Twenty Weeks and Counting

Thank you all who commented on my last post - and Sandy, thank you for sharing your experience and giving me some advice. I've had sort of a hit-or-miss couple of weeks.  My whole leg was in too much pain for my liking - but it was on the heels of aqua jogging and outdoor walking - maybe I am doing too much.  This past weekend had me up and about because my daughter's engagement party was Sunday (thank you thank you!) and I had so much shopping and preparing to do, running to and from stores, etc. 

At the party was my daughter's best friend who is the physical therapist and I told her about the pain and the swelling and she said to go ahead and call the doctor and move the appointment up a month.  However, when she took a look she said the swelling didn't look "that bad" so maybe I'll just wait.  I tried to take it easy today and am feeling better, but noticed when I am on my feet more than 15 or 20 minutes I can feel the swelling immediately and it becomes uncomfortable.  ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know whether looking at my recovery in terms of weeks makes it seem shorter or longer.  Which sounds longer or shorter: 20 weeks or 5 months.  FIVE MONTHS??? OMG - yesterday was only 4 months.  Anyway what my daughter's friend did suggest is that I not do any vigorous exercise until I do see the doctor.  That doesn't mean I'm off the hook - just maybe aqua jogging for 40 minutes might be out of the question... perhaps 20 will do...  or maybe cut back to a mile instead of 1 1/2 miles for the walking. 

This reminds me of my early journal entries where I was trying to figure out medication.  How much was just enough to stay ahead of the pain... but how would I really know what the right amount would be if I didn't experiment just once taking less and seeing if I landed up in pain.  But by then it was too late and I couldn't catch up to being pain-free again.  This whole recovery is such a juggling act!  

I'm so glad that I understood going in that the recovery would be a full year - if I'm lucky.  It's just that the reality of it is such a different matter.

My husband and son have come home safely from Lebanon (they arrived Friday night), and my father-in-law is doing well.  There was no permanent damage from the stroke but he's very tired from all the medication he's on and just the general tiredness from what his body went through.  So between their safe arrival on Friday and my daughter's joyous engagement party on Sunday and a weekend spent with our best friends from Brooklyn, I can say the cloud has been lifted even though it's not all peachy.

Thanks again for all your well wishes.
Miriam