RECOVERY AND TRAINING

Jul
10

by BabyAngel | Covid-Dairies | 0 Comments | 10 Jul 2022

Salutations Reader,
RECOVERY AND TRAINING is an update on how physical therapy is going six months after the scan and diagnosis of a damaged Inter Vertebra in my neck causing a nerve impingement and limits the use of my arms due to extreme pain sensations. Let me give you a quick overview to establish a timeline and see how we got here for those who just dropped in…

In December of 2020 I tested positive for COVID. Most of the Winter season I was sick and it took me all of Spring to recuperate and _since corona wreaks havoc on your respiratory system_ catch my breath and feel somewhat human again. Which was far from fun, but not so bad because a Wood Work project I was on the roster for, kept being postponed by the client. So there was time to sweat it out, as you would a regular flue. Come Summer I was back at the Timber Factory and things started going terribly wrong and dominated the next six months;

“My arms felt like they were being randomly electrocuted day and night, which got so bad that I was unable to grab or hold my tools. Unable to do Carpentry or any other form of physical work or efforts, stayed home, working on Star Arena, trying to keep busy behind the screen. Just about when the situation felt to get a little better: Things had to get worse! Just before Christmas 2021 I endured ‘Screaming Pains’ and ended up on man made opioids till the next year.”

Cutting to the chase: Mid January 2022 the verdict is in, the mystery is solved, the culprit is identified and I learn about ‘Discopathy!’ Let’s just say; I seriously needed a moment to process and do so till the end of February. (See previous articles.) Begin of March I seek out a new Physical Therapist and ask her if she would want to Coach me on the road to recovery. Turns out making an adjustment in my Dog Training schedule works wonders!

RECOVERY AND TRAINING has gone through some trial and error which I am not going to elaborate on in length. The highlights that we learned from the few relapses that occurred are; We are combating this issue on two layers, there is the Weakest Link, being the neck, but also a more dastardly and dormant disruptor: Long Covid! The latter gives Backlash or Adverse Reaction to the rehabilitation progress, simply because my physical fitness is currently not up to par and causes a crash every time we put strain on the Neck, Shoulder and Arms!

In our last meeting or parley with my Coach we decided to change strategies:

• Stay Away From What Does Not Work (Meaning; Targeting The Arms Directly)

• And Focus On What Does Work (Being The Undercarriage Or Legs)

• Loose Weight And Rebuild Stamina!

• Stay Out The Red Zone!!

The fact of the matter is that I gained 10 kilograms of body mass these passed 18 months that are not doing me any favors in regards to my health. So my top priority is getting back my girlish figure!

How Does The Dog Help With Recovery And Training?

Well… For those who know not; Training the Dog(s) daily is what gives me calm in the chaos! The Chest Rig you see in the pictures is my Trainings Vest and took me years to customize and configure. Those colorful Mini Boxing Bags you see in the pouches are called ‘Dummies!’

Dummies are retrievable objects the Dog(s) must search and find, scattered in an area as big as 250 x 500 meters or more. These objects simulate ‘downed game’ that must be brought to the Hunter or Handler. The vest is configured for working 2 Dogs at the time. Sadly my Kelly passed way too soon during the early onslaught of the corona pandemic. Honestly; I think I ‘broke’ that day!? Luckily the little Mouse (Fay) could feel my loss, offered me comfort and kept me close company during this passed year of ill-being. We make a pretty good team nowadays!

But I digress, Dummies are a genuine training tool and/or equipment. But once I purposely start carrying them around as ‘Dead Weight’ for my personal physical training, I will refer to them as Ballast. (See chart below)

Color	Type	Buoyancy	Weight
Yellow	Speedy	Float	0,5 Kg.
Orange	Trainer	Sink	1,0 Kg.
Red	Trainer	Sink	1,5 Kg.

The new Top Priority had become:

Rebuild Stamina and Get Lungs in Working Order again!
While you are at it; Loose some of the Lead in your Ass!!

Somehow I had forgotten the basic rule of survival: KEEP MOVING!! Pretty sure its a Darwinian principle that if you sit on your ass too long and fatten up; You are just begging to become Dinner!?

To Rebuild Stamina: I now go out on Dog Patrol Every Other Hour!
These are 5 Kilometer hikes where I catch some air and train the Dog.

To Lose Weight: I Add Ballast to the Training Vest!
At first I added more pockets on the back of the vest for counter balance and used old discarded dummies still worth their money in dead weight, maxing out at 10 x 0,5 = 5 Kg of ballast.

When those started to become an Easy Haul,
I ordered the Orange & Red Dummies and currently carry 10 Kg of ballast on my walks.

Does it work?

Weight Loss in 4 weeks:
Best weigh Begin of Day: 80 Kg ( Minus: 5 Kg.
Best weigh End of Day: 79,3 Kg ( Minus: 5,7 Kg.

Almost at the ‘Halfway Mark’ and feeling much better already.
Also, this regime keeps me out of The Red Zone and proves the Computer is my Nemesis!

Herein lies the reason of less Public Updates lately;
“Working On My Health Has Priority Over Working On The Project!”