Disruption!

It started soon after 10 AM when Mary, Alexis and Ethan arrived after an overnight flight from San Francisco to Boston, and then Jack's taxi to Lord's Point.  I noticed Mary yawning once in a while, but no signs of fatigue or jet lag from the kids.  Amazing!

Once here they headed straight to the beach.  I made it as far as the bench so I could at least watch what was going on - no swimming, just sand castles and forts.

Otherwise I've been quite content to sit with my leg up and watch the action - especially now that I have some new kitchen help!

Settling in for the long haul

Finally, I've put all my activities together in a routine of sorts:
- A little work (see earlier photo)
- A little reading - and sleeping  (see earlier photo)
- Some small chores (no photo)
- Lots of too-ing and fro-ing on my knee scooter (see  earlier photos)
- An outing to the grocery store (see earlier photo)

And today a special outing to Norwich to get my official label

And use it at McQuades:

Of course I can only do all of this with Jack's help (not just for taking photos

Now, how much of this routine can I preserve when Mary, Alexis and Ethan arrive tomorrow?

One week on

And feeling better than the last couple of days.
I'm maintaining a quasi-normal schedule - with many actions abbreviated, of course.



I'm taking time to smell the flowers

But maybe it's a bit early to start looking at new shoes ...

Reflection

I'm trying to be resigned to the long term. I've decided my issue is that the only thing I can do to be proactive for my own recovery is to lie passively with my leg elevated.  Hardly a task that I relish!  But I am trying to reconstruct it as actively helping my recovery ...


Here's a photo as a metaphor for my outlook.  
Wind 'N Go's green tarpaulin is hardly visible above the phragmites surrounding "the boatyard". I'm like that, just being here with covered leg while other things wave about me.

Enough already!  Tomorrow I will be reformed, eager to roll around the house doing small menial tasks and thankful to have no excuse but to put my attention to various scholarly matters that have been set aside for a while.

At least that's the plan!

Pity Party

When our children lived at home and one of them started whining about something, everyone would gather round to have a "pity party", muttering "pity, pity, pity" until the offender started to smile.

I'm in need of a pity party.

I am thoroughly fed up with my helpless condition. Why did I ever decide to have the surgery? I was living quite OK - I don't need to wear six inch heels or dance the polka, and I can restrain from jay walking.  Now I'm in a state of limbo "for ever."  It's only the sixth day and already I can't stand it any more. How can I survive for six weeks? What would happen if I started walking on my leg?  Could I do my PT exercises and be almost as good as new again?  What stops me from doing this? What would it take to do it?

Hmm, do I feel better?
Not really.

My adventure

This morning I ventured outside.  I hopped carefully out of the front door using the walker and concrete blocks Jack had placed on the upper steps to make them less steep.









Once on Charles Street I mounted my trusty knee scooter and took off -

Traveling down Open Way and back














Then to the corner of Charles and Ashworth to inspect the new wetlands drainage system.








I even tried a little fast scootering to be ready to keep up with Alexis and Ethan on their Razor scooters.

Once I had successfully renegotiated entry to the house, I collapsed on the couch and took a nap.

I need to get a life!

I'm tiring of watching the leaves rustle on the trees that I see through the window from my reclining position.  But I did have some new accomplishments today ...

I took a shower wearing a heavy plastic boot cover over my cast  - it fit tightly at the leg above the cast and had a small pump to expel all the air between the plastic and the cast.  See photo on Facebook. The shower felt great!


I set up my temporary office and had a Skype meeting with Diana (in CA) Steve (on Cape Cod) and John (somewhere around Hartford) about the paper we are writing together.
It's proceeding slowly. Very slowly.



I finished my first novel, And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini.  Quite complex - about family connections,  actions and ramifications across generations and continents.  Recommended.  (But I think I liked The Kite Runner the best of his three books). Now I've started Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks.  Quite differential.  It seems a bit sinful to be reading a novel in the morning, but, hey, what else am I going to do?  I haven't started watching DVDs yet.

And, best of all, I have only needed to take Tylenol for pain.

Tomorrow I will brave the outside world and scooter down to inspect the drainage work at the corner of Charles and Ashworth.

My world, my day

My meds

My view

I've been in La-La Land.  

The pain is less now, and I'm taking Tylenol. 

Hope to feel more alive tomorrow.

Day one - or is it two?

The good ...

Finding a reading position that is more comfortable than it looks.

Getting mobile - only inside for now, but anticipating taking part in the Tour de Mystic















The bad ....
My two nerve blocks wore off completely and the pain started to become intense.  I'd already started on The Drugs, but it took me a while to manage the doses and times of administration to cope with real pain.

And the ugly ...
I lost my balance and my injured foot hit the floor OUCH!!! 
After consultation with my caregiver, we decided the angle was such that no real harm had been done, and it was a good (albeit painful) reminder to take more care when navigating small spaces.

July 22 - Royal Baby AND .....

ACHILLES REATTCHMENT

6 AM Leaving the house

8AM  Waiting 

Jack's waiting area - with snacks!

and couches

AFTER SIGNING MY LIFE AWAY, 
I REMEMBER NOTHING

2PM

MORE WAITING WHILE A NARCOTICS  PRESCRIPTION  PROBLEM WAS RESOLVED

6PM Returning to the house  (Don't worry, my foot was not on the ground.)

8PM- After a good meal cooked by Jack

Yes, the surgery was successful, and no, I don't feel any pain-yet. (I had a nerve block and took some oxycodyn (sp?) as soon as I felt tingling in my toes.)

Another report tomorrow!

She's baaaaccccckkk!

After several days of indecision, I've DECIDED: This blog will chronicle my Achilles tendon reattachment and reattach me to my faithful followers.

I'm ready:
- My assistive devices are at the ready.

- Kitchen supplies and contents of fridge are filled to overflowing.
- I've photographed the contents of the library so I can send Jack upstairs to fetch books.

- Beds are made for a visit from Mary, Alexis and Ethan at the beginning of August.
- I have a stack of books to read over a foot high and a list of sedentary projects several pages long.
- Downstairs computing area has been established and active academic projects are segregated by bags.
- Hospital check-in time is set: 0730 on Monday 7/22 at 20 York Street, New Haven, CT.
- Five or six hours later I hope to be on my way back to Lord's Point.

- What have I forgotten?