A friendly reminder….

For two years now we have had a Christmas Eve Eve tradition of going to the casino just North of Topeka.  Last year we all lost money, but this year I made $300!!!!  I see a new pair of cowboy boots in my future… that or a new windshield.  Sometimes it sucks to be a responsible adult…. 

While I was sitting at a slot machine the woman next to me and I began chatting.  After we established that the creeper who kept coming to talk to her was NOT her spouse/boyfriend/friend and just a creeper in general we got a good laugh out of it.  We continued to chit chat and she asked me why I was on a crutch.  

SIDE BAR - I don't mind talking about it at all (heck, I BLOG about it), but the last couple of weeks have been trying, mainly because I should have been done with the crutch…. and well… I still have to use it to get around.  I'm not going to lie, I have been having some pretty big pity parties about it at home in the evenings the last few days.  

I explained to her what they did and she asked when I had it done.  I told her the beginning of October and that I was hoping to be walking by now, but things were just not progressing the way I thought that they should have been.  She told me she had surgery in September at KU Med as well, it was her 34th and final surgery…. she had part of her leg amputated.  She initially had gone in to have bunions removed and…. well, clearly something went wrong.  

She wasn't bitter about it, she wasn't angry about it and she was by no means looking for sympathy for it.  She had accepted it for what it was, and was going to make the most of what she has in life.  She shared pictures of her children with me and told me all about her husband, her kids and their animals.  She told Kevin and I about the adorable puppy that her husband brought home one day, and told us how she had trained him to be a service dog for her to help her get around in case she happened to fall or needed assistance.  Her outlook on life was so positive and yet so realistic.  

Driving home last night really made me think about a lot of things…. While I may still be on a crutch, and things may not be progressing as quickly as I would like for them to be, I still have so many things to be thankful for in life.  I knew that recovery was going to take an extended amount of time, I am not a super hero (although I like to think that I have super hero powers some days).  I really do need to get over this pity party and DO SOMETHING instead of feel sorry for myself!  

I read a quote a few years ago, it has always stuck in the back of my mind "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about…"  Isn't that the truth!

Kevin and I wish you and your families a Very Merry Christmas!  God's Blessings to all of you reading this!

Are We There Yet?

I'm sure I (along with many other kids) overwhelmed my parents with this question growing up, "Are we there yet?"  You see, patience has never been a strong suit of mine.  In fact, it's something I attempt to work on every day, but I tend to loose my patience in doing so.

That being said, the last 10 weeks have sucked.  I went back and read some of my blog posts earlier today, hoping to remind myself of how far I have come.   While I am allowed to be full weight bearing, let's be realistic, you don't just stand up and miraculously walk.  It's a process (what isn't) and it is a test of patience.  The thing with this is though, I have no choice but to wait it out and work on things.  I can get frustrated all day long, but at the end of the day, it's not going to change anything.

So here is the update.  I have nerve pain, this isn't just the small pinched nerve here or there, this is shoot up your leg, wake you up in the middle of the night nerve pain.  It comes on when you are least expecting it and in technical terms 'zaps and jolts' you.  I have honestly never experienced anything like this before (and I would be okay never experiencing it again).  It has been going on for about a week and a half now.  Today the nerves in my hamstring have been hard at it.  Since this is 'normal' I guess we are going to go with it for now.

Cross your fingers because I think we are going to be crutch fee in one week (I'm at one now, hoping to go to none soon!).

Stay tuned:)