(TUESDAY) WOWZA! What a promising START!

 After a SEMI-DECENT night of SEMI-sleep with my very new (2) knee brace & my [LEFT] ankle brace*, I displayed EXTREEEEEEEMELY encouraging results in my workout today!

Feeling confident--for a refreshing change--in my right arm's recovery, I accomplished AAALL of the following:

-- 21** LEFT armed rotary curls with a 10 pound dumbbell 

-- 10 RIGHT armed bicep curls with a 10 pound dumbbell

   ... then, IMMEDIATELY afterward, 10 RIGHT armed bicep curls with a 15 pound dumbbell

-- FOUR laps of forward/backward WALKING along my parallel bars

-- ONE lap of sideways WALKING alongside one of my parallel bars

-- 30 calf-raises alongside one of my parallel bars

-- (6 + 16 + 18 =) 40 [decent/tolerable] "HIP-ups"

-- ~16 minute BIKE ride

My trainer, my nurse & I [WISELY] agreed, that I should NOT tryyy*** to just immediately jump back into the same routine of the same exercises at the same weights with the same # of reps.  I've gotta [slowly] work my way back.  BOTTOM line: I was ECSTATIC with how well I have recuperated ... [thus far]!

* = I very recently purchased both a cushion-type knee-separator as well as a left ANKLE brace to AID in my [HEALTHY] WALKING.  My RIGHT ankle brace arrives tomorrow night.

** = I added an EXTRA ONE repetition to make up for the time I missed, while I was hurt.

*** = "DO or do NOT.  There is no 'TRY'."  -- 'Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back'

(FRIDAY) HOW IIIIII think:

--> SONUVA[female dog]!

Well, it turns out that [practically ALL of] my jabbing, stinging pain in my RIGHT elbow & in my RIGHT upper forearm was actually AAALL in my imagination.  Ya see, I've had a SUBpar medical history.

   ... UNfortunately, I've had my [NON-] fair share of busted arm injuries.  This one felt EXACTLY like that time I broke my right ulna my sophomore year* of high school.

--> AAAAAHHHHH, high school.  GREAT times!  That might've been the last time I felt sooo unquestionably, mathematically FREE in all my thinking AAAND living.

--> In terms of my workout, I TRIED all my exercises.  But, unfortunately, I was UNable to conduct neither my ... ~110+ pushups nor my two consecutive minutes of planks.  Plus, 'twas raining, so I didn't get to ride my bike.

:( 

P.S.  I was watching some film today, (I forgot which movie exactly, but the title is not important.) & a particular word stood out to me ... as BLASPHEMY.  Said word was

UNquantifiable = BLASPHEMY!

* = Ironically, my JUNIOR year (11th grade) turned out to be my most productive season.  I THINK I went 22-12, & I KNOW I qualified for the State tournament--ALL with only ~60% of a right hand.

(THURSDAY). A seriously brain damaged Bioengineering graduate + his nurse >> EVERY doctor [I've seen]

 ...

I went into the doctor's office [JUST] for a routine-checkup AFTER my hospital visit.  It turns out that my primary care physician got BACK on my GOOD-list by NOT requiring me to return to the [MISERABLE] hospital of tons of [worthLESSly incompetent] faculty.  In addition to her grace, she pointed out to my nurse, that my feet have physically transformed as a result of my accident's AFTEReffects: 

The OUTER edge of my LEFT foot has naturally developed a tad bit of a wider frame in an attempt to INcrease my [rare] WALKING stability.

Meanwhile, the INNER edge of my [BETTER] RIGHT foot did the same to compensate for my [heavy/STRONG] favoritism of my RIGHT foot OVER my LEFT.

Finally, my doc THINKS my [CONSTANT] bike riding has caused my knees to point more INward--kinda make me knock-kneed.

Au contraire, I have concluded that it's actually from my constantly seeking comfortable stability.  I.e. When I WALK, I understand that a balled-IN mass is more stable.  So, my the foot I favor FAAAAAR more compensated.

(TUESDAY) WELL on the road to recovery:

 ... (METAPHORICALLY)

-- Before my pneumonia-delay, I would write books EVERY morning, work out EVERY Tuesday & Friday midday & perform further therapy in-between.  I'm HOPING that'll end this week, however, as my antibiotics end this Thursday.  Then, hopefully, my primary doc gives me the OK that afternoon, & I can RE-exercise on Friday.

-- In the meantime, I got to see, chat & just shoot the shit with my BROzeph.

GOOD times!  We talked of what we're each doing--me with my rehab & him with his assorted business ventureS (plural).

-- I discussed a few of my writing-PROS & -CONS with my editor.

(I am draggin' ass in regards to my critiques on Scribophile.)

:(

-- I guess I SHOULD stick to eVALUating my own writing.   YES?!

-- As a polite "Boo-YAH, grand-MAH", I correctly answered,

"What is Türkiye" ON Jeopardy, while NONE of the contestants got it.

(I internally CRIED.)

:(

(FRIDAY) "My body is a microchip."

-- 'Parks & Recreation'

Per the hospital's instructions--as well as my primary nurse's reminding me, I do NOT have a broken/busted right forearm or elbow.

WHEW!

It turns out, that--while the doctorS were evaluating the health-status of my arm, they learned that my blood-oxygen level is somewhat alarmingly LOW.  Ergo, they concluded that I hafta have pneumonia.  After over TWO FULL days AAND nights in that  HELLhole, [a minuscule amount of] LOGIC forced the good-for NOTHING medical staff there to release me.  You see, once the ASStards there realized that 1) the medication was IMPROVING my blood-O₂ & 2) that location was completely diminishing my psyche, my [BRILLIANT] main nurse--who, along with, but in totally separate incidents, one of my NON-medically trained caregivers--had to show these hospital ASShats how to do THEIR job of caring for the patient--ME.  Ergo, my main nurse finally convinced the staff I'd be better off at home.  So, she picked up all my necessary antibiotics then sprung me loose.  My hospital primary physician gave one parting bit of advice:

"NO exercise for at least seven to ten days."

Thus, no workout 'til next Friday, the 26th.

As further indication of my IMPROVED health in a [MUCH] more familiar setting, I can now raise my RIGHT arm a full 180 degrees to straight above my head.  This indicates that my LOWER LEFT lung is [pretty much] no longer tugging on my heart to GROSSLY diminish my blood-O₂ level AAAAAD to confuse me by FAKING pain in my RIGHT elbow.  

YAAAAAY!

UH-OH!

I turned on the film 'The Lost Boys' this morning, & I came down with a WICKED Dianne Wiest infection.  It BUUUUURNS!

(It reminded me, "If I read the TV Guide, I don't NEEEED a TV."  Ha haHAAA!)

MORAL: HEALTH & SAFETY >>  STRENGTH & FLEXIBILITY

(">>" = "much, MUCH greater than")

(... See MYYY very FIRST book & memoir--'AJ Kaynatma >> His Traumatic Brain Injury' for similar usage.)

(WEDNESDAY) I like to THINK that I set a -commendable example.

 ... In lieu of my arm, hand & finger capabilities, I'm gonna alter the common saying,

"Do as I SAY not as I do"

to

"Do as I TYPE not as I do."

'Twas still exactly 11 MORNINGS ago, when Nature disturbed my slumber.  Yes, well, I was getting out of bed, & my caregiver ALWAYS holds the back of my shirt ... as a SAFETY precaution.  However, on THIS particular occasion, he was messing with my mattress--which he neglected to tell me.  Well, I am not one to point the finger of BLAME at anyone.  I'll just say that I THOUGHT I had a pair of safety eyes on me along with a set of safety hands ready to monitor my every WALKING move.  However, a combination of ... my [what I THOUGHT was T.B.I.-caused] dizziness, my misstep & my THINKING I had a spotter caused me to take a tumble ... forward & slightly to my right--missing my bedside-carpet.  Ergo, was my accident KIIINDA MYYY fault?

... Very MUCH so!

DAGNABBIT!

... LOOOONG story short. ... 

 I FEARED I broke my RIGHT arm, 'cuz I had [instinctively] stuck out/down my arm/hand to brace my fall.  I had no initial problems (WHEW!), but within the half hour, my upper [RIGHT] ulna & elbow were in absolutely unbearably EXCRUCIATING pain.  However, 'twas only when I raised it above ... ~88 degrees &/or rotated it past ~117 degrees.

... So, after close to two weeks of quietly tolerating being--VEEEEERY begrudgingly--tolerating my occasional my all too occasional jabbing arm pain, I--fearing the WORST to the Nth--checked into the [local] hospital.  I was admitted into the ECU unit, where I desperately tried to resist pulling out my hair.  There is SSSSSOOOOO MUCH STUPIDITY in the brains of so many workers in such a--SUPPOSEDLY--SMARTEE profession.  UUUGGGHHH!

 

I spent close to the last two FULL days & nights in a HORRIBLE hospital full of pitifully incompetent nurses, doctors & their shadowing students (HORRIBLE selection, ... Mom!).  It turns out, I have ZERO broken bones, SEVERE pneumonia & many still dramatically warped pain-receptor nerves.  I never really put TWO & TWO together as to just how AAALL-encompassing--not just A.J.'s but MAINLY--my T.B.I. really is.

(My main nurse knew.  If only I actually listened to her!  ... MISSED opportunities.)

Bottom line: WHEW ... & BUMMER! 

(SUNDAY) You/I will NOT know for certain, 'til you/I TRY!

In lieu of ONGOINGness of my DRASTICally pain-FULL right forearm & right elbow last week, I decided to test its tolerance & my rehabilitation.  Plus, the weather outside this late morning was RAINY & cloudy.  Ergo, rather than biking, I decided that I needed to--& should--perform an alternative form of exercise to assist in my recovery.  Thus, I decided to TRYYY TWO laps of my WALKING around my palatial (HYPERBOLE) home.

Well, my hypothesis yielded VERY encouraging results:

Not only did I feel ZERO pain in my RIGHT forearm (JUST fatigue), but BOTH of my experiments demonstrated improved # of steps.

(Trial #1 -- 209 steps; Trial #2 -- 203 steps

FIRST step-trial AFTER funny bone injury -- 232 steps)

P.S. My nurse [CORRECTLY] identified my injury as IN my funny bone--which IS a nerve.

(FRIDAY). (Story of MYYY LIFE:) I simply do what I [physically] CAAAN.

 

Here's a picture of my sorely injured RIGHT arm--as of this past late Wednesday morning.  Also, take it from me, it FEELS a HELLUVA LOT WORSE than it LOOKS!  After showing both my CURRENT bruise & this picture to my trainer, he bulged out his eyes to remark,

"WHOA!  That is WAAAY worse than I thought it'd be.  I know you are your harshest critic.  But, you have absolutely nothing to be ashamed of.  That certainly looks painful."

As a direct result, I requested from my trainer that we [EXCLUSIVELY] focus on my LEGS & my LEFT ARM today.  Kindly & considerately, he obliged.  Thus, today I demonstrated 

20 LEFT armed rotary curls;

several minutes of various LEFT shoulder stretches of the areas around my bursa, my humerus & my rotator cuff;

a thankfully UNeventful ~16 minute bike ride [of just one singular lap] around the community.

(I told him that in the near future I'd like to test my endurance by trying TWO laps around my community.  I think his reaction marked the very first time I have ever confronted/experienced this--a grown man actually giggled.)

--> During the bike ride, I remarked that DISTANCE-rides, such as these, are more ENDURANCE-tests.  While SPRINTS focus more on STAMINA.

   ... Just after said bike ride, I commented,

"We both come from athletic backgrounds that concentrated on ENDURANCE--your cross country track & my wrestling.  To each his own."

--> We also discussed--as we always do--our preference of northeastern sports team over ANYone in south Florida.

I was on such an emotional & psychological HIGH immediately after my productive [PHYSICAL] workout, that I thought it only appropriate to next exercise my mind.  Thus, after only a couple minutes of trials, I texted both my nurse & my mother with this message:

"YAAAY!  Just now I designed an angular placement of this lil’ pillow to rest beside my bedside desk to support my elbow withOUT my dragging my RIGHT forearm against my desk.  Thus, I am NOT further irritating my bruise.  AAAH, trigonometry!"

I bid him adieu by stating,

"I really hope YOUUU have a happy Mother's Day!"

I smiled as he chuckled & replied, "Oh, yeah!"

He knew good & well, that the Celtics' GINORMOUS Game 7 matchup is this Sunday.

(TUESDAY) Change is definitely NOT always good! :( :(. :(

UN-fortunately, late this past Saturday morning, I experienced a BIIIT of a TRAVESTY.  Now, I am not one to lay blame on anyone [else], so I'll just say the jury's still out.  Regardless, completely unbeknownst to me, my caregiver had turned away to fix my bed mattress.  I dunno WHY, but--while WALKING with my walker--I stumbled to lose my balance.  My helping caregiver ALWAYS grabs me by my shirt, IIIF I stumble.  But, feeling no immediate grabbing of my shirt, I panicked & threw out/down my right arm to brace myself for my impending fall.

Thinking I UNDERestimated just how brittle [SOME of] my bones now are, I then spent all of the next ... ~2.74 days [& change] suffering through the pain of my daily tasks.  Not knowing how exactly to handle the pain, I contacted my main nurse for her advice.  After hearing my synopsis then viewing & analyzing my arm, she concluded that--when trying to brace my fall with my RIGHT arm--I simply landed awkwardly on my RIGHT [NOT so] funny bone.  As mt brain injury is almost entirely neurological, many of my nerves are EXTRA sensitive.  Thus, even the most mundane stimuli--like a slight stumble--can make a limb feel as if it's on fire.  Conversely, my many other nerves (in areas NOT affected by my accident) are very much dormant.  They are NEVER, ever stimulated.

Thus, I emailed my trainer EARLY this morning to CANCEL my workout for today.  I said I was hoping to feel better for our meeting on Friday.  He appreciated my informing him & wished me well.

(FRIDAY) '[NECESSARY Workout] 2: Back in the Habit'

 ... (The title is a PLAY on the quality film--'Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit.'  That film is actually waaay MORE clever, because the reference to "habit" DOUBLES as a pun for the religious feminine headpiece.  (The protagonist acts as a NUN.)

Well, first & foremost, I was SOOOOORELY disappointed that the damn maintenance guy[S] couldN'T figure out how to fix my new wheelchair.  After close to an HOUR of just playing with it, they finally just gave up & promised their return.  UUUGGGHHH!

In terms of my ACTUAL strength & conditioning, well, first, I performed my usual 

-- hand-stretching exercises with an elastic band

-- One set of 20 hammer curl repetitions w/ a 10 pound dumbbell on my LEFT arm

-- One set of 30 bicep curl repetitions w/ a 15 pound dumbbell on my RIGHT arm followed by one set of 10 hammer curl reps w/ a 10 pound dumbbell also on my RIGHT arm

-- Stretches of my LEFT shoulder

-- Hamstring stretches with a big, plastic ball

-- 125 "HIP-ups" (80 then short break then 45)

-- 10 tricep extensions w/ 10 pound dumbbell on LEFT arm then 10 reps w/ 15 pound dumbbell on RIGHT arm

-- 120 consecutive seconds of PLANKING

-- Four laps of STRAIGHT walking along parallel bars followed by 30 calf raises

-- ~15 minute BIKE ride around my community

-----> AAAAAND, I wrote a BUNCH more.

(WEDNESDAY) Distractions

 RELAX!

I'm just fine, thank you.  I forgot to POST yesterday, merely because I got caught up in writing my ... EIGHTH ... different book critique for Goodreads.com.  I am trying to broaden my customer base for my own books, & those reviews of others' books will better get my name out there.

Sooo, I certainly see my repeated task as ...  a MEANS to an END.

Regarding my actual PHYSICAL workout with my trainer, I had a GREAT, very productive OUTput.

I demonstrated my usual strength & control with any & all of my usual exercises:

-- my bicep curls,

-- my rotary curls,

-- my shoulder stretches,

-- my ONE plank of 120 seconds, 

-- my ball-controlled hamstring extensions

&

-- my "HIP-ups."  (I actually reached my Independence Day goal of 125 "HIP-ups!"  (I demonstrated 80 then briefly rested then 45 more.). So, now I've gotta reset my expectations & my hypotheticals.  I'll now aim for ... "135 by July 4.")

In addition to my five laps of WALKING, my calf raises & my BIKING (a MUST-have), I've found the time to add 10 TRICEP extensions with each arm.

Finally, I conclude each & every workout with an ... ~15 minute BIKE ride around my 'hood/community.