51 Days Later

I had my follow up visit with Dr. Buly today and got the green light to walk with crutches, a.k.a. Canadian crutches, a.k.a. Gimp Stix. It's so good to walk again - my atrophied left foot is cramping like crazy as the muscles get put back into play, but I'm not complaining!

I also got my hardware back and will post a picture soon - I just got home a while ago and am whooped - need to take a nap.

Tomorrow I start PT - yippee!!!

Countdown

I'm a little over 6 weeks post operative. Next Wednesday I have my follow up with Dr. Buly and have every reason to believe that I will be able to go weight bearing. It's tempting to put weight on my left leg now, but I don't.

I hope the days pass quickly!

PS - I'm pretty much over the food poisoning, but Doug is still hurting... Poor guy.

Double Down For The Count

Doug and I both woke up in the middle of the night with a pretty stiff case of food poisoning. It's nearly 6 PM now and I have only been out of bed to use the bathroom. We're not 100% sure of the cause, but have our suspicions. I feel particularly bad for Doug because through it all he still has to feed and walk Paris - to top it off, it snowed all day. Ugh. I'm probably going to bail on French class tomorrow because I don't think I'll be up to it.

Big Girl Pants

Today marks an important milestone: I wore a pair of 5 pocket corduroys with a fly and a button. Wahoo! For nearly 6 weeks, I've worn nothing but my Nike workout pants. They're all well and good, but I'm sick of them.

About two years ago I tried on some stretch cords at J. Crew. They fit so well that I bought 3 pair in different colors. Unfortunately, they only seemed to stretch in one direction and I quickly found myself with three pair of cords that were all too big. Last spring when I was flipping my closet, I contemplated sending them to Good Will but didn't because I figured they'd be good for right about now - and they are.

The Thrill is Gone

I'm sick of this:

• I'm so over being on crutches.
• I hate that I have to ask Doug for the most mundane things (a glass of water, a cup of tea, my hot water bottle, another blanket, something to eat, etc.) because I can't just pop up off of the sofa and get/do it for myself.
• I'm done with bathing while sitting on a shower chair.
• I hate that I'm paranoid of falling since I had the close call.
• It snowed today so Doug had to escort me to and from French class - again.
• I still can't sit like a normal person for more than an hour or so without pain.
• I'm still uncomfortable each and every night and have trouble falling asleep as a result of my discomfort.
• I can only sleep on my back.
• My tailbone is killing me!
• I still have TWELVE more days on crutches...

pppppppppt!

Five Weeks Post Op

Another week has ticked by... I have two more to go before I see Dr. B. and (hopefully) get the green light to go weight bearing.

I'm thankful that I can get out of the house when the weather cooperates - cabin fever has definitely set in. We went to the mall (which has indoor parking, read: no ice) the other day just so I could get out. We're in for some bone-chilling temps and precip later this week - I'm trying to get mentally prepared for being on lock down again. I'm glad that I'm taking the French class since I have loads of time for the homework in between naps.

My big whoop today was that I stopped by the PT office before my class and set up my first four appointments. Can't wait to use 'em.

Close Call

Today is the big day: Day 30. The day that signals the end of my House Arrest.

To mark the occasion, Doug and I went into the city so that I could go to my first French class. For years I'd been daydreaming about taking a language class just for the fun of it, but I was working in The Job That Ate My Life and never found the time. Now that I'm on short-term disability and soon to be officially laid off, I figured why not? It turns out that my class is on the same block as the place where I did my physical therapy after the last surgery - tres commode!

We live in the 'burbs just north of NYC and use the commuter rail to get in and out of Manhattan. The southbound tracks are on far side and getting there involves taking an elevator (or stairs if you're not on crutches) up to an enclosed and heated pedestrian bridge and then taking another elevator down to the platform. So, we park in the lot (in a handicap space, thanks to the temporary gimp pass) with about 15 minutes before the train is scheduled to arrive. We hadn't eaten yet, so Doug went to the coffee shop to get bagels; I went on ahead and told him I'd meet him on the bridge. I take the elevator up, step out, and immediately my left crutch flies out from under me. THANK GOD, there were two quick acting guys who caught me inches before I would have slammed to the ground. If it were not for them, I have no doubt that I would have stayed down until the EMT's arrived to cart me off to the ER for X-rays. One of them stayed with me while the other went and found Doug, who got me back up. From there I slid on my good foot and crutched along the wall - we still managed to make it on to the train with time to spare. Those guys were truly angels. I'm thankful to have survived unscathed. The incident served as a very important reminder for me to be careful, careful, careful as I negotiate the outside world again.

whew.

"Bonus" Week

I got a call from Dr. Buly's office today - he's going to be traveling to Italy to lecture the week of January 19th so they're pushing my appointment on the 21st to the 28th. It means I have an additional week on crutches as a result. Blah!

My arms do look fabulous though.

Four Weeks Post Op

Today marks four week since my surgery - in fact, at this very moment 28 days ago, I was knocked out and under the knife while Doug was hanging around waiting and waiting. I'm thankful that those 5.5 hours went by in a blink for me.

Not a lot has changed for me since last week but noteworthy is:

• My pain levels are getting better all the time and I've even reached the point where I can skip a Tylenol dose every now and then without breaking.
• It's gotten easier to sleep through the night - my pattern now is to sleep (like the dead) from about midnight until 6 AM, get up, pee, re-dose on Tylenol, and then sleep deeply for another 3+ hours.
• I still need a big 'ol nap every afternoon and still snag a catnap (read 10-15 minutes) about twice a day.
• I can sit upright for longer periods of time, but still need to be in the chaise lounge position for most of the day.

So, today is my 28th day - is that a month? Only if it's February... Thursday will be my 30th day and I'm deciding to call THAT a month and will venture out on that day. Big plans. Stay tuned...

Sleeping Beauty

I didn't update the blog yesterday because there really wasn't anything to report. Ditto for today actually but I figured I would anyway.

I spend my days on the living room sofa; evenings I'm in the TV room on that sofa. Occasionally I'll sit in a chair in the kitchen and keep Doug company while he's cooking, but for the most part my waking hours are, you guessed it, on a sofa.

I sleep about 10 hours each night but still need a solid nap every afternoon plus catnaps here and there. I know my body is just taking the time that it needs to heal itself.

Sometimes I think it's too bad that I'm not lazing about on a chaise lounge under a palm tree on a beach in Mexico (I'm thinkin' Playa del Carmen) but then I think of how hard it would be to crutch through the sand to get there...