It's been awhile since I put any time into this blog and there is really nothing outside of routine going on to share unless it comes to me as I'm writing.. and my routine is well, not others routines!
Yesterday we had an hour of sunshine and today we had some throughout the afternoon, which in CA we aren't used to being without in the stretch of the calendar that it's been gloomy. It's really even been beyond gloomy skies, we actually have dark cloud patterns that just run all day long, some drizzle, thunder/lightning at times, and the temp barely creeps above 70 degrees. I'm a fan of this weather, because it won't be long and the temp will soar and we will long for days like this for relief. I'd have to say that while summer in CA used to start in May and run hot and hard till end of September, it's like it has in many recent years swung to a later start and deeper into the Fall. I have friends who went to Seattle Saturday for their daughters graduation,she text that they have great weather there, really.. Seattle.. the normally rainy weather of the northwest location.. what's wrong with that picture..
Let me recap the physical situation(s);
1. The left hand is improving greatly since the distress I felt after surgery when the fingers were like cement and curled. But the tissue is coming out of the trauma post surgery and is becoming much less painful in using it or in the stretching of the fingers as it has been. Much relief on my part... I still go to P/T once a week for evaluation, a good massage and stretch to keep on track with where it is. But I've stopped wearing any one of the many braces the P/T has fashioned over the last month to keep the fingers in a straighter position during the day. It's amazing the moldable things she can create to tend to what is going on or needs to be treated. At night I do wear what is like a broken finger splint. During the day the middle/ring fingers droop less. I keep stretching them straight throughout the workday and use a heated corn bag and massage at night.. It's nearly behind me!
2. Last Thursday I had a nerve block for the upper area of the back, 8 injections in the neck. A few days of muscle soreness, some bruising. This area was aggravated weeks ago with a walk I spoke of before, where I dared walk all the way to the corner of my street and a little beyond, it was the return trip that was dreadful. The spasms, migraine was consistent after this.. It's feeling much better with more mobility in the head turning radius and no spasms. jury still out on the headache..
3. I have 10 more days at the office before reporting for the major back surgery on Monday June 29.. I am dreading the process, but am assured and confident that the ortho and vascular surgeons are the most competent and skilled in our Region for what needs to be done. So should all go as planned, it will be 3-4 days in hospital (ugh) and than home to recover. It will require patience in recovering from the abdominal incision and not pushing the limits of to much to soon. Than whatever P/T will be required after six weeks of incision healing time. The fusion will be the vertebrae L5 S1, and disk replacement of L4 L5.
While I was going through the lesion in the left ankle for the last two years and that was needing to be removed, but since unable to do this type of procedure is documented as only considered experimental and not FDA approved. Leaving only one option was to surgically "toy" with the lesion to self heal it as best we could by irritating it with holes drilled into it. The result was better the second time around but was still causing pain. Being that I've been dealing with the back pain which keeps me from walking any long distance, it's not been stretched to the limit and so is good as far as I'm concerned. ha ha ..
I couldn't have imagined still being immersed in such debilitating pain and from so many other parts of the body as it has me (us) going through. Don't ask "what's next" is a statement people could say, but I don't have time in between to even consciously put time into a thought like that... I've not had anything as easy as "take this antibiotic for 10 days" and you will be good as new... PLEASE that would have been a dream scenario.
So in facebook chatting with a cousin in Texas recently, she's vacationed with us in Jacksonhole for family reunions years ago when our kids were young, and she was yet without kids.. She has recently begun to work out, and eating healthy.. And we've been discussing a possible meeting in the near future of this hike. I'M HOPEFUL... We have been talking about our two Jenny Lake hikes in between Jacksonhole and Yellowstone and while back in our younger days it was awesome.. There is a shuttle boat you take across the lake to the hiking trails on the other side of "Inspiration Point" and "Hidden Falls". On the second hike, a few of us decided that the line for the ferry was really long and that we'd take the 6.6 mile hiking trail around the lake and "meet" them on the other side, well actually it was a race.. I'm sure in my memory that while we were hiking our tails off when the boat of our exuberant relatives who were crossing the lake were jeering us... Someone else also remembers that we beat the boat, or that we weren't far behind them landing on dry ground. The hike from the boat dock up is about 2.5 hours to the Hidden Falls of 80 ft waterfall and than onto the narrow ledge that leads you to a "spot to overlook" the Yellowstone valley, Snake river is a 420 ft climb in a mile. It is not an easy hike but breathtaking and exhilarating for our large group of VanMeeterens who made it all the way, young and old. good times.
google "jenny lake" and read and than take this in some time on a must do vacation spot. This trip is what I will be posting a picture copy of on my bathroom mirror or refrigerator in inspiration to work hard after what will be a successful surgery in order to get the activity of my life back on track...
And than, let me end with a "woo hoo" for our LA Lakers who just finished winning the NBA Championship..
Have a good week ~
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