Weekend Update

Friday was a pretty good day.  My new knee brace came in, and yeah, its the proper size. 
DonJoy Armor Knee Brace

I wore it Friday afternoon and evening.  It's not easy to sit in a chair while wearing it and I can't fully straigten my leg easily.  The good thing is that it supports the knee so I don't feel like I am constantly going to fall over.  After picking up Evan from school, we hit the Dutch Market for steaks, veggies, fruit, and some other items.

Saturday was a busy day.  We all woke up late.  We had some errands to run, which mostly revolved around finding a dress shirt for Evan for a wedding this coming weekend.  Burlington was a bust, so we went to Khol's which was a successful trip.  We went to Barnes and Nobels so Ev could look for some new books and to use up his gift certificates.  We had a snack in the cafe, and I stayed there while Jennie and Evan looked at books.  He wound up getting 7 new books.  We came home and had lunch.  Then we headed down to Hammonton to the olive oil store, as we were running low on some flavors.  They were having their Halloween/Fall Festival, but it was ending.  Evan fell asleep, so we were able to get some supplies, and then headed to the toy store there.  He woke up so he could look at the toys.  I told him he could get a small toy, so my goofball picked out a flamingo finger puppet, because "I want to make people laugh!"  I love his personality.  After Hammonton, we headed in the opposite direction to Mt Laurel to hit Costco for some groceries.  Then it was time to head home, have a light meal and pass out.

Sunday, it was smoke all the things.  I smoked a whole chicken, a rack of ribs, and 10 sweet italian sausages.  We had guests coming over for dinner.  Yes, all that for 4 adults.  I ran out to get bagles in the morning, because I was craving a good bagel.  I had to run to the hardware store a few times to get supplies for Evan's halloween costume.  I did some work on it after Jennie completed the painting and things wouldn't stay attached.  I also deconstructed my gorget as the rivits were all rusted out.  I'll hopefully be rebuilding it this week.

Last night for dinner, we ate all the meat and hung out.  It was a nice quiet afternoon/evening.  I got Evan to bed, and nealry fell asleep with him.  We watched one episode of Forged in Fire, and I was out.  I woke a few few times during the night, but it sure beet the perivious night's 90 minutes of sleep.

Today, I am working from home, trying to stay warm.  I made iy up and down the staits this morning without needing to use my cane.  Small victory, but one step forward.

10/19/18

Well the knee is still bothering me.  I'm very thankful to my boss who told me: I don't care if you work from home all the time, do what you need to do.  Last night, I work up and had to go to the bathroom.  I stood up, took a step, and went crashing down.  Thankfully I landed on the bed, and not on the floor or on the dresser. 

I miss fencing.  I was tempted to go to Bhakail this week, but I had things to do and by the time we finished dinner, I was done.  I have not touched my swords or gear since River War except to wash what can be washed. 

I commented on a friend's post that one must allow themselves to suck.  It it the only way to get better.  I am realizing with even sometihng simple like walking, that I can't get frustrated at what I can't do, I have to embrace it for the things I can do at this time, and know it will get better.  I don't have a clue how long it is going to take me to heal up so I can resume normal daily activities, not to mention athletic pursuits.  I do know when I start fencing again, not an if but a when, that I will have to relearn from the ground up.  Hopefully, all those years of drills will come in handy.

Self Care

So last week was interesting. 

I turned 45 on Friday.  Some days I don't feel older than 30, and some days I wonder how I made it this long.  I got an awesome Boba Fett painting from Jennie, and Evan wrote me a story and illustrated a book (Jennie wrote out the words he dictated).  We went out for lunch at a local restaurat, which we had been to before.  It was beautiful weather and we sat next to the open windows.  That evening, Jennie made chicken and pasta with a prosciutto spinach cream sauce.  It was delicious.  She also had asked me what kind of cake I would like, so I asked for a strawberry shortcake.  She and Evan made it together.  He even helped decorate it.  My cadet, Malcolm, Charitye, and TJ came over to help celebrate and eat cake.  TJ brought over some macarons which were delicious.
                                       
I woked from home the majority of the week.  I miss working from home and find I am actually much more efficient and successful when I am working from home.  I was able to keep my leg elevated.  On Tuesday when I was actually in the office, I was almost in tears from the walk from the garage to the office (all of 1 block).

Wednesday, I sent a form for a temporary handicapped parking tag to my doctor.  It was completed and returned to me on Thursday, so I dropped it off at the police station along with a check. Friday, they had it ready, so I picked it up after lunch.

The knee brace i ordered came in on Friday.  It would have been a great birthday present for myself, but it didn't fit and actually hurt.  My legs are wider I guess than comparable sized legs due to development from hockey, skiing, and fencing.  The sides of the frame were pinching down on the sides of my legs, rathen than the support cross member sitting on my thigh.  I wore it for a few hours, but it was getting more and more uncomfortable.  I got a return authorization and will be shipping it back and ordering a new one in a larger size today. 

Saturday, we were supposed to go apple picking with a few people, but we cancelled due to the weather.  We headed north and had lunch at our old local diner in Warren.  It was nice to see all the familiar faces and be warmly greeted and catch up.   We used to eat there at least once a week while living with my folks.  We then went over to Jennie's cousin's house for a family get together.  After eating there, we headed to our favorte sushi place to meet up with my parents to celebrate my birthday.  It was a lot of food. 

Sunday was somewhat of a lazy day, but looking back we did a bunch of things that needed doing.  We hit the hardware store for supplies for Evan's Halloween costume.  We hit Staples as I needed toner for my printer.  We hit Kohl's Off-Aisle, looking for a lunch bag for me. Then we took Evan to the local farm so he could get our some energy.  We took the hay-ride to the pumpkin patch and got a "HUGEST" pumpkin according to Evan.  We were tired, so I ordered a pizza for dinner.  After that, it was early to bed. 

Today, I am in the office.  Of course the meeting that I came in to attend in person was cancelled. 

We are heading to Disney World in a few weeks with my parents, so this morning, I reserved an electric scooter.  I'm stubborn and not happy that I won't be walking around, but I do realize that it won't be a good vacation for anyone if I'm in pain just getting out of the car.

Ortho follow up

Brace I ordered today

So i had my follow up visit with the orthopedist this afternoon.  It is neither a torn MCL (which is a slight tear, but nothing to worry about yet) or meniscus tear.  Instead, it is a really bad bone bruise.  Prognosis is good, its just going to take a while to heal.  I ordered a knee brace to give me some stability and hopefully its in before we leave for Disney World.

Figuring that I did the damage about 5 weeks ago, and the fact that I have not let it heal, since we didn't know what it was, he said I'm looking at another 4-6 weeks.  I was advised no running, jumping, squats, biking, etc and to limit my walking and activity, as any movement aggravates the bruise and since there is no place for the bruise to swell like muscle, it takes a LOT longer to heal.

Hopefully, this means I will be able to heal up, get in a few weeks of practice before K&Q Rapier in December.

MRI Results

The results of the MRI are not what either my primary care doctor or orthopedist suspected.  I will be calling the orthopedists office this morning when they open to schedule a follow up appointment so I can get a plan for treatment.  If treatment options are surgery or just physical therapy, I am going to opt to go the surgical route so that it will be stronger for the future. 

Hopefully I'll have more answers than questions soon.

MRI

Today was my MRI on my knee.  Thankfully I am feeling better and not coughing or sneezing as much as yesterday.  My orthopedist should have the results in a few days.  Then I'll know better where I stand and what the options are. Just in time for my 45th birthday.

Since we are going to Disney World at the beginning of November, I'm now looking at scooter rentals.

Doctor's Appointment

And then the witch doctor, He told me what to do
He told me:
Ooo eee, ooo ah ah ting tang, Walla walla, bang bang

The verdict on the knee is a severely torn meniscus.  They are sending me for an MRI to determine the extent of the damage. No fencing for now, rest as much as possible. Ice and Vitimin I as needed.  Surgery is likely.