Sun is shining, the weather is sweet...

Oh, another crutchy day! I'm getting much better with them, of course, and can navigate most scenarios with relative ease. Nearly tipped myself down the stairs this morning, but only because I wasn't thinking - when I'm paying attention it's really not that bad and I feel superspeedy, though realistically I'm still moving at a snail's pace and attracting pitying looks wherever I go. I need to come up with a better story than the truth of why I'm on them, which is pretty boring - spelunking accident? unicycle crash? legerdemain mishap? Hm...

I can't say enough about the pool, the pool, the pool, and how crucial it is in making my life liveable right now. Yesterday in lieu of 15 minutes each jogging and skiing with floats in the deep end I opted for 10 minutes each with THE BOOTS.



I figured I could use some strength-building in my left leg, which I've found I can put more and more weight on in the past couple days. I'm sore today, for sure, but it doesn't hurt, a distinction that may not make a whole lot of sense to folks who haven't dealt with a bum limb. I hesitate to say it, but I think the snapping pang that put me on crutches to begin with may have panged away the pain I've been experiencing for over a year now. Mostly what I have now is actually knee pain, which Susan thinks is just transferring from my hip. And I'm tired. All. The. Time. Last week I averaged 2-3 napping hours every day after school without even intending to.

Otherwise I'm doing pretty well, though this 600mg ibuprofen 4x a day is insanely dehydrating. I mean, I drink a lot of water normally, but I just can't keep up, and it's only getting drier around here these days - I'm definitely not going to be able to keep taking as much through the winter or my lips will chap right off.

I have a physical on Friday, my annual exam next Wednesday, and get reevaluated by Susan next Thursday. Somewhere in the next two days I also have to make it to the hospital for a bunch of blood work - it's a good thing my job is so flexible! I suspect Susan will let me off the crutches entirely, as even now I can make it short distances (mostly bed to bathroom or kitchen) with nearly full weight-bearing. Frankly, I'm scared to go back to walking on two legs because it seems like the more I do it now the less I'm going to be able to do it in the future. My old friend Sisyphus yet again! I mean, I really don't want to truck my crutches down to DC with me if I don't have to, but what if I suddenly need them? Chris has kindly offered me the cane from his unfortunate skiing accident last year, so I'll at least have that going for me.

*sigh* And somehow, after dropping weight consistently over the past 6 months, I've gained 7 pounds since being on crutches. It's so infuriating! I mean, I know it's likely muscle replacing fat, since I've definitely been eating less and working my arms a lot more than usual, but it's still disheartening. As my dear friend Novel would say, BAH-HUMMUS!

Oh and I got my "Preparing for Periacetabular Osteotomy" book from Children's Hospital yesterday - so exicting! Slash terrifying! :) On first read there were no major surprises (except that I can't leave the hospital til I poop, which is a little intimidating!) and it always feels good for my habitual organizer's mind to get some more ducks in a row. I also heard back from Erin, Dr. Kim's PA, about pain management and it seems folks have had a lot of success with acupuncture, of all things. I'm definitely interested in pursuing it, though of course now yet another Great Insurance Finagle (GIF!) begins. They sure don't make it easy!