Gift of RA

I just scared myself – I looked at the clock and it said 10:18 – I kept thinking it couldn’t be that late.  Then I realized the computer hadn’t quite reset and I didn’t turn the clock on the phone back.  I need to leave about 11 today, I am meeting charlotte at her church around 12 and then we are going to lunch for Lois’s birthday lunch.  Eddie has gone to the Museum of Flight this morning, so I won’t see him until I come home.  It will also be my first long distance drive since I had my arm broken.  I expect to do well, maybe a little apprehension at first.  I am more comfortable driving, though my right arm doesn’t quite stretch comfortably when I turn to the left.

It’s been an interesting week.  I haven’t quite gotten used to Eddie leaving later and sometimes having breakfast with me.  A whole new way of life has started.  However, he is having a lot of fun working with Andy and getting things organized.  Andy is a genius when it comes to wealth management – I am going over tomorrow to see what he has put together for us so we don’t have to pay taxes.  Seems the older we get, the more taxes we pay.  That means all day in Bellevue, so I need to see where I want to explore and have fun.

Last Monday it was windy and pouring rain – whatever I needed to do could be done Tuesday.  So I spent the day in the warm and dry – not that I accomplished much, but it was my choice not to leave the house.  So Tuesday I went to pick up my laundry and drop off 3 sweaters  I went to couple of places for some storage ideas – decided not to buy at that point.  I am still picking up the threads of my life and I find I am still a bit scatterbrained at the moment.

I have been working on setting up my outpatient PT, I called again and finally talked with Michael, head therapist.  I am set to start next week, – Tuesday and Thursday for an hour each.  By the time Friday came, I realized I had a very medical week coming up.  Wednesday morning at Breakfast Club, I noticed I had broken a tooth – I could feel the sharp edges.  As soon as breakfast was done, I called my dentist to go see him – he had an opening the next day.

Eddie went to the archives, then spent an hour or so at Andy’s to help train one of the guys.  It was almost 2:30 when he came home, I had just arrived a few minutes earlier.  I had time to take care of some things I have had to wait to do since the accident.  Thursday morning Eddie dropped me off at the dentist and went over to arrange for his new lenses for his glasses.  Then he came to the dentist to wait for me.  It seems I had broken the corner off #31 – doc said he had been watching it for 10 years and wasn’t surprised it broke.  He smoothed some of it down for me and I have an appointment next Wednesday morning for a crown.  Then late I will have another appointment to put the permanent one in place.  No looking forward to it, but if I don’t do it, things can get even worse.

For some reason I have forgotten 2 appointments with Doc Pierce – it is in my calendar but I haven’t gotten back in the habit of checking it.  I have an appointment Tuesday morning and I need to be sure I don’t mess up again.  Friday I saw my chiropractor, Dr. Cheryl, to help me integrate the accident.  It was so good to see her again and she is helping me physically as well as metaphysically.  She explained it in terms of putting on several layers of coats to protect myself from the cold.  I have layers I have added because of the accident and the trauma my body had.  She was able to release one layer for me – it is as if I am contracted inside myself.  It was necessary for my protection, now it is time to release and let them go.  It will take a while to work through the layers.  I’ll see her again next Friday.

I realize as I am getting back into the regular world, I don’t have a structure or schedule of any kind.  I am having some resistance to getting things started as well as deciding what I truly want and need.  Did my brain go into hibernation?  I have also been thinking about the pros and cons of having the shoulder surgery.  Because I have been in rehab before, I am wondering if it might be a good idea to go to Stafford after the surgery.  I would need help with wound care and essentials I will not be able to do until the wound is healed.   Also, I would have some early PT appropriate to how I am doing – that could make getting the range of motion back a little sooner.

I would be without my meds for 2 months – what can I do to help myself through that?  I am not looking forward to being back feeling helpless and not able to do things I am slowly being able to do again.  I don’t know that I want to be laid up for 12 weeks or more again either.  There are the concerns of the rheumatologist and primary care doc that I am at a higher risk for surgery.  I would have better range of motion with surgery, but how much will I have after this PT?  Questions, questions, questions.

Now I need to close so I can go get dressed and ready to leave to meet Charlotte.

This entry was posted on November 1, 2015 at 10:00 am and is filed under Musings. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.