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friday five #1

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 A handful of thoughts from the end of June chaos… One Poor Lil Momma had a freak accident last weekend, but luckily it was more annoying than painful. Saturday night, she was headed upstairs to get ready for bed and remembers hitting her palm on the railing - but not hard enough to say anything (and she would say something, haha!). When I came up to hang with her, I noticed her ring finger was bent down and asked her about it. We quickly realized she couldn’t raise it without her other hand or assistance. Strangely, I didn’t even have to ask Dr  Google what it was (although I’ve googled a lot since haha!): When LM was a toddler, she randomly developed “tr!gger finger” in her thumb that had to be released via surgery; here’s hoping this one will have some other options. A trip to Urgent Care left her with a splint and an appointment at the orthopedic surgeon’s next week… Two …which leads us to the camp she was supposed to attend this week and next saying she couldn’t come un...
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on long roads and small wins

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I've been deep in my thoughts and feels the last couple of weeks. I know I keep saything this, but I don't know what I expected from this recovery. I think, possibly, that I didn't expect anything because I was so busy doing so many things (so many) that I never took a beat and thought about what this might be like. Bella sitting in my feels with me, haha! Recovery so far is a roller coaster and so much more mental that I ever thought.  Tomorrow will wrap up my third week of PT.  I've gone from using both crutches and not putting my right foot on the ground at all.... to putting my booted foot down with both crutches... to using one crutch with my booted foot... to walking around inside in only the boot! Amazing, right? 3 weeks! Six appointments! I'm really proud of my physical progress and my mental progress, too, as moving on to each "phase" has come with a lot of anxiety. Will my foot even hold me up anymore? What if I fall? How do I even walk? HOW DID ...
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monday musings #3

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I  started PT  last Thursday! It feels so good to be doing things! Yet – it is also hard to do things when the only thing I’ve been doing is keeping my foot elevated for the last 6 weeks. I had read so much of this is mental and that really is true. My first PT activities have included doing the ankle alphabet (literally drawing the letters with my big toe) and dorsiflexion with a band a few times a day to increase mobility and TAKING 20 STEPS AN HOUR!! (in the boot) (on crutches) (at 25%). The steps took me on a journey. First, it’s hard to step down when the whole point wasn’t to step down for weeks and weeks. Next, it’s hard to recognize what 25% pressure feels like. I did the whole thing with the scale and figuring out what it feels like, but it’s hard to know in the moment if I’m putting enough pressure on it. But, all good steps (haha) in the right direction and I’m excited to do more at my 2 PT appointments this week! Lil Momma had a tween sass-induced tech break for 24...
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42 days later (ankle / foot recovery)

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  42 days post-surgery. Crutches and shower stools and scars and swelling. A house I never lived in but somehow own went on the market, got oh so many offers, and hopefully closes on Thursday. A too-soon return to work (leading to a chest cold and exhaustion) and an immediate organizational change and so much stress and feelings. 3 dance competitions that involved a knee scooter, a wheelchair, hotels. tears of joy and sadness from Lil Momma, and way too much takeout. A cold and a pinched sciatic nerve. I thought I'd write more during this time, but I've been stuck. Stuck in a chair, stuck in my head, stuck in this moment. This is a big week: follow-up at the orthopedic surgeon tomorrow where I hopefully get cleared for the next part of this and then  start PT and close on my aunt's house on the same day later in the week.  I'm taking both of those happening on the same day as a sign from the Universe that it's time to start moving on and into what is next.  Wow, tha...
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Day 17 (ankle/foot recovery)

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 Hello! It's been a minute... I had all these expectations for what my recovery would be like: I will read all the books! I will watch all the shows! I will write all the letters! I will take up art as a hobby! I will be going out of my head to get back to work! That wasn't my journey - and that's ok! It's been a wild trip so far and I'm figuring out how to navigate this moment and what happens next with grace and an open mind. Day 0 (surgery day):  My surgery was outpatient so I was a bit loopy when the Mr. picked me up. I had this heavy and huge splint on that went up to just below my knee - we were shocked! It wasn't a full cast - the front was open on my shin - but it was so heavy and impacted my balance, which made my first forays into non-weight-bearing (NWB) a trip (in more ways than one, haha!)... I had been given crutches, but they were not much help once we arrived home and I had to get up 4 stairs (SO DAUNTING) to get into the house. My poor dyslexic...
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Day 1 (ankle/foot recovery)

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Hello from the other side! Yesterday was the big day. 5am wake-up to get ready and head to the surgery center, I said goodbye to LM and the Mr in the waiting room at 6:30am, and the Mr had me home by 1pm. I’m settled in my recliner with LM’s mat as a Bella-blocker. Overnight, all Bella wanted was to jump up and be with me which was sweet but quite ill timed. The Mr is hanging downstairs with me while I get the hang of crutches and the unexpected weight of the splint so luckily he was there to help put up my “gate”. Later this week, I hope to write up a recap and where I’m at - did I mention I got myself a laptop as one of my recovery “tools”? - so this is just a quick drop in to check in. Hope you’re having good starts to your week!
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6 days (on ankle surgery prep)

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It’s a little less than a week until my foot/ankle surgery. I feel like I’ve lost the thread between all my lists and what needs to be done before this happens and what is feasible to get done before all this happens. Between trying to land cleaning out my aunt’s house that’s 90 minutes away  and getting it on the market by the end of the month - and doing her taxes - and getting all of LM’s spring and summer clothes and dance competition stuff prepared and this wild season at work with everything going on and with everything literally going on all the time, I feel like I’m all over the place (as is this too apt run on sentence, haha). Yard statues have been rescued! Here are some hot takes on where I’m at:   Pros : I have a recliner to sleep/recover in  I have a wedge pillow to elevate my foot (and it fits on said recliner!) I have a knee scooter (with a bell) (and a personalized license plate haha) I got my aunt’s taxes done on time  I’ll have time to go back in ev...
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