The Craziest things Ive done,....Be careful, be safe, be Smart

Im Posting this as my experience, im not saying dont run..... Im telling you what happened to me so you can maybe read up and learn what your body is telling you....

Ok guys here goes.... I am also responding to another post ...what is the craziest thing ive done after WLS.....Ok so after having WLS, Staying on my T-25 workout...and getting up to running 2 miles a day (on a Track)...I then got down from 379 June 10th 2014, to 264 by Thanksgiving and decided, as a Family we would run the Fort Worth Texas Turkey Trot.  I mean come on its only 1 extra mile right.....I could crawl the 3rd mile Im already doing 2.  So, there were about 14,000 other crazies out there that morning....and i bought a Timed bib meaning I would be electronically timed....just for my records....  So off we go.....about a mile and a 1/4 I no longer feel my feet and Im like.....COME ON FINISH LINE.....it was just one in front of the other...(I know someone is singing the Christmas song "Just put one foot in front of the other....")  I think it was from Rudolph....anyway.... SO .....I see the finishline and i get a new pile of energy and Through the finish line I go.... Forgot to look at my time..... but it was about 48 minutes or so......... Checked my time online and I finished 1337 th with a time of 46:59  Not too bad....for my JOURNEY.......

Wow we all finished, some in front of me some behind....there are 9 of us.   SO we went home and I fried 2 turkeys and all the trimmings and wow what a day.... just a little wobbly from the run but all is good.  Went to work Friday and worked the whole day, got home and worked outside...

Now guys this is where things go Terribly wrong.  The only reason Im telling you this is what to watch for and dont try to do too much as I did

So, Saturday morning I wake up and my left foot is Swollen...and aching...cant walk on it so i stay in bed...... Ice Pack too heavy...and I mean Excruciating pain...... 2 days later...Right foot starts,,,, then they both turn to bruising.....left foot is a Solid bruise..... To get to the car was the most pain I have ever felt and I played football for 13 years and broke many bones..... this was far worse than anything I could stand..... They get me to the clinic and call for a wheelchair ,,,,,, the nurse comes to the car to help me and she said....."No,,,,he needs an orthopedic Dr,,," so she called and got me to Dr Riberio in Decatur Tx..... They thankfully had a wheel chair and they wheeled me from the car straight to a room.   Dr walks in, hasnt shut the door yet.... says "Ok you dont know me, and youre probably thinking im crazy, But we need to get him into Surgery now, so meet me across the street at the hospital for Preop>"   So we asked what it was.......He said i read your file about running before I came in... When I saw it I knew..... You have what is called   Compartment Syndrome,   Long story short...I had been running on a track, Cushioned, then Ran on Pavement....NOT CUSHIONED.  I did so much damage to my feet running that the blood pooled in the 4 compartments of my feet and they were so swollen the blood had nowhere to go...left untreated I could lose both feet.   So off to Surgery we go, and within an hour I was UNDER.    I Woke up to what all I can say was something that has changed my life forever..... I have been in a wheelchair since the Dr Visit, and that was Dec 5th 2014.

They made 3 incisions on each foot about 1 1/2" deep 5" long and about an inch wide tapered at both ends to a point.   in each foot.   They will and are remaining open to drain...swell....and heal on their own.  I can not walk or put any pressure on them whatsoever or my skin could split back open and or cause more swelling.  I will have to learn to walk again, because they had to cut through muscles and nerves.....and boy are they starting to fire back up.....

So I want everyone to pay close attention to their bodies..... they speak to us....I didnt listen very well.. I put off for a whole week not going to the Dr.  It will get better I said..... Dr told my most people about 24-36 hours to respond to it before the foot literally starts to die off from the inside..... he said i was a lucky case.  He said as soon as his knife touched the skin they popped open like a can of bisquits and the muscle just flopped out.....

So do a google search for Compartment syndrome...mine was in the foot.....but allot of people get them in the calf (which has to be slit top to bottom) or even in the thigh.........

For those of you wanting to run, looking to run.......take it slow and easy, and do it on a track if you can.  mine will now be done on a Bicycle haha........ 

Turkey trot $20.00 entry fee per person

Dr, $15,825

Hospital $36,288

Anestesiologist $1650.00

Wheelchair rental $50.00 a month

Loss of wages,,,,,, @ $4000.00

Missing the fun of Christmas shopping and time with family "PRICELESS"

Not to mention my butt hurts and I can only have sponge baths because the wheelchair will not fit into the bathroom...

YIKES-A-RONI!  Glad you're recovering now! 

Thanks for posting. Good info to listen to our bodies!

After reading what happened to you and the search for Compartment Syndrome, I'll be lots more aware of listening to my body.  

What is the prognosis for your foot?  Being in a wheelchair for two months as of yesterday would be tough.  

I had total knee replacement surgery at the end of December and my goal is to walk in the 2015 Turkey Trot.  I will definitely remember your post!  

I hope you feel better!

Prognosis is good..... Wednesday the 4th, I had a Dr appointment and he was happy with skin growth.... I started taking mega doses of Biotin and its either coincidnece or helping but Skin has really grown.  He said he wanted me putting weight on them as much as I could take.....but if I feel anything stop.....swelling..stop....feet turn purple raise them....if color comes back within a minute its the ace wraps....WHICH IT DID AND WHICH IT WAS... so circulation is good.   so... last night I did this for the first time in 2 months.    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUNN23GMt2o

Now starting this afternoon I am having the exposed muscle Cauterized which will burn them, turn them to scab, and heal up.  I was worried about leg strength since as you can see in the video my legs are sticks....but felt good,  Oh and I am wearing size large shorts and shirt....FINALLY. 

So wheelchair maybe another month,,,,,,,Which is a month sooner than we were told....was going to be end of March for healing, and then off to PT to learn to walk...... Dr said would be allot of pain walking.....I wasnt walking really well in the video but thank God I didnt have allot of pain.   I see it coming together in the next few weeks.

Im not telling people not to Run... or walk...just pay more attention to your body......

Gelatin is really good for skin and ligaments. Just don't count that in your daily proteins requirements.

Story like yours remind me why I don't run. Always hated it. Walking, other sport..sure. 

Be well soon. Good luck. 

Thanks for sharing your experience! Hope you continue to heal at a quick rate. 

what a story, I'm glad you are doing better. Are you saying that this happened bc you had the surgery???

No I'm saying this happened because I thought I was ready and invincible. ...lost the weight.....felt good lots of energy but my body wasn't up to the challenge that my mind was ready for......no was had nothing to do with it other than give me the opportunity to run I otherwise wouldn't have had.......my body had been fat  and stagnant  for so many years....I wanted to kick it into high gear Of realizing I needed to slowly work into it.....again different for everyone