Saturday, January 31, 2015

Friday without PT but it's really Saturday AND boring

Friday was a no PT day but I still worked all morning long on things that should have been taken care of months ago. First, my wife left to take my G-daughter to school and then to help get everything ready for honor band......

Wait, it's Saturday, so what's going on today?

Nothing. My wife left early for her full day at SWLA Honor Band and I have been alone all day. Which sound like a cool day but it's not. I've washed two loads of towels, gone shopping for cat and dog food primarily, eaten a very small lunch, watched a Netflix film on my laptop, taken the dog out several times, checked my email on my phone and twiddled my thumbs. That's about it.

As I said, nothing special. When my wife does finally come home about 5ish she will not want to go out to eat. She'll say she is too tired.

So I will just sit around the rest of the night. Tomorrow we will head to church then come home and sit again. Basically, I can't wait till PT Monday.
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It's funny that no one every reads these things. I have a few followers but I don't think they even read this. Generally I could write whatever I wanted and no one would "tell".

Friday, January 30, 2015

Thursday PT, a sale, and other stuff

Thursday's PT  became more work and almost to much work before it was done with all new workout equipment they made me do. I went from "I know what to do" to "something totally unexpected". The day started with the sitting stair climber to a real box step up stair to the side-step slide to a arm stretch pulley routine to the stand up real stair climber to the exercycle. Today's routine was 45+ minutes of 'hard' work. It wasn't terrible but just different. My legs were tired for the first time in the last two months.

It felt great but not so great at the same time. All of this added to my normal bands pull also.

Then I got to go to the pool and do more workouts but when I went home I felt much better. Heck as I look back it was nice because I could  do all that. It was and hour and a half of tuff love but I did it - and was still smiling.

On a much friendlier note, I am throwing a sale on 70+ items in my TpT store. It is the stuff that has not been moving. It's good stuff, I know because I've used it and many of my teacher friends have 'stolen' it from me to use in their classrooms. It just has not sold here on TpT. I just figured I would give it one more try then take 'em down, re-work, and re-dress the worksheets and give them a whole new look. Want them cheap then check them out. There's 70+ of  235 items in stock.

Most of the ones on the left side are not on sale, least I don't think so.

My G-daughter spent the last night since her mom had to work an overnight doing inventory. Now she just has to get up for school today.

My day features my wife doing honor band stuff all day and me doing garage cleanout before trash comes, plus just hanging out on the computer.

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It's funny that no one every reads these things. I have a few followers but I don't think they even read this. Generally I could write whatever I wanted and no one would "tell".

Thursday, January 29, 2015

PT post .... are post PT

Seems like every time I go to PT ... which is three times a week ... they add a new thing for me to do. Yesterday it was a new "band stretching activity". Today it is a new stationary bike exercise. I know it is all meant to help me get better and to where I want to be. But it means less time in the warm pool each day.

I also know they are trying to get me more things in 'gravity' and not rely on the weightlessness of the pool, which I get....and I want. It means, every day I can look forward to less AND more. But I'm okay with it since I know the direction they have me headed in. I want to get there too.

Getting dressed each day to be able to go into the pool after my workout in the gym is a royal pain. And it is a pain to get dried off after the pool time too. I worry everyday because they have a sign in the bathroom to limit your change time to TEN MINUTES and I am always conscience of how long I take. I am taking less time now than three weeks ago but still longer than I think I should,

Around the house things are better. As they tell me...."Every step or movement is a tiny step - but every tiny step adds up to a big step". I can see it because my last 'major' step was getting out of the pool by myself. Climbing those steps out became a major 'leap'. I no longer needed any help. I walk around the pool to the bathroom to change - it's not perfect steps every day but I see the steps getting better.

If I look back to where I was, I know I'm better than I was. Am I perfect, am I ready to walk on my own, am I ready to run, am I ready to be back like I was 8 months ago - NO, but I am better each day.

As my own doctor said, she was worried that insurance might not want to pay for rehab but the flip side was going back to the hospital which was a lot more costly. My rehab bill for the first month was just over two thousand dollars and my part was $137. My three days in the hospital was over $30,000. Take your pick. Test in the hospital are not cheap.

PT this time is three months, which gives me lost of PT time to get better - and it is working - I can see it and feel it - in little tiny chunks.

I'll get there, it might take me a while but I will get there.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015

Praying, dog walking, and NON-BLIZZARD of 2015

Every night I go to bed thinking about what I used to do - walk around the block, work around the house, teach school - all before my leg "went bad" and I learned of my knee problems. I used to coach softball - 32 years worth and I still wish I could. There are things I want to do today. I pray each night to get back to where I was. Will it ever happen - who knows.

I refused to put my brace on this morning and I plan to go as long as possible today without it. PT has been helping each day and I can only hope today goes well.

My BP and BS are doing much better since I got my new meds. I slept very well last night - not getting up to go to bathroom every couple of hours. That was a plus.

I read the paper today and heard all the bad news about our state going bankrupt due to falling gas prices but it is their own dang fault. They are spending money they don't have and it is now hurting them. I can't spend money I don't have - my bank won't let me. The state SHOULD  be like its own people - stop when the money runs out.

Well, I have to take the dog out for him to go potty. Its the job I get stuck with since we decided to keep him for our grand-daughter. I would rather......I best not go there....I will just get into trouble....best go take him outside.

Okay. Walked outside in the NON-BLIZZARD of 2015 and enjoyed the med nice this morning. I checked the mail, tossed the junk-mail and put my flags out along the front porch. Will go back out and sit on the porch in the sunlight. The temps are nice and sort of warm.

Y'all have a nice day.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Weekend with G-daughter, plus messed up garage door opener and heater problem

The weekend started out fine and went downhill fairly fast.

Saturday started poorly when I messed up the garage door because I did not know my wife didn't pull her car completely in. Now I have to call them out to fix it. I'm in trouble big time.

As we started out we had plans to go to the livestock show so my G-daughter could see the goats, pigs, cows, etc. However they finished early and were gone by the time we got there from there we headed out to the country and picked Satsuma's and kumquats. My G-daughter then saw pecans on the ground and suddenly that became a big deal. She and her mom-maw began to pick them up and realized there was just too many of them. After about an hour it was time to head home.

From there we were off to my G-daughter's favorite eating spot. Mr. Gatti's pizza. she didn't eat a lot but she was pretty good then when off to play games - which is why she loves this place.

After we came home it was bath-time which meant a shower in our new HUGE  shower and off to bed.

Sunday was church time and my G-daughter was singing in the children's choir which went really well. Lunch began at a place she wanted to go but she wasn't hungry. At home she played well and watched her Pound Puppies on the I-pad. 

We went to supper at her dad's restaurant. Afterwards we came home and she was tired but she did not want to sleep in her own bed. She wanted Mom-maw  to sleep with her.

That's when I found out the heater wasn't working right. It's a new unit but the thermostat seemed to not be working. Now I have to call them out to fix it. I'm in trouble big time again.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Doctor and PT came off good

Yesterday PT went really well. They gave me some news things to work on such as the hand peddling bike - whatever it's called. Two minutes forward then two minutes backwards. Tiring but it was okay. The pool exercise were as normal but I worked while in the pool with two others. No problem.

The doctors appointment went really well. BP and BS counts were good plus I got set up for more PT orders. She increased one of my BP meds to two a day just to try to stabilize it a bit. As I got ready to go she wanted to see me walk and seemed very proud that I no longer "wobbled". She said I was stepping straight forward not slinging my left leg to the side first.

my computer life at TpT seems to be going very well. This month I'm up to $60 worth of sales. Not much to others but not bad for an old middle school guy. I take what I can get.

Got to get off here and go take my meds for the morning and get ready for the day.

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

What has been going on over the past - uh, I don't know how long....

It's funny I guess, just to know that I have been away for the past six plus months. Lots has happened to me, most of it not good but I am recovering from it all.

I have been hit with a mini-stroke and spent a few days in the hospital. I finally went to my doctor and she stressed that I needed to go see the knee doctor. He looked at my x-rays to told me my knee was "bone on bone" then he took x-rays of my hip and said I really should be hurting big time because it was "bone on bone" also. He then sent me to physical therapy which I was doing and getting better in little bitty increments.

Then I was hit with a bout of hypertension. That put me back in the ER  and on stronger meds. My doctor set me for some stronger meds at night.  Then she wanted me to chart my BP and BS each day.

At that point I went back to PT and realized that I was set back a little bit. Been in PT for a couple of weeks now getting back to where I was went this second item happened. All of this has kept me from subbing, working around the house the way I want to. But it is not stopping me from everything. Yes I do get out and "walk" our nearby Wal-Mart, I do get out and do some yard-work, I do still get some computer work done. Yes I do have PT three days a week and today I have PT plus a doctors appointment.

Would I like to be back where I used to be? Sure. But that's not going to happen anytime soon. I just need to learn, "take it one step at a time".

My BP and my BS levels are better. Yes I can still type on here - even if it is one handed for now, PT is partly in the gym and partly in the pool but it is all getting better - one step at a time.

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