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Wednesday, December 11, 2013

December 2013 Blog Hop: Best of 2013...

I have been avoiding this blog hop, mostly because I didn't know if I had a bunch of things I loved about 2013.  Did I love my foot being injured and having surgery and losing strength and gaining weight and feeling crappy?  Not really.  But when I look back, I really didn't have a terrible year.  So, I thought I would go through my posts for the year and pick some of my favorites to re-share with those of you who may be new or may have missed them.   While I will discuss some posts at length, others I will just list so you can decide if you want to read them or not. 

Random stuff about me:

I posted in January about sweating and magnesium.  Sweating is still an issue for me.  I sweat from my head, which can be gross when flipping around wet hair, and I can't run my hands through my hair otherwise I will slip on the pole.  It's not super sexy.  My hands and body, however, are generally overly dry.  I have Dew Point for my legs and Mighty Grip for my hands.  Just to make life interesting, if I flip over in some way, into a handstand or inversion, my body suddenly gets nervous, and then my legs will sweat.  It's super awesome to be a pole dancer with these weird problems.  I have been taking magnesium this year and I feel like some days it helps and some days it doesn't.  I have contemplated taking medication to help with hyperhydrosis, but am worried that it would cause more issues in my body NOT to sweat (we sweat for a reason!).  If you have any tips on this issue, I would very, very much appreciate it.


My foot injury made its debut in February.  

The mini documentary about me and pole dancing!

I joined UPA's Sexy Back Week.  Kinda.

Twirly Girls on TV! No really, we were on TV!

Defining myself in the pole industry.

Blog Hops:

My very first pole post for 2013 was a PDBA Blog Hop!  It was listing pole goals.  Did I hit my goals?  Yes and no.  I was on track until my foot derailed me.  Not only could I not take a class each week, I couldn't even teach my own class for a couple of months this year.  It has been a very frustrating year in the physicality department and I am very much looking forward to setting (and attaining) the same pole goals in 2014 that I set for 2013:  Take a weekly class, work on flow and get stronger.  I have not yet made it back to taking a weekly class on top of teaching my weekly class, but that is on the list for January.  I also feel like taking workshops with Tracee Kafer helped reignite my desire to dance again.  And I have been a beast at yoga so I am already feeling muscles in my arms and legs again.  I got this.  I know it.   (I later updated old pole goals with photos but haven't progressed in any.)

The February Blog Hop discussed our love of pole.  

The March Blog Hop was about pole products.

The April Blog Hop was about PPC.

The May Blog Hop:  Questions for a Pole Dancer.

June Blog Hop:  Things I wish I had known when I started dancing...

The July Blog Hop is about a day in the life of a pole dancer. 

The August Blog Hop is all about social media.

Perfect timing for the September Blog Hop.  We talked about wellness.

October Blog Hop...I had to do two!  First up:  stripping the stripper out of pole.  Second up:  the sanitization of pole.

November Blog Hop:  Gratitude.

From a business perspective:  

Music in the Pole Studio.  

How much does it cost to run a pole studio?  

How much does it cost to put on a pole show?

Pole in General:

If you share a pole at your studio, how do you find your grease-mate?  

I posted about Derby Skinz shorts in January as well.  Still my favorites because they are fully customizable!  I think I have three different pair now and I love them all for different reasons. 

Do you train on both sides?

Twisted Grip?

Pioneer of Pole:  Anna Grundstrom.

As I watch all of us age and get injuries, I wondered...how many years can you pole dance anyway? 

For those who have never pole danced.

Pole dance is for everyBODY.

The History of Pole Dance, Part Three.

Discussing the crazy complex moves people are doing in pole lately...

Poletry in Motion - visiting other studios, pole events and/or meeting pole friends:

Studio Botan in San Francisco.

Entangle & Sway in San Francisco.

Nadia Sharif rocks!

Pole Expo.

Meeting Angela of Ascending Slowly.

Aeriform Arts in Hollywood.

Poletential's 7th anniversary.

California Pole Dance Championship in Los Angeles.

Roz the Diva.  Nothing else needs to be said.

Kitty Kats' Korner in Vacaville, California.

Kinetic Arts Center in Oakland.

BadAzz.

Volare Variety, a burlesque show in San Francisco.

Cowboy Wild's Un-Pole-Lievable Pole Show in Walnut Creek, California.

So, did I REALLY just list every pole post I made in 2013?  Shockingly, no.  But I did list most of them.  You know why?  Because every single thing I do in the pole world makes me happy.  These are a lot of the awesome things that happened to me in 2013, and this post serves as a reminder to myself that I am blessed.  

I feel very fortunate to surround myself with a lot of amazing people.  I am so happy to be part of the Pole Dancing Bloggers Association.  Valentina, Sheena and Nina (ummm, do all of your names rhyme and I JUST figured that out?!) are awesome at pushing me into being more aware of myself and my writing and I am so happy to have been invited to be on the Board.  I didn't list any of my posts here, but I am grateful to be a writer for Vertical Art and Fitness Magazine, and although I haven't been asked to do a post in awhile, I appreciate that The Pole Dancing Shop gave me writing projects for a very long time.  Non-pole related appreciations include joining the Chunky Girl Comics family this year and having a job to pay for all of my adventures.   

Thank you to everyone who was part of my 2013 and I look forward to what 2014 has in store for me!  Please share your highlights for this past year in the comments section below.   


Tuesday, December 10, 2013

The Un-Pole-Lievable Show ROCKED!

If you missed Cowboy Wild's Un-Pole-Lievable Pole Show on November 30, I wanted to post videos and photos from some of the performances.  Check them out below.  Thank you to Liquidpulp Photography for coming back to the Bay Area and taking photos! 

Also, mark your calendar....Cowboy Wild's Good Old-Fashioned Pole-Down to benefit AIDS LifeCycle will be held on Saturday, February 1, 2014 at Club 1220.  All money raised will benefit Robert aka Cowboy Wild's AIDS LifeCycle ride!  If you are a local business or pole company that has gift certificates or items you would like to donate for the raffle, please let me know.  THANKS!














Monday, December 9, 2013

Volare Variety -- A burlesque show in San Francisco!

A couple of years ago, I noticed a local pole dancer on my social media feeds.  She seemed like a cool chick and she was on a crusade to create a pole venue that could be used for lessons and shows.  I now consider Kate a good friend and one of my favorite polers in the world.  Her routines are always extremely dynamic and interesting to watch. 

Kate has now created a burlesque/variety show and it will be unveiled in San Francisco this January 4, 2014:  "Taking Burlesque to new heights, Volare Variety is San Francisco's brand new variety showcase. Drag Queens, Pole Artists, Boylesque & More! Prepare to be amazed with visions of extreme physical talent and neo-Burlesque set to the sound of classic tunes.
For more information, please visit: www.volarevariety.com."

While I will not be performing at this event, I will be there as an usher and to support Kate in her latest adventure!  Many of my friends are performing in this show.  I am so excited, I could almost pee my pants!  I'll control myself though.  I don't want to make a mess here at the day job. 

Please like the Facebook page HERE.  

The Facebook event page is HERE.

And you can buy your tickets HERE.   

Stage Werx is a very intimate theater, so don't wait until the last minute to get your tickets.  This show will be a sell-out.  Hope to see you there!  In the meantime, enjoy some photos from our awesome photoshoot (with only some of the cast, as a freezing early Sunday morning in San Francisco was not the bees knees for everyone) at a secret location in San Francisco.  Shout out to Jo-Jo Jones Photography




Friday, December 6, 2013

How does the lack of calcium cause bone spurs?

When I first heard I had a bone spur in my heel, the doctor told me it was a lack of calcium that caused them.  When I told other people that, they laughed at me.  Things don't GROW on your body when you LACK other things, silly girl.  So, then I thought maybe I misunderstood and bone spurs were from EXTRA calcium, so I did a little research.  

As many of you know, I had surgery to deal with my bone spur.  I am at four months out.  There has been little change since my three-month update.  My "good" foot hurts almost daily and my "bad" foot doesn't hurt much but is still swollen.  I am back to working out five to six days a week.  I have again recently confirmed with my doctor that bone spurs are from a lack of calcium, not an abundance of it.  So I decided to do a little more research (and by "research," I just mean I "Googled" it) to find out how bone spurs are formed.

Ice and rest after over-doing it
My assumption was that bone spurs were caused when calcium was somehow leeched out of the bones and then re-deposited when it had nowhere else to go.  I don't believe that is fully true, but the truth may not be so far from that.  Here is one explanation

"A heel spur is a hook of bone that forms on the heel bone, an X-ray will show a point of bone protruding from the bottom of the foot at the point where the plantar fascia is attached to the heel bone. The heel spur itself is not thought to be the primary cause of pain, rather inflammation and irritation of the plantar fascia is thought to be the primary problem cause by the tearing of the micro ligamentous tissue from the heal bone. The heel spur then forms because the body is trying to heal itself and has calcium deficiency. After the heel spur is formed and stress is placed on the plantar fascia from walking the heel spur just adds to the irritation and inflammation."

More interesting information:

"Researchers located the root cause. They found that calcium deposits are most common in women aged 35 to 65 – the group most prone to osteoporosis. Knowing that osteoporosis is primarily caused by calcium and mineral deficiency, they realized that two conditions share one cause.  Calcium and minerals are needed for every vital function of your body, from the pumping of your heart to cell division to DNA replication. If you’re not ingesting enough calcium to fuel these functions, your body robs your bones! This survival mechanism is the acknowledged root of osteoporosis, and now we know it causes bone spurs, too."

"Bone spurs are your body's cry for calcium and minerals. Ignore it – and you may become a prime candidate for osteoporosis, heart disease, cancer, arthritis, and more than 160 other degenerative diseases related to mineral deficiencies!" 

Information about absorption of calcium (and I don't know how to adjust for gastric bypass patients, but I assume we absorb even less):

The exercises and stretches help a lot
"Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the body, but it may also be severely lacking. The amount of calcium that we absorb from our food varies widely. One factor that affects this is age. An adolescent may absorb up to 75% of the calcium obtained from foods, while in adults the maximum absorption rate ranges from 20% to 30%. Even though our bones feel solid and seem permanent, they're just like any other body tissue - they're constantly being broken down and formed again. In an adult, 20% of bone calcium is withdrawn from bones and replaced each year. Thus, every five years the bones are renewed."

So there you go.  Bone spurs are most definitely caused by a lack of calcium, AND it appears that I may be at higher risk for osteoporosis.  I get blood tests every year and I don't believe my labs have come back showing I was lacking in calcium, so I'm not sure if the test is flawed or if my body needs more calcium than the average person.  That's a whole other issue I'm not prepared to deal with.  I remember being told not to "worry" about osteoporosis because fat people don't get it....frail old white ladies get it (I believe I was told this by my previous (two doctors ago) tiny Asian lady doctor, who gave me bad medical advice on many, many occasions).  Apparently all the weight my body bears just walking around on a daily basis is literally saving it from ever getting osteoporosis.  I'm not really sure that's actually true, although perhaps it is somewhat more helpful than being tiny.  

It does seem like the exercising I am doing is probably the best thing I can do for myself.  Yoga, spin and pole appear to be great exercises for strengthening the body and the bones.   

What old wives' tales were you told that you believed, just because you didn't know better?  How did you find out it might be wrong? 

Thursday, December 5, 2013

December's Pole Photo Challenge for PDBA!

Please join us again for the Pole Dancing Bloggers Association's Pole Photo Challenge.  Take a photo and post to Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #pdloggers (most photos on Facebook are private so using the hashtag still won't allow us to "find" it -- you may, however, post to our fan page if you'd like).  Let us know which week you are submitting, and we will pick it up and add it to the fan page on Facebook

Read the full instructions HERE, or see below for this month's prompts.

I already submitted my first photo: 

Week 1: Day Job (sitting on the phone for a VERY long time)

Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Holotta's Un-BOY-Lievable Drag Show at Club 1220

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area and looking for a fun show, put down in your calendar the first and third Sundays of each month, along with the second Saturday of each month, and come visit Holotta's Un-BOY-Lievable Drag Show!

From classy to trashy, this show runs the gamut and has some of my favorite Queens in the world!  I truly consider many of these girls to be my good friends.  Although my "new" job makes it harder for me to show up on Sundays, I have a great time at every single show I attend.

If you have never met Holotta Tymes, you are in for a treat.  Having traveled the world as a child Broadway star, worked at the world-famous Finnochio's, and now one of the stars of Sunday's A Drag at the Starlight Room in San Francisco, Holotta is a true entertainer.

Check out some videos from the show below and then I hope to see you at Club 1220 soon!  This weekend is the big toy drive, which will include some performances from the Queens.  Then, the annual Christmas show will be on Sunday, December 22.  Don't miss it!  The theme shows are always THE BEST!








Tuesday, December 3, 2013

News at Poletential: Rock PPC and AIR SHOW THIS WEEKEND!!!!

If you are in the San Francisco Bay Area, and are planning to compete in PSO's Pacific Pole Championship in March, then Poletential is the place to be!  They have been hosting Rock PPC:  workshops, pole jams and other events to help local competitors get ready for the competition.  I got to attend one of the free pole jams recently and had a great experience watching everyone help each other with their pole moves.  Ellen even sat with me for a few and talked to me about my weight struggles and gave me some great strengthening exercises.  These are invite-only type events, so please e-mail the studio if you are interested in joining Rock PPC (not just for competitors...the workshops would be great for anyone wanting to strengthen their pole routines).  

 And...THIS WEEKEND...Poletential hosts their fifth Air Show at a brand new location!  In addition, there will be workshops all weekend with Tracee Kafer, Elaine Royter and Allison Wardwell from Body & Pole in New York.  I have two workshops scheduled with Tracee and am so excited to see the show.  Please note that downtown Redwood City has some events going on so come early and watch for road closures.  I know some of the Twirly Girls will be having dinner around 5 PM to celebrate Rita's birthday.  The venue doors open at 7 PM.  Show is at 8!

If you are in the Bay Area this weekend, Redwood City is the place to be!  Hope to see you there!


Tuesday, November 26, 2013

Josiah "Bad Azz" Grant and Twirly Girls

Last week, Twirly Girls had a visitor!  Josiah "Bad Azz" Grant came to town for some workshops and a pole jam.

I first met Joey at Pole Show LA in 2012.  He is such a sweet soul.  I have had the pleasure of running into him many times since then.  He came to visit Twirly Girls earlier this year, but BART was on strike, and my two-and-a-half hour commute didn't allow me to make it to his workshop.

Unfortunately this trip, I wasn't able to make a workshop but I did come to the pole jam, which kind of turned into a workshop!  He was showing everyone strength-building exercises and some cool moves.  He has these liquid hips that I certainly can't compete with.  I put some videos up on Facebook, which I realize won't do you all any good here.  I'll see if I can figure out a good way to link them.  

I did ask him to "choreograph" my routine for Robert's show on Saturday...which he kindly did...to a song he'd never heard before.  It was pretty impressive.  I'll have to post his video next to mine so you can see how well I pegged the choreo.  lol!  Sorry, I hate using lol in a blog but once you see it, you will lol as well!

If you ever get a chance to take a workshop with Joey, you should definitely do it! Here are some photos from the pole jam and one of the workshops:




Monday, November 25, 2013

Cowboy Wild's Un-Pole-Lievable Pole Show at Club 1220

So both Twirly Girls and Club 1220 have been pretty awesome and understanding any time Robert and I want to do something crazy.  Throw up some poles in the club and bring on half-naked pole dancers?!  Of course!!  Up until now, we have always done it for charity.  And this weekend, we dance for the fun of it.

To show how grateful we are for the dancers who have donated their time to us in the past, we welcome the Bay Area to come to Club 1220 in Walnut Creek this Saturday, November 30 at 6:00 PM to enjoy our amazing pole dancers.  Unlike other pole showcases, we WILL allow tipping at this show.  There is NO nudity, however.  But, especially if you have not been to a pole show before, you will definitely enjoy the show. 

As many of you know, Robert, aka Cowboy Wild, has been involved with 1220 for years and his husband, Holotta/Dale is the hostess of Holotta's Un-Boy-Lievable Drag Show.  So, now we present: Cowboy Wild's Un-Pole-Lievable Pole Show.

We understand some of you may be out of town for Thanksgiving, but if you're around, and ready to get away from the family for a couple of hours, please stop by!  The show is at 6 PM.  Cover charge is only $5.  Tipping IS encouraged (please don't try to stuff the money down anyone's pants though).  The bar has 80's night afterward, so you can stay and dance the night away if you'd like!

PERFORMING:

JILL ANNE
Robert "Cowboy Wild" Carstensen
Grace Garcia
Kate Cotruvo
Amy Bond
Lori Myers
Yolanda Berry
Patrick Loranger
Missy 


If you are on Facebook, the official event invitation is here:  https://www.facebook.com/events/627101380663457/

Have a happy, happy Thanksgiving and I hope to see you Saturday!


Kinetic Arts Center's I Hate The Holidays Cabaret

Last Saturday, I went to Kinetic Arts Center in Oakland to watch one of my favorite people compete in the I Hate The Holidays Cabaret.  I purchased my VIP ticket so I could be guaranteed awesome seating.  Rita and I even arrived super early to be at the front of the line.  We took photos when we arrived, using the props to create our very own hateful holiday scene.  I joked with the ladies who worked there that I already knew who I was voting for.  Many acts walked around, interacting with the crowd, and setting us up for their upcoming performances.  It was really cute and fun and we had lots of laughs before the curtain had even been opened. 

Then the show began.  Mind.  Blown.

Seriously, every single performance was great.  I couldn't say one bad thing about any of them.  The kids were especially PHENOMENAL.  I almost felt guilty voting for my Sean Michael.  The hosts were so funny and kept the show moving, which can be difficult when you have different aerial acts using different apparatuses.  I really don't know how to describe it.  Luckily, I took video!  You should watch.  Literally every single act.  You won't be disappointed! 

I want to congratulate Sean Michael, who went on to win the competition on Sunday night!  I'm so sorry I couldn't come watch!  You are amazing, though, and deserved it!!!  So much love for this boy!!



Did I win?  Did I win???

If I won, this would be my "OMG, I CAN'T BELIEVE I JUST WON" face!
The Sugar Plum Fairy himself
Twirly family
The most amazing family...I love them and I hope this is their Christmas card

I die

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Stelara and Psoriasis

Last year, I started getting a shot called Stelara for my psoriasis.  Psoriasis is an auto-immune disease.  Where normal skin regenerates every 30 days, in the patches where there is psoriasis, that process can be sped up to every three days, making you have awesomely dry skin.  It is commonly found on the joint areas, like elbows and knees.  However, it can also grow in places where there was trauma to the skin, so imagine needing to be very careful while shaving.  I am very lucky that, on me, it generally sticks to my elbows and arms.  I also don't have it on my scalp, so I consider myself very lucky.  I have met people with it over almost every inch of their body.  I cannot even imagine how painful that would be.  Psoriasis is an incurable and not well-understood disease.    

Anyway, psoriasis is especially difficult if you're a pole dancer because traditional "fixes" include very heavy creams and ointments.  Makes you slide right off that pole.  If you had told me five years ago that I would not be slathering lotion on myself on a daily basis because I would be a pole dancer who needed my skin to stick, I would have laughed at you.  Some medications are also steroids and thin your skin.  You don't need your skin to slide right off on the pole either.  Another helpful treatment for psoriasis is exposure to the sun (helpful for skin cancer as well).  Since I didn't have time to come to the doctor's office for light box UV treatment, I did talk him into allowing me tanning booth time as an alternative.  Even though it's not the right kind of UV exposure, it still helped a little.  I also found that when I lost weight, my psoriasis was almost completely gone.  Stress is also a factor and my psoriasis coming back also could have been connected to very stressful things going on in my life around the same time. 

My biggest concern about taking Stelara is that it is an immuno-suppressant.  The last thing I need, especially now that I sit on BART almost two hours a day with lots of icky germs and coughing people, is to be more prone to catching a bug.  I have found, though, that staying somewhat active and taking echinacea have really kept me pretty healthy.  My doctor did say he didn't notice people getting sick more often on Stelara, but that they may stay sick longer if they did happen to catch something (and I noticed the same thing when I first started the shot but feel like I haven't been really sick in quite awhile -- knock on wood, that was not a challenge, Universe!).  I find if I get that feeling of itchy throat or a couple of sneezes, I take some Zicam and go to sleep early and I'm good to go.  

The bigger issue has been that my insurance company now deals with my shot differently (thanks, Obamacare!!).  It is no longer a "pharmacy" item, it is a "medical" item.  So it takes forever to get it approved and they are often late in getting it to me.  I only need to get this shot every three months but it is commonly two to four weeks late thanks to the incompetency of the insurance company and the crappy pharmacy they force me to use.  When the shot is late, the psoriasis starts to return and it often won't fully clear that cycle.  Getting the shot is also time consuming.  I could give myself the Enbrel and Humira shots at home.  Stelara requires me to go into the doctor's office.  And the office is not near my home or work, so it's one more thing on the to-do list.  That kind of sucks.  

Anyway, so if you want to check out some really bad before pictures, you can check out the link above (or you can look here).  And here are a couple of photos from this month.  My before-shot photo on November 4th and my after-shot photo today (the 19th).  Yeah yeah, you probably can't tell a huge difference but I can!

"Before"

"After"

Monday, November 18, 2013

Poletry in Motion: Kitty Kats' Korner

So here is a random chain of events over the last few years that lead up to a champagne and cupcake party at a studio in Vacaville less than two weeks ago.

A few years back, I randomly started talking to Jade on Studio Veena's website.  That lead to her coming to Twirly Girls and now she teaches there.  She also goes to a studio closer to her home called Kitty Kats' Korner

Last year, around this time, I took Nadia and Mina to Sacramento for a workshop and met a lady named Jeanette.  She had been looking for a studio closer to her home and I mentioned Kitty Kats' Korner.  Maybe five or six months ago, a girl named Stephanie joined my Pole Dancers Unite group on Facebook.  I realize she's local and mention the Jade-Kitty Kat connection...and Stephanie already goes there!

One thing I really enjoy doing is taking photos of cupcakes and putting them on Facebook.  Everyone notices that I over-post cupcake photos.  One day, Stephanie says, hey we should have cupcake night, so fast forward to a Friday night just over a week ago and I came to Kitty Kats' Korner to have cupcakes and pole jam with some lovely ladies!

Kitty Kats' Korner is located in Vacaville.  It is inside the Naughty or Nice Boutique, which has the most adorable guard dogs, Bailey and Jedda.  The back room has been transformed into a very safe and sexy work space.  The warm-up was very sensual and fun.  There was (I believe) one brass pole and three Lil Mynxes.  Actually, I believe there were five poles, though, so now I need to go back and look over the photos.  But I digress.  I had never used a Lil Mynx and I really loved it.  They are powder-coated so you get a little bit more "stick" but you can still spin on them. 

After the warm up, and breaking up into groups with one beginner, one intermediate, and one advanced student, we worked on some moves.  Then we started mingling more and just had a lot of fun.  The cameras broke out and all the crazy photos started. 

At one point, Sandra, the owner, had everyone sit while a couple of different groups performed.  The vibe at Kitty Kats' is very sexy and sensual.  One of the groups did a very tactile number where they basically incorporated everything they touched into whatever they were doing.  They were in a circle around the outside of the room and they slowly moved around the room touching everything -- the walls, the floor, the feather boas hanging on the walls, the poles...  I was sitting so that I had a view of people coming around a corner.  The song was long -- but I was never bored and I anticipated every single person coming around that corner because I wanted to know how each person would incorporate that corner into their dance.  It was really awesome to watch. 

I really want to thank Sandra for allowing an outsider, Jade, Jeanette, Stephanie, and all of the girls for having me out for such a fun evening! 

Bailey and Jedda

You WILL love me, Jedda!
Heaven!!!!!!!!!!!!
Kitty Kat Kristmas Tree
Jeanette, me and Jade

Stephanie and me

Stephanie and me

Kitty Kat Pile

Pretending I'm doing toothbrush

Friday, November 15, 2013

Three Months Post-Surgery ~ #HealingVikingWarrior

I am now three months post-surgery.  In August, I had plantar fascial release surgery to get the fascia away from a bone spur in my heel.  

About bone spurs:  http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2013/03/bone-spurs-calcium-heart-attacks-and.html 

About taking care of yourself when you have an injury:  http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2013/09/september-blog-hop-beauty-body-wellness.html

Two days before surgery:  http://lolorashel.blogspot.com/2013/08/surgery-is-in-two-days.html

Recovery has gone like this:  Month one: no activity.  I didn't work, I didn't work out.  I did a few stretches and things from my chair, or the floor, but otherwise, I was good.  Month two:  I went to Vegas and back to work wearing the moon boot still.  I was able to do a little more moving around but I still couldn't really do much.  However, every day, my foot felt a little better.  Month three:  Started back to pole, yoga and spin.  Recovery stops cold.  No better, no worse.  :-/  

I'm really a couple of weeks past my third month check-up.  I am working hard to get the swelling down in my foot.  My doctor said MOST people recover fully in three months.  Of course I'm not most people!  I'm definitely not in pain like I was before surgery, but I'm not out of pain either.  And my other foot hurts from bearing extra weight while I limped around.  Plus, my left hip is now hurting again (that's my old injury from a few years back), and my right lower back is out of whack.  It's very frustrating.  

I'm technically not supposed to be barefoot, so I will be wearing tennis shoes to pole.  Super hot, I know.  And I will carefully continue with yoga and spin.  I am still stretching and doing exercises to strengthen my calves and stretch them out as well.  My doctor said I have higher arches so it actually makes sense that it is harder to relax the fascia since it is pulled tighter.  I still have to tape my foot if I'm barefoot (which still isn't recommended EVER...I should literally have slippers with inserts by my bedside so even when I wake up, I'm in shoes) or if I'm wearing flip flops (also not recommended, except that I bought the $70 Othaheels that are slightly okay in my doctor's eyes).  I still have to roll my foot on the ball to massage it and ice it when it's really bad.  I am also drowning myself in Epsom salt baths and taking aspirin and Aleve (a big no-no post-gastric bypass). 

It is all so time consuming, expensive and frustrating.  Surgery definitely wasn't the quick fix, easy answer (I've been there before).  But I do appreciate that I am in less pain and am hopefully still moving in the right direction.

I took some photos of my healing journey (duh, have you met me?).  Enjoy some photos from the #healingvikingwarrior series.

Swelling in the right foot

About an inch difference in my calves

Probably one week post-surgery (they put a tube all the way through so there's one on the other side too)

Laying around after surgery

Leg lifts for exercise

I think that's a muscle

Post-surgery adventure (EDD actually required me to go pick up a form so my sister-in-law drove me and we made a stop)

How you carry stuff when you are on crutches

Hey my pants won't stay on

Getting better

More stretches and exercises with the surgical boot on

Upgraded to the moon boot

San Francisco adventure on the scooter...two peas in a pod

Moon boot fashion

The ink is almost gone (I seriously scrubbed even though I wasn't supposed to)

Exercising

Ink is gone, finally!

Icing

More exercising and stretching

I used to have rock hard calves!

Stretching

Only a tiny scar (matching one on the other side of my foot as well)

The size difference isn't as noticeable.  Don't tell my doctor I wore these shoes.

Back on the pole!

Dressing up as Candy for a photoshoot

Aerial Hammocks/Yoga

Fly Gym stretch

Yoga at Grace Cathedral