Well, it's a Wednesday, which means I'm X weeks post-LPAO, though at this point I've happily lost track. I'm also nearly 4 weeks post-crutches and am happy to say the ball of my right hand has finally healed to the point that you can barely tell it'd been beaten up for months by the otherwise-ergonomic grips of my Millennial Crutches - crutches that have been living in the back of my trusty Subaru since the day of Adam & Sue's wedding, such that I literally can see them in my rearview mirror. mwah ha ha ha ha!
I've been back at yoga regularly and taking Omega 3s, both of which seem to be increasing the sensation in my op leg daily. Also managed to pick up a $10 stationary bike at the fabulous annual Bethany Church sale (which a wonderful man carried to my house for me!), though I haven't done much with it after the initial foray that left me sore. Hopefully a mere seat adjustment will address that, but I want to talk to Susan, the PT I've been missing so dearly lo these many weeks, before getting back on again. And YES I see her tomorrow! No thanks to Boston Childrens, though, as it was Dr. Crose who ended up writing the scrip. Technically I'm still supposed to be on crutches, since the order for my follow-up x-rays never arrived. Great system they've got there.
But aside from still struggling a bit with going up stairs and putting on underwear (that pesky leg-lifty motion!), I'm feeling fairly fantastic. Except when I'm tired my limp is pretty much completely gone and it is with great self-satisfaction that I pass people on the sidewalk. I'm fast again!! There are so many moments when my brain anticipates pain and is pleasantly surprised when there's none - after 2 years of decreased mobility this should come as no shock, but I still get a lovely frisson every time it happens. And I can't tell you HOW many times a day I think "I am SO happy I'm not on crutches!" Last week I played my first post-op (half) round of disc golf, which really drove both points home. The last time I'd gone was a week or so before surgery and by the time we got to the first bench I was already struggling and couldn't wait to sit down. This time we got there and I was fine, just FINE thankyouverymuch! Granted I'm a little slow on the up-and-down hilly bits, but that's probably 85% paranoia and only 15% actual physical limitation. Overall I'm definitely not back to 100% (not that I even remember what 100% feels like, really) but I'm getting there, and actually excited to see what Susan has to say tomorrow (slash a microscopic bit concerned she's going to tell me I've effed something up in my enthusiastic rush towards bipedalism, but only a bit!). We shall soon see!
Showing posts with label getting around. Show all posts
Showing posts with label getting around. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
*twiddles thumbs*
Well, 12 weeks post-op and all progress made towards not biting my nails has gone out the window. I am STILL on crutches! After waiting 2 weeks for a response to my email to Erin about my second round of x-rays (which need to be done before they start "weaning" me off crutches), I waited another 2 weeks for the x-ray order to arrive in my mailbox and it never did. Thankfully trusty Shani in Dr. Kim's office tracked Erin down and (allegedly) put the order in the mail to me Monday. Which implies to me that the order was never sent in the first place, but who am I to speculate??
Meanwhile, I eye with growing envious rage the blogs of folks who were back on two feet at 10 weeks - how could I have gone from 48 hours ahead of schedule in the hospital to two weeks BEHIND once I left? After having been so prepared and informed going into my LPAO, I've felt completely forgotten as soon as I left Beth Israel. It's not a good feeling.
I saw Dr. Hoo last night for the first time in many weeks and realized how disconnected I've been from the recovery process (and the poor bedraggled Hipnotic!) lo these many weeks - in no small part, I think, because of how powerless I've felt just waiting and waiting and waiting. Thankfully I've been able to hit the therapy pool at least once a week since I left my folks' house, which has been just dandy. Otherwise I would be doing NO PT, since Dr. Kim doesn't prescribe it until after these accursed x-rays are done, which makes absolutely no sense to me.
Regardless, at 10 weeks I started walking short distances without my crutches, just around the house and the bookstore, in preparation for Adam & Sue's wedding this weekend. When they first booked it I jokingly said I might still be on crutches at that point and here I am, still in limbo and unsure of whether I'm really screwing myself up (no pun intended involving my new internal titanium accessories) attempting time on two legs. But my patience reserve was pretty low once I passed the 10-week mark, and at this point I'm running on fumes. Keeping fingers crossed that I'll magically come home today to an x-ray order in my mailbox (because really it doesn't take that long for things to get here from Boston!) and can get it over with tomorrow after getting my post-op bloodwork done with Dr. Crose. Oh, best laid plans!
Meanwhile, I eye with growing envious rage the blogs of folks who were back on two feet at 10 weeks - how could I have gone from 48 hours ahead of schedule in the hospital to two weeks BEHIND once I left? After having been so prepared and informed going into my LPAO, I've felt completely forgotten as soon as I left Beth Israel. It's not a good feeling.
I saw Dr. Hoo last night for the first time in many weeks and realized how disconnected I've been from the recovery process (and the poor bedraggled Hipnotic!) lo these many weeks - in no small part, I think, because of how powerless I've felt just waiting and waiting and waiting. Thankfully I've been able to hit the therapy pool at least once a week since I left my folks' house, which has been just dandy. Otherwise I would be doing NO PT, since Dr. Kim doesn't prescribe it until after these accursed x-rays are done, which makes absolutely no sense to me.
Regardless, at 10 weeks I started walking short distances without my crutches, just around the house and the bookstore, in preparation for Adam & Sue's wedding this weekend. When they first booked it I jokingly said I might still be on crutches at that point and here I am, still in limbo and unsure of whether I'm really screwing myself up (no pun intended involving my new internal titanium accessories) attempting time on two legs. But my patience reserve was pretty low once I passed the 10-week mark, and at this point I'm running on fumes. Keeping fingers crossed that I'll magically come home today to an x-ray order in my mailbox (because really it doesn't take that long for things to get here from Boston!) and can get it over with tomorrow after getting my post-op bloodwork done with Dr. Crose. Oh, best laid plans!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
3 weeks post-PAO
You'd think I'd forgotten about this place lately, but really I've just forgotten what day/week/month it is. Seriously, I have no sense of time. But even so I'm aware that 3 weeks ago this afternoon I was waking up in recovery, putting my tongue stud back in, and feeling comfortably numb (if a bit woozy). Hard to believe that the hospital stay that at first moved so slowly from my static position in bed actually lasted a mere 5 days before I was back in Vermont, eating maple creemees with my folks.
Hospital living was so outside my realm of experience that it's only in retrospect that I realize how completely strange it was. At most I had the same nurses for 2 shifts, so it was a revolving door of new faces endlessly taking my vitals, bringing me pills, refilling my water. The first two nights I was lucky enough to have Nadine, who not only appreciated my sense of humor (thankfully unmarred by surgery) but had one of her own, and called me "sweetpea", which is what I call Augustus when he's not chewing cords or running laps while I try to sleep. This is helpful when one's job is to wake up an exhausted person every 2 hours to lay a bag of ice at intervals down both sides of their body and make them say "cold", "cool", or "nothing" as appropriate.
I was also lucky enough to have a room of my own, and the window view to boot (most of what I could see being relatively parkish) and flowers from friends and a teddy bear (Cowbell, as in "I've got a fever [which I did] and the only cure is more") that I quickly became very attached to. I learned to account for lag time in asking for vital equipment like a trapeze or a walker early to allow for the inevitable half-day bureaucratic delay in delivery. This lesson was driven home waiting for the toilet riser to arrive once my catheter came out. I learned not to order the fish (kind of a "duh" moment, in hindsight) but that the veggie burgers were enormous and you won't get ketchup unless you ask for it. Life skills, I tell you what! :)
The epidural was perfect (kudos skilled anesthesiologist whose name I don't remember!) and kept me well insulted from pain for as long as it was supposed to. I hadn't taken into account how difficult sitting up would be with a numb midsection, most of the reason why I nearly pulled my epidural out in all my scootings and squirmings before the trapeze arrived. I learned the power of the boost, when a nurse takes either side of the pad you're laying on and slides you right up to the top of the bed - THAT was awesome. I learned that without it your feet end up resting on the metal bar across the end of the bed, and that that, coupled with the epidural's numbness, will lead to bedsores (which thankfully I was spared) if you're not careful. I learned that having a drain pulled out and having a catheter pulled out are equally bizarre sensations, but the drain actually hurts, whereas the catheter is only uncomfortable. And that you should ask for the commode chair well before committing to catheter removal. I may have mentioned this before - it's a lesson I've learned well! :)
Going to the bathroom (as in physically getting myself in there and sitting down) was by far the most painful aspect (aside from rolling over to change the sheets under me - NOT for the faint of heart!) and complicated by the fact that my equilibrium was totally screwy. I'm glad the bathroom door was about 6 inches from my knees so that when I stood up I just bounced my head off of it instead of toppling to the floor. I can't quite explain the joy of being able to go in there, shut the door and just be ALONE after feeling like I was living in a glorified hallway for days on end. Oh, the simple pleasures!
I can't say enough about the BI staff and the care I received there - I always felt well looked-after and everyone I encountered was very kind. I can't thank my mother enough for staying with me for the duration, even though she commented more than once that she might as well have stayed home for all I "needed" from her. Just having her sitting there reading a book was enough most days, though the burrito she brought me for dinner halfway through my stay made her presence invaluable.
Since I've been home (or at least in my former home), I've been doing dandily - my bandage and steristrips have all been off for about a week now and, though it's considerably more gruesome than I'd anticipated (not to mention long as hell), my incision seems to be healing nicely. The tenderness along it is subsiding, along with the numbness in my upper thigh and the side of my hip, though that's receding slower than I'd thought/hoped it would. Last Friday I was able to sleep on my (right) side for the first time and it was VERY strange - the whole balance of my midsection is completely different (don't make me waste one of my duh's, as Bev would say) but it's comfortable, though rolling back over onto my back is a little difficult. Oooh and last night for the first time I lifted my op leg onto the bed without using my hands! Woohoo! I did it without even thinking and then went "Hey! My leg's on the bed! Sweeeeet."
My parents leave for 2 weeks at our place on PEI tomorrow and in anticipation I've been cooking more and more for myself without too many problems, though I did drop a bucket of raspberry sorbet (sing it like Prince!) on the floor the other day and ended up laughing hysterically as I tried (and failed) to pick it back up again and again with my crutches. I've learned that having my grabber with me (and a chair in the room) is key for safe and effective meal preparation.
And, though my mom is insanely restrictive in her assessment(s) of what I can and cannot do, I've been out on the town three times in the last week (not counting last night's long-awaited trip to the pharmacy) and have fared very well. This weekend I hope to make my triumphant return to civil society with some parade-and-fireworks action at John & Ali's in Hinesburg - we'll see how long I last without having to take a nap. :)
All in all the experience has been FAR less horrendous, painful, and frustrating than I ever thought it would be. Good thing I was consumed with it for 9+ months, right?! In two weeks I return to Childrens in Waltham for my post-op and get to see if the ol' pelvis is healing according to plan. I'm no expert (on anything, really), but I do suspect the results will be favorable!
And now, back to my It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia marathon, already in progress. I'm gonna rise up, gonna kick a little ass, gonna kick some ass in the USA. Gonna climb a mountain, gonna sew a flag, gonna fly on an eagle. I'm gonna kick some butt, I'm gonna drive a big truck, I'm gonna rule this world, I'm gonna kick some ass, I'm gonna rise up, I'm gonna kick a little ass, ROCK, FLAG, AND EAGLE!!
Hospital living was so outside my realm of experience that it's only in retrospect that I realize how completely strange it was. At most I had the same nurses for 2 shifts, so it was a revolving door of new faces endlessly taking my vitals, bringing me pills, refilling my water. The first two nights I was lucky enough to have Nadine, who not only appreciated my sense of humor (thankfully unmarred by surgery) but had one of her own, and called me "sweetpea", which is what I call Augustus when he's not chewing cords or running laps while I try to sleep. This is helpful when one's job is to wake up an exhausted person every 2 hours to lay a bag of ice at intervals down both sides of their body and make them say "cold", "cool", or "nothing" as appropriate.
I was also lucky enough to have a room of my own, and the window view to boot (most of what I could see being relatively parkish) and flowers from friends and a teddy bear (Cowbell, as in "I've got a fever [which I did] and the only cure is more") that I quickly became very attached to. I learned to account for lag time in asking for vital equipment like a trapeze or a walker early to allow for the inevitable half-day bureaucratic delay in delivery. This lesson was driven home waiting for the toilet riser to arrive once my catheter came out. I learned not to order the fish (kind of a "duh" moment, in hindsight) but that the veggie burgers were enormous and you won't get ketchup unless you ask for it. Life skills, I tell you what! :)
The epidural was perfect (kudos skilled anesthesiologist whose name I don't remember!) and kept me well insulted from pain for as long as it was supposed to. I hadn't taken into account how difficult sitting up would be with a numb midsection, most of the reason why I nearly pulled my epidural out in all my scootings and squirmings before the trapeze arrived. I learned the power of the boost, when a nurse takes either side of the pad you're laying on and slides you right up to the top of the bed - THAT was awesome. I learned that without it your feet end up resting on the metal bar across the end of the bed, and that that, coupled with the epidural's numbness, will lead to bedsores (which thankfully I was spared) if you're not careful. I learned that having a drain pulled out and having a catheter pulled out are equally bizarre sensations, but the drain actually hurts, whereas the catheter is only uncomfortable. And that you should ask for the commode chair well before committing to catheter removal. I may have mentioned this before - it's a lesson I've learned well! :)
Going to the bathroom (as in physically getting myself in there and sitting down) was by far the most painful aspect (aside from rolling over to change the sheets under me - NOT for the faint of heart!) and complicated by the fact that my equilibrium was totally screwy. I'm glad the bathroom door was about 6 inches from my knees so that when I stood up I just bounced my head off of it instead of toppling to the floor. I can't quite explain the joy of being able to go in there, shut the door and just be ALONE after feeling like I was living in a glorified hallway for days on end. Oh, the simple pleasures!
I can't say enough about the BI staff and the care I received there - I always felt well looked-after and everyone I encountered was very kind. I can't thank my mother enough for staying with me for the duration, even though she commented more than once that she might as well have stayed home for all I "needed" from her. Just having her sitting there reading a book was enough most days, though the burrito she brought me for dinner halfway through my stay made her presence invaluable.
Since I've been home (or at least in my former home), I've been doing dandily - my bandage and steristrips have all been off for about a week now and, though it's considerably more gruesome than I'd anticipated (not to mention long as hell), my incision seems to be healing nicely. The tenderness along it is subsiding, along with the numbness in my upper thigh and the side of my hip, though that's receding slower than I'd thought/hoped it would. Last Friday I was able to sleep on my (right) side for the first time and it was VERY strange - the whole balance of my midsection is completely different (don't make me waste one of my duh's, as Bev would say) but it's comfortable, though rolling back over onto my back is a little difficult. Oooh and last night for the first time I lifted my op leg onto the bed without using my hands! Woohoo! I did it without even thinking and then went "Hey! My leg's on the bed! Sweeeeet."
My parents leave for 2 weeks at our place on PEI tomorrow and in anticipation I've been cooking more and more for myself without too many problems, though I did drop a bucket of raspberry sorbet (sing it like Prince!) on the floor the other day and ended up laughing hysterically as I tried (and failed) to pick it back up again and again with my crutches. I've learned that having my grabber with me (and a chair in the room) is key for safe and effective meal preparation.
And, though my mom is insanely restrictive in her assessment(s) of what I can and cannot do, I've been out on the town three times in the last week (not counting last night's long-awaited trip to the pharmacy) and have fared very well. This weekend I hope to make my triumphant return to civil society with some parade-and-fireworks action at John & Ali's in Hinesburg - we'll see how long I last without having to take a nap. :)
All in all the experience has been FAR less horrendous, painful, and frustrating than I ever thought it would be. Good thing I was consumed with it for 9+ months, right?! In two weeks I return to Childrens in Waltham for my post-op and get to see if the ol' pelvis is healing according to plan. I'm no expert (on anything, really), but I do suspect the results will be favorable!
And now, back to my It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia marathon, already in progress. I'm gonna rise up, gonna kick a little ass, gonna kick some ass in the USA. Gonna climb a mountain, gonna sew a flag, gonna fly on an eagle. I'm gonna kick some butt, I'm gonna drive a big truck, I'm gonna rule this world, I'm gonna kick some ass, I'm gonna rise up, I'm gonna kick a little ass, ROCK, FLAG, AND EAGLE!!
Thursday, June 18, 2009
1 week post-PAO
First off let me say that my sense of time is pretty much nonexistent at this point, so please forgive any continuity errors in my narrative. But I'm certain I've been out of the hospital since Monday afternoon, and sleeping pretty much nonstop (when not watching The Sopranos) since. Geez, where to begin?!
I guess Monday morning I saw another PT who made it her goal to get me away from my toe-scrunching method of moving my left foot while on crutches. To start, she had to physically pick up my left heel and advance the foot for me, but about halfway down the hall I started being able to do it on my own and by the time we were headed back to the room (2 chair breaks and 5 stairs later) I was picking the whole foot up in as close a semblance of a normal step as I was able to muster. It's really incredible what the body's able to do - muscle memory and whatnot. To clarify, in order to perform the PAO the surgeons had to sever all the muscles, nerves and tendons across the front of my thigh to get to the bone and reattach them - understandably there's a bit of a lag in them becoming fully (or even partially) functional again. The biggest hurdle is the tendon that runs along the back of your leg, and right across the biggest cut made in the pelvis - it's the one that allows you to lift your leg up (something I'm still doing manually, despite other improvements) and because of the new bone ledge created by moving the piece of my pelvis that was removed, the thing that pops over and over again deep inside the joint (I'm reassured that's normal body mechanics!).
The time when the non-functionality of said tendon is most evident is getting back into bed. I pretty quickly mastered the art of using my good leg to move my bad, but getting the full weight of that left thigh up onto the mattress, even using both hands and extra support, was by far the most painful movement post-op. Ehm... along with, you know, sitting up, moving, etc. :) Days later, it still hurts, for sure, but nowhere near as badly and I don't need 5 minutes rest to recover once I've successfully repositioned myself. Thankfully, after several nights of mind-blowingly confusing and detailed dreams, followed by soaking sweat and pounding headache, I've figured my pain meds regimen out to where things are a bit more normal, though I still have by far the strangest dreams of my life - the other night actually involving pink elephants. hahaha I told my mom about it and she again warned about abusing my meds lest they have to deal with a "hop-head" on their hands. :)
That said, my ease of mobility, though still very limited and tiring, is worlds away from just a couple of days ago and my folks are duly impressed, though my mom is daily telling me that I'm "doing too much" - yesterday she said this to me when I'd literally been awake for a sum total of 3 hours (or, as I like to count them, episodes of Sopranos) and moved from bed only to go to the bathroom... TWICE! The setup here at my folks (in addition to the marvel of having them here to make me food) is pretty much perfect - they've got a hospital bed set up for me in the old living room with a view out the atrium door looking right at the ever-busy hummingbird feeder, I've got wireless (which thankfully just started working again!) and a bathroom just far enough away to make it a good leg-stretching distance but with a toilet high enough that I haven't needed the extender seat thing on it conveniently located in an alcove for easy leveraging into and out of. Plus Augustus has access to perpetually-full water and dry food, so he's certainly not complaining!
Yesterday the dressing on my wound came off and nobody wants to see it! I think it's pretty badass (slash cringe-inducing) but both my parents have taken a pass on a peek. The incision itself is still covered in steristrips but fairly gruesome nonetheless at this stage of the game. Alas the amazing tape stuff they use basically pulled up my skin along one side, so I've got a couple actual bleedy spots in addition to the general itchiness of the exposed skin, but it's good to have it all open to the air finally. I gather the steristrips will come off over time, and then the real long-term cosmetic effects can be assessed. Not that I really give a hoot about the cosmetic effects on a part of my body that's almost never seen by anyone but me - the locomotive effects will be readily apparent to all and sundry!
Oooh, and let me tell you the coolest thing! Back when I started on this business several medical folks commented on how my left foot had a noticeable external rotation, most evident when I was lying down. When my first PT in the hospital met with me she pointed out how important it was to avoid that rotation (and any internal rotation) while healing, not least of all because it hurt like hell - she said I'd just need to put a towel or something along the outside of my leg to keep it straight on. Well, I did that for maybe three days and now my foot's straight as an arrow! Oh it's quite magical!
Hm... I'm sure I've missed something, but now that the internets are back to being my full-time friend, I'm sure I'll be back sooner rather than later. It's funny - I've been outside for a sum total of about 10 minutes in 2 weeks and it's not really bothering me yet - helps that it's raining today and my folks' house is pretty open. Just weird to not care AT ALL about the weather forecast for once. No offense Eye in the Sky Guys. :)
I guess Monday morning I saw another PT who made it her goal to get me away from my toe-scrunching method of moving my left foot while on crutches. To start, she had to physically pick up my left heel and advance the foot for me, but about halfway down the hall I started being able to do it on my own and by the time we were headed back to the room (2 chair breaks and 5 stairs later) I was picking the whole foot up in as close a semblance of a normal step as I was able to muster. It's really incredible what the body's able to do - muscle memory and whatnot. To clarify, in order to perform the PAO the surgeons had to sever all the muscles, nerves and tendons across the front of my thigh to get to the bone and reattach them - understandably there's a bit of a lag in them becoming fully (or even partially) functional again. The biggest hurdle is the tendon that runs along the back of your leg, and right across the biggest cut made in the pelvis - it's the one that allows you to lift your leg up (something I'm still doing manually, despite other improvements) and because of the new bone ledge created by moving the piece of my pelvis that was removed, the thing that pops over and over again deep inside the joint (I'm reassured that's normal body mechanics!).
The time when the non-functionality of said tendon is most evident is getting back into bed. I pretty quickly mastered the art of using my good leg to move my bad, but getting the full weight of that left thigh up onto the mattress, even using both hands and extra support, was by far the most painful movement post-op. Ehm... along with, you know, sitting up, moving, etc. :) Days later, it still hurts, for sure, but nowhere near as badly and I don't need 5 minutes rest to recover once I've successfully repositioned myself. Thankfully, after several nights of mind-blowingly confusing and detailed dreams, followed by soaking sweat and pounding headache, I've figured my pain meds regimen out to where things are a bit more normal, though I still have by far the strangest dreams of my life - the other night actually involving pink elephants. hahaha I told my mom about it and she again warned about abusing my meds lest they have to deal with a "hop-head" on their hands. :)
That said, my ease of mobility, though still very limited and tiring, is worlds away from just a couple of days ago and my folks are duly impressed, though my mom is daily telling me that I'm "doing too much" - yesterday she said this to me when I'd literally been awake for a sum total of 3 hours (or, as I like to count them, episodes of Sopranos) and moved from bed only to go to the bathroom... TWICE! The setup here at my folks (in addition to the marvel of having them here to make me food) is pretty much perfect - they've got a hospital bed set up for me in the old living room with a view out the atrium door looking right at the ever-busy hummingbird feeder, I've got wireless (which thankfully just started working again!) and a bathroom just far enough away to make it a good leg-stretching distance but with a toilet high enough that I haven't needed the extender seat thing on it conveniently located in an alcove for easy leveraging into and out of. Plus Augustus has access to perpetually-full water and dry food, so he's certainly not complaining!
Yesterday the dressing on my wound came off and nobody wants to see it! I think it's pretty badass (slash cringe-inducing) but both my parents have taken a pass on a peek. The incision itself is still covered in steristrips but fairly gruesome nonetheless at this stage of the game. Alas the amazing tape stuff they use basically pulled up my skin along one side, so I've got a couple actual bleedy spots in addition to the general itchiness of the exposed skin, but it's good to have it all open to the air finally. I gather the steristrips will come off over time, and then the real long-term cosmetic effects can be assessed. Not that I really give a hoot about the cosmetic effects on a part of my body that's almost never seen by anyone but me - the locomotive effects will be readily apparent to all and sundry!
Oooh, and let me tell you the coolest thing! Back when I started on this business several medical folks commented on how my left foot had a noticeable external rotation, most evident when I was lying down. When my first PT in the hospital met with me she pointed out how important it was to avoid that rotation (and any internal rotation) while healing, not least of all because it hurt like hell - she said I'd just need to put a towel or something along the outside of my leg to keep it straight on. Well, I did that for maybe three days and now my foot's straight as an arrow! Oh it's quite magical!
Hm... I'm sure I've missed something, but now that the internets are back to being my full-time friend, I'm sure I'll be back sooner rather than later. It's funny - I've been outside for a sum total of about 10 minutes in 2 weeks and it's not really bothering me yet - helps that it's raining today and my folks' house is pretty open. Just weird to not care AT ALL about the weather forecast for once. No offense Eye in the Sky Guys. :)
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
My crutches came!
And they are PRETTY badass - just look at that ergonomic grip, that spring-loaded tip! They weigh a good bit less than my crappy old wooden ones, and are about a zillion times more comfortable, on first go-round. My master plan was to get some crutching practice in in the next couple months, but I don't know how realistic that is, at least in the confines of my apartment (perhaps on the porch?!). I will, though, be able to bring them down this weekend when I see my folks (and Chris and Liz!!!) and give them a spin around the house. Harley, their dog, hasn't seen me on crutches, and I'm really hoping he doesn't have the same reaction (growling, barking, spinning excitedly) that Farrah Dog had to them.
I had a delightful massage with the lovely Jennifer last night and when I told her about my first experience "flointing" she said "That's funny, I've never heard of flointing! I say 'plex'!" hahaha She tried a new, less invasive approach towards my psoas, such that I'm not nearly as bruisey today as I was the last time. Definitely still got in there, though! Man, she hit one spot on the inside rim of my hip socket that was like turning on a flashlight beam of numb relief across my uppermost thigh - it was pretty crazy! She also really got into the back of my psoas on the lefthand side, asking about lower back pain (so regular I've come to take it for granted) and commenting that I must have a very high tolerance for pain, which I suspect will come in handy in the near future!
Despite the alternate approach, the psoas work still definitely did the trick, and without the nausea I'd previously experienced after a massage. My stride feels more loose and fluid, something I've been increasingly able to achieve through the more "holistic approach" I've been taking towards healing of late. I actually used that term last night talking about the past few months with Jennifer, and rather surprised myself. If I start talking about chaneling my spirit animal, somebody please tell me it's time to get off the bus! :)
On those days (like yesterday, like today) when I find myself entertaining the notion that I might avoid the scalpel altogether, I take a step or I get up out of a chair and ZING! the invisible dysplasia demons drive an awl right into my hip socket. Dang demons!!! Some nerve they've got, reminding my I'm all fallible and shit!
I had a delightful massage with the lovely Jennifer last night and when I told her about my first experience "flointing" she said "That's funny, I've never heard of flointing! I say 'plex'!" hahaha She tried a new, less invasive approach towards my psoas, such that I'm not nearly as bruisey today as I was the last time. Definitely still got in there, though! Man, she hit one spot on the inside rim of my hip socket that was like turning on a flashlight beam of numb relief across my uppermost thigh - it was pretty crazy! She also really got into the back of my psoas on the lefthand side, asking about lower back pain (so regular I've come to take it for granted) and commenting that I must have a very high tolerance for pain, which I suspect will come in handy in the near future!
Despite the alternate approach, the psoas work still definitely did the trick, and without the nausea I'd previously experienced after a massage. My stride feels more loose and fluid, something I've been increasingly able to achieve through the more "holistic approach" I've been taking towards healing of late. I actually used that term last night talking about the past few months with Jennifer, and rather surprised myself. If I start talking about chaneling my spirit animal, somebody please tell me it's time to get off the bus! :)
On those days (like yesterday, like today) when I find myself entertaining the notion that I might avoid the scalpel altogether, I take a step or I get up out of a chair and ZING! the invisible dysplasia demons drive an awl right into my hip socket. Dang demons!!! Some nerve they've got, reminding my I'm all fallible and shit!
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Referred Relief
Oooh who wants to learn more hip vocab?! It scares me a little how much of this stuff I've picked up over the last few months, but, you know, the more you know! (dum dum dum DAAAH!) My work with Susan, the Wonder PT, got me familiar with the tensor fasciae and illiotibial tract (aka IT Band, which I believe I've bitched about here before!) because that's where we focused a lot of my ultrasound massage and Kinesio taping. Sorting that got me to strengthening my gluteous minimus, which was in pretty rough shape, having been banged around for months in my wonky joint. Still definitely not as strong as I'd like, but I'm getting there, and have now moved on to the illiopsoas - woohoo!
Dr. Hoo started paying attention to my psoas last week when she asked me to tilt my forehead down a bit while I was laying on my stomach and I immediately had searing lower back pain. She had me lie on my back and pressed the heel of her hand against my hip bone while having me lift the opposite leg and try to hold it up against pressure from her other hand. "Your left side is much weaker," she declared (stop the presses, William Randolph Hearst!) and told me she'd need to "take a contact" (NSA terminology for poking me in some manner) halfway between my belly button and hip bone. Thankfully I've become fairly unconcerned about medical professionals fiddling in my pelvic region, so it wasn't too uncomfortable, though it was certainly a bizarre sensation.
As you can see from this nifty cross-section diagram, the psoas essentially connect the base of your spine to your legs, wrapping around and running down the inside of the thigh. And they hurt me all the time! THIS is the answer to my question to Dr. Kim ("What exactly is hurting?") that he didn't know how to answer. After my first psoas adjustment last week, I had a lot of soreness on the outside of my leg and in my left bum, which is unusual for me. It did seem to work out some of the pain of the inside of the joint, though, and I felt a bit more stable, though I had a few choice moments of losing joint function altogether, which is NOT unusual, lucky me! After yesterday's adjustment I definitely had weird pangs and stretching, but not the soreness of the last time, and am feeling like my leg is twisting (or UNtwisting, I suppose) from top to bottom. Which is a weird sensation. :) Good, though, and I think getting better today. And instead of referred pain in my knee (always a strange concept, because medically my knee isn't hurting me, but actually it is) I now have referred relief!
In other news, I have a limp. This may not be a surprise to you, but it is to me more often than you might think. A few weeks back I was having a bad (hip) day and felt like I was just taking it a bit slow and measured when I walked into Royal Orchid and the matriarch immediately asked "What happened to your leg?!" I was crestfallen - here I thought I'd been keeping it such a good secret! haha I had a moment yesterday walking (pretty normally, I thought) down the hall at school when I caught my reflection ahead of me and saw what any Joe on the street would - someone obviously favoring their left side. Curses! It's funny how something like this affects your self-consiousness, though - for a long time I've been of the opinion that people think of you whatever they want, regardless, so you might as well be true to yourself and see who can really hang with that, but this whole hip business catapults that theory into the stratosphere. Yes, I have to turn my body fully perpendicular to the car like an old woman in order to get out; yes, I'm 29 and take the elevator up 1 floor to the chiropractor; YES I LIMP HOW DARE YOU JUDGE ME?! hahaha Also very helpful in checking my own assumptions about other people, I tell you what!
It's a beautiful snowy day in Vermont and I'm sad not to be able to run around in it frolicking like in years past, but I've been pretty crafty around the house in my infirmity and haven't gone stir-crazy at all yet, which is nice. We'll see how I'm doing come March. :)
Monday, November 10, 2008
T-minus 7 months (and counting)
Yes indeedy, 7 months from this moment I will likely still be unconcious on an operating table at Beth Israel. Oh, how time flies when one is anxiously counting down to highly-invasive surgery! haha That said, I am feeling (to quote Larry David) prettttty... prettttttty... pretty good! I've been off the cane for over a week now, have reduced my ibuprofen intake by half (to a paltry 1200mg/day!) and worked my Saturday shift at the store like a normal employee. My legs were definitely tired by the end of the day, but I didn't have the shooting hip pain I've grown accustomed to - it really just was muscle fatigue, which is actually quite pleasant when you've been mostly unable to use your muscles for some time.
I feel so good I keep having to remind myself to slow down, but thankfully my body reminds me pretty quickly regardless. But I don't stop and hesitate at stairs or curbs like I've been doing for months now - I just focus on the muscles I know DO work to get me up (down's not really a problem). The proof is really in the pudding in the pool (nice image there), where I keep having moments of "Whoa! That doesn't hurt!", mostly about my lower back while I'm doing balance and midsection-strengthening things. Getting my lower back sorted has been an incredible boost in my endurance doing those exercises, such that I've increased reps steadily over the past couple weeks. Being strong is pretty cool! And I finally understand the phenomenon of exercise junkies... not that I suspect I'll be turning into one of them for real anytime soon.
Sadly for me (and much of Vermont), I'm more of a cheese junkie, something I need to work on in my new low-cholesterol lifestyle. Can I get a sarcastic WOOHOO?! :) Janice, my trusty nutritionist, and I had a nice long visit last week where she outlined my best plan of attack for diminishing my nasty LDL levels and praised my progress thus far. It was nice to get that unabashed reinforcement (unlike the reinforcement I give myself, which has all sorts of caveats - why do we do that to ourselves?!) and I don't feel like lowering my cholesterol will have too negative an impact on my diet. Aside from my beloved cheese. :(
I also sent in my form today for Dr. Crose to recommend me for a temporary handicapped parking permit. With snow (and Montpelier's absurd automatic winter night parking ban) fast approaching, I need all the parking help I can get. Otherwise, though, I'm chugging right along, drizzle and drear aside. This afternoon, to the pool!
I feel so good I keep having to remind myself to slow down, but thankfully my body reminds me pretty quickly regardless. But I don't stop and hesitate at stairs or curbs like I've been doing for months now - I just focus on the muscles I know DO work to get me up (down's not really a problem). The proof is really in the pudding in the pool (nice image there), where I keep having moments of "Whoa! That doesn't hurt!", mostly about my lower back while I'm doing balance and midsection-strengthening things. Getting my lower back sorted has been an incredible boost in my endurance doing those exercises, such that I've increased reps steadily over the past couple weeks. Being strong is pretty cool! And I finally understand the phenomenon of exercise junkies... not that I suspect I'll be turning into one of them for real anytime soon.
Sadly for me (and much of Vermont), I'm more of a cheese junkie, something I need to work on in my new low-cholesterol lifestyle. Can I get a sarcastic WOOHOO?! :) Janice, my trusty nutritionist, and I had a nice long visit last week where she outlined my best plan of attack for diminishing my nasty LDL levels and praised my progress thus far. It was nice to get that unabashed reinforcement (unlike the reinforcement I give myself, which has all sorts of caveats - why do we do that to ourselves?!) and I don't feel like lowering my cholesterol will have too negative an impact on my diet. Aside from my beloved cheese. :(
I also sent in my form today for Dr. Crose to recommend me for a temporary handicapped parking permit. With snow (and Montpelier's absurd automatic winter night parking ban) fast approaching, I need all the parking help I can get. Otherwise, though, I'm chugging right along, drizzle and drear aside. This afternoon, to the pool!
Saturday, November 8, 2008
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Barry Franklin: "I feel like I've died and gone to America."
That about sums it up, yes? :D
In light of the New Day Dawning in America (And Whatnot) I'll keep this brief, though I felt an update was in order after I saw Tucker last night and he said "I'm glad you're okay - you hadn't blogged in a few days and I was worried." hahaha I am, in fact, quite a bit better than okay, following an excellent visit with Dr. Julietta (pronounced not with a J but with a "hoo") Rushford on Tuesday. I gave her the quick-and-dirty on my condition (it's always odd to explain it to someone who actually knows what I'm talking about!) and she said "But Marissa, the last time you were here you were wearing a cane, were you not?" :) Saturday was the last day I used my cane, nearly 5 weeks after I started on crutches - that's just about right in the 4-6 week range they'd given me when I started, but I can't discount the role NSA has played in my dramatically improved comfort level.
When I told Dr. Hoo about my surgery, she made the same face everybody makes when I tell them about it and said "Well. I want you to open yourself up to new possibilities. The body has an amazing capacity to heal itself - that's your mantra from now on!" To be honest I'm not quite to the mantra level of relaxation at ol' Rushford - more on the "Whoa! Who's touching my butt?!" level, with periods of patchy meditative focus. But there was a moment when she touched my lower back and I suddenly BREATHED in this huge deep breath, and felt like my whole face opened up. She said "Did you feel that breath, Marissa?! Breath is what the body uses to heal itself - it's something else for you to keep in mind." And I DID feel that breath! It was pretty crazy.
Yesterday I spent a goodly amount of time stretching and exploring my shockingly expanded range of motion - and this after only 3 adjustments! Tucker is convinced it's hypnosis, but if you consider that muscle tension is a matter of your brain being stuck sending the same signal over and over again, it really is a matter of redirecting the brain, or refocusing it long enough for the signal to reset, a form of hypnosis, I guess. Uhm... this is my entirely lay interpretation of what happens to me at the Voodoo Doctor. :) But it works, and that's good enough for me!
I'm walkin', yes indeed!
Monday, November 3, 2008
Leaving Caney City
Maybe I'll head on up ta Gun Barrel City! Man, you really don't want to mess with Texas! :)
Friday I decided to forego the cane for my Halloween extravaganza - it was a last-minute decision, but one I don't regret much a'tall. I wandered downtown Rutland for some time, and even DANCED (which was heavenly) and didn't really feel too horrible at all. Until the next morning! Saturday I spent mostly leaning heavily on the cane and lying on my parents' bed with a cat and an ice pack. Yesterday, though, I fore...went? the cane again and cleaned my disastrous apartment for several hours without any real trouble. HUZZAH!
A big part of the Rushfords' clinical... model, I guess, is that improved spinal function improves the body's ability to heal itself. A couple weeks ago if I overdid it on my hip it'd take DAYS (or weeks on crutches) for me to restabilize, but after resting up for most of the day Saturday I was pretty much good! It feels AWESOME to be on 2 legs again - I can't even tell you. And being in the pool Thursday just reinforced the wondrous benefits of my NSA experience - I keep having moments where I'm like "WHOA! I didn't know I could do that!" Like... putting my right hand completely over my head, for instance. Mmmmm life is good!
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Didja miss me?! DIDJA?!
Augustus sure did. :)
Well, DC was a phenomenal success - I walked at least 2 miles on Friday and didn't have much pain at all (until Saturday!) aside from cane hand pain. Riding the Metro back I sat there watching my right hand vibrating - I surely did some nerve damage, as my pinky still isn't working quite right. Small sacrifice, I suppose, for not having to wield crutches all day. I'm pretty sure that would have been impossible. As it was the biggest challenge was the Metro, more because of the crowds than anything - escalators a-plenty and elevators to boot! But people were by and large very kind to me, and helpful to no end, though perhaps to a fault when trying to get me through the revolving door at the Hirschorn. :D
I definitely felt for Christopher, who even at my normal pace habitually walks 5-7 paces ahead of me - I kept saying "I can't hear you, you're too far away!" Which, at his normal volume, is saying something! ;) He did point out, however, the one saving grace - that with my cane I'm at PERFECT museum strolling pace, so for the bulk of the day Friday I didn't even feel like too much of a pariah. I hit the National Museum of Natural History (walk-through butterfly room and 3D Imax Deep Sea experience!), the American Art Museum (ANSEL EFFING ADAMS! including a new favorite), and the National Portrait Gallery (AMAZING Women in Photographs exhibit and Recognize!, which put a huge smile on my face!).
The day before I left I randomly discovered a Shepard Fairey (my future husband) exhibit at a little gallery, which we hit on Saturday and was pretty much the greatest thing I've seen this year. I LOVE him! We also hit the FDR memorial (at Susan's recommendation) before the torrential rains came down - it was incredibly moving and oddly timely. Funny how history so faithfully repeats itself. We ate a lot of good food, drank a lot of good beer, and generally had an awesome time. Oh and I had Krispy Kremes!!! Can't get THEM around here! And miraculously won 4 pool games in a row, which I would have thought impossible. Sunday we went to Dulles Air and Space, not the most handicap-friendly place I've ever been, but insanely cool. I saw the ship model from Close Encounters of the Third Kind!
By far the best/worst cane-related incident occurred at brunch Sunday, when a small child in line ahead of us exclaimed not once, not twice, but THRICE "Look! That girl's an old man!"
I'll just let you sit with that one for awhile, because it pretty much blew my mind. :) In the moment I decided to opt for laughing and saying "That's by far the funniest thing anyone's said to me since I got this thing!" though of course after a time I got to stewing about it. "Look! That little boy's an asshole!" Harrumph. Funny, though! I guess?
It was really the first time I've felt incredibly self-conscious about my condition, which is actually kind of surprising for how paranoid I am. Honestly 99.9% of the time I'm just so focused on getting from one place to another that I don't even think of it, but his comment was pretty stunning. From the mouths of babes!
This afternoon I'm seeing Ali and John's "Voodoo Doctor", a chiropractic practice that specializes in Network Spinal Analysis - I can't wait to see what my spine has to tell them! Tomorrow back to the pool for the first time in a week and a half - I am DEFINITELY missing it something fierce. And Friday we see if I can still dance with a cane! :)
Well, DC was a phenomenal success - I walked at least 2 miles on Friday and didn't have much pain at all (until Saturday!) aside from cane hand pain. Riding the Metro back I sat there watching my right hand vibrating - I surely did some nerve damage, as my pinky still isn't working quite right. Small sacrifice, I suppose, for not having to wield crutches all day. I'm pretty sure that would have been impossible. As it was the biggest challenge was the Metro, more because of the crowds than anything - escalators a-plenty and elevators to boot! But people were by and large very kind to me, and helpful to no end, though perhaps to a fault when trying to get me through the revolving door at the Hirschorn. :D
I definitely felt for Christopher, who even at my normal pace habitually walks 5-7 paces ahead of me - I kept saying "I can't hear you, you're too far away!" Which, at his normal volume, is saying something! ;) He did point out, however, the one saving grace - that with my cane I'm at PERFECT museum strolling pace, so for the bulk of the day Friday I didn't even feel like too much of a pariah. I hit the National Museum of Natural History (walk-through butterfly room and 3D Imax Deep Sea experience!), the American Art Museum (ANSEL EFFING ADAMS! including a new favorite), and the National Portrait Gallery (AMAZING Women in Photographs exhibit and Recognize!, which put a huge smile on my face!).
The day before I left I randomly discovered a Shepard Fairey (my future husband) exhibit at a little gallery, which we hit on Saturday and was pretty much the greatest thing I've seen this year. I LOVE him! We also hit the FDR memorial (at Susan's recommendation) before the torrential rains came down - it was incredibly moving and oddly timely. Funny how history so faithfully repeats itself. We ate a lot of good food, drank a lot of good beer, and generally had an awesome time. Oh and I had Krispy Kremes!!! Can't get THEM around here! And miraculously won 4 pool games in a row, which I would have thought impossible. Sunday we went to Dulles Air and Space, not the most handicap-friendly place I've ever been, but insanely cool. I saw the ship model from Close Encounters of the Third Kind!
By far the best/worst cane-related incident occurred at brunch Sunday, when a small child in line ahead of us exclaimed not once, not twice, but THRICE "Look! That girl's an old man!"
I'll just let you sit with that one for awhile, because it pretty much blew my mind. :) In the moment I decided to opt for laughing and saying "That's by far the funniest thing anyone's said to me since I got this thing!" though of course after a time I got to stewing about it. "Look! That little boy's an asshole!" Harrumph. Funny, though! I guess?
It was really the first time I've felt incredibly self-conscious about my condition, which is actually kind of surprising for how paranoid I am. Honestly 99.9% of the time I'm just so focused on getting from one place to another that I don't even think of it, but his comment was pretty stunning. From the mouths of babes!
This afternoon I'm seeing Ali and John's "Voodoo Doctor", a chiropractic practice that specializes in Network Spinal Analysis - I can't wait to see what my spine has to tell them! Tomorrow back to the pool for the first time in a week and a half - I am DEFINITELY missing it something fierce. And Friday we see if I can still dance with a cane! :)
Monday, October 20, 2008
Ambulatory Roshambeau
So Cane clearly beats Crutches, though, hard as Cane tries, I'm pretty sure Stairs beats them both. Cane is pretty boss, though - it's nice to be able to maneuver around without having to worry about an extra foot of clearance on either side. At this point the only real hurdle (in addition to the fact that I'm right-handed and have to hold the cane in my right hand [and that it falls down every time I try to casually lean it on something]) is doors that open to the right, but I'm working on it. The past two days I've gone without the crutches entirely and haven't felt any ill affects, so long as I've kept my pace slow. The fact that I nearly topple over if I get going too fast is a helpful reminder. :) I even SHOPPED yesterday! First time I've done THAT in a while - motored around Marshalls for nearly an hour and was only mildly exhausted.
Tomorrow I see Janice, the nutritionist, about my pesky cholesterol problem. Cheese for every meal today! Friday I got my bloodwork back and it turns out I need to get my 3-shot Hep series and that my Vitamin D is low, so I'm taking a supplement for that. Otherwise, looking forward to getting more cane-able over the next couple of days so I can hopefully foolishly defy my PT's orders and go crutch-free to DC!
Tomorrow I see Janice, the nutritionist, about my pesky cholesterol problem. Cheese for every meal today! Friday I got my bloodwork back and it turns out I need to get my 3-shot Hep series and that my Vitamin D is low, so I'm taking a supplement for that. Otherwise, looking forward to getting more cane-able over the next couple of days so I can hopefully foolishly defy my PT's orders and go crutch-free to DC!
Friday, October 17, 2008
Harrumph.
Well, I'm still on crutches and it seems will be supported by some manner of stick for some time to come. Yesterday I ordered myself a cane! (Akin to this guy - that's called a "derby handle", dontcha know! I didn't!) It's collapsible, which means I can keep it with me for whenever I need it, and can put it in my bag for my trip to DC next week. I asked Susan if I would be a fool to leave my crutches at home and she said yes. HARRUMPH!
While I can walk (slooowly) without pain, I'm so cautious about it that Susan said I was "an accident waiting to happen". "I can't say that to anyone but you!" she said. :) It's true, though, I'm so nervous I'm going to mess something up that I probably will! There's also something to be said for giving people around you some sort of visual cue to indicate you need a little extra room and maybe assistance. Wandering the jampacked streets (and public transit system!) of DC in my own tottering way just doesn't seem wise.
Susan also showed me an alternate crutching technique where instead of putting 2 crutches forward and stepping, you move the right crutch with your left leg and left crutch with your right leg. It takes some getting used to and uses different arm muscles, but it feels comfortable (if slow - did I mention I'm slow?!) and also works the muscles of my left leg that've been dormant for nearly 3 weeks now, the ones that make me feel like I'm doing a wobbly circle around my left hip everytime I try to put weight on it to move my right leg. Turns out that's my gluteus minimus struggling in vain to keep me stable and, while my pool excercises do some to help strengthen it, I just lose more control every day I'm off it. Susan also pointed out (which hadn't even occurred to me) that because the pool is pretty much non-weight-bearing, I'm losing bone mass with every passing crutchy day, which is exactly what I DON'T need going into surgery. *sigh*
So I'm going to keep crutching for medium distances and am excited (really? really.) to pick up my cane this afternoon and get working on it - should be ideal for the store tomorrow. Susan thought it'd be good to have 2 canes for times when I feel like I need it, so I'm also hoping to pick up a sweet wooden cane or two now that I know how long they should be. I have to keep reminding myself (and my mother, who for some reason has decided that skepticism is what I really need right now) that this is all NORMAL for dysplastics, and that I'm lucky I haven't been crutching for MONTHS now, or even in a wheelchair! It's impossible to predict how frequently I'll need some stick support, because it really depends on the day, but I'm getting it all lined up anyway. I can tell already it's going to be a pretty "indoors" winter for me this year!
Meanwhile, I went in front of the faculty meeting Tuesday on crutches, so now everybody's curious about it. I entertained the thought that I might put out a memo to everyone explaining the situation so I don't have to keep going over it everytime I walk - or "walk" :) - down the hall, but then I remember that that was my original impetus for getting this blog up, and I still say the same shit a dozen times a day! Oh, best laid plans. I need to work on adjusting my attitude to all these concerned inquiries, though, because people just can't seem to NOT ask and I've found myself starting to get a little curt about it. But people are SO eager to offer any help they can that I feel like a jerk getting annoyed about it. Oh, and to think I used to so love any attention I could get! heh heh
While I can walk (slooowly) without pain, I'm so cautious about it that Susan said I was "an accident waiting to happen". "I can't say that to anyone but you!" she said. :) It's true, though, I'm so nervous I'm going to mess something up that I probably will! There's also something to be said for giving people around you some sort of visual cue to indicate you need a little extra room and maybe assistance. Wandering the jampacked streets (and public transit system!) of DC in my own tottering way just doesn't seem wise.
Susan also showed me an alternate crutching technique where instead of putting 2 crutches forward and stepping, you move the right crutch with your left leg and left crutch with your right leg. It takes some getting used to and uses different arm muscles, but it feels comfortable (if slow - did I mention I'm slow?!) and also works the muscles of my left leg that've been dormant for nearly 3 weeks now, the ones that make me feel like I'm doing a wobbly circle around my left hip everytime I try to put weight on it to move my right leg. Turns out that's my gluteus minimus struggling in vain to keep me stable and, while my pool excercises do some to help strengthen it, I just lose more control every day I'm off it. Susan also pointed out (which hadn't even occurred to me) that because the pool is pretty much non-weight-bearing, I'm losing bone mass with every passing crutchy day, which is exactly what I DON'T need going into surgery. *sigh*
So I'm going to keep crutching for medium distances and am excited (really? really.) to pick up my cane this afternoon and get working on it - should be ideal for the store tomorrow. Susan thought it'd be good to have 2 canes for times when I feel like I need it, so I'm also hoping to pick up a sweet wooden cane or two now that I know how long they should be. I have to keep reminding myself (and my mother, who for some reason has decided that skepticism is what I really need right now) that this is all NORMAL for dysplastics, and that I'm lucky I haven't been crutching for MONTHS now, or even in a wheelchair! It's impossible to predict how frequently I'll need some stick support, because it really depends on the day, but I'm getting it all lined up anyway. I can tell already it's going to be a pretty "indoors" winter for me this year!
Meanwhile, I went in front of the faculty meeting Tuesday on crutches, so now everybody's curious about it. I entertained the thought that I might put out a memo to everyone explaining the situation so I don't have to keep going over it everytime I walk - or "walk" :) - down the hall, but then I remember that that was my original impetus for getting this blog up, and I still say the same shit a dozen times a day! Oh, best laid plans. I need to work on adjusting my attitude to all these concerned inquiries, though, because people just can't seem to NOT ask and I've found myself starting to get a little curt about it. But people are SO eager to offer any help they can that I feel like a jerk getting annoyed about it. Oh, and to think I used to so love any attention I could get! heh heh
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Yay!
Today I walked all the way to the cafeteria and back, including stairs, without my crutches! Nothing popped, nothing snapped, and nothing pinched, really, though I was definitely taking great care to go easy on ol' leftie. More than anything it's my dreaded sciatic that's acting up, along with some referred pain in my knee. I'm looking forward to some ultrasound massage and blessed Kinesio tape tomorrow, then (hopefully!) back on my feet for real! It'll be nice not to spend 8 hours on Saturday sitting on a stool at the store feeling useless, that's for sure. A week from tomorrow I head to Our Nation's Capital - woohoo!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
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!
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!
Friday, October 3, 2008
I'm a bad crutcher.
I took yesterday off, which was a phenomenal decision. I went to the pool in the morning and did my regular routine, albeit a bit slower, with some added arm stretching and just plain floating. Rebecca, my original pool PT (though I've been independent in the pool for some time now) noticed that I was struggling with my crutches and, when I got out, had one of the other ladies there give me a little tutorial and fit them better to my height. Yet again I felt a ripple of the dry-land versus aquatic therapy turf war - everything is politics! But I'm definitely glad they took the time to set me right - took the pressure off my ribs and (somewhat) off my shoulders and put it more into my forearms where it belongs. Today at school I made it all the way to the Main Office and back (a distance of approximately 17 miles)! It only took me... a very long time. :)
It seems pretty much impossible for people to not ask what happened - I'd put it at about 7%. As such, I've developed a series of one-liner responses, the easiest of which (that I'd resorted to by the end of the debate last night) is "I have to stay off my bum leg for awhile." Also pretty much the most honest answer I can give - I don't even know what it is that's paining me, really. People have been so so nice, though, offering any sort of help I might need, and for once I'm going to be taking it! My usual staunchly-independent "Oh no, I'm fine" is out the window!
Doing stuff around the house is a real challenge. For the first time I'm cursing the shotgun layout of my apartment, though I'm getting really good at thinking ahead (I've got plenty of time on my hands!) about what I need from where and how I can get it there. My bed has become the way station for everything, since I can toss things onto it from any room. Brilliant! The ladies of hipwomen were kind enough to suggest a walker (which hadn't even occurred to me), which you can hitch baskets and holsters and such to, for stuff around the house, especially meal preparation. I'm looking forward to a non-sandwich-based meal for a change. What I'd REALLY like (and what Van Deren also thought of, since we're both such great minds) is one of these!
Yesterday in the shower I involuntarily made what can be best described as a James Brown Sound (as in, "UNH, git back!") and giggled hysterically for a good 20 minutes. You have to laugh!
It seems pretty much impossible for people to not ask what happened - I'd put it at about 7%. As such, I've developed a series of one-liner responses, the easiest of which (that I'd resorted to by the end of the debate last night) is "I have to stay off my bum leg for awhile." Also pretty much the most honest answer I can give - I don't even know what it is that's paining me, really. People have been so so nice, though, offering any sort of help I might need, and for once I'm going to be taking it! My usual staunchly-independent "Oh no, I'm fine" is out the window!
Doing stuff around the house is a real challenge. For the first time I'm cursing the shotgun layout of my apartment, though I'm getting really good at thinking ahead (I've got plenty of time on my hands!) about what I need from where and how I can get it there. My bed has become the way station for everything, since I can toss things onto it from any room. Brilliant! The ladies of hipwomen were kind enough to suggest a walker (which hadn't even occurred to me), which you can hitch baskets and holsters and such to, for stuff around the house, especially meal preparation. I'm looking forward to a non-sandwich-based meal for a change. What I'd REALLY like (and what Van Deren also thought of, since we're both such great minds) is one of these!
Yesterday in the shower I involuntarily made what can be best described as a James Brown Sound (as in, "UNH, git back!") and giggled hysterically for a good 20 minutes. You have to laugh!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Dude, crutches suck.
I mean, honestly, how the eff are you supposed to do this?! I've only been on the things since 3pm yesterday and already I have massive swollen bruises on my ribs and my arms are en fuego! I had to use two hands to turn my stinking key in the lock!
On the plus side, Susan Kinesio taped up my elbows and left shoulderblade, as apparently it helps with bruising as well - oh how I love the stuff! The shoulderblade is what's really giving me trouble right now, since it's pretty integral to the whole crutching business. That said, being off my left leg feels right, and I'm doing my damnedest to be non-weight-bearing, though it's quite a chore. I'm to be non-weight-bearing-to-tolerable for the next 2 weeks, then will see Susan again to reevaluate before I head to DC.
This is a fairly scary sneak peek of what next summer is going to be like - though then I'm not going to be able to cheat at all, which at this point seems impossible. I have no idea how I'm supposed to do things like laundry, cleaning the litterbox, making myself some damn food, etc. - you know, things that require HANDS! I think I need a fanny pack. :) Thankfully Tucker let me drag along with him to the grocery yesterday, and Chloe lent me a backpack to ferry my wares up the stairs (rhymetastic!). Otherwise I don't know what I would've done.
Harrumph. I'm pretty sure I'll be taking tomorrow off.
On the plus side, Susan Kinesio taped up my elbows and left shoulderblade, as apparently it helps with bruising as well - oh how I love the stuff! The shoulderblade is what's really giving me trouble right now, since it's pretty integral to the whole crutching business. That said, being off my left leg feels right, and I'm doing my damnedest to be non-weight-bearing, though it's quite a chore. I'm to be non-weight-bearing-to-tolerable for the next 2 weeks, then will see Susan again to reevaluate before I head to DC.
This is a fairly scary sneak peek of what next summer is going to be like - though then I'm not going to be able to cheat at all, which at this point seems impossible. I have no idea how I'm supposed to do things like laundry, cleaning the litterbox, making myself some damn food, etc. - you know, things that require HANDS! I think I need a fanny pack. :) Thankfully Tucker let me drag along with him to the grocery yesterday, and Chloe lent me a backpack to ferry my wares up the stairs (rhymetastic!). Otherwise I don't know what I would've done.
Harrumph. I'm pretty sure I'll be taking tomorrow off.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Ah crap.
Well it seems the bad thing I did on Friday was probably a sprain or strain or tear or somesuch to my beleagured left thigh. It hurts. I saw my primary this morning and she upped my dose of ibuprofen to 600mg, told me to take acetaminophen on top of it and that I'd need to be non-weight-bearing for 4-6 weeks. She was about to give me crutches there, but then thought perhaps a cane would be more appropriate and said I should see my PT to be evaluated. Well, my PT's scheduling for the end of October right now, but thankfully, since she is awesome, she's working me in first thing tomorrow (or this afternoon if she has a cancellation) for a fitting and a little crutch-training. Thank you Susan!!!
Of course this means I'll likely be crutch-bound for my trip to DC (which my mom thinks I should cancel anyhow) AND for Halloween, which just sucks. I'm wondering if I should try to incorporate the crutches into my costume (in which case I need some suggestions!) or not even bother - in any event, it's going to put a crimp in my dancing plans at the Freakers Ball. CURSES!!!
I feel like there's a joke in here somewhere about me and the economy not having a leg to stand on. :)
Of course this means I'll likely be crutch-bound for my trip to DC (which my mom thinks I should cancel anyhow) AND for Halloween, which just sucks. I'm wondering if I should try to incorporate the crutches into my costume (in which case I need some suggestions!) or not even bother - in any event, it's going to put a crimp in my dancing plans at the Freakers Ball. CURSES!!!
I feel like there's a joke in here somewhere about me and the economy not having a leg to stand on. :)
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Snake! Dragon! SWORD!
What more could you ask for in a cane?!
John Powers is determined that my recovery will be a badass one. :)
John Powers is determined that my recovery will be a badass one. :)
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
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