Bloom Vox Box

 I received the BloomVoxBox earlier this week. These products are complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

 Not Your Mother's Plump For Joy: I have enjoyed other NYM's products. I like the packaging of this and other NYM's products. This is a great size to sample.

 Cutex nail polish remover pads: I have tried other brands that claim to remove polish from all 10 nails with one pad. This product actually lives up to that claim. I probably could have taken polish off 20 nails if needed. The pads were very saturated and easily removed all the polish from my toe nails within a couple of minutes. I will definitely be purchasing this in the future.

 Nuxe multi purpose oil: I have tried this product thanks to Birchbox in the past. This is a multi purpose oil that can be used on hair or body. It smells lovely. It added shine to my hair, however did not tame my frizz as I had hoped. It is hard to apply because it runs between my fingers once I pour it out of the bottle. If the packaging could be changed to make application easier and if this did more to tame my frizz, then I would be sold on this product.

 Sinful Shine nail polish: I just started seeing this product in stores (Target). The color is brighter than one I would have picked out on my own, but it works well on my toes for the summer. I needed two coats to get an even application. Now to wait and see how long it lasts.

 Secret Outlast Xtend Deodorant: I usually alternate between Secret deodorant and Dove, depending on whats on sale/available and my mood. I prefer solid deodorant, so this works well for me. It doesn't leave a white residue and is easy to apply.

 Sunbelt Bakery Fudge Dipped Chocolate Chip: This granola bar tasted fresh and delicious. I definitely want more! My only problem is that the chocolate had melted while sitting on my doorstep for a couple of hours before I brought the box inside.

Influenster Product reviews: #HairThatMoves

I recently received another complimentary box of products to test from Influenster: Nexxus Oil Infinite Shampoo, Conditioner, and Hair Oil. The products are full size and will last me a while since I don't shampoo my hair daily.

My hair felt clean, soft, and moisturized after one use. The shampoo and conditioner smell really luxurious. I found myself smelling my hair often while using these products. The oil did a nice job of smoothing out frizz. I would have liked to see a cream for curly hair that could be used to compliment these products. Overall, I liked testing these products and interested in trying more products from the Nexxus brand as a result of my experience. Another great VoxBox for me. 

XOVoxBox From Influenster

I have started to notice I have a bit of an online shopping problem. So it was a nice surprise today to receive a box of FREE stuff from Influenster.

Here's a picture of all the products I received and I will review them below.

Adore Me: I received a coupon code via e-mail to get a coupon code for a free lingire set when signing up for their VIP program. I opted for this comfy, pink robe which I love. It is very well made and is so comfy. I love that it has a hood!

Tide Febreeze Pods: I like the scent of these pods, however the old washers in my apartment building don't always dissolve these all the way. I'm sure I won't have trouble passing these along to someone else.

Colgate Optic White Toothbrush with built in Whitening Pen: I like the idea of this, but not the product itself. The bristles of the toothbrush are too hard for my liking and the toothbrush itself feels like it's made of cheap plastic. I felt that the combination of this and the toothpaste did whiten my teeth. I have a hard time figuring out when to use this product as I would normally use mouthwash after brushing my teeth. Not sure how to use this AND mouthwash.

Colgate Optic White Express White Toothpaste: I like the toothpaste and have used it in the past as well. It does slowly whiten my teeth which I like.

Skinfix Hand Repair Cream: This is a thick hand cream that soaks in well. This is a great fix for dry hands this time of year. There is no perfume to this cream for those of you who don't like scented lotions/creams.  Even after washing my hands several times, my hands still felt moisturized.

John Frieda Frizz Ease Frizz-Immunity Shampoo & Conditioner: My hair felt clean and soft after using these products, however my frizz remained.

John Frieda Frizz Ease Frizz-Immunity Primer: This product may have smoothed my frizz a little, but not enough for my liking.

Coupons: $3.00 off two John Frieda Frizz Ease Beyond Smooth Products. Lands End coupon to be e-mailed "in the coming weeks."

Overall, I thought this was a good variety of products and it's always fun to test new things for free. 

Bummer

I might have a torn labrum in my right hip. Major bummer. I am trying conservative treatment (PT, stretching, foam roller) and hoping for the best.  Starting dry needling later this week. That should be interesting.

Joined the Y this weekend and am going to start swimming. Most cardio, including walking and biking, bother my hip. I'm hoping swimming will be pain free.  Time to get back into shape by trying new things. 

Vitality Vox Box Review, including Flawless Future Powered by Ceramide Caplet Serum and more

This box arrived the same day I was notified it was on it's way. These products were complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster. This is my third Vox Box since becoming a member of the Influenster community. I was familiar with a few of the items in this box and had previously heard of most of the brands.

Pure Leaf. I discovered this brand over the summer during our road trip home. During the trip I decided not to drink soda and was looking for a non sugary drink. This hit the spot! This tea is very refreshing (especially when it is hot outside). My only problem is being able to find it unsweetened in stores where I live (Welcome to The South!). I like that this is a natural tea without preservatives or added colors. I would definitely recommend this tea to others. #loveofleaves

Softlips CUBE: I just started noticing this in stores this week and was curious about it. I was surprised and excited to see it in my Vox Box. I got the pomegranate blueberry flavor. It is very addictive as are all softlips products in my opinion. It goes on smoothly and feels great. I love the cube! What a cute way to package this product. #GetCubed

Elizabeth Arden Flawless Future Powered by Ceramide Caplet Serum: This product is slightly sticky initially after application. After it dries it makes my skin feel soft and silky. I do not plan on buying this due to the price ($60 for 1 oz!).  It has made my skin feel smoother over the course of using it and the sample was enough for me to use twice daily for several days.  http://www.elizabetharden.com/Flawless-Future-Powered-by-Ceramide-Caplet-Serum

Bikini Ready Energy Gummies: I hadn't heard of this product nor the brand prior to receiving this sample. I think the two gummies I had were grape flavored. They tasted good, but left a grapey after taste. I did not feel any extra energy after eating the gummies. #bikinireadylifestyle

First Degree Advanced Burn Cream: I didn't have a burn to test this on, so I tried it out on some mosquito bites. This cream goes on smoothly and is not oily. It has a very light smell. I would be interested to see how this feels and works on a burn. #burnshappen

Playtex Sport Fresh Balance: Have not used these yet, but am excited for a free box of tampons- they aren't the cheapest things, are they? #playon

Traveling

As I have mentioned, The Best Man and I did a "quick" 3 week trip to Europe. We went to London, Paris, Barcelona, Salzburg and Munich.

Many people have asked us to pick just one favorite city. I can't do it. I can narrow it down to 3, but that's cheating, isn't it? My top three would be Paris, Salzburg and Barcelona. I loved the art and pastries in Paris (and probably would have loved the wine had it been more reasonably priced for me to try the good stuff). I love, LOVE, L.O.V.E. The Sound of Music and thus loved our short stay in Salzburg. We did a bike tour and got to see over 20 of the sites from the movie. The food was also fabulous. And finally, Barcelona. Ah. The food, the culture, the architecture. I loved it all. While there we took a train down to Sitges, a beach city south of Barcelona. In the future, I would love to stay there and enjoy the beach and food.

We just started our "long drive back to Virginia" last week. We will be going to around a dozen national parks. So far, we have explored Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Park. We did a one night trip into the backcountry in Sequoia. The only time I have backpacked was our Grand Canyon REI trip with Tod and Tom in 2012. The logistics were crazy, especially, never having done it on our own before. The hike up to Twin Lakes took about 5 hours with about 3,000 ft of elevation gain. Part way up, we started seeing patches of snow.  Thankfully, we knew there would be some snow up and had packed several extra layers. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought I would camp in the snow. What an experience!

I will try to post more as we continue on this trip, however internet is hard to come by up here in the mountains.

We are currently staying at at KOA just south of Yosemite and will head into the park tomorrow.  Then its off to the San Francisco area (hello, wine country!) at the end of the week.

Have a happy and safe Memorial Day!

Edit: I will try to post pictures when I have a faster internet connection. 

Mary Kay VoxBox from Influenster Follow Up

Got home a week and a half ago from a whirlwind trip in Europe (5 countries in 3 weeks) and was finally able to finish trying all the complimentary Mary Kay products I received from Influenster the day I left for the trip.

The two products I took with me on the trip where the cream eye shadow in apricot twist and the lip gloss in mango tango. I wore the eyeshadow almost every day. The color is perfect for summer and can easily transition into fall.  The same goes for the lip color. 

I was hesitant about the gel eyeliner as I am not that great with applying regular eye liner. It was very easy to use with the applicator brush included. I normally do not go with black eyeliner (I use a gray or dark brown instead), so I was surprised to find I liked the jet black. The mascara looked great with only 1-2 coats, however took longer than any other mascara I have used to dry. This left my lids speckled with mascara after one blink.

The translucent powder would work well to set a foundation. Using it alone did not provide me with enough coverage.  The blush and bronzer completed the look and both are great to add a summer glow.

Overall, I really liked the products. The sizes of the samples were great and the products are of high quality. In the future, I would consider purchasing the cream eyeshadow and/or the lip gloss. I do think the prices are a bit high for what I would prefer to pay. 

Here is a picture of the finished look:

Influenster Mary Kay Vox Box

I received my first Vox Box from Influenster today. Perfect timing because we are getting ready to head to the airport. The box was full of Mary Kay products that are complimentary for testing purposes. I have already tried the lip gloss which I love. The color is lovely and it has a beautiful shine. I am bringing along the cream eye shadow on my trip and will try out the rest of the products when I return.

Now to fix my hair before I hop on that plane! Look out Europe, Here I come!

First post op follow up

I now have more empathy for my patients after my follow up yesterday with the surgeon. He deemed my leg "hypersensitive" after demonstrating how to perform a deep massage to the anterior compartment. I then cried like a baby in front of everyone. The good news? My incisions look awesome! Below are some pictures before and after they were cleaned up and the steri strips were changed.

 Distal incision before getting cleaned. 

Both incisions prior to getting cleaned; steri strips on. 

 Both incisions after getting cleaned up; new steri strips.

Smiling after getting cleaned up. This was after wiping away all the tears. 

My experience with chronic/exertional compartment syndrome and compartment release/fasciotomy

Disclaimer: Please do not use my experiences to diagnose yourself or someone else. If you think you have compartment syndrome please see your primary care provider or orthopedist.

I was starting to give up the idea of ever running again when I spoke with two of my former classmates whom suggested I may have compartment syndrome.  I immediately scheduled a follow up with my orthopedist to see if this was the case and what to do about it.

There are two forms of compartment syndrome: acute and chronic. Acute compartment syndrome normally occurs following a traumatic injury.  The injury causes swelling in the compartment.  The fascia around the compartment is not flexible and does not allow any relief of the pressure. This is a medical emergency and is treated with a fasciotomy.  This is an incision along the length of the skin and fascia to relieve the pressure. The second type of compartment syndrome is chronic or exertional compartment syndrome. This is often seen in athletes of repetitive sports (think running, cycling). There are multiple theories regarding what causes chronic or exertional compartment syndrome.  Some of these are biomechanics, tight or adhered fascia, or poor venous return. Most research shows that the best treatment for chronic exertional compartment syndrome is a fasciotomy.  However, it is recommended to try conservative treatment first (stretching, physical therapy). The fasciotomy or compartment release for chronic exertional compartment syndrome is not as invasive as that performed for acute compartment syndrome.

A diagnoses of chronic compartment syndrome is based based on history, symptoms and signs during a physical exam. My symptoms were pain in my lower leg and sometimes in my foot during the following activities: walking, running, stationary bike or cardio on the elliptical machine at the gym. If left untreated, the swelling in the compartment can cause compromise to nerves, muscles and arteries (ie.numbness, tingling, paralysis, tissue death).

A pressure compartment test is the "gold standard" for diagnosing compartment syndrome. For chronic compartment syndrome, the pressure in the compartment is taken pre and post exercise (1 minute after and then again 5 minutes after).  A large needle is stuck into the compartment and then a catheter is inserted to test the pressure.  My pressure was elevated at rest and then increased with exercise. This along with the clinical signs I exhibited confirmed my diagnosis of chronic compartment syndrome.

Since I had failed conservative treatment (physical therapy, stretching, taping, etc.), I decided to have the fasciotomy.

I am now one week post op.  The pain has been tolerable for the most part. I am now able to walk from one room to another in the apartment without crutches if my pain is managed. I am starting to wear the walking boot as that is what I will need to wear to return to work later this week.  The boot puts a lot of pressure on the incisions and I can not wear it for very long.  This is only the second day that I have tried wearing it. Initially after surgery I was put in a splint. However, I had that removed the day after surgery because it was putting too much pressure on my heel which caused pain and burning. The incisions look great (from what I can see; they are covered with steri strips) and I am just starting to have bruising throughout the front of my leg.

Below are some pictures of the incisions. If you are squeamish don't look. I don't think they are too graphic, but I work in health care and am somewhat desensitized to seeing clean, intact wounds. A word of warning: I wouldn't google image or video search "fasciotomy" unless you want to upset your stomach.  I have watched half a dozen surgeries and see post op incisions frequently at work, however some of the pictures and video that come up regarding faciotomies are quiet graphic (especially if you are thinking of having the surgery done!).  (Do keep in mind that most of them are for acute compartment syndrome and the surgery is much more invasive than that for chronic compartment syndrome.)

 Hanging out on the couch. Day of Surgery (DOS).

 Distal incision POD # 1. Taken just after getting the splint taken off.

Elevating my leg on the patio while enjoying the view.


As far as recovery goes, it will be a full 3 months until I am able to "return to sport," which for me is running. I will be able to bike and eventually do the elliptical prior to that 3 month mark. I will try to keep this updated throughout my recovery process.  Check the labels for "compartment syndrome" and "fasciotomy" and hopefully (this summer!) under "run"! 

Two!

Just finished my first two mile run since March! 

I changed my form a bit by leaning forward. It felt awkward, but I only had minimal back discomfort. 

I remembered my high school track coaches telling me I ran with my back arched- almost like I was leaning backwards. There are pictures floating around somewhere that prove my form was off.  

Making this little correction helped reach my seemingly illusive goal of running two miles without stopping.  

My next short term goals: run 3 times/week, run 3 2 mile runs without pain over the course of a week, run a 5k!!!  

Long term goals: run 6 miles, complete a 10k then a 1/2 marathon. 

I would love to complete the marathon I'm signed up to do in November, but it doesn't look like that is going to happen this year.  

For now, I will be happy with running two (very slow) miles. I am happy, but not content.  I must keep trying to do more. 

On another fitness note, The Best Man and I finally joined a gym.  We have been going at least 3x/week, doing a little cardio, a lot of weights and loads of stretching.  I'm hoping this will help with returning to run. I need to continue to strengthen my hip abductors and stretch my hip flexors and piriformi. 

Run happy! 

Back on track....

I'm on fire this week! I have run 1.5 miles. TWICE!

Okay. So this may sound wimpy, but its the farthest my body has let me run since the marathon in March.

Here's hoping I can run Richmond in the fall! 

(Okay, let's be honest. I will probably have to downgrade to the half. But hey. Its a start!)

The Best Man Turns 30!

We just got back from a fabulous (ly HOT) trip to Vegas!  I had several birthday surprises for The Best Man.

1) Helicopter Tour of The Las Vegas Strip

2) Penn & Teller

3) The Neon Museum Tour

It was pretty much the coolest trip (to Vegas) ever!