injury recovery...........

[blooming lotus]

yesterday I did the big escape from my crazy lying school in Zhengzhou, only an hour outside of shaolin si.........(.be very careful that often many things a school here will promise will not always be delivered, like wages and transport and food for instance.............don't always expect power and dont surprised if you wake up to no water)

anyway, to the point, last night took a train from zhengzhou to guangzhou ( 17 hrs in total) and because of language difficulties and seat availabilty, ended up crammed into a standing space no more than a rapidly declining 10 square inches for the duration.......

this was craziest thing you could imagine!! Just when you thought not another person could possibly sqqeeze in if we were on top of each other, another 20 people would arrive at the door........

I spent 5 hrs straight alternating from one tippy toe, to the other, then both.and the remainder was spent contorted in positions I didn't even know a body could acheive...............

it takes alot to rock me and I'm rarely caught off guard, but this was pure and utter insanity!!!!!!!...........first time my jaw has literally dropped in an extremely long time!!

crux is that now, besides having a severly bruised body, bloated stomache from all the bad air and lack of fluid in 37degree heat, etc etc.my ankles are so swollen that it's almost freakish..........I have fluid half way up my legs and rarely claim pain, but would say this definately qualifies...........

I can barely stand at the moment, and will no doubt recouperate in due time, but I want to know if someone can explain my injuries and give me tips to recover to cardio workout fitness any earlier than standard.

I'm thinking it's a fluid come tendon / soft tissue injury???.........

any suggestions would be great!!!!!

Please no drugs!!!.......

cheers

bl

[cerebus]

Heh, heh. I took a bus from the East coast of the U.S. out here to California. It took 4 days with the longest stops being about 30 min at a time.

When I finally arrived and took off my shoes and socks, my ankles were the size of large grapefruits! I laid on my back with my feet up and massaged my ankles for an hour or so but it didn't make alot of difference.

I'd guess lying flat & taking a long nap would let the fluid drain back to the rest of the body.

[blooming lotus]

very nxt thing on my agenda

[rubthebuddha]

three things:

1. water, and lots of it
2. exercise. not HIIT, mind you, until you're ready. rather, just be out and about and do anything to get the juices flowing.
3. ibuprofen to help relieve any swelling you have.

other than that, only time will help. :)

[norther practitioner]

I was thinking the same thing as rub...

[blooming lotus]

cheers........

by early morning / late night last, I could barely move my legs at all...........definately no way I could stand on them,

this morning , felt a little better though so I forced myself into some light walking and reverse stretches, as in the stabilisers of the tendons and muscles etc that were nearly pulled out of their root.

still a bit bruised and battered but feeling much better.......being a hippy at heart, skipping the ibo but will definately get into it today and take extra water.

thx :D

[IronFist]

Wait, what happens? Standing on a train for extended periods of time causes leg swelling? Do waitresses get this, too, then?

[blooming lotus]

yes...and cashiers and other workers where their job invloves standing for extended periods.........that's why the government in Australia has made a law under some health standard (?) that employees must be given 15-30 mins break each 3-4 hrs of work. The conditions on this train were really appauling. This was a one off adventure for myself but I was blown away at condintions these people endure none the wiser to the damage it does their bodies. I spent a great deal of that time on the way down ( and was 99% more likely than not the only one on that train who did) on my tippy toes and in some crazy morphed stance like positions , but without the luxury of the occassional sqaut. I did this to make more room and because I could. To be honest, I felt a bit like a soldier of mercy. Alot of these people are quite weak and frail looking and I figured for a little discomfort myself, I could make these peoples' life just a little less hellish. I knew I was hurting, and in regular circumstances what I was doing to my body was a crazy feat, but I am quite flexible and have endurance as much is neccessary. Yes.perhaps I'll give myself a quiet pat on the back as I recover...........please save your comments in that regard though. I guess it's a part of my shaolin buddhist philosphy, and the reason I'm sharing this is so you understand that these poor people here give both poverty and poor health a whole new meaning. I feel quite humble in contrast really and I believe as fellow - human beings, if we can make these little sacrifices for each other on occassion, the world will be just that much more pleasant to live in for everyone.

in closing, my hope for the future in China is that the goverment will implent some national standards and provide these people with living conditions ( that as a western absolute minimum), would allow them appreciate life as WE know it..................even in dire poverty, we're all still 3 up.............think about that and take a moment to appreciate your life.

[Ming Yue]

Being squashed in a crowd like that is enough to freak anybody out. you probably had every muscle in your body tense and ready for flight the whole time.

on top of all that, you're pregnant, so there is NO logic to what your body does in defense of high stress these days. :)

rtb was right, tons of fluid and excercise. elevate your feet above your heart whenever possible. Can you get a Tui Na massage? I think you need one...

[IronFist]

Wow, I hope you heal soon!

[Toby]

Originally posted by Ming Yue
on top of all that, you're pregnant, so there is NO logic to what your body does in defense of high stress these days. :)Not any more.

BL, you hippy, if you won't take ibuprofen, try fish oil. It's supposed to have anti-inflammatory properties. Another suggestion is a yoga relaxation pose. Lie with your bum right up against a wall and your feet straight up in the air against the wall. Make yourself comfortable. Lie like that for a long time. It'll drain your legs of blood, fluid, whatever.

I liked the heartbreak story :rolleyes:.

Get well soon.

[Ming Yue]

not any more??

ugh.. sorry.... I didn't know.

[blooming lotus]

fish oil does that ???? :eek: :D

great tip!!

no ..unfortunately, because of poverty in the area and nutrion availability etc.bubs just wasn't quite strong enough to see it out........mei guan Xie ( doesn't matter).that's life in china and really..................everything for a reason for ha??

cheers and thx for your comments :cool:

[Toby]

Originally posted by blooming lotus
fish oil does that ???? :eek: :DIt even says it on the back of my fish oil tablets bottle. Cod liver oil will be the same I guess, although at the moment I have generic "fish oil".

Originally posted by blooming lotus
no ..unfortunately, because of poverty in the area and nutrion availability etc.bubs just wasn't quite strong enough to see it out........mei guan Xie ( doesn't matter).that's life in china and really..................everything for a reason for ha??I thought the reason was because you did a crazy ab come cardio/ acro dance workout (http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=30740&perpage=15&pagenumber=3)? Nothing to do with poverty and nutrion (sic).

[blooming lotus]

dui......you are correct , but prior, because of nutrition availabilty and quality etc, I really feel that if I could've looked after myself nutrionally even 25% better, bub's'd've pulled through...........I didn't eat for nearly three weeks there...........it's terrible..you never know when food will be available............

but a girls gotta exercise and you said yourself, your wife managed......

everything for a reason..............meiguanxie( doesn't matter)...........heart aside, it may've been for the best anyway.

[IronFist]

Originally posted by blooming lotus
bub's'd've pulled through...........I didn't eat for nearly three weeks there...........

I'm sorry, what? And you didn't eat for 3 weeks? Ok.

[blooming lotus]

I drank milk and had the occassion 1/2 doz eggs ( they're usually safe) ......but really.....once ( or twice or thrice) bitten nxt time shy.............. just not prepared to take the risk most often...............food here is often very very dodgey.for an educated person, It may as well not be there at all

[IronFist]

So tell me about when you didn't eat for 3 weeks. Did you lose a lot of weight?

[blooming lotus]

varied between 41kgs to 47...........remember totally ( exscuse the term) bloated with a period or two that never arrived ( usually a kg or 2 worth)............

my body didn;'t know what the hell I was I doing to it and to be honest, I was a little anxious myself...............only a week after misscarriage3 my body settled and it was the day directly prior the "great escape" that I levelled off at 45...........excess fluid, wet hair and great but heavy bra, etc today pulled in 46kgs maybe 46 1/2.........no doubt i"ll par off agian in comming days...but it was a health crisis situation..........I'm fussy at the best of times and if eating something'll make me sick or interfere with a planned workout, generally, I just won't............

[Toby]

Originally posted by blooming lotus
... great but heavy bra ...Yeah, bras these days do weigh a ton. I'm sure that greatly affected your weight.

[blooming lotus]

dead set.........that's a kg to 500gms pending quality.and do you have any idea how long my hair is????..............together that's 1 -= 1.5 min

[Toby]

Well then it's not an underwire bra, it's a full cage :p.

[_William_]

You might want to go to your doctor just to make sure you have no blood clots in your legs, since they are very dangerous.

I hope you are well soon.

[blooming lotus]

oohh.........that's terrible, don't say that.........


I really only ever go to a doctor in absolute emergency.............what can I do to check this out myself and what I can do now now to minimise the possibillity??....massages?..........it's pretty tender to touch, like raw bruising, but the swelling has gone down to only my ankles and feet and it's quite hot to touch. I took Tobys' butt to wall suggestion for an hourish until I fell to sleep ( and remember a similar suggestion for varicous veins??) ........so I assume that that'll help.

soooo....clot risk minimisation ????

[_William_]

Sorry, I'm no doctor so I can't diagnose anything. I would go to a doctor just to check it out. Its really a matter of safety since you dont know unless you go. You might be perfectly fine, but your really cant know unless you see a doctor.

Thats one of my personal rules: When in doubt, see a doctor. Thank goodness for public health care. :)

I hope it doesnt sound like I'm trying to scare you.

Heres an article on it:
http://ohp.nasa.gov/alerts/dvt.html
http://health.yahoo.com/health/centers/heart/104.html

[blooming lotus]

great links..thank you

I may be imagining things but according to these article dvt can cause the clot to travel to your lungs and may result in a hairy respitory situation. Last night I woke several times unable to breath, coughing etc and , highly unusaully, couldn't figure the source.
In case of dvt, how long do you suppose it would take a clot to travel??.........I'm sure it's something else, but I'd like to know regardless. Anyone??

[Ka]

My opinion
Rest, legs up,Water,light walking,light massage with oils(teatree and lavender)Lying Breathing and meditation.

Your in China, use your language go to a TCM( (perferably with someone who is bilingual as all you seem to know is dui meiguanxi and xie xie) and see what they say.
Funny to watch your experiences of China through this forum.
Hope you stick it out,as you seem quite discouraged,personally I would say you should try moving to Beijing,XiangGang,GuangZhou or Shanghai.As you will find access to the comforts you miss.

[blooming lotus]

Thx Ka..........

I am in Guangzhou at the moment.............destination post nightmare train journey and feel like I'm at the hilton. I am staying in very basic but clean accommodation and have just picked up a lucrative contract for 6 wks lecturing foreign teachers. My organisation is about to put me up in 5 * accomodation, so no doubt the nightmare will ease off.....I'm quite over it really, and don't regret a moment. Unfortunately, at this stage is doesn't look probable I'll stay on post contract, but ma and my experiences will always be a part of who I am. Perhaps I'll return in future.

I cobnsidered my health position last night, and perhaps If I have time between lecture planning, I'll go through some dim mak charts and see what self - therapy I can come up with. It's exactly what I'd get ( but more diy) that tcm anyway. Thx for your thoughts

[Toby]

Originally posted by Ka
Funny to watch your experiences of China through this forum.Yeah, I thought you were dedicated to staying in Songshan and becoming a nun? Didn't last long ...

[blooming lotus]

you'd be surprised how much you pick up in such extreme circumstances.

The contract I signed before I arrived ( including transport to shaolin whenever required), was a dodgey farse and it kind of messed plans up a little. But I did get there, saw what I sought, and while I didn't get my discipleship, I did get a good enough take and confirmation of likemindness to see me through another leg. Maybe I'll hit Tianjin in future and try again and maybe not...........I can do alot of good in the world as a doctor and training and instruction I will always do regardless of what else is happening.

[Toby]

Originally posted by blooming lotus
...I can do alot of good to world as a doctor ...I thought you had 3 PhD's? Once I asked you to post links or at least titles to papers you'd published since all PhD holders will have papers and theses publically available.

[blooming lotus]

no idea why you would assume that.what I said was that I am here in china to further studies for a phd in ch'an buddhism.I have a string of various diplomas and such, but only half way to 1st Phd.........thx for talking me up though :rolleyes:

[blooming lotus]

on the injury...............a friend of mine today bought me a gift ............ready medical geniuses???.................Arnica............from kong hong mixed with a little camphor and menthol....................just thought you'd like to hear that :rolleyes: :p :D

thx for the suggestions anyway, I'm sure it all contributed :cool: