I've had a lot going on. As well as the manic work period that lasted from early February to mid April, I moved house at the same time as I had a badly sprained back and was barely able to walk without pain let alone pack or lift any boxes. Most of April was spent recovering from the back injury, trying to get the house straight (the plaster falling off the bedroom walls was a highlight) and preparing for my birthday/housewarming party in early May. I did manage to keep things relatively under control, and despite gaining a few pounds in March, by the end of April I was back at my lowest weight from February.
Having successfully treated my hip issue I needed to do some rehabilitation/strength training for my core muscles to support the newly aligned pelvis. Trouble was, every time I did any balancing exercises on my left ankle, it swelled up like a tennis ball from when I sprained it over two years ago. Frustratingly I had to stop the rehab programme, and in March I got yet another referral to an orthopaedic surgeon.
Due to all the things going on, I didn't manage to get booked in for the consultation until the start of May. Things moved very quickly after that, with a swift MRI showing flattened and torn tendons, a bunch of scar tissue and a bone cyst on the end of my fibula. Two weeks later I had surgery to correct all this and I'm writing this two weeks further on with my foot in a cast. I've been off work since the surgery and unable to put any weight on that side. The cast is being taken off tomorrow and I will start yet more physio, and hopefully will be able to work from home.
A side effect off all this was that the surgeon required me to stop smoking before the op, so I'm now 25 days smoke free. I used an e-cig for the first week or so but stopped that when I had the op and haven't really needed it. I will keep it handy for when I'm back out in the world.
The upshot of all this is that May was a write-off for fasting. With the giving up smoking I gained a whole load of weight back, and before the op weighed in at 101kg, a gain of nearly 12 pounds, which is really very depressing. I know there have been a lot of distractions and stresses, but part of why I felt that 5:2 was so right for me was that it could fit in around pretty much any activities and life changes. Apparently not - well not for me anyway.
Knowing I would be spending two weeks basically in bed, I've been trying to be very mindful about what I've been eating. The lovely people who got the short straws for looking after me had strict instructions to limit the availability of sugary snacks, so I've had to beg for cake when I wanted it! I also didn't drink any alcohol (well, 2 half glasses of wine over 2 weeks is hardly any!) mostly because getting up to pee is a complete pain!
When the cast is off tomorrow I'll be able to assess the damage and see what my current challenge is. I know that it's all part of the journey, and that getting my ankle fixed and giving up smoking will set me up for a much healthier future. But it's infuriating to have to repeat the hard work of losing what I already lost once before, and it's hard for me to imagine getting any further than I did before. However I will definitely get back on the fasting train, the question is really when will I be able to start to fit in around my ankle rehab. The sooner the better I guess!
