Do What You Love...

Unknown Needleworker-via Facebook

Definitely "yes" to this image. PT? Not so much right now. This week, my physical therapist(s) moved to the "strengthening" portion of my knee rehabilitation. I'm not a fan, and neither is my knee. This phase is kicking my butt! I get home and have to do more icing, and I took another pain killer before bed last night. I was hoping to get away from those, but I guess pre-PT and post are still in the foreseeable future.

You know me, though. I'll just pull up my big girl panties and do what needs to be done. I don't complain (at PT or home), except for an occasional "ugh" when I try to get out of the chair, or walk from one room to another. My therapist, Jenna said I'm a "warrior" with a poker face - even when it hurts. Handsome spotted me up the stairs last night "just to be safe". My heartbeat.

No physical therapy today, so we'll see what the day holds after I take my morning meds (I'm still on blood thinners to avoid clots for the next month), along with a couple others, then coffee and a bite to eat. 

Handsome has a band concert this evening, so I'm hoping I'll be up to seeing him perform. He has drum kit pieces this time, so I really want to see that! I guess that means I'll most likely take it easy so I'm well-rested and my knee is agreeable to walk from the venue parking lot to the park where the band will be playing.

Thanks for sharing your current projects with me yesterday. It's really fun to know what you're working on, especially when I'm not busy with my own projects. I even stood back on the the artist trading cards for this month. I'm sure I'll jump back in for September, but I thought better of it for August. 

Once again, I'm off like a herd of turtles. lol See you tomorrow!

Have You Seen My Mojo?...

 

In the meantime, reading needlework magazines, tutorials, watching videos, and sorting through projects will have to suffice. Soon. Very soon.

I'd love to know what you're working on these days!

Let The Sun Shine...

A bumblebee enjoying one of the "volunteer" sunflowers

Imagine my delight when I noticed a quartet of volunteer sunflower plants that sprouted under the bird feeders hanging from the old apple tree. When I went to photograph them, I noticed a bumblebee collecting pollen from the tallest one. Double delight!

I had my physical therapy appointment yesterday morning. As usual, I now start on the stationary bicycle, and move from there to the other exercises. Jenna, my therapist, took my "bend measurement" right after the bicycle, and then again at the end of my appointment - and before the blessed ice machine therapy. At the beginning, I was 112º - a degree better than last week. By the end, I had progressed to 114º!  

We ran a few errands before coming home, and by then, I was wiped. One treat was another package from a dear blog friend with a card and gifts for Handsome and me. I'll be sending a proper thank you out to her, but you can imagine how nice it was to find a gift after a tiring day. It was really wonderful.

I didn't sit to stitch. I elevated my leg and rested instead. Handsome had band rehearsal, which always means late night dinner, and I wanted to make something to surprise him. So, I spent most of the time between getting home and making dinner doing absolutely nothing except taking two Tylenol, and drinking lots of water.

It was so rewarding to look at my blog to find so many kind messages from you. I read each and every one, and am responding to them all, too. Your words made my day. So, I'm back and will update you on my knee progress, as well as anything creative (as soon as I can kick start my artistic muses). Believe me, I'm working on it! In the meantime, hugs to all!

I've Got A New Attitude...

This is my knee as of Sunday afternoon.  I'm blessed to be a good healer, and this is no exception. However, it's been three weeks since my last post, and it sure hasn't been a cake walk. Handsome and I talked about it, and although he can think of one other long recuperation (I was in my 30s then), I think I can safely say this has been the hardest recovery in my life.

Everyone told me the first two weeks would be the worst, and I can concur. I was taking pain meds every four to six hours (along with an anti-nausea pill) and spent what time wasn't in physical therapy, icing and sleeping. I also did my home physical therapy to move the healing along, too.

This is a front and side view from last week's appointment with the surgeon's assistant. Everything is where it's supposed to be, and they're very happy with the results. I'm officially "left side bionic". The joint is secure and stable, and now it's just a matter of getting the musculature healed and mobile again.

My progress is right on schedule, too. They wanted me to be at 90º (for my knee bend) by that appointment, and I was already at 101º. I'm doing physical therapy three times a week, so by the next appointment I was at 107º, and by last Friday, I'd managed to exercise myself to 111º by the beginning of the appointment (rather than getting a measurement again at the end per usual). My therapist was really happy about it, and truthfully, so am I. Knowing how much they had to move things out of the way to install the new hardware, the muscles and tendons were traumatized. Even though they weren't damaged before or during, I still have to give myself some grace to heal everything. I have therapy again today, so we'll see what I managed to accomplish over the weekend. 

I haven't been able to sit at my needlework frame for multiple reasons. The main one being that I didn't want to stitch while heavily medicated, but I also wasn't comfortable sitting upright in my needlework chair. While I've recently graduated to a cane (which I rarely use in the house now), getting around with a walker before that wasn't conducive to being comfortable either. I thought it better to just resort to sleeping and healing.

Handsome has been a great nurse - even though we learned that he has his own issues now, too. He has a bone spur on his spine, so I tried to be mindful of his condition as he was taking care of me. Aren't we a pair, though? Although I couldn't do much to help the first two weeks, I've slowly been working my way back into the kitchen to take some of that burden off him.While there are no three or four-course dinners around here, he's happy that he isn't responsible for our evening menus anymore. 

Even so, he's been a wonderful caretaker, driving me to all my appointments; helping me in and out of our vehicles; and patiently waiting until he can take me home again. That's not even mentioning all he's done for us around the house. He really is the best, and I'm so grateful.

Finally, thank you to those who reached out, sent cards and gifts prayed, and held healing thoughts for me. I think you know by now just how much that means to me. I know it's been a minute since I last posted (July 22nd to be exact, but who's counting - as I raise my own hand), but you're still here, and I awfully blessed and appreciative. 

Thanks from the bottom of my heart. See you again tomorrow.

Sunday Scripture...

Isaiah 22:22