I don't like to run...

...but I sure love how I feel after a productive run, and I really like being able to fit into my clothes...

About 6 months back I started having an uncomfortable feeling in my knee.  I blew it off for a while, but it just wouldn't go away.  I made an appointment with my doctor just to be sure I hadn't really damaged anything.  She said it wasn't a meniscus tear and I had most like sprained my ACL (anterior cruciate ligament).  She sent me home with stretches and strengthening exercises, which I naturally didn't want to do, but occasionally did anyway.  But it wouldn't go away.  This thing was annoying beyond belief.  It didn't just bug me when I was running or walking, it was all day everyday, sitting, standing still, and then some in my sleep too.  Not that I wanted to overrule my doctor, but it just seemed like the pain was coming in a weird spot for it to be my ACL.  It was on the inside of my knee, but about 1-2 inches below the level of my knee cap.  And no matter what I did, or didn't do, it wouldn't go away.

I investigated further and finally came across information on "pes anserine bursitis".  They described the location where three ligaments converge and attach to your shin, on the inside just below the knee cap.  The ligaments are protected from rubbing on the bone with the aid of a sweet bursa (fluid filled sac) that lies between them and the bone.  Buy bad shoes, over-train, accidentally twist your leg while your foot remains planted, sport some tight hamstrings etc., and you can overstretch those ligaments and irritate the bursa.

Wait?  What?  Back that up?  Buy bad shoes???  AHHHHH!  Yup, 7-8 months prior I bought the worst pair of Adidas of my life and now I was suffering for it.  I love Adidas, they have never done me wrong, so when I saw a pair on sale I thought nothing of it, didn't even try them on.  I certainly wasn't over-training... I mean I'm no marathon runner and if my body can't handle 3-6 miles at a time without throwing in the towel, then I'm going to scream!

I read more on this pes anserine bursitis.  You have to rest the leg, stretch the hamstrings well, reduce inflammation... hmmm, rest the leg.  Rest is not something I relish in.  I'll sleep when I'm dead.  How was I going to keep myself on "the bench" for even a day after this thing felt better?  Our disgusting dog helped with that.  A while back (I'd say about 2 years now), I relayed a story of stress incontinence (http://www.mygradeabologna.blogspot.com/search/label/pee) for which I sought help and was granted the most miraculous "anti-pee-your-pants" device without surgery - and this thing changed my whole after mommyhood world.  It normally was stored in the safest of places  ;)  but on this particular day it was readily available in the shower and our adolescent dog was all over it.  Needless to say, after being able to run for the past 2 years without having to worry about wet pants, now I was back in that position again.  Anywhoo, certainly made it easier to rest my knee while I waited for an appointment to get a replacement device.

So I rested up, my knee felt 100% better, I bought new shoes, I got my new vagina accessory... and it was time again to go for a run.  Or maybe not.  I've been for 3 runs now, and the dull pain is starting to come back.  My knee doesn't feel swollen like it had before (though it was never really puffy, just didn't feel as bony as it normally does), but I know it's only a matter of time if I keep using it.  I'm frustrated.  I don't have time for this.  So I discussed it with a good friend who had knee trouble 100-times worse than mine.  She gave me some of the best suggestions, and the next time I see her she doesn't even know the sweet SWEET lovin' she's got in store.

She first suggested using Turmeric (which contains the active component Curcumin).  Now this I'm familiar with, because I'd been recommending it to a few people at the nursing home, and I had written up on it's uses as an anti-inflammatory spice, but I guess I was correlating it more to chronic systemic inflammation, not necessarily inflammation that occurs with exercise or arthritis - but she was so right to clear my head on that one - because Curcumin doesn't care what kind of inflammation it is, it helps with it all!  So I have some ordered and on it's way - and am so excited to test it out - though I will say I'm not looking forward to possibly orange-colored poop which can happen with so much Turmeric going through you.

hmmm, Curcumin BP?  Blood Pressure?  No that doesn't make sense.  Ah, BP stands for Black Pepper, they use that to enhance the absorption of it.

Then she suggested talking to a Physical Therapist about kinesio tape.  Years back when I played Rugby (and I mean forever ago in college) I used to get taped up a bit to support my dumb achilles tendons which had a tendency to strain.  I kind of thought it would be the same sort of situation, until I looked up a youtube video to see what she was talking about.  Found this one produced by KT tape, which is some awesome kinesio tape!

KT Tape Application for Pes Anserine Bursitis

Went to Walmart last night to see what was available.  They have tons, but I think next time I'll just order it off Amazon as the prices were pretty much the same and Amazon had a better selection.  There are 2 different types of kinesio tape, Cotton and Synthetic.  I would guess the kind used in the video was the synthetic.  I grabbed the cotton as it was cheaper and I just wanted to see if I could replicate the video, but next time I'm definitely going for the synthetic.  It stays on longer and provides more support.

 They have a variety of colors available.  I highly recommend going for a color as far away from your skin color as possible - because if you're trying to make it look less obvious, you're going to fail.  A flesh-toned tape is going to look like you had some sort of massive skin graft as opposed to looking like you applied the tape, on purpose, for an injury.  Just my opinion, but I'm usually right...  ;)

So I applied the tape, I think I did a pretty good job of mimicking the video.  And I can say that I instantly felt better.  It seems weird that tape could do that, no matter how fancy or flexible it is, but it really did.  It felt as though instead of those ligaments pulling at that sore spot by my knee, their pull was relocated further up my thigh which felt way better.  You don't take it off for a few days, which is fine with me.  It stayed on perfectly all night and I even slept better - maybe with 50% of the pain I was used to at night.  I'm in love.  If you have some other sort of injury, like a muscle or ligament strain, I highly recommend trying this stuff out.  KT Tape has tons of youtube videos to show you how to tape just about anything, or you could ask your favorite physical therapist to show you how.

Boys are disgusting

Okay, I'm shaking my head right now.  Are all boys as disgusting as my little monsters?  And at what point did they turn into such dirty little things? 

Right now they are on the couch playing with a refrigerator toy.  This thing asks them a question and then they push another button to record their answer.  After it's done recording, it plays back what they said.  Okay, so the question was "what do you do in the morning?".  Simple enough.  So they push the button and start rambling.  "I get up, I eat breakfast, I play with toys, I watch a show..." and I'm listening and thinking that all this sounds right.  But they keep going because they haven't said anything amusing enough yet, "...I pee in my pants and I poop in my underwear and my diaper my diaper my diaper..."!  Huh?  You would think my house was covered in nasty undergarments, but it's not.  And who is wearing a diaper that they are pooping in?  Is something only funny if it involves the words poop, penis or diaper?  I'm thinking yes.

The problem is this was just their dirty discussions.  On our walk home from school on Friday I observed my 5-year-old who was already all too familiar with the 5 second rule when you drop a fruit snack on the sidewalk.  Moments later he pulled his pants down to pee on some bushes and when some splattered and hit his hand, he felt the need to put those fingers in his mouth!!!  I was speechless.

I would have to say on a daily basis these boys perform some act that has me shaking my head and wondering where they come up with the ideas for their dirty games and disgusting actions.  I haven't ever peed on my hands and then put them in my mouth.  I certainly don't remember showing them how much fun it was to put a full roll of toilet paper in the potty and then ball up snowballs of it and throw them at the tub wall.  Certainly I must be getting paid back for something that my husband did as a child.  And everytime they do something nasty and then look at me and smile, their expressions look just like their Daddy's.

Peeing your pants is not cool

I don't care what you say, Billy Madison, peeing your pants is definitely not cool.  Although if it was, then I would have been "the coolest", and amongst my friends you pretty much had to be a pants pee'er to get into our cool gang.  Alright, I'm lying about entrance to the cool group, but we certainly had many good laughs about our accidents.  And in case you were not yet aware, I'm not shy about talking about... anything!  Do I care that you now know that I peed my pants?  Nope!  Because if you ever had a conversation with me, I'd tell you all about it.  I'm a walking after-school special right here.

My journey with stress incontinence (peeing your pants when you cough, sneeze, or run) began when I squeezed out my first baby.  Yes, you could say that I pretty destroyed myself with that experience.  I recall laying in my hospital bed, recovering and thinking to myself that I should get up to go to the bathroom.  So I got out of bed and stopped to take a long peek at my new little monkey.  Suddenly I realized that I had to pee NOW!!  I started waddling to the bathroom, as you have to walk that way with the enormous diaper you wear after delivering, and commented to my husband that, "I'm peeing right now and I can't stop!!"  He thought this was hilarious, and has shared the story with all kinds of expectant parents.  My ability to control the pee got better as time went by.  I did my kegel exercises like crazy, but still had trouble when it came to jumping in dance class or attempting to jog.  If I felt a big sneeze coming on... look out!  And if I saw a trampoline all I really saw was soggy pants.  It was literally awful to be unable to get a grip on something that I thought I had mastered before kindergarten.

After my second baby came along, I decided to look into physical therapy.  I had heard that if your control muscles are weak enough, they will give you a "device" that's inserted into your "lady business" and then it gives you a little stimulation to encourage your muscles to contract.  Literally does a kegel for you.  Hello!  Sign me up!  Insurance will now pay for a vibrator??  Poor me, my muscles were too strong to show a need for this device, so I was stuck with more kegels and routine appointments to help my pelvis align correctly.  Did it help?  Well, in dance class I could now do leaps to the left with my better aligned body, but landing was still sketchy.  I gave up.  I had resigned myself to the fact that I would have to wear Depends, or a huge maxi pad, every time I wanted to go for a run.   It was my heel striking the pavement that caused the peeing, which wouldn't have been a big deal if I didn't want to be active... but I WANTED TO BE ACTIVE!!


I set up a routine check-up at the OB/GYN office and decided to inquire about a bladder sling surgery.  The surgery is supposed to lift your bladder back up to where it had been and hold it there, like you're putting it in a nice hammock.  The doctor informed me that a pessary might be a good starting point.  He also said that if enough damage had been done, then all the kegels in the world weren't going to help!  A pessary is like a rubber ring that you insert and pops into place just above your pubic bone and it pushes your bladder back up.  It also helps clamp down on your urethra a little.  So with my bladder back in place and a little extra leakage control on the urethra, I went for my first run in 5 years without peeing my pants.  It was as if the clouds had parted, and angels were singing to me while I ran.  Was I completely dry at the end?  Nope!  I sweat like a farm animal when I run, but at least it wasn't pee!  Do you pee your pants?  You don't have to tell me.  Most people are more shy about the topic, but according to webmd, 13.7% of women suffer with this on a daily basis - and it only gets worse as we get older.  Call your doctor today!  Don't deal with this for another moment when you don't have to.  I wouldn't advise running to the doctor's office as we know what happens when we do that, but perhaps afterwards you can celebrate on a trampoline.