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.  

Heel, toe, push... repeat.

Today I had my first Physical Therapy session.  Well, actually it wasn't a first "real" session (that'll be Monday, which I am still nervous for), it was more of an intro, paperwork, and evaluation day.  But nonetheless, I'm on the road to recovery with PT.  I'm working with a lady named Angel... who right up until the very end of the evaluation, seemed 100% indifferent about the pain she was causing.  I don't much like her yet, although it's nothing personal.  She did all sorts of stuff, and had me try to do all sorts of stuff, to my leg in trying to evaluate where I'm at.  Today she showed me and had me try several different exercises that I am now suppose to do at home everyday.  Also, she showed me and had me start practicing walking more normally (or as close as I can get right now) with my right leg.  So now whenever I am up and walking/moving around with the crutches, I have to practice moving my leg as normally as possible and focusing on my foot going through the correct movements of placing down my heel, then moving to my toes, and then pushing off my toes.  Hence, 'heel, toe, push'.  If you're walking next to me any time soon, you may hear me mumbling those words under my breath as I try to focus on correcting these movements with my step.  I'm simultaneously suppose to try and put as much pressure/weight on my foot/leg during each step as I can with the motions.  It's weird having to focus so hard on just trying to take a correct step.  And it's annoying!  Seriously.  I am now the slowest person walking ever.  If you thought I was slow before with the crutches (which I was anyways), you can now triple that slow speed as I have to walk with all this focus and practice.  I know it's for the best... that just doesn't change the fact that it's annoying lol.  So.  That's basically my update for now.  Oh I also had another INR test yesterday and was high (4.0) so this week my dosage is lower to try and bring my level back down.  I don't know how many people care about my weekly (hopefully soon it'll only be monthly) INR report... but this is my (our, although let's face it, Cody does not take much part in this-and that's okay) blog, and so I feel like I can share if I want to!

Now, onto the topic of teaching and school.  I won't share too much except to say that Cody is really, really struggling right now.  He is ridiculously stressed with everything with school and just completely overwhelmed feeling.  Please be praying for him.  Pray for relief from stress, strength to make it through each week, and the efficiency and organizational skills to be able to get prepared each day as quickly/easily as possible.  (And of course anything else you feel like throwing into your prayer.)  Fortunately Thanksgiving isn't that far off... so we are counting down the weeks for that much needed break.  Thank you all for your prayers.

Tomorrow morning we start the looong drive to Longview for Cody's friend, Stuart's, wedding.  We're hoping I can handle that long of a time in the car okay with my leg.  I guess I'll have to; I don't really want to stay home all weekend without my husband.  We're excited for the weekend and the wedding!  I hope I don't look too ridiculous in my dress and shoes with my crutches still!  Cody has already stated that I will be the worst dance partner ever at this wedding.  (Not that I have ever been a great dance partner... I'm more of a "I only dance by myself at home when nobody can see me" type of person. Oh well.) 

I'll share about how the wedding weekend goes sometime next week probably.  Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Picture of Community

Christ calls us as believers to live in community with one another.  This isn’t a new realization to me; however, I will say that I’m still learning, and haven’t always had a clear idea what that might really look like.  This weekend though I saw and experienced a beautiful picture of what this community is suppose to look like, and I just have to share.

Last week I had a friend come to hang out and visit (and introduce me to her new baby boy since I hadn’t been able to meet him yet) and her visit was exactly what I needed.  I had reached a point of being beyond frustrated that I’m still on crutches and stuck in the apartment and not suppose to move much and unable to do simple things easily.  Having her stop by to hang out and talk was a breath of fresh air that I truly needed.  Her visit in itself was wonderful.  Before she left she asked what she could do to help out (our apartment had gotten really messy and dirty… due to me unable to tidy up and Cody being super stressed and coming home late almost every day lately) and I didn’t want her to have to do anything because I didn’t want to be a bother and I was embarrassed by our apartment.  I tried to think of some quick easy little things she could do in the study where we had been visiting. (We had managed to thankfully keep that room and the guest bathroom decent enough.)  She did those few things, went to the restroom, and I was expecting her to be about to leave, when she stuck her head back in the door and asked if we were good enough friends that I wouldn’t get mad if she just went into the living room and tried to pick up a bit for us.  While I was still embarrassed by how our home was, I said yes and she shut the door to our study and went and picked up a bit.  Before she left she asked if her and her husband could bring us dinner or do anything to help over the weekend, and after telling her that actually we’d be gone (Cody to Austin for his race and me to my parents since it wouldn’t have been a good idea for me to stay alone) she asked for a key to our apartment to come and tidy up while we would be gone.

We came home late Sunday evening to our apartment picked up, tidy, and clean.  Her and another friend came and took out our trash, organized, did the dishes and our laundry.  Our home was the nicest it’s been since before we found the blood clot. 

I just wanted to share because I honestly felt like it was a wonderful picture of us living in community.  We didn’t ask them to do anything.  She asked if they could and genuinely wanted to help because she saw an opportunity to do so.  Actually when she asked for our key and explained what she wanted to do, I was really hesitant.  I mean, it was our mess, our home, nobody else should have to bother with it, and I was still embarrassed by it.  She said to me that this is the type of thing community should do for each other and that she honestly wanted to help.  And she was right, that’s exactly what it was -a picture of community. 

We are extremely grateful to our friends for their help, and for giving us a glimpse into what living in community really looks like. 

Little At a Time

Two days ago (this past Wednesday) I had my second INR test and I was at 2.8! Yay! -That's good news, it's within the range I need to be.  My doctor was out of town and I had several questions for the nurse (like I usually do).  She said that I need to come back in a week, next Wednesday, to test again and make sure it's staying consistent.  At that point, she said we would set up physical therapy.  I was a little torn... I had hoped to start PT sooner because I am SO ready to get back to walking again, however I was also a little relieved as that would mean I had more time on my own to try and slowly stretch and move and try to 'get ready' for PT ... at least those are my thoughts.  Also, I've started hearing horrible stories of PT not being so nice and gentle and fun.  It kind of sounds really painful and very un-fun.  So.  I told Cody I am perfectly okay with my toes not curling all the way.  I mean seriously, when do you ever NEED to curl your toes 100%?  You just don't need to.  It's not important.  Therefore, my toes are great just as they are currently.  He said that was not okay and proceeded to try and explain mountain climbing scenarios where I might need full capacity of my toes.  But really, does anybody reading this ever see me climbing a mountain?? I guess I understand more about my knee.  I do want to walk normally again.  I've just realized PT might totally stink because I'm a HUGE baby when it comes to pain.

Off of all that, a nurse from the doctor's office called yesterday and told me that she'd gotten a hold of my doctor and he said he wants to start me on PT sooner than waiting until after my next testing.  So, she said I should be expecting a call from some place and they will fill me in.  I'm guessing that means I'll be starting sometime at the beginning of next week.  I'm getting nervous about it.  I am doing a lot of small movements and trying to stretch my leg slowly and carefully on my own, and I am seeing small improvements as I go.  I've been doing my foot/ankle movements for about a week now, and within that time my foot/ankle has improved a lot.  I just started doing my knee/leg though yesterday after I got the okay on Wednesday to start trying.  So I guess I shouldn't expect too much too quickly.  I don't know... I've never done this before.

This weekend Cody is doing is second Oyster Race in Austin with his friends.  He'll be leaving quickly after school, coming home to pack, pick me up, and leave asap.  He'll be dropping me off at my parents this weekend so I'm not alone (since I'm still pretty much useless) and on his way.  It's also his friend Stu's bachelor party weekend sort of in combination with the race.  Cody has been incredibly stressed lately with school (I'm sure coming home to me being useless hasn't helped matters much) and I'm hoping and praying this weekend helps him relax and de-stress.  Good luck, Loves!

Guess that's it for now!
 

Please Someone Get Me Out of Bed!

I am getting so frustrated and tired and being stuck!  It has almost been a month since the HEB accident ... (it'll be a month on Wednesday).  I got my last shot (thank you Lord) yesterday and continue to take the Warfarin medicine -and will for 9-12 months apparently.  I got my blood tested on Thursday and my INR level was 1.8, almost there but not quite.  I need to be between 2 and 3.  After my shot yesterday I asked if we now assume after this next/last shot and after yesterday's pill that I'm at the 2.0 level and if I can start moving/working my leg.  I was really, really, really expecting and hoping the answer to be yes, and sadly it wasn't.  They said I had to wait until next Wednesday when we retest my blood, for now I still have to not move my leg much and still have to keep it elevated. Ugh! I am SO ready to be out of bed and off the couch! I wanted to just go with Cody on a quick trip to Target.. and I would have stayed in the car even! And he wouldn't let me lol. I understand, but I've reached the beyond frustrated point. I am suppose to be moving/working my foot/ankle, and I have been, just not my knee/or leg as a whole.  It's sort of weird, I hadn't realized how weak my muscles had gotten I guess.  It's really an effort to get my foot to do what I want it to do... but every time I work with it, it gets easier the next time.  I practice writing the alphabet with my foot and writing out sentences people ask me sometimes.  It's funny getting excited that I can flex my foot and squeeze my toes.  Also I'm excited the pain in my leg is finally dwindling.  It's not totally gone still.  But initially when this new pain (from the blood clot, just we didn't know it at the time) started last Saturday it was SO bad that it hurt to barely move my leg. Any pressure on it -even a blanket- hurt. And the pain was the same whether I was sitting, standing with my crutches, or laying down.  Thankfully finally it's gotten better. It doesn't hurt laying down or sitting with my foot elevated on a pillow.  It only still hurts some -and thankfully not nearly as badly- only when I get up and am up for a bit.  So it's getting better!  Besides being ready to be up and about, I'm also very ready to be pain free in my leg!

Anyways.  I think that's about it on the update.  Last shot yesterday.  I'll be taking Warfarin for quite a while... and hopefully after getting tested again next Wednesday I will start physical therapy and be on my way back to walking normally again!  I am very excited for next Wednesday when I should get that news officially.  Thank you everyone for your thoughts and prayers.  Please continue to pray for my leg to fully heal and my blood levels to get to where they're suppose to be. Happy Saturday!

Blood Clot

Yesterday was three weeks from the day of the HEB Incident/accident. Starting last Saturday during the afternoon, I began having a new pain in my leg. My calf and foot/ankle started hurting out of nowhere with a really intense pressure, bad enough for me to take Vicodin again (which didn't even help by the way, just made me sick on top of the pain). I had an appointment with my doctor scheduled for this morning and I figured I'd talk to him then about it, especially since I had JUST seen his last Thursday. My dad was at the doctor's office yesterday with my younger brother and our doctor just asked how I was doing, and my dad told him about this new pain. Since the MRI results showed everything was okay, he thought it must be a blood clot and sent us immediately to the ER in New Braunfels. They did an ultrasound test and found a clot behind my knee. I was getting mentally prepared for one shot just in my arm (shots are a HUGE HUGE fear of mine. i get upset like you wouldn't believe when they are just even mentioned.) and thought I could handle the one shot, when the doctor comes in and says actually it'll be a series of shots (I start crying) that I have to administer to myself (crying turned into bawling) and they're in my stomach (I seriously lost it completely.). I knew it wasn't an option and I knew how important they were, but it didn't change how freaked out I was. I think I was upset for a solid two hours. Anyways...

Today I had an appointment with my doctor again and due to my inability to handle shots, he said that my dad could drive me in (fortunately the office is not even 10 minutes from their house) every afternoon for a nurse to administer it, and instead of it being twice a day, he adjusted the dosage to be once a day. So that was at least some good news. We had to wait for the prescriptions to be filled (I'll also be taking a pill for several months it sounds like -the pills are to prevent new/future clots and the shots are to dissolve the current one.) and will be going back around 4 to get my shot for today and will continue to go back everyday this week. On Thursday I'll get my blood retested to see if I need to continue the shots or if I'm okay.

So. That's the latest update with my injury and healing process. Please pray for the clot to not move until it's small and safe AND please pray for me to be able to handle these shots each day. I know that's probably silly, but it is seriously an uncontrollable fear of mine. Thanks everyone for caring!

HEB Incident

So, I think that most people know what happened a few weeks ago… but for those that don’t –or those who don’t know exactly what happened- I thought it was about time I shared.

A little over two weeks ago on the 13th I went to HEB… you know, for groceries, it was a normal morning activity. I parked where I always park if it’s available… right next to the shopping cart corral, because it annoys me to walk far to put my cart away. Anyways. Back in the parking lot after shopping I was loading my groceries into my car in the back passenger seat on the driver’s side with myself wedged between my car and the corral. I just put in a pack of Dr. B’s (cheap version of Dr. Pepper) and was reaching around to grab my next bag from my cart when I heard a really loud screech noise and I turned my head and just remember seeing crazy fast movement coming my direction. The next thing I know I’m behind my car and in the parking lot aisle with people running up to me and some lady yelling all panicked at me to stop trying to get up.

After that I realized what happened. Some old guy must have hit the gas instead of the brakes and came from across the other aisle –extremely fast I might add- and ran into the cart corral, which in turn hit me. So I was not directly hit by the car; however, Cody says I basically was and he pretty much is telling people that I was. The corral was pushed quite a ways across the aisle and flipped around (uphill I might add, told you the guy had a lot of speed going) and somehow managed to hit me without even barely scratching my car. I don’t remember being hit and I don’t remember landing or how I landed or trying to get up initially. One lady was also out at her car at the time and saw the whole thing and she said that it hit me and threw me in the air a bit –which I guess explains why I ended up behind my car and in the aisle.

People starting rushing around and gathering around me and all I noticed was my leg throbbing. I remember looking at it and running my hand over this HUGE dent-like-thing across my leg above my knee. I literally ran my hand over it and felt my fingers dip into the dent and back up. It was weird. That must have been immediately after it happened because not long after once EMS arrived the dent was gone and there was already a massive bruise forming. They were initially worried I’d hit my head because one of the guys there said I was really incoherent at first for a while and said I either passed out or almost did. I do remember at one point this guy was talking to me and asked where I was hurting and told me EMS was on the way, and I (for whatever stupid reason –I’m blaming shock I guess) was really confused and thought I could just drive home and forget about this for the day. I kept saying I was fine and wanted to go home and I remember trying to stand up, and I got up (with help), and this lady had gathered my cart and purse and groceries that had all gone flying, and I tried to hold onto the cart, and then everyone around me talking started to sound really distant and muffled and my vision went all white and I couldn’t see anything and could hardly hear anyone and then I couldn’t stand and I felt like I was falling. I guess that was either the point where I did –or almost did- pass out. I’m pretty sure the guy helped me lay back down and soon EMS was there. They kept insisting I go in the ambulance to the ER and I kept saying I was fine. I was really stubborn. Finally they told me they couldn’t force me to go to the hospital but that they were not going to let me drive home and so I had to call someone. I called the high school and Cody came out and he decided that we should go to the ER and so he took me. They did tons of X-Rays, nothing was broken thankfully. I was just really bruised, sore, and stiff. And I couldn’t put any pressure on my leg without yelling and bawling.

After about 8 or 9 hours in the ER we were able to leave. I left with crutches, pain medicine, and meds for the swelling. (I think the worst part of the ER trip was the IV they had to insert… if you know me, you know needles are my WORST fear. I told them I was fine and wanted to go home when they said they wanted to do an IV. But, that’s a separate long story in itself lol.) Now, to try and be more brief, the following Friday I had a follow-up appointment with our family doctor and I currently have an appointment for tomorrow as well. A little over two weeks later and I’m STILL on the dang crutches. They are getting very annoying. I think I’m close to being off of them though. The swelling in my knee/leg is gone but my ankle/foot is still a little swollen. My foot, calf, and leg are still bruised and sore but getting much better. I can move my leg more but still can’t straighten it all the way and I’m slowly building up being able to put more pressure on it and take a few hobble-steps without the crutches. My back still is sore if I sit too long or stand/move-around on my crutches too long or bend over to pick something up. But again, it’s much better. Since the accident though I’ve pretty much been stuck in the apartment (mostly on the couch). The stairs still kill me and I still can’t try to drive. I actually just called my doctor to set up another follow-up for next week, but while I was on the phone I asked the lady if she happened to know if it was anything to be concerned about that my (bad) leg gets really cold sometimes. Sometimes it’s just slightly cooler than my other leg, but sometimes it feels like ice. She said she’d ask and call back, and when she called back she said my doctor wanted me to come in tomorrow. So that’s the new plan. I guess that means the coldness might be of concern! We’ll see tomorrow I guess.

Anyways! Thank you everyone for thoughts and prayers. Please continue to pray for my leg to fully heal quickly so I can get off the crutches and be able to walk, run, jump … whatever… sooner rather than later. Also for my back that is still sore sometimes, however my leg is the main issue. And sorry this got so long! I guess I’m not good at sharing a brief recap. Hope everyone’s having a lovely Wednesday!

PS - While yes I was super bruised and stiff and sore (and on crutches), I want to say that I was also extremely blessed and protected. It could have been worse in a hundred different ways. I was very blessed it wasn't anything worse than it was because it very easily could have been.