My Road to Recovery: Part 6 “Final Edition”

This is what my ankle looked like 3 days after the break.

It has been 5 months and 2 weeks since I broke my ankle.  I’m sure you can tell through my previous 5 parts on my recovery that it hasn’t been easy.  From being unable to walk, having trouble getting to the bathroom and gaining a lot of weight, it was definitely a mental toll.  The hardest part was not being able do the things I took for granted.

People just don’t realize how great we have it, especially healthy, walking, talking, having all your extremities and just having fun.  When you lose the ability to do something you’ve done your entire life it really causes mental damage.  I know mentally I was going crazy for the first few months of my recovery.

Looking at the picture, you can see that I caused some serious damage and the picture was taken 3 days after it happened.  The swelling went down quite a bit from the time the ER put my temporary cast on to the time of that picture.  The best thing about life and many cases, things heal with time as did I.

My ankle today looks much better. All the imprints are from my ankle brace that I wear and my sock.

I am happy to say that after 5 months I am walking still without a full comfort level, but I can get around.  I can run around, play basketball and workout as well.  The best part of all, I am able to do everything my kids want me to do…..no more feeling like a horrible father, which is the best part about being healthy enough.

I can say that I am still not 100% and I can also admit that I haven’t been the hardest worker when it came to rehab.  I have been a super slacker, but not exactly by choice.  My kids and their needs trump everything else and since I was healthy enough to handle business, being 100% wasn’t necessary.  Now I can focus more of my time to myself and getting myself back to where I feel comfortable (everyone says my ankle will never be the same, especially those who’ve had similar injuries).

Today my ankle looks much different from the way it did 5 months ago and I’m thankful to all of you who had such kind words and well wishes.  It is a great feeling to know that someone cares and is pulling and praying for your well-being.  The saga will continue with rehab, but I am happy to let you guys know that I AM GOOD!

You can also check out my process in Parts 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5.

Q & A with Reggie Lamptey a.k.a. “Mr. Body Defining”

I recently had a “Questions & Answers” (Q & A) session with Reggie Lamptey a.k.a. “Mr. Body Defining” to find out a few things, ranging from what he does to how long he’s been in the business to his annual charity event.

Body Defining offers a wide variety of services that you’ll learn more about throughout the Q & A.

Body Defining Logo

The Sports Hound – How did you come up with Body Defining?

Body Defining – I came up with Body Defining while I was in massage therapy school.  I had to think of a name that would represent all sides of the business which incorporates all aspects of health wellness and fitness.

The Sports Hound – What type of services do you offer?

Body Defining – The services are but not limited to: Personal training, group training, fitness classes, sports specific training, speed & agility training, nutritional counseling, diet & meal plans, sports specific coaching, swedish massage, reiki, sports massage, corporate & event chair massage, pre-natal massage, deep tissue massage, motivational speaking engagements and much more…

The Sports Hound – What does your training background consist of?

Body Defining – My training consists of being a W.I.T.S. Certified Personal Trainer for over 10 years and receiving my massage training at The Institute for Therapeutic Massage.

The Sports Hound – What type of programs do you have for children who want to pursue athletic careers, as far as camps or specialized workouts?

Body Defining – For children we do speed and agility camps as well as sport specific training in groups or 1 on 1.  We also offer sports coaching for a number of different sports.  Our training and camps for the youth will help them hone in on their talents and make them better athletes by developing their skill as well as the muscles and movements specific to their individual sport.

The Sports Hound – Do you offer any rehabilitation services?

Body Defining – We do offer a limited rehab service depending on specific injuries.

The Sports Hound – Do you offer any health or weight loss/gain services?

Body Defining – Yes, we offer weight loss and weight gain, as well as muscle-building programs and services.

The Sports Hound – What does the your Bowling Extravaganza help benefit?

Body Defining – Our bowling extravaganza is a charity bowling event which helps to benefit the American Diabetes Association and their fight to combat the rise of type II diabetes.  We aim to help spread the word that just adding some physical activity to your daily lives can help prevent the onset of type II diabetes.

Check out this years Bowling Extravaganza – bowlingwithada.eventbrite.com  which will be held this Saturday, July 28 in Madison, NJ.

The Sports Hound – What made you choose to have a charity event?

Body Defining – Helping people is my goal and passion as well as my purpose in life.  Type II diabetes is something which a person can get just from living an unhealthy lifestyle which is what my company is all about.  Teaching people how easy it can be to live a healthier lifestyle and all of the many benefits it has, not just that of looking good on the outside, but it is a preventative measure against things like type II diabetes and obesity.

The Sports Hound – How can you be contacted?

• www.bodydefining.com – Main Website
• info@bodydefining.com – Email address
• www.twitter.com/bodydefining – @BodyDefining – Twitter
• http://www.facebook.com/BodyDefining – Facebook “Like” page
• www.youtube.com/bodydefining – YouTube

If you have any other questions or want more info, feel free to contact Reggie at any of the sources above.

My Road to Recovery: Part 5

As I mentioned in My Road to Recovery: Part 4, I grew to 213 lbs and almost had a nervous breakdown.  I still can’t run yet, but I walk much better that’s for sure.  The problem with me now is after 15 minutes of sitting, my ankle completely tightens up and I have to fight through the pain for a minute or so to get some movement back in it.  It’s very annoying, but hey I have to continue to rehab it like I once was…..can’t lie, I’ve been slacking.

I have some good news and some bad news: I am down to 206 lbs and I got there without working out, but it was from having a stomach virus and I couldn’t eat or drink anything, nor could I move without getting sick.  I feel good now, so I guess it’s all good news at this point huh?  Either way you look at it, it’s a good sign that once I am able to start working out again the weight still comes off easy for me.  It’s noticeable weight loss too, because my stomach just started looking like I was going to audition for Santa Clause this December. Phewwww……

I think this week I’ll start doing push ups and crunches and hopefully start riding a bike or something.  I think my ankle can handle a bike until I can start to put complete pressure on it to run.  Next week I plan on getting back in the gym and swimming as much as possible as well.  I also want to start doing some calf exercises so than both of my legs are identical again.  The 2 month period of no moving had my calf smaller than my shin and that just wasn’t a very good sight to see, especially from someone who have pretty nice sized calf muscles.  I’ll get it back the way I want it and there is no stopping me.

Now back to trying to become one of Philadelphia’s top sports writers/journalists…..the sports takeover is in effect, who’s going to stop me if I don’t stop myself? NOBODY!

My Road to Recovery: Part 4

After the longest 13 weeks of my life, I am finally walking again with no assistance.  No crutches, no cam boot….nothing.  Just my left shoe and a tight, painful ankle! SMH!  I have been rehabbing, but probably not as much or as hard as I should be.  I just basically have muscle tightness right now, specifically for not using them so long.  I have to stretch them back out and keep doing the positive things to treat myself.

Just for the record, this was a 6-8 week healing process that I managed to drag out 13-14 weeks.  How, you ask??!?!!  Simply because I was(am) hard-headed and have some sort of life that needs to be taken care of everyday.  I could not just sit in the house all day everyday with my leg up in the air.  I did it for well over a month, but the swelling would not go away.  I started walking in just the cam boot and got rid of the crutches and it started to feel a little better, but the swelling still would come.  I’m out of the cam boot now and the swelling still is here and I’m just barely able to get my foot into my shoe because of it.

Oh well, ice and warm compresses when I’m not doing anything is gonna have to fix the rest of my situation, as well as my pool therapy that has helped so immensely.  I will be back in the gym tomorrow working on my ankle and starting the process of getting my body back to the form I want it.  I’m naturally around 185 pounds, but after I hurt my shoulder at work last year I began to sit around getting lazy and not working out in the gym, for good reason.  I grew to 208 pounds in that time off and once I got back in to the gym I dropped down to 203 pounds in only 8 days.

From the day of my injury until today I grew to 213 pounds and I don’t like it too much…..must have been that depressed I can’t walk beer I’ve been drinking.  No more, no more…..gotta get out of that mindset and get back to work.  Swimming and pool therapy with some crunches and light weight-lifting until I can begin running again and then I am gonna get back to about 190 pounds.  I think that will be a solid weight for me at this point in time.  I don’t want to get too skinny, I have to keep some of my muscle there for the public to see! LOL!

Anyway, I’m signing off of this for now.  Part 5 of my Road to Recovery will be published when I’m fully healthy and running around on the basketball courts again.  Stay tuned and thanks for checking out my blog!

My Road to Recovery: Part 3

As of today, May 24, 2012 it has been 10 weeks and 2 days since my oh so wonderful injury playing basketball.  Angry, frustrated, down, defeated and maybe even depressed are a few words to describe my mood as of right now.  The doctors gave me a 6-8 week timetable for a healthy return to walking, but yet I’m still in pain and can’t even straighten my foot.  I cannot walk without the assistance of a cam boot, which to be honest, isn’t the most stylish footwear choice.

I don’t know how anyone else could react to this situation unless they were in my shoe (pun intended), although I have talked to a few people who dealt with similar injuries and they all seemed to be in the same mindset.  I guess I can take some positive from that and keep pressing forward.  I really don’t think going back is an option……actually I’m pretty sure it’s not even a realistic possibility.

The most difficult part of this process is the fact that normally when I’m upset or angry I go play basketball to relax my mind, but in this situation basketball is the reason I’m upset and angry.  Just the thought of that makes me shake my head (SMH) and makes me a little more angrier.  A nickname I was given back in the day when I was younger is so fitting right now for me.  “Incredible Hulk” is the big green angry side of Dr. Bruce Banner, but I’m so happy I’ve matured over the years……phewww that might be a problem nowadays.

I sit and wonder what factors could be in play with the lack of speed in my rehabilitation process.  6-8 weeks have come and gone so fast, it’s really hard to believe it has been that long.  I wonder if I was doing too much after a certain amount of time.  I wonder if I didn’t keep it elevated as long as I should have, or iced it enough.  I wonder if I didn’t rest enough, or if I walked too much on it…..or better yet if I crutched (not a word)  too much on it.

I go back to the doctors on Friday the 25th and hope I don’t get any bad news.  I’m a little worried that they’ll tell me to lock myself in the house again and do absolutely nothing.  I really hope that isn’t the case….as that would really be devastating to my mental psyche.  I hope they say “go get a nice pair of swimming trunks and do as much pool rehab as you’d like.”  That would make my day and weekend amazing.  I would probably even get on twitter and go #FF (Follow Friday) crazy.  LOL!  I have nothing else to do, but write and continue to try to build “The Sports Hound” brand and work on becoming one of the top Philadelphia sports bloggers in the meantime.  Sounds like a plan to me.

P.S.  DO NOT……I repeat do not try to be super dad and play football with your son while slowly recovering from a broken ankle.  It’s probably not the best career move you could make.

Road to Recovery: Part 2

Tuesday, April 24th marked my 6 week anniversary of breaking my ankle.  The doctors gave me a 6-8 week window when I should be healed and healthy enough to walk again.  I am obviously behind schedule a bit, because I am still experiencing pain as well as swelling.  Not to mention I still cannot move my ankle to a straight position to even attempt to stand.  This is really starting to drive me crazy.  One good thing is that I can put some pressure on my foot, but only on my toes.

I feel impatience setting in on my spirit and I’m just so ready to start walking again.  I am out of my comfort zone, because I’m so used to being active either playing with my children, playing basketball, working out, or just going places.  I feel like I’m letting my kids down since the past month and a half I haven’t been able to take them to the playground, ride their bikes with them and the worst thing……no Chuck E. Cheese.  It’s just not as easy as it once was to keep up with my little bundles of energy.  I just can’t deal with the mental and emotional pain, especially since I still have physical pain (even though I was told by professionals that after 3 weeks I shouldn’t have any pain).

In Week 7, I am going to take a more proactive mode.  I don’t want to make anything worse, but I was told pool therapy is one of the best methods for recovering.  Therefore, I will get back in the gym next week and start swimming to regain some strength in my entire leg and work on getting back some sort of flexibility.  I am also going to do wind sprints in the water as well.  LOL!  I’m at the point where anything can help and it can’t get any worse.  I just can’t do it anymore.  I also refuse to hit the beach this summer with one super muscular leg and one puny one…..definitely not a good look at all.

Please keep me in your prayers guys, for I not only want to walk, but I just really want to play with my kids.  That is the hardest part of this entire situation.  Also, if anyone has any suggestions on methods of therapy to help the process, I am all ears.  Thank you……now back to the NFL Draft and NBA Playoffs.

My Road to Recovery

Three and a half weeks down, two and a half weeks to five weeks left to go until I can walk again.  This has been one of the toughest situations I’ve been in throughout my life.  I have played sports my entire life and I have been injured many times while playing basketball and football.  From feet to ankles to knees to arms to fingers and probably a concussion or two in there as well, but nothing like this.

I sit here in the same spot everyday…….almost ALL day long and it drives me crazy.  I read sports, write sports, research sports, watch sports, breath sports and live sports.  Everything I do revolves around sports right now, mostly due to my situation.  I’ve always loved sports and followed it, but I’ve grown to have a newer and deeper passion for it and it’s an amazing feeling.  But before my injury  it was a lot less sports and a lot more of my kids.  Unfortunately I can’t do the things I normally do so it’s only so much that I can do.

I still can’t put any pressure on my foot, I have no feeling in 4 of my toes except my big toe, I can’t straighten my ankle to a flat-footed position and I’m still in pain even though the doctor’s said I shouldn’t be at this point.  I’m upset and hoping that I can get an MRI, but they are giving me a hard time.  I just can’t wait until the day my foot is straight and I can start walking on it, or at the worst be able to move about for more than an hour without my foot swelling to the size of a ball.  It is definitely no fun and I wouldn’t wish this on anyone.

So my thoughts on this situation right now is that in a few more weeks I’ll get back in the gym and strictly do swimming pool exercises.  I think that’ll help the muscle and strength build back up and my leg starts to resemble the opposite.  I’m an athletic built person with calf muscles many dream of having and I’ve basically had them since birth, which runs in my family.

I guess this is a true blog post as it’s all over the place and I’m just in another world mentally.  It sucks to be in this situation, but all I can do is make the best of it continue to keep pushing on, grinding hard to make a difference and give my children the world.  One of my favorite Disney movies was “Meet The Robinson’s” and Walt Disney’s line he wrote and made in that movie was “Keep Moving Forward” and it’s completely true.  When you fall, get back up and never stop believing in yourself!

8 days in….back out the gym!

It was only March 5 that I finally got tired of being lazy and decided to get back in the gym.  I once was a gym rat, going every day during the week after work.  I was on the 2nd shift (no life shift) and when I got off at 11, 12 or 1 a.m. I would go to the gym for my workout.  The best part about going at those hours was that there wasn’t many people in there.  I could go and do my routine and get out without any hold ups or waiting for other people to finish.

The bad part about that situation is because it was July when I last went on a normal basis.  I messed up my rotator cuff and lifting weights was the last thing on my mind.  I received advise from quite a few people, both friends and medical personnel, about possible surgery.  Everyone said that my shoulder is going to hurt whether I get surgery or not, so I decided not to do it.  I figured if it’s going to cause pain either way I’ll just man up and just not over-do it.  So I just ended up doing nothing at all and my body noticed it.

Fast forward to February.  I’m starting to notice my stomach is getting a bit bigger.  Everyone else is starting to notice as well and so the jokes and pokes begin raining down on me.  Instead of curling up into the fetal position and laying in the corner crying about it, I decided to make a change.  In my life I was never a lazy person and I’ve always stayed in pretty good shape, whether I was running, lifting weights or playing basketball.  Oh, did I mention I didn’t even play basketball since last summer as well?  I realized that I’m getting older and have to stay on top of things better.

March 5 I made the choice to get back in the gym and change the path that I was headed on.  I have always weighed between 180 and 190 since I was in high school and that is the weight my body is comfortable at….but when I stepped on the scale and it read 206 lbs I almost cried! LOL!  That is the highest I’ve ever weighed in my life, so it was obviously time for me to go hard or stay home.  I ran that day and did a little bit of lifting, but my lower back said I did too much.

My lower back seems to give me problems on a normal basis and not just from lifting which I’ve actually known for some time now.  So I have to stretch it out and do specific exercises which is ok with me.  I know I’m not in the greatest shape and I know what it takes to get back.  March 6 I had an appointment with a personal trainer at the gym and he put me to work.  It felt great to go hard especially with someone right there motivating you and making sure you don’t quit.  That’s an important part to working out…..it’s not the easiest thing to do alone.

March 7 I ran a good mile and then I played basketball for about 2 hours.  My lower back was killing me.  It was stiff, tight, sore and probably any other word to describe it.  I could barely stand.  I shifted my attention on strengthening my lower back with different exercises, stretches and workouts aimed at my back.  It started to work very well.  My exercises mixed with my transition to eating healthy again paid off very fast.

Three days of going hard and aside from my lower back, I started to feel better.  I was sore, but that’s a good thing when you’re working your muscles correctly.  My lower back wasn’t hurting as bad so it started to pay off.  March 8 and March 9 I relaxed and ate healthy foods and got ready for the next week.  March 12 I returned to the gym and I ran hard and long.  15 minutes of an intense session on the treadmill.  Afterwards I stretched, did abdominal exercises and lower back exercises.  I felt amazing, so I decided to play basketball again.  My back wasn’t hurting and I looked like I never took a day off from playing.  Shots raining down from all over the court and I’m looking like I belong in a league somewhere.

It wasn’t until the 3rd game that my back starting tightening up again.  I finished the game and stretched a bit and that was my day.  After about 20 minutes my back felt normal again.  That was a great sign for me knowing that once my back is healed I’ll be back to my old form in basketball and can work out without any setbacks.  7 days down and feeling better about where I was heading, I was ready to attempt the numbers game and stepped back on the scale.

March 13, the 8th day I’m back in the gym feeling good.  I step on the scale and the number reads 202 lbs.  I was excited that in 7 short days I lost 4 lbs, plus I noticed that my pants fit a little bit better as well.  So I go on the basketball court and started running laps and was feeling great. I decided to play a quick 1 on 1 and then it happened….my back started acting up again.  I finished the game (won of course) and stretched hoping it would feel better.  So we played a rough house and the back got worse somehow, but I continued playing (won again of course).  I just laid down and did more stretches and exercises.  I was about to call it day, but before I left I wanted to take a few shots.  That’s when all these dudes started coming in the gym and they wanted to play a rough house.

I probably should have left, but I stayed and started playing.  And like some sort of miracle my back had absolutely no pain left at all.  So I was running around feeling great and nothing or no one could stop me.  After I won that game as well, they wanted to play a 3 on 3 and I was down for it.  My back felt great and my shot was on.  Everything came so easy to me that I wasn’t exerting much energy at all and just let it flow.  I wasn’t running hard, jumping hard nor was I even tired or hardly sweating.  I was in a zone and as comfortable as I’ve been since I was in college at CCP.

We finished the first 3 on 3 and they wanted a rematch and I was all for it.  The second game they made some switches on who they were guarding and they made an early run.  They were up 4-0 and then I used their plan and took advantage of the mismatches.  We came back.  The score was 4-3 and that’s when it happened.  I went up for a rebound and two guys came up under me.  I landed on someone’s foot and that was all she wrote.  I felt it right away and I heard something too.  I looked at my foot and it looked like a boulder hanging out my shoe.  I couldn’t walk and refused to put any pressure down on my foot.  It looked deformed and the ER confirmed.

After only 8 days being back in the gym and finally getting my legs and back in sync with my mind and where I feel I should be, a matter of moments took me back out the gym.  My ankle is broken, but I’ll be back in the gym!