Day 51: Sleeping Without Slings and Staples Removal

I woke up four times throughout the night which is more than I have in a few weeks. I think it was because there was a colder breeze coming through our sliding glass door.

It was also the first night that I tried sleeping without my slings. I figured it was only two more nights before losing them anyway. I do not roll in the middle of the night so I was confident that I would stay on my back (which I did).

Starting yesterday I got back to using my UP24 band full time instead of haphazardly using it like I was over the last couple of months while going through this.

Previously I only used my UP24 band to track sleep, steps and workouts but, at least for the next few months, I am using all of the features (namely adding tracking of weight and food) to help me track all data points as I recover.

This will help me keep the majority of the data contained within a single source.

I was able to take my body fat percentage this morning so now I have a baseline as I start to push my recovery harder.

It was difficult to get my arms up straight in front of me to take the readings but I was able to get three consistent readings. I use an Omron body fat loss monitor which is historically several percentage points higher than other options. At least it is consistently inaccurate.

I walked with Laura and Sasha, again choosing not to wear my slings. Before the injuries I would always take Sasha first thing in the morning before Laura would wake up. It has been really nice going for walks with Laura in the morning. 

I completed 3 sets of 15 reps on squats with my hands on the kitchen counter. The previous two days I have only achieved 2 sets x 15 reps per set. In between the first and second sets I also completed a set of pendulum swings. It only took eight minutes which was a funny activity to log in my UP24 but hey. 

After completing the squats I made my first protein shake since the injuries. Instead of just water and protein powder like I used to, I am using protein powder, 2% milk, natural peanut butter and a banana. I am doing this to incorporate more real food and to increase the nutritional stats across the board (calories, fats, protein, carbs, fiber).

This morning we had a follow up appointment with the neurosurgeon. The most exciting part was having the staples removed. 

I received approval to return to work part-time in two weeks on October 14th. After four weeks of part-time I will transition to full-time. This makes me really happy since I am quickly running out of things to do.

The neurosurgeon gave me approval to consume alcohol in moderation, which I do anyway. I enjoy having a glass of wine or two at night with dinner and a margarita or beer during a cheat meal. After seven weeks of not being able to have a drink, it is yet another example of normalcy returning to our lives.

I spent the afternoon continuing to read Spartan Up!. I am hoping to finish that book within the next few days before moving on to Becoming a Supple Leopard. I have another couple books that have piled up too that I would like to get to.

I fell asleep for about an hour just before two of my team members stopped by for a bit to visit. Tim Supples and Rhonda Hughes have been amazing at covering for me while I have been out. It was a good opportunity to catch up with them, get an update on what has been going on and start to prepare for coming back.

We were surprised by another food delivery being dropped off. That made dinner easy for us tonight which is great because Laura had some work to tackle.

As I sit here enjoying a glass of Pinot Noir I am watching the Patriots get destroyed during Monday Night Football.

I am looking forward to taking a shower soon since I get to use shampoo for the first time since the brain surgery. Again, it is the simple things.