An Ankle Update: Three Months Baby!

It’s been three months since I had my ankle surgery and my life is slowly returning to normal. Here’s what’s up on the ankle front.

My foot no longer looks like it belongs on the Stay-Puffed marshmallow man. The swelling has decreased dramatically and is now confined to the area surrounding my ankle bone.

My scar is a lovely shade of purple-pink. It’s still very noticeable but I’m okay with that since it is no longer open and raw.

My Lovely Scar
My Lovely Scar

I have to wear my awesome ankle brace anytime I go out of the house but I get to take it off when I’m home and I don’t have to wear it to bed. Sleeping without a cast, boot, or brace! It’s absolutely sublime! I also no longer need to keep my foot elevated on pillows at night. Yeah, I can actually sleep again!

I still can’t do any weight-bearing exercises but I can ride a stationary bike (with the brace on) or go swimming. I cycle on the stationary bike about three times a week. I have dearly missed exercise and I’m glad to have it back in my life in any form-even if riding the stationary bike is pretty boring compared to the activities I’m used to doing for exercise.

My left calve is still visibly smaller than my right. It doesn’t jiggle like a bowl of Jell-O gone awry anymore, but its muscle mass is pathetically petite and not quite the right shape. Hopefully, in a couple months it will be back to normal and ready for soccer and snowboarding again.

My handicapped parking pass expires tomorrow. Although I will miss the convenience this pass offered, I’m excited that my foot is well enough not to need it anymore. Jason, on the other hand, is not excited at all about its upcoming expiration. He’s grown rather accustomed to parking remarkably close to everything and doesn’t want to give up his newly acquired laziness. The poor boy won’t be able to profit from my pain anymore-how sad! I almost feel bad for him.

Although the loss of my parking pass troubles Jason exceedingly, he is excited that I will be handing the keys to our new Maxima over to him. The three-month mark means I should be able to drive my manual again. Admittedly, I’m not thrilled to give up the Maxima; it’s incredibly fun to drive. Jas definitely deserves a sweet ride though, so I might shed a few tears, but I will let him have his car back.

Just three more months to go until my ankle, theoretically, should be as good as new!

On the Town with the Twerds

For years many members of my gender have been telling me I need to read the Twilight series but I always abstained due to my meager amount of free-time. However, since my recent foot surgery forced me to be off my feet a great deal more than is customary for me, I decided to start reading these books.

Although they definitely don’t compare-as far as thought provoking complexity goes-to literature classics, they were perfect for distracting me in my immobile state. It’s easy to see why many a girl has been sucked into the tapestry of the fictional world weaved by Meyers. I too quickly became hooked.

Since I can now consider myself a Twerd, (stands for Twilight Nerd for those of you who aren’t geeky enough to understand) I was excited to be part of a large group of friends going to see the Twilight movie together, so excited in fact that I decided to buy a very geeky Twilight t-shirt and hoodie to wear to this event. After all, if you are going to be involved in nerdery, you might as well do it with pizzazz.

Oh the nerdery!
Oh the nerdery!

As far as the movie goes, for those of you who have not yet seen it, it was satisfying enough. The special effects were definitely sub-par; they reminded me of something you would see on a sci-fi channel original series rather than a major motion picture. I also thought James died way too easily and without much of struggle-for someone who was supposed to be incredibly tough it definitely didn’t work. And Jasper, what’s up with the constipated look? He was so rigid the whole movie. He keeps his distance in the book but he has a warm personality. That certainly was not how he was conveyed in the movie. Even though, after reading the book, the movie seems to fly by, only skimming on the surface of what the book dives into, I was pleased with all the principal characters. I thought they came through with the essence of the book. So if you are a fan of the books, I think you will like the movie despite its flaws.

I’m hoping, after how much money this movie makes, they will have a bigger budget on the next one, and we won’t have to witness those horrendous special effects again.

Boning Up on Calcium

Calcium is an essential mineral and it’s one of the most commonly under-consumed nutrients. While everyone seems to know that calcium is needed to establish and maintain strong bones, its other vital roles in the body are often overlooked.

So here’s the run down on our dear friend calcium, what it does for you, and how you can insure you’re getting enough of it.

The calcium in an average adult body weighs about 2.5 pounds. Although 99% of this calcium is found in bones and teeth, the remaining 1%, which circulates through the rest of the cells, is critical.

That small 1% is essential for blood clotting, transmitting nerve impulses, and contracting muscles. These functions are so crucial that if your calcium intake is not adequate, your body will do all that it can to maintain blood calcium levels, at the expense of your bones. This essentially means that your body will borrow what calcium it needs from your bones in order to insure all your other cells have enough. Over time, habitual low calcium consumption takes its toll, your bones slowly become depleted as their calcium is continually removed to keep blood levels constant, and eventually fragile, brittle bones and osteoporosis result.

Since your bones would really appreciate you not racking up a calcium debt with them, here’s what you can eat to increase your calcium intake.

Just Jason, per tradition, looking ridiculous.
Jason modeling with some calcium rich foods.

Good source of calcium include:

Dairy products (except for cottage cheese)

Leafy greens (such as kale, collard, turnip and mustard greens)

Canned salmon and sardines (the bones contain calcium)

Calcium fortified orange juice

Calcium supplements

Although it is very important to make sure you are eating enough calcium containing foods or supplementing your diet, your calcium absorption, unfortunately, depends on more than just how much calcium you consume.

Our bodies only absorb roughly 20-40% of the calcium we intake. This amount varies from person to person and is affected by factors such as age. Postmenopausal women typically absorb less.

Your calcium absorption will decrease if:

You have a vitamin D deficiency. Vitamin D is required for calcium absorption.

You drink excessive amounts of soft drinks. Most soft drinks contain high levels of phosphorus. Phosphorus reduces calcium absorption.

Your body produces inadequate amounts of stomach acid. Calcium requires a slightly acidic pH to be absorbed by your body; low stomach acid production can decrease its availability.

You consume large amounts of fiber in your diet, especially wheat bran. Fiber binds to calcium and prevents it from being absorbed.

If you aren’t regularly eating foods high in calcium I recommend supplementation. Here are some guidelines to follow with calcium supplements:

Don’t take more than 500 mg of calcium at once; your body won’t absorb any more than that at a given time. Supplementing your calcium intake with 1000 mg of calcium, taken in two (500 mg) doses daily, is safe and typically adequate.

Not all calcium supplements are created equal. If a supplement doesn’t dissolve in your gastrointestinal tract, it can’t be absorbed. To test how well a calcium supplement will dissolve place a tablet in 6 oz of cider vinegar for 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. If it hasn’t dissolved within the 30 minutes, it’s no good.

As long as your stomach produces normal amounts of gastric acid it’s best to take your calcium supplement between meals. Calcium competes with iron for absorption, so this will limit the negative impact supplementation has on iron absorption. If you have low gastric acid production, take your calcium supplement with meals, when stomach acid levels are at their highest, or take calcium in the form of calcium citrate. Calcium citrate is an acidic form of calcium, so it doesn’t require as much stomach acid to be absorbed.

It is important to remember that although your body absolutely needs calcium, you can get too much of a good thing. I don’t recommend supplementing with more than 1000 mg of calcium/day. Calcium intakes above 2000 mg/day can cause kidney stones, kidney failure, and soft tissue calcification, so don’t overdo it.

Make your bones smile-eat some calcium!