy. So I sipped on some water and chocolate milk, found my wife (or rather, she found me), unlaced my shoes and then waddled over to one of the grassy areas and laid flat on my. I took advantage of the free beer and massage tables, took some pictures, took in the atmosphere, headed to the car and then home. I spent most of the rest of the day on the couch haha.
To be honest, I felt great after the race, and even the rest of the day. I didn’t have any discomfort or pain, and my right ankle which has a tendency to get really tight after a race felt completely normal. I chalk it up to good preparation, the shoes I used that day (actually used my “recovery run” shoes instead of my race shoes), making sure they weren’t laced too tight, making sure not to overdo it with my pacing, and immediately unlacing my shoes afterwards.
I spent most of the rest of my day reflecting on what I love about races: the camaraderie. The sense of unity amongst thousands of people from all walks of life, who might not have much in common, but at least share an interest if not a love for running. To me, both the participants and the people who support them, be them event volunteers or local residents, give me a glimpse into what people are capable of. Races bring out the good in us, the sense of belonging and acceptance, and is a humbling and encouraging experience. This was my first full marathon, but it won’t be my last!
Also... sorry... I tried to keep it brief... and failed haha.
Made with a new race report generator created by u/herumph.

Hi, I had a synovial osteochondromatosis or benign tumor removed from my knee 3 weeks ago. Initially the recovery was going really well and I had very little pain or swelling. However since coming off the crutches and walking normally, my knee is swollen and I also have a lot of pain in my knee, foot and ankle. Should I be worried? I thought by 3 weeks I wouldn't need pain meds but I still very much need them. Does anyone have any experience with this?

Hi all, looking for some advice on pain management and what to ask my doctor for because I'm in near constant agony.
So, a few years ago I injured my back at work, at the time it was just back pain and no sciatica and it cleared up after a week or so of bedrest and because I was young and broke I just rushed back to work without really looking deeper into the problem, or seeing if I could get workers comp. Since then I've had recurring flare ups where I'll be doing something and my back will 'pop' and then the pain will come back. This was so bad that two years ago I quit my job (I worked at a bookstore, lifting heavy books was the whole job) and took a year off to try and recover.
By the end of that year I was feeling really positive, I had occasional aches but no re-injury and hadn't for roughly six months, and because my partner and I could no longer afford for me to be off work (that cost of living crisis, am I right?) I got a new job in a call centre.
Then just as I was starting my new job I had a small sciatica flare up, first back injury in over six months and it came with extra bells and whistles and I was devasted, especially because I could not afford to not start this new job. Though at the time that flare up was so minor that I pushed through it. I went to the ED to be safe because my right foot had gone a little numb, I had no associated back pain and when I'd wake up in the morning I'd get muscle cramps in my foot for about 30 minutes. It was really manageable pain. At the hospital they x-rayed me and told me it was likely a disc protrusion and not anything like diabetes. I am overweight so I was worried this was the issue but my blood sugar levels were normal and so they recommended I get an MRI and I went to a PT and continued my regular medication or Naproxsen 500mg and a paracetamol/codeine painkiller also 500mg and after about three weeks the numbness went and I was fine again.
Fast forward to three weeks ago and I hurt my back just sitting down for work one day, first time since this sciatica issue in my foot and again because money is very tight for my partner and I, we're living paycheck to paycheck basically, I pushed through the pain to work for the rest of the week. I regret this so much as by the end of the first week, instead of back pain I woke up with terrible pains down my right leg.
It started off as maybe a 3 or a 4 in pain so I rested in bed and on the couch watching TV, sticking to my usual meds but at the end of the week I had to go to the ED because the pain was getting so intense I was struggling to sleep more than 3 hours a night, there was no position I could lie in that was pain free and now I was starting to feel like I'd shattered my ankle any time I tried to walk anywhere. It was awful.
In my first ED visit they gave me a anti-inflamatory injection and a script for 100mg of slow release tapentadol and that was really helping. I saw my PT again and was taking a much more frequent course of my naproxen/codeine cocktail. I was still having rough nights but the days themselves would be mostly pain free, enough for me to relax and nap etc.
Then last Thursday I made the pain so much worse trying to go to the bathroom and I had to go to the ED again. They gave me so many painkillers but nothing worked I was at a constant 10 overnight until I managed to finally relieve myself. The constipation was making it SO bad. Since then I haven't been able to really get the pain down below a 6 or 7 and most of the time, esp through the night it's a 9 or 10. I'm exhausted and I can barely sleep. I dread it honestly because now even when I nap during the day I wake-up in agony.
I need to get on top of this pain but I don't know what to do. Its driving me insane and I'm so worn out already, its making me very depressed. I know recovery will likely be more weeks still, which is stressful enough as is because I don't have any sick leave and because this is from a pre-existing injury I let my workplace know about I don't think I can claim workers comp either. I'm still in probation too, that's ending next week and my manager has been so lovely and says she'll fight for me but its still making me so nervous. My partner and I took on more financial responsibility because I was working again and if I lose this job we'll be in debt and so much worse off than before.
At the moment I'm taking 1000mg of Naproxen, once per day and then 100mg of fast action tapentadol every for hours with 1500mg of paracetamol and its having no impact on the pain whatsoever. I'm seeing my doctor later today. What medication can I request so I can at least get some sleep, or start actually walking around? I can walk barely more than from my bed to the microwave to heat up the heat pack I'm using. Any suggestions will be helpful please I'm desperate.

Just wondering what you think. For me, it gotta be Noble Knights, Dragunity, Cyber Angel, Red-eyes, and Fur Hire.
Reason are:
Noble Knight: Well I am a big fan of the Arthurian legend, I love the equip cards, and can be a good combo with spells like Mage power, and fighting. I do wish they could be a great combo with Infernoble Knight. Or maybe add 3rd set of noble knights based on Rome. Make them into one new archetype called the 3 Noble Matters, since there is Matter of Britain, Matter of France, and Matter of Rome.
DragUnity: DragUnity is my first synchro deck. My very first is chaos. I do like the buff for DragUnity with a card that allows synchro summon on your opponent's turn. But I have the feeling they lack of own defenses... and fail recovery or fail backup plan for a synchro summon fail or the monster they just synchro summon already gets destroyed. Of course, it's just me. I know there are hand traps to cover it. And cards to counter them.
Cyber angel: Yeah I do love them and I love them in GX and Arc V but I feel like they don't have enough monsters to be their deck. They often with Drytron or Herald. Both most of the time. Of course, it's just me. I don't mind if they show them as fusion monsters too since Alexis uses fusion and Arc V Alexis is from the fusion dimension. Along with downgrade cyber angel form that can be used for ritual summon cyber angel easier.
Red-Eyes: Self-explain... I hope. Since Dark Magician and Blue-eyes are on top-tier decks so why not Red-eyes? I feel like they don't give him enough love. At least mix with Flame Swordsman into a new monster with cards to support them.
Fur Hire: Well I love how they use unity in the game. How the level 4 or lower summon the higher monsters. I don't mind if they gain more support or a few more buffs to make them stronger and better. I do wish they added a few races but to link like add link 2 wyvern, link 1 insect, or a new link 4 or 5 monster that is still related to beast kingdom.
Ok, those are my. Now tell me what is you and your reason why for them. And please be nice and be understanding

Hello just had decompression surgery, of l3/4 and l4/5 with laminectomy. Came out of recovery about and hour ago
Pain defo reduced but my right leg feels numb in a way it didn’t before. Can move foot and ankle etc but the area round my knee feels numb and I’m really scared :( can’t feel much when it’s touched..
Any advice?

I hear alot of you talking how much you used to work out and how strong you used to be. Once you get all your muscles aligned and corrected after lumbar fusion the world is your oyster. Yes it takes a lot of work. Yes it's a painful recovery. Yes you need to change your diet and only eat clean fresh food to reduce inflammation But here's me doing dragon flags 9-10 years after L5/S1 fusion. So don't be depressed and think your exercise days are over. You can still be in the best shape of your life.

I had my second MD it wassupposed to be routine but instead of taking 2 hours it took 5. Which happens surgery isnt exact. Dr explained to my husband I was in so much pain because the disc had herniated around the nerve pulling it into my spine the surgery took so long because this wasnt seen in the MRI. I woke up in pain only really being able to stand for relief again. My nurses told me to plan on being in hospital 3 days after surgery because I have a huge flight of basement steps to get home. Iwas sent home the next day the 10th When I seen and asked my surgeon about the surgery he sort of shrugged and casually said I may need fusion surgery. He said the nerve was really deep and permanently damaged (again) When pressed by my husband about preventing fusion DR said that there is nothing we (him the dr or I) could do that it's a disease of the disc and that it's not preventable. He gave me no restrictions not when I asked what I should be doing what the plan for mobility was he said "whatever feels right to lift 5 pounds before 10 Limit my BLT." He also said I could go back to work right away because I work from home. The strangest part is he told me no Tylenol no ibuprofen to take 4 vicodin a day for 14 days. He will see me in a month. This doesn't seem right to me my last surgeon gave me 3 days of some kind of pain med and I remember taking Tylenol and a muscle relaxer. I don't take pain medication after a family member became dependent after a leg surgery and it tossed up his life. My real question is Has anyone had success with this type of "do whatever" treatment plan? Or is the surgeon expecting me to know to follow the recovery plan from last time?