Down to One Crutch!

I've been making tons of progress lately!  It's very exciting to see myself slowly getting closer and closer to being back to normal.  Thank you everyone who has been praying for my leg and recovery!  Please continue to do so as I am much improved, but still far from 100%.

Today I had my next INR test and was at 2.1.  I will get another test next Wednesday again and if it has kind of stabilized and remains within the 2-3 range then I won't get tested again for 2 weeks, and then if that one is good I'll get to wait for a month.  That's the goal... to get to a point where it remains fairly stable so that I only have to go in once a month to get it checked.  I would say that I am getting used to the finger pricks... only I'm not lol!  It's annoying, frustrating, embarrassing, and funny all at the same time.  I KNOW that the finger prick hardly hurts... I actually hardly even feel it. However, due to my crazy fear of needles and all, even knowing that it hardly hurts, I cannot help but freak out.  Today I thought I was going to break Sue's hand (mother-in-law, who sweetly lets me squeeze the life out of her hand as they prick me).  It's so silly!  I am able to clearly remember that last time (and all the times) it wasn't bad at all, and yet here I am again... on the table, freaking out, starting to breathe hard and sweat and panic.  Oh well.  I guess it makes me more embarrassed that I panic like that than anything else.  And fortunately nobody there is mean enough to let me feel bad.  They always tell me I did great and I get a fun Band-Aid lol on my bleeding finger.

I am glad to report that at least so far Physical Therapy hasn't been nearly as bad as I was dreading it would be!  I think I'd heard so many horrible stories from people that I was expecting them to practically break my knee to get it to budge if that's what it took... and well fortunately that's not what they are doing.  Yes it is sometimes painful, and it is almost always very difficult to do the exercises.  It's still surprising (and frustrating) to me to feel how difficult it is to do these motions that should be easy.  I often do the same thing with my other leg to feel and see the difference... and I'm always still a lot farther away from normal than I think I am once I actually compare my two legs. Nonetheless, I feel like I am making TONS of progress just since last Thursday! (Last Thursday when during my evaluation Angel gave me some exercises to start doing on my own and instructed me to start walking with the heel, toe, push movements all the time.)  My leg is WAY more flexible (yay!) and getting a lot stronger too.  I am down to one crutch! Whoop! When I get worn out I resort back to two, and I definitely need two to get up the three flights of stairs... but otherwise I am only using one crutch which is big progress.

So that's the update.  And I'm glad to say that besides the physical side of it all, I have been in a lot better moods about it all lately as well.  For a while there I had gotten really sad and depressed and frustrated.  I still do at times, but overall, I am feeling optimistic and excited about the progress I am making.  Thank you again everyone for your prayers and words of encouragement!  Please also don't forget to continue praying for my sweet husband with his stress load with work.