Lesli's Live Long and Strong WISH Journal

[Jane E.]

Welcome back!!! Its great that you're at home & out of the nursing home. Congrats on your quick progress.

 

[Lesli54]

Yesterday was a pretty good day! I stood on my left leg for 50 seconds. Not bad for not having stood since I left the nursing home. But I have been exercising my leg in many other ways.

The right hand is getting alot more use and I am currently typing with 2 hands! I have also gained back the ability to write with the right again. Things are moving a little more quickly now. The right shoulder seems to be doing really well and I am gaining more movement out of the right arm in general every day. Hopefully, next week the dr will tell me I can start putting some weight on it.

The right leg is still mending. I have little to no pain right now. Tons of the swelling has gone down and I am able to manuveur it better. I am hoping the dr says I can put a little weight on it for balance next week.

Very slowly, I am getting caught up at home. I thank God that my mom is here to help us with the new store. She has tons of merchandising experience so she has been able to keep the store looking fresh since I am not there to make many of the decisions.

I still cannot express how great it is to be home and how quickly things are moving (time and progress). Some days I feel like a huge burden on my family and I cannot imagine what they are going through to take care of me. But at the same time, they can't imagine all that it takes for me to do some "simple" tasks and they are thrilled each day with the amount of progress I am making. I am just grateful that my family is willing to work with me so much. It is because of them that I am getting stronger, in home physical therapists are a joke around here.

Time to get going, much to do. Have a wonderful day!

 

[pearlieq]

Lesli! It's so great to see you again!

I'm so happy for you. It sounds like things are going well and that you're making amazing progress. Being home always seems to make a huge difference.

I've been worried about your store--I'm so glad your mom has been able to step in and run things. What a blessing! I'm glad your family has been rallying around you, though I wouldn't expect any less of them. They love you so much and you all are so close and connected I couldn't imagine it any other way. You married a good man and your raised your children right--you will all do just fine in pulling together and getting through this.

I hope you have a wonderful, productive day today! Isn't it great that springs seems to finally be here?

 

[pearlieq]

Just stopping by to say hi and that I'm thinking about you.

I hope you have a wonderful day today. Sending lots of your way!

 

[goldcupmom]

I've been thinking about you and praying for you & yours.

I'm glad to see that you are making progress. It's an uphill battle, but you can do it and despite the 'burden' you think you are on your family, this is a growing time for them as well.

Hope you have a good week next week and get good news from the Dr.

 

[Lesli54]

It's me again.

News from the leg doc..... the left leg is just about healed and I can bear full weight on it. The right leg has had so much bone growth in the last few months that a knee replacement is definitely on the back burner for a few years or so probably. He is allowing me to take the brace off during resting periods. Thank God. 24/7 was driving me nuts. I can do to touch weight bearing on that leg now, just for balance but not bear alot of weight. Also he ordered physical therapy on an out patient basis. Good-bye home health!

News from the arm doc...... the right shoulder is pretty much healed. He expects that I will lose some range of motion, but be functional. So most daily tasks, but not straight above my head. (Ready to prove him wrong). One of the bones in the forearm is almost healed and the other has had alot of bone growth, but still has more to go. He does not foresee that I will need a bone graft, but if I did eventually, he would put it off as long as possible. I am allowed to use my arm and shoulder to whatever extent I can handle.

So........I hugged my family with two arms later that day, which was great. The next day, I braided my daughter's hair. The little things that feel more normal are the joys of day to day life right now.

Unfortunately, my occupational therapist is the same person that visited me at home. We will see what she does. If I am not pleased, then I will ask for a more agressive therapist.

Fortunately, I have the "Exercise Nazi" as my physical therapist. That's what they call him and he is great! I guess I am the only person who wants to see him 3 days a week, but they have yet to see how determined I am. He said he didn't want any "wimpy namby pamby crying girl". I told him not to worry. He pushes the limit and is considered an agressive therapist. Things can get uncomfortable and a bit of pain due to muscle strecthing, but not bad to the point that I can't handle it. But then nothing can compare to the pain I have already endured.

The great news is that since I went to see my PT on Tues, I have made tons of progress. I could not bend my right knee much and definitely couldn't lift the leg. Now, I can get my knee bent to 65 degrees (quite alot after so long) and I today, I lifted the leg without help. Wed he had me on crutches and I stood for about 3 minutes! Got stuck on the crutches trying to sit down, but that is another story. Today, I was able to pull myself to a standing position (on one foot) 2 times before going to PT! During PT, I did it 3 times with the last one being the best stand yet, nice and tall. Then later this evening, I did it again. Not great, from being tired, but that is 6 times today, something, I couldn't do before!

Leaps and bounds, I tell you! It is alot of hard work and it is something that a person cannot truly fathom unless the have to go through it. I say that because I can recall not understanding fully the amount of work it takes people to relearn walking and just by talking to my family. They say that there are many times that they want to say "just stand" and sometimes they think that if they show me what to do, then I can just do it. But I have taught them that it isn't that easy (which they know), but I try to draw analogies around he amount of effort it takes to do "simple" things so that they can understand what it takes for me to do them.

Things are much better and they progress daily. My mood stays up and my spirits are high. I am starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

OH! My leg doc said that if I continue to improve so well, then maybe he will tell me I can begin to walk when I go see him in a few weeks!

Pain? For the most part now. Just stretched muscles, similar to working out. The hardest part is the effort that you have to put forth, but it is very much worth it.

I will try to check back soon. Everyone take care.

 

[AmyBeth68]

Leslie, Just read through your journal . You really are a hero and living STRONG!!! I want you to know you will be in my thoughts as you continue to get stronger each day. Keep up the amazing work you are doing. Best wishes!!!! (((HUGS)))

 

[Lesli54]

Thanks for stopping by Amy.

Just popped in for some updating. I really wish I had time to write more often. I really do miss you guys. But getting stronger and trying to keep up with BASICS is taking all of my time and energy.

At any rate. I AM WALKING! with crutches, but still it is walking. The Dr said that the left leg is healed and the right has done so much bone growing that he is pretty sure I won't need a knee replacement. That is great considering that they removed 3 inches of bone. So now I can put weight on my right leg as tolerated and for the most part, I am tolerating it rather well. The day after the news, the therapist had me climbing stairs. He is tough, but I wouldn't have it any other way. As soon as I can get up and down the stairs in about a minute, then I can stay in the upper portion of my house. YEAH! My life is returning.

Saw the arm dr. yesterday. He says the shoulder has healed nicely, as well as the outer bone of the right forearm. The inner bone still has some bone growing to do if I don't want a bone graft, but he seems to think that will eventually happen. But I am allowed to be aggressive in regaining my motion in that arm and shoulder.

For the most part recovery is ahead of schedule and that is fine by me.

Mentally? I am going insane. The better I get, the less the family is doing and more falls to my mom or me. I am so far behind in all of my work for business that it isn't even funny. DH just figures, I will eventually get it done. I don't know when since I am already missing deadlines. All other aspects of my life has gone on hold, but I would like to catch up with business.

This has definitely left me with much time to think about how I plan to make things a bit more simpler. Running for everyone and doing everything is for the birds.

Oh well. Time to go, I will try to post again soon.

 

[goldcupmom]

Lesli, I'm SO thankful you are progressing well. I'm still praying.

Keep taking it one day at a time, take time to 'stop & smell the roses' (or braid the hair). You are doing wonderful!!

As for the Exercise 'nazi' - AWESOME!!! Sometimes, that's just what we need in a PT.

Glad you checked in....Still praying for you all!

 

[Lesli54]

Well today is my first day home alone. It feels great, almost as if I am getting away with something.

My therapist allowed me to go upstairs and sleep in my own bed last night. As well as telling my family that I was now independent enough and stable enough (no more wobbling) to be alone. Everyone was so thrilled! Now maybe we will all be able to get a little more accomplished in terms of catching up.

So, I stepped on the scale this morning and I am at 195 with clothes, heavy tennis shoes, and a brace on my leg. I am figuring that probably actually puts me at closer to 192-193, which really is less than when I left and almost back down to my ticker number. Pretty cool.

Not that losing weight is my sole goal at the moment, but I was beginning to fear that I was gaining alot back and would have a long haul ahead of me. 3 months of mainly sitting does terrible things to muscle tone and you really look alot fatter. On the plus side, now that I am walking more, I am rebuilding more muscle so I will better be able to burn off what I eat. I thank God that I had lost so much weight before the accident. An extra 30 lbs would have made getting back on my feet that much harder.

Mentally, I am trying to take things in stride and not worry too much about how far behind I am with work and other misc things. If I do just a little each day, I am making some progress even if slow. It is hard to deal with at times, but the largest part of my focus is to regain all of my functioning as much as possible.

This has made me rethink about a lot of things and begin to decipher the importance of various things. I will definitely be looking to simplify my life a little more and that will mean stepping aside from various activities. It's a good thing, because I have been getting to the point where I was running so much and not having time with family or to do some things that I wanted to do. Sometimes, living long and strong means stopping for a few minutes to smell the roses.

I better get going now. I will try to sneak back a little more often.

 

[Lesli54]

Wow! I can't believe it is June already.

Things are going well with therapy. I am getting more range of motion everyday in the arm, shoulder, and knee. My problem is devoting enough time to exercise once I get home. There are so many exercises that I am supposed to do at home to aid in my recovery. Don't get me wrong, I am doing some, but not as much as I am supposed to. So here I am, reminding myself that I have a journal that is about getting STRONGER as well as living long.

I just signed up for the June exercise challenge, hoping that a new challenge will help keep me going. If I can try to dedicate as many hours at home to my exercise as I do in therapy then maybe we will see some results even quicker. At this point anything is worth a try.

My other goal is to get back to drinking more water. I am really lacking in that dept and it is driving me nuts. So I will begin with 50-60 oz a day.

All with that I am going to try to incorporate more fresh foods. With everything being off kilter around here it has been hard to concentrate on what we should be eating.

My overall goal is NOT to lose weight (although that would be ok if it is a "side effect"), but more importantly my goal is to get STRONGER.

I will try to check back in a day or two. Everyone have a wonderful day.

 

[goldcupmom]

Congrats on the progress, Lesli!

Your body is getting stronger, but so is your family and everything about you!!

Hang in there and take good care of yourself.

Have a great rest of the week!

DO NOT OVERDO!!!!

 

[goldcupmom]

I hope things are still continuing to progress, Lesli. I've been thinking about you. Have a great week this week! And don't overdo!!

 

[Lesli54]

Thanks for stopping by Julie. I catch a glimpse of your journal every once in a while but don't have time to write and keep up. Still thinking of you and my other DIS friends here.

So the new news is........They took the leg brace off completely (right leg) a few weeks ago. It is doing pretty good, all things considering. The dr was surprised with the range of motion that I already have in that knee but does not expect more. The therapist and I think we can get more so that functioning day to day is easier. Right now we can get it bent to 75 degrees and we are hoping for a minimum of 90. One step at a time, day by day. But now without the brace we are working on more leg strengthening so that I can walk with more stability. The best news came yesterday when my therapist said I can officially go down to 1 crutch!.......and when I am at home, I can practice with no crutches!

As for the shoulder, we are already surpassing what that dr said I would gain for range of motion. He said I would never again reach straight over my head and I am already gettting real close!

The most frustrating part of everything is the lack of energy and strength. I am now going through motions that I did before, but I don't have the strength to sustain them. It does get better day by day, but the process is so much longer than the mind can originally concieve.

At any rate, I am gaining my independence back and getting more into the daily routine that I am used to. That alone is an energy boost.

Just wanted to check in and let everyone know how things are going. Take care and have a good day!

 

[pearlieq]

Lesli!

I haven't been around the WISH boards much, so I had no idea you were posting updates! I'm so impressed by your spirit and all of the progress you've made! You're doing great!

I hope things have been good for you in the last month and you've been able to do more of the things you've wanted to.

Drop by if you get a chance and let us know how you are. I've missed you very much and you've been in my thoughts very often in the last several months.

Take care of yourself!

 

[Lesli54]

Went to PT yesterday and I was able to get my right knee bent to 79 degrees! We are hoping to get to at least 90. I think we can do it although, it sure hurts like heck when my PT is working on it. Oh well, still better than all I have gone through and temporary.

If my walking is still improving, I may be able to get rid of the crutch altogether while at home! The walking isn't great, but it is still walking and I will take what I can get. Building up the muscles again will greatly improve the walking thoug as well as the bending of the knee. It just amazes me how long this takes.

I go see the arm dr. in about a week. There is still so much being gained in that area as well and it feels good to subconciously do things with your arm (like stretching in the morning after waking up) and then realize that you did it.

My energy is returning and I don't "require" a nap every day, although, I still should probably take one since by the days end, I am really dragging. But for now it tells me that I am getting stronger. My mind is also cleared up alot since I am not relying on the pain pills and other meds they had me on. I really hate feeling like you are in a bit of a fog.

I started doing a little bit of the meal preparations. Slowly but surely, I am getting caught up on my bookwork. It feels good to be doing some normal things.

The other great thing is reading a book or doing a puzzle. I haven't done those things in so long it isn't funny. This whole experience has given me a chance to slow down and reevaluate things. I have made some decisions to back out of a few things, but I still need to work on what I really want to pursue as extra activities and how that will affect my time with my family. For now, I am enjoying being with the family so much. I even watched a few movies with the family!

Slowly, but surely, I am beginning to get back on a better regimen for eating, but I am not getting in all of my water. Part of that I think is the fact that i am slowed down physically and it used to take alot to get up and get to the bathroom, so drinking more water seemed like a cruel thing to do to myself.

Anyway, I am still working on getting back my strength and getting back to a more fit me.

Thanks for stopping by Pearlieq! I have missed you so much as well. Maybe you need to take a side trip out this way?

Talk to everyone later!

 

[pearlieq]

It sounds like you're working incredibly hard and making a lot of great progress. Good for you!

It's got to be nice to get back into the routine of things. I can see that you're really looking for meaning and growth in this whole experience, which is really productive and healthy. I always knew you were a strong woman, but you've amazed me with the depths to which you've been able to reach in order to draw strength. Be very proud of yourself!

Looking forward to seeing more of you these days! And yes, a field trip is definitley in order!

Have a great day!

 

[Lesli54]

It's me again. I've been doing alot of thinking in terms of my health and I thought the first thing I need to do is jump back in here and start being accountable again.

Yesterday's eating was better than it has been. We even went to Subway and I got a 6" instead of a footlong. Most often, I will get the larger sandwich, eat either all or a little more than 1/2 and save the rest for later. But last night I chose the smaller one, and it actually felt good and was filling enough in itself.

My water was up, but not where it should be. Also, I am slacking off on the exercise that I should be doing at home. It is one thing to exercise when everything is working fine, but you put a few limbs out of commission or at limited range and exercise takes on a whole new meaning. At any rate, I need to work on this.

After I regain all my muscle tone, I want to concentrate on losing weight again. I figure that it will be one of the best things I can do for my knee. Might as well take the best care I can so that a knee replacement in the future goes much smoother.

Don't have much more time, I need to run off to PT! Let's see what torture they have in mind for me today.

Pearlieq, thanks for the kind words. I didn't really think about how far down I was reaching for strength, but I guess I have. Cool.

Have a great day everyone.

 

[Lesli54]

Great news! I am off the crutches at home! And.....I can climb the stairs without crutches! And.....I can climb the stairs (as well as go down) by doing foot over foot instead of taking each step and putting both feet on that step before going to the next!

PT was very successful and progressive today! I am so happy.

Lunch was McD's, but I am holding off snacks since we are going to the carnival in town tonight and I will get my annual fix of the corn dog, lemon shake up, and funnel cake. I know not great food, but it is once a year so I am not losing sleep over it.

Gotta go. Talk to you later.

 

[pearlieq]

Yay!!! That's so awesome that you're off crutches and doing the stairs now! Great work!!!

Have fun at the carnival tonight. There's nothing like festival food!