I’m back, baby!

I’m finally out of the sling, and I even got to fight!

Let’s rewind. I didn’t see much point in updating during my recovery. Mostly my life consisted of being uncomfortable in the sling, occasionally taking it off and doing light stretching, and icing it regularly. I had a few opportunities to go watch other people fence, which wasn’t quite as terrible as it could have been. I enjoyed little victories like being able to wash my own hair.

Then came Thursday. I wore my sling religiously, even the entire ride up to Atlanta. I was so very careful that I felt comfortable leaving the sling off all day on Friday. I attended a discussion about destreza that morning and then a practical lesson that night. To play things safe, I went through the drills left handed and avoided doing ringen afterward. I didn’t even do both halves of the class, partially because I wanted to keep some energy in reserve and partially because my friends had arrived in town.

On Saturday, I fenced for the first time since the injury. I rigged together a shoulder guard and fought in my pool in the women’s long sword competition. I met my goal of not embarrassing myself.

After that, I competed in the dussack tournament. I fought left handed and wore extra padding but didn’t deal with any hard blows to that side. Unfortunately I did smash my fingers and need to sit out the rest of the day, so I missed the first blood rapier tournament.

On Sunday I elected not to participate in the open long sword tournament, and based on some of the fighting I saw, I made the right call. I was able to compete in the conventional long sword tournament, and I made it out of my pools but washed out in elims (fencing right handed since the tournament was thrust only).

I went back to Krav on Monday without the sling. This time I got to participate since I need to catch up on my P3 skills. My Krav buddies marveled at my bruises, and I worked out three weeks’ worth of pent up energy.

Now I’m experiencing a delayed event hangover, so I’ll take it easy tonight. I’m looking forward to Krav practice tomorrow. I’ll let you know when I get to test.

The ortho says I have a Level 1 sprain (so not too bad). I’m supposed to stay in the sling, keep icing it, and generally resting up. I’ve been abiding by those instructions pretty carefully.

I told him about SERFO and what I wanted to do. He said that if I really truly rest, I should be able to compete, BUT (and I can’t emphasize how big this but is), if I’m not feeling 100%, I could cause further injury. A hard fall or blow could cause an AC separation, which would require surgery.

If I were going to SERFO today, I’d do rapier but probably not dussack and definitely not long sword. We’ll see how I feel in two weeks. I’m going to talk to the people in charge of the tournament, evaluate my armor situation, and otherwise figure out what I’m going to do.

In the meantime, my life is super sedentary and boring. I’m getting frustrated, and I don’t have much of an outlet. I am still doing yoga, but class doesn’t meet next week or the week after, so I’ll have to do gentle movement stretching on my own. I’m thinking I need to go for a walk or something to get moving around without straining the shoulder any more.

Last weekend Nik and I took a bunch of our UWF fencing students to Gatalop. I couldn’t fight, of course, but I marshaled, and I had a great time watching our students have a great time. This weekend is Panhandle Skirmishes. I’m considering gearing up so that I can be on the field giving orders, but again, I’m not fighting. It may be better to leave my stuff at home to remove all temptation.

Krav was canceled on Monday since people in my class have kids to take trick or treating. We’re back at it today. I have no idea how class will go since Michael (the other “TA” as I call us) is also hurt – from doing the same move. He’s hurt way worse than I am, so I don’t know if he’ll come in or not. I know we’re mostly doing review, though, so class should be manageable.

I typed a post (painstakingly slowly) on Monday with a lot more detail and then lost it. I’m not a happy camper, so this will be a little terse.

Saturday was a good workout/fencing day. I lifted some weights with Nik, and then I practiced long sword with Nik and Nikita.

Sunday instead of fencing, I practiced Krav with Gaby and Kita. I did a high forward roll poorly (after doing it mostly right) and crunched my shoulder. I iced it, dealt with it, soaked it… realized I needed to go to the ER. The shoulder isn’t broken, but it is quite painful. I have to wear a sling, and no fighting for at least a week.

I stayed home from work on Monday and slept weird tramadol dreams all morning. I felt better in the evening and visited Krav to drop off the pads and help call out activities.

I was back at work on Tuesday, and I explained my situation to my yogi. She came up with some yoga that I could do, and when I couldn’t do something, I visualized myself doing it and focused on my breathing instead.

Tonight I’ll go watch Krav some more. This has been a nice exercise in teaching using verbalization since I can’t demonstrate anything.

I see the ortho on Monday. I’m going to ask for a fast (if temporary) situation so that I can possibly still fence at SERFO. At the very least, I’d like to do rapier and dussack left-handed. I really really want to do long sword though. Really. Keep your fingers crossed.

At any rate, #fightingeverydamnday is on hold. In the meantime, though, I can read, watch films, and visualize… and be jealous as Nik continues with #fencingeverydamnday

I pulled a muscle at Krav on Wednesday night. I’m not seriously hurt or anything – I just had a Charlie horse.

I took it easy on Thursday. On Friday, instead of going to fencing, I went to visit my mom. We took the dog for a walk Friday evening and again Saturday morning. I did some swimming on Saturday as well. It was a chill, low-impact weekend.

I came back to Pensacola on Sunday for SCA fencing practice. We ended up chilling with our friends, sharing food and stories. I’m okay with that.

Despite taking it easy this weekend, I’m pretty tired today. I’d like to push through and go to Krav, especially since I’ve made up my mind about civilian instructor certification. I intend to pursue instructorship next year, so I need to train seriously. On the other hand, I can’t get anything done if I get hurt (which is more likely when I’m fighting tired). We’ll see how I feel this afternoon.

Despite the pain last Wednesday, I was discharged from therapy on Friday. My therapist said that I might have flare-ups from time to time, but as long as I keep doing my stretches, I should be fine. I wasn’t in any pain on Friday, so that’s a relief.

On Thursday Nik and I hit the gym. I started training for the 5K next month (more on that in a bit). After that, we helped the UWF Fencing Club with an orientation demo. I got to fence some more and help teach some ringen at club practice on Friday.

On Saturday I walked and swam at the beach with my friend. Then I tried to go to the gym with Nik after. Going to the gym after spending the morning in the sun is a bad idea. Lesson learned.

I told Nik to run SCA fencing practice on Sunday, but there was an event that weekend, so no one showed. My neck really hurt – I’m not sure how I pulled it. I rested it for a day, and everything was fine, so I’mm thinking I did something silly like sleep on it wrong. I really don’t want this blog to become a catalog of my injuries, so I can’t stress enough that this one wasn’t a big deal.

In fact, I went back to Krav on Monday, and I feel pretty damn good about my test later this month. Tonight we’re going to drill like crazy (similar to the way the test is run). I’m optimistic.

Of course, yesterday after work I went to yoga to get my Zen on. I should probably make a point to do a couple sun salutations every day. I know I keep saying it, but man, it feels good to stretch.

So let’s talk about the 5K. When I did the Zombie Run, I did it cold. I didn’t train any more than my usual routine – I just showed up and did my best. Since this looks like a hobby that I’ll keep up at least from time to time, I’m going to work on getting better at running. I’ve been jogging on the track with Nik a little bit. The first time I tried, I didn’t really keep track. The next time I tried, I timed the first mile and got 11:45. I think that’s pretty good for someone who doesn’t really run. I kept moving for another two miles (so about a 5K) and spent less than an hour total on the track. I’m feeling pretty optimistic. I still have a lot to learn about running, though, so if anyone has any advice, I’d love to hear it. I’m a little less than a month out from my next run (a super soaker fun run), so I have some time to get my act together.

Last night my finger hurt so bad that I skipped Krav. The ambient pain was intermittent, at least. I was super bummed. I’m tired of being hurt, and I need to get ready for my test at the end of the month.

Last week Krav was great on Monday and Wednesday, and yoga was a nice stretch break in between. I was studying hard, going to Ladies’ Night to study, doing my thing.

Friday rolled around, and I came home from work and crashed out. I missed the last UWF fencing day of the semester. I woke up Saturday to find that I was very very sick, so I cancelled SCA fencing on Sunday (I was sick enough that I didn’t want to be left alone, so Nik couldn’t fill in for me). I ended up missing work (and, by extension, Krav) on Monday.

I went to yoga yesterday to ease back into activity and because i was so stiff from lying around all weekend. I’m wicked sore today. I honestly doubt it’s from yoga since we did literally the most minimal form you could do short of yoga nidra. I’m suspicious of the uphill trek to my office at that campus.

Regardless of the cause, I figure I shouldn’t go to Krav tonight, not even to watch. It kills me, but my test date has been pushed back, and I’d rather have some gas in my metaphorical tank for the demo on Friday.

Rehab is still happening. I’m noticing some improvement in my range of motion but haven’t tried holding a sword, striking an object, or anything of that nature. I’m optimistic.

True to my word, I was back at work on Wednesday, but I didn’t go to Krav, and Ladies’ Night was cancelled. I was wrestling with whether or not to go to fencing on Friday when Nik reminded me that we were foregoing practice for the sport club banquet.

I made it to fencing on Sunday! It was nice to move around and fight for the first time in ages. There’s a new guy in town who has done rapier before and just authorized with us. I also talked to a gal who is interested in taking up the hobby, but I got pulled away and didn’t get a chance to fill her in on any more details, so I hope she comes back.

Tonight I go back to Krav, but I’m going to try to take it easy. I still have a bit of a cough from the sinus stuff that came with the ear infection, so I’m not looking forward to running around, but I am excited to go back because…

…I need to start cramming for my P2 test next month! I’m super stoked and a little bit nervous. I’m sure I’ll be ready when the big day comes. In the meantime,I’m trying to remember what everything is called so that I can be a good partner as well as get my hand rehabbed so that I can use it.

I started therapy last week, and I have exercises I’m supposed to do on the finger every day. Range of motion is improving, but it’s still painful. It’s coming along. We’ll see where I am in four week!

Krav on Wednesday went well. If I’m not mistaken, we’ve covered all of P2 now.

We spend Ladies’ Night working on Relay for Life stuff, fencing practice was cancelled Friday, and I was too sick to go to fencing on Sunday. At least I got to prop myself up in a lawn chair and be sick outside on such a beautiful day. It looks like i’m too sick to fight tonight too.

I am grumpy.

I do have some good news, though. I don’t need to have surgery on the finger. I have a bone bruise, and I start occupational therapy at the end of this week.

Wednesday night in Krav we worked on some kick defenses. Those were pretty cool. I have no idea how my training partner ended up with a bruise on her upper arm, but it was an evening well-spent nonetheless.

On Thursday I missed ladies’ night so that Nik and I could hunt for fabric for his elevation. We came back empty-handed, but we did spend a nice evening together.

We went to UWF practice on Friday night. It was just us and Quinn, so we just played King of the Hill for awhile and called it a night. We also did some knife fighting, just for fun. Nik and I compared notes on knife fighting, me from Krav Maga and him from historical texts. It was pretty dynamic.

I spent Saturday at the beach dressed like a mermaid and rolling around in the surf because I can.

Sunday was SCA fencing practice. We’re in the midst of planning an event, and I got stressed out and frustrated at one point, but Nik and I fenced it out, and I think I’ll make it. It was our first practice coming back from Gulf Wars, and we have a new person showing interest, so that’s cool.

Last night we did a different set of kick defenses in Krav. I’m going to need help keeping the names straight so that I don’t do the wrong thing during testing.

This morning I woke up bright and early and went in for an MRI on that injured finger. I’m a little over 6 months past the injury, and my range of motion isn’t getting better. I’ll follow up with the ortho on Friday. I’m hoping for good news – proceed with PT. Friendly readers, keep your fingers crossed because I sure can’t do it.