Lazy Circles

Decisions...Decisions...

PT has been just the therapy I need...both physically and emotionally.  Each time I go, I'm stronger and know that I'll soon be back to normal (well, half normal...still have to have the other knee done).  My biggest challenge/goal is to conquer going down the stairs.  I can go down stairs now, but it involves me stiff-legging it sideways.  I'm talking going down the stairs like a normal person...like someone making a dramatic entrance on a grand stairway. I will get there as soon as I strengthen my quad muscle some more.

To strengthen said muscles, I have all sorts of exercises I can do without supervision and some I have to do with my physical therapist.  My favorite exercise...mainly because it took me a while to work up to it...is riding the recumbent bicycle. I'm up to 8 minutes now, but I feel like I could do so much more.  Woo hoo! 

Now, I need to decide what I'll do when PT is over.  From here on out, I have to stick with non-impact exercises.  I think I want a bike...but do I want the cute red bike with a basket I can ride outside?  Or, do I want a fancy-schmancy recumbent bike I can ride, while catching up on TV and reading?  Decisions. Decisions.

Failing to Quiet Monkeys

Lately, I have had a hard time simply being still and turning my mind off.  At church on Sunday, one of the Associate Ministers gave a fantastic sermon about quieting the "Chattering Monkeys" in your brain.  According to Buddhists, the untrained mind jumps around like chattering monkeys, which makes it hard to relax and meditate to hear what God has in store for you.  I could relate to this concept, because that's an apt description of my mind lately.  So, at PT yesterday, I set out to calm the monkeys in my brain.

One of the great things about doing physical therapy, besides improving the movement in my knee, is the chance to be still and listen.  I started this round of PT at a Norman office.  The soundtrack was acoustic/alternative, and I found myself humming along to some of my favorites from college.  I then switched to the OKC office for convenience, and the vibe was a bit different.  There is natural light - big windows with a view of the downtown street and trees outside, and the soundtrack is jazz/standards.  With my diverse taste in music, I can hum along to this music, too, but not as often as I did in Norman.  Music has always been important to me.  Heck, I even wrote a college entrance essay about it, which earned me full books and tuition at TCU. (OU was completely free, however, so this Okie remained in the Sooner State.) Music enhances your environment and can put you at ease or stress you out.

So, at PT yesterday, I was relaxing and letting the music lull me into a sense of calm, but then I found myself zeroing in on a conversation between one of the therapists and his patient. They were behind a curtain, and I never actually saw them.  Unfortunately, I did not hear their entire conversation.  No, here are the snippets I heard ... West Texas ... snow angels ... polio ... UT ... divorce after obtaining a Ph. D...

My mind went into overdrive, and I started trying to make up a story for why these elements should weave into one story thread. My monkeys were in overdrive, and my imagination was running wild.

Thus, today I brought a book to PT, and the monkeys were appeased.

Getting Bendy Again

I may have a few extra minutes on my hourglass figure, but I've always been very flexible.  Maybe the seven years of dance paid off (they certainly didn't make me more graceful)...maybe it helps that I'm double-jointed and have hyper-extended elbows (and knees I think)...whatever the reason, I consider myself blessed and lucky to be bendy.

Currently,only 80% or so of my body is bendy.  I mean I'm lucky that my doc finally let me bend my knee after a month of keeping it straight in my immobilizer, and I'm thankful that my two sessions of PT have thus far resulted in me bending my knee to 88 degrees. (Yay for progress!) But, patience has never been my virtue, so, of course, I want to be 100% bendy now.

I believe things happen for a reason, so this surgery (along with several other things this year...goodnes...what a year!) is God's way of teaching me that good things come to those who are patient.

So, when I'm doing my PT exercises tonight, I will start making a mental list of some of the good things that will be waiting for me.

Training Wheels

I got to bend my leg yesterday for the first time since my knee surgery.  Today, I've made it without using my crutches or icing my knee. Woo hoo! However...

If someone offered me training wheels for walking right now, I would SO take them up on that offer.  My balance has never been superb...no, 7 years of dance really didn't help. So, imagine me off kilter with a brace that allows me to only bend my knee 60-70 degrees. It's comical. No wonder folks keep asking me if I'm supposed to be walking without my crutches.  I'm just happy to be making progress. PT starts next week.  Bring. On. The. Pain.

Now, I wonder if they make training wheels for driving...that's my next project...

(Promise to warn everyone when I'm street legal! :)

Short-Term Goals

The nice OSSO nurse removed Scar's bedazzlers yesterday.  So now, I've decided to keep him under wraps ... at least until his new surgical tape is gone.  Then, I have a feeling lots of loose pants and long skirts will complete my summer wardrobe.

My doctor said things are progressing nicely, which I was happy to hear.  He did ask me to lift my leg.  You'd think that was an easy request; after all, I can move my toes and ankle and tense all my muscles in my right leg.  However, no matter how much I willed it to happen, I could not lift my leg.  What a frustrating feeling!

So, I've decided that my most important short-term goal is a simple one:  to lift my leg...without using my hands...just straight up lifting my leg straight up. I think it is totally doable. I'm getting stronger every day, and I haven't fallen (at least all the way to the ground) since the day of my surgery.  I'm even down to taking pain pills on an as-needed basis. 

My short-term goal is set.  Now, I need to focus on the long-term ... well ... let me actually go back to work in the office before we get to that ...

Meet Scar

I'm not the kind of gal who is fascinated by other people's scars, so I'm not going to post photos.  That would be a bit icky.  I will, however, give you a few details.

I like to think that if my scar could talk, it would sound like an effeminate Jeremy Irons. Effeminate, because it's currently bedazzled with 30 staples. Jeremy Irons because he was the voice of the character Scar in "The Lion King," right? I loves me some random musical theatre/movie trivia.

It looks like Scar will be in the 7-8 inch range, which means I will gladly accept Mederma donations.  Not sure how I'm going to hide this bad boy...don't think he's anywhere close to ready for his close-up, Mr. DeMille!

From the oddness of this post, you might have surmised that I'm going a bit crazy here in the hood.  The bedazzlers will be removed tomorrow, so I'll see just what I'm in for.

Observation of the Day:  The ABC show "Wipeout" has the best PR team ever.  Seems like no matter what channel I flipped to today, I saw a reference to that show. Still don't know if I can stomach watching it ... just saying props to their PR pros.  Muy impressive...

Road to Recovery

The road to recovery is apparently paved with "NCIS" reruns.  Seriously...thank goodness for Memorial Day Weekend marathons, or I would be going stir crazy having to watch daytime television.

My knee surgery went well.  I fell twice the day of my surgery, thanks to my inherent gracefulness and a block in my leg that caused feeling (yet strangely not pain) to go away.  Feeling is back, and I've now mastered not only my crutches, but also my granny's walker.  It is purple and has wheels...pretty swanky. I have yet to tackle the shower. Once I figure out how much "Press-n-Seal" it takes to cover my immobilizer, I'm all for that wonderful feeling of warm water. I think that will be this afternoon's task ... once I find out how DiNozo, who is posing as an escaped convict to find the location of some Iraqui artifacts, gets out of his current predicament ...