Slow it down, Lisa

Got back on the bike today and took it really easy, and there was no bleeding and the pain only increased a little. I think I got used to being able to do more with the other leg and forgot how it was when I first had my surgery, and since it was going so swimmingly, I overdid it. So I'm going to take it slower. PT says I'm on the walker for at least for another week, and I agree, given the circumstances. I can do dishes and laundry. Getting up from sitting is a little hard right now, but not as bad as it was. Here's to going slower.

Slight setback

I went to get up last night and of all things pulled a muscle in my left (non-operant) thigh, which is fairly painful. It's making it more difficult to walk independently from the walker or cane. The pain on both sides has been about equal, a 4 at the most, and that's during certain stressful movements. I've only been taking one 8-hour Tylenol for pain for the  last 24 hours. I haven't taken any opioids all,l since I had the surgery. That Journavx did really help, but I haven't needed it, either, and it's meant for short-term use. So it's not super painful, but I'm resting the muscle so when I go out it'll be okay. I don't want to fall due to it being weak. Next appointment is Wednesday, so hopefully it will recover by then. 

Sigh

So apparently I overdid it yesterday, which I guess isn't surprising. I was bored, so I did all that housework, and that was a mistake. It's not my knee that is really hurting (although it is a bit), but rather my back. I am really tight above my knees, as if my quads are telling me, Really, again? Anyway, I'm going to try to take it easy today. I'm up taking my meds and drinking some fluids, but after that, I may lie back in bed. I got up and made coffee, and got my friend up (and he's moving slow). He's studying via Zoom with friends now and probably will for a couple of hours at least, so I'm just going to rest, and he agrees I should. Afterwards, when he can be attentive, I need to practice going up the step with the left leg. My right leg has been my 'good' leg since high school, and of course, you go up on the 'good' leg, down on the 'bad' one, but once the next surgery happens, the left will be the 'good'. The thing is, it just had surgery, so it needs strengthening, and the right still needs strengthening before surgery as well, so I have new exercises to do as well. But I think going up and down the stairs will help, though I found out in PT it's hard, especially at first.

I made it through most of a workday!

Well, I made it over 6 hours at work today, which isn't bad post-surgery. I got everything I absolutely needed to do finished, but I was getting pooped and sore and didn't want to overdo it, so I decided to come home and start fresh tomorrow for the full amount of time. Go, me! :) (I also discovered rolling chairs are not my friend; fortunately I didn't fall out of one. But it was close.)

I have now proven

that I can drive. I've been off the pain pills since early this morning, on just regular acetaminophen, so the narcotics should be out of my system by now. I woke up just a little while ago and it was actually sunny, so I decided to try to do a shower and change the bandages on my own, which I did, and then got into some comfy shorts and a shirt and checked to see if I could wear my sandals okay, and then went out to the car and tested that out. It's a little painful to get out of the car, not as bad getting in, actually, but I did okay. I went the shortest route up to the corner store, Circle K, meaning that I was going between a reservoir and a marsh, but hey, sometimes we must dare. I wouldn't have gotten into the car and put it in gear if I hadn't been feeling well and comfortable doing so.

I parked behind the store so I wouldn't have to do any tricky stuff with trying to get out of their busy lot, and I must say walking to the store, around it, and back was about enough for me. So even though technically I could drive to work in the morning, I'm not sure I can get from the car to my desk and back easily. If I wake up feeling bouncy and ready to go tomorrow, I'll go. If I feel like I still have some healing to do before trying to make it the full day, then I'll stay home, or perhaps come in for half a day. In fact, the half a day might be good in order to gauge how I'll do for a full day, rather than rushing in.

In the meantime, I now have some caffeine and paper towels, and a DVD to watch (Despicable Me 2), so I'm hoping I can sit up for awhile and do that.

That was the closest thing to a sleepover I've had in a long while, even if it wasn't for the most fun of reasons

My friend (read 'keeper') has gone home after making sure I did fine in the shower and helping me change my bandages. Despite the serpentine ACE bandage that's as long as my leg, there are actually only two small stapled incisions under all that gauze and cloth, which I kept dry with Harry Potter Band-Aids, plastic wrap and Kroger's bags. I did use the shower chair, too, and angled the shower head away from that leg, so that helped. I didn't even need to use a blow dryer before we put new gauze on it and the other bandages back on. He was very good about making sure I got rest and didn't overdo it, so much that I had to chuck the whole 'good hostess' thing and just get used to being waited on. Thank you, A! I will bring your ice cream over when I'm driving again!

I'm eating veggie burgers and some Doritos A had asked for, and I think I'm pretty much going to back to bed now. I'd taken a pain med right before he left, then slept for about two hours, but my stomach woke me up actually hungry, so I thought I should get up. The mail just ran, and I checked it, but there wasn't anything. I haven't really read or watched TV (except for about fifteen minutes with A at one point this morning while I ate breakfast). I did listen to a little music last night. But mostly I've rested, with my leg up. I'll see if I can start taking the pain meds down to half a pill tomorrow. I might be able to go back to work Monday, but I don't want to push it, and at this point, although yes, I can put weight on my leg, I'm not sure I'm up to driving. But by Monday or definitely Tuesday I should, barring anything like infection or the like. I go back to the surgeon on the 5th, I think, and then I'll have the staples out. I've never had staples before. These are pretty small, a little thicker than paper staples but about the same length. My mom, back in the 80s, had chest surgery and they had these huge staples under her rib; they looked like the ones on big cardboard boxes. I had never seen them before. I asked if they had a special tool to get them out or if they just had to pry them off with scissors (I was being a smart aleck), and she told me to stop cracking jokes because it hurt to laugh.

Okay, I really am getting terribly sleepy again. Time to go back to bed. I gave A the big fuzzy blanket last night, so now I get it back. The short, thin one was fine last night, but I was a little cool when I woke up a bit ago.

I've pretty much spent the day

elevating my leg and sleeping for about 2-3 hours at a time, and then getting up briefly for food and water. The notable exception was about 3:30 pm, when I had just spoken to YKWIA, who was checking up on me. I heard a knock on the door, and thought it was way too early for my friend A, who is spending the night, to be there, as he was coming from work on the bus. I went outside and heard a motor outside. Thinking it might have been the post, and knowing I had CPAP materials on the way, I went outside and was up the first step without even realising it. I stopped there and cried, 'Wait!' It was a UPS truck. I asked the driver if he was trying to deliver to my apartment, and told him I was sorry, I'd just had surgery today, and hadn't gotten to the door in time. He backed up and gave me my package and had me sign for it, then went on his merry way. It was only after the adrenaline started to fade I'd realised what I'd done, and that while I wasn't obviously bleeding or anything bad, I was hurting a bit and it was time to go back inside. I was out of breath, and called YKWIA, who was somewhat exasperated with me and told me to go to bed.

I slept for a little while and then got up again about dinnertime, when A came over. He took out my forgotten trash from this morning. I oriented him to things like the phone, the food, TV, etc., and then ate something myself. Then it was time to take a pain pill and I went back to bed. This time it was a three-hour sleep. I came out to take my Lantus and get a snack (I hadn't eaten much at dinner, because pain pills rob me of my appetite, and my Byetta limits it a bit, too). I took out a blanket and pillow. He was asleep on the loveseat with 'Law & Order' on, which is sort of his natural habitat. I did have the air mattress out if he wanted that, but I think despite being nearly six feet tall he'd rather sleep on the loveseat rather than blow it up. So at least he has a blanket and the pillow, plus all the pillows (mostly small cat-shaped ones) to get comfortable with.

I got some water and went back to bed, this time starting up the laptop and I've got myself propped up against one of those pillows with arms and a pillow under my leg. Of course, I need to elevate it above the heart, so when I'm sleeping, I have three pillows--one regular, one sham, and one fluffy Euro pillow--stacked up and my leg on that without actually being behind my knee, as per instructions. I'll go back to that when I go back to bed. I just wanted to wait up a bit when it's time to take my next tablet for the night, which should be in a few minutes. Then I'll go back to bed. I hope A is not too bored. I'm doing better than we expected and was up a bit when he came in, and when he called YKWIA he passed on in no uncertain terms that I was to take it easy, not wait on him, and get some rest. It's nice to be loved. :)

It makes me so angry that

anyone could treat another creature so cruelly. But it gives me hope that others stepped in to save such a fragile life. What an amazing spirit and will to live this dog has! The pictures in the story are heart-breaking at first (you have been warned), and then, with recovery, inspiring. Thanks to George Takei for sharing this on Facebook.

This Dog Was Tossed in a Trash Chute, Left to Die. Three Years Later, His Recovery is Amazing.

Patrick's owners had starved him for months before one day, three years ago, they did the unthinkable. Patrick was put into a trash bag, then dumped into a New Jersey apartment building's garbage chute that dropped him 19 stories down.

Luckily, just before the garbage was compacted, maintenance workers noticed the bag was moving very slightly. They soon discovered the emaciated, dying dog. Authorities were contacted, and Patrick was immediately taken to the Associated Humane Societies' Newark Animal Shelter. Things weren't looking good for the poor dog.

(Photo credit: Patrick the Miracle Dog Facebook Page)

Oh, thank goodness it was a short week

So I survived my first three days at work, albeit with some exhaustion and pain. This evening I got home about 8 pm and by nine was in bed, ostensibly just to elevate my leg for awhile rather than actually sleep. I'd set an alarm for an hour or so later just in case. I never heard it, even though it sounds like a rooster. What woke me up just now is pain in my knees. I've really tried not to overdo it, but I guess some pain is to be expected.

On Wednesday I did push too hard in that I didn't wear the boot at work but rather stayed in my shoe. My ankle was red and so swollen it didn't really resemble an ankle any more. So Thursday and Friday I used the boot at work, then changed back to a shoe for driving, and that went much better.

Work has been great. I've been busy (the first of the year is always especially busy; now it's even more so). I went through 2,200 e-mails on Wednesday and had to learn a new way of doing my data entry, did all my educational modules for 2012 on Thursday, and today really for the first time got into the swing of things. My wonderful co-workers have been really welcoming. A few never got the memo, apparently, and seeing me in the boot with the cane, asked and were shocked when I told them I got hit by a car. Everyone, including me, is particularly glad it wasn't worse. It certainly was bad enough.

Having the car has been a godsend but has added to the busy aspect. Yesterday I stopped by Rite Aid for some Claritin and a few other things, then went by the library and paid the fines that accrued while I was off. I had planned to get my hair cut, but I was just too tired. I went home, texted and talked with friends on the phone, and was in bed by 10-something. Tonight a friend called to check on me and it turned out we were getting off work very close to one another, so I went and picked him up, went to Staples for some sticky notes, and then we grabbed something to eat at McDonald's and brought something home for my other friend. I visited very briefly, as I petered out somewhere about 8 pm. I came home, texted a bit with Brandon about my day, and then by 9 pm was in bed with my feet up.

So it's been a busy few days. I have to admit, I feel a little overwhelmed by the sheer number of people I am encountering in a day compared to being homebound in my little apartment. That feeling should pass soon, I hope. And I think Brandon is missing being of such assistance in terms of doing my errands or taking me places.

Tomorrow I plan to get my hair cut first thing, then grab A to help me get my laundry into the car, take him to the grocery, do my laundry, and then help YKWIA with some tasks that should be very time consuming but at least fairly sedentary and I can do it while my laundry is going. Sunday is hopefully the game. I keep forgetting I already have the notes finished and on my tablet. :)

Things to do in the coming week or so:

• I need to call about getting into physical therapy and go to my first appointment
• I need to go to the doctor on Thursday
• I need to shop around for car insurance (got some good advice on where to go/levels to get today)
• I need to get with my mom and put the title of the car officially into my name
• I need to get a car charger for my tablet and determine if I can use it in the car (there are very few minor issues with the car; one is that the cigarette lighter doesn't work, but the receptacle itself is supposed to charge. That's no biggie for me if true, as I do not smoke, I just need to run the chargers. The car came with a tyre inflater that runs out of the lighter; I'll get that out and test with it before trying to get a charger. I'm thinking of upgrading my little low-end Android phone next month, so I'll wait on getting a charger for it.

Once the title's in my name, I need to get the oil changed (it's been six months and 1,000 miles ago) :) While I'm there I'll have them do a safety inspection on brakes, tyres, etc. to make sure nothing has to be replaced. The car has less than 35,000 miles on it, but is 11 years old, and so might need some tweaking. The tyres, for example, are original. I definitely need to replace the windshield wiper blades. I'll try to do that tomorrow.

Despite it's age it's in very good physical shape. There are a couple of small dings on the driver's side, and my mom has a kit that can take those out. So you can imagine my dismay this morning when I came out and the garbage truck that takes the recyclables was trying to turn our corner and was inches from my car easing around, trying not to hit it. I thought I was going to have to move the car, but they managed to get around. I wasn't badly parked or anything, I think they just did too wide of a turn when they swung around the corner. But all I could think of was oh, no, please don't crush the car on the first week. Because of the age, I didn't think I would put collision/comprehensive on the car despite its condition, but the advice was to do so, especially as it shouldn't cost that much. My goal is to be as well-insured as a little old lady.

It's amazing how things have progressed. I couldn't put any weight at all on my foot until mid-December. Even then I was still in a wheelchair until I returned it on the 27th. Up to last week I was still using the walker, which I returned this week. It's amazing. For so many weeks I was trying to be patient, but once I got up on my feet, things went pretty quickly. It is so good to be back to work and to be able to visit with my friends. And it's nice to be mobile in terms of the car as well. There is so much more freedom when you realise that you can go somewhere in the middle of the night if you want to, or change you mind about your itinerary without adding another hour to your trip. I love it.

Okay, I've taken some Tylenol for my knees and am considering returning to bed. Hope you had a great week and have an even better weekend.