9/12/14. The post where a very special thing happens.

9/12/14:  I slept well again last night and woke up late again this morning.  Good news for healing.  I had a very fun Friday planned.  Some friends brought lunch over and we had a really nice visit.  I spent the afternoon resting and doing a little computer work for the music series.  As has been the case all week, all my activities have had an elegant soundtrack, with either my patient, long-suffering husband or our houseguest rehearsing.  It makes me feel like I should be wearing something nicer than a t-shirt and running shorts.

Tonight was book club and one of my best friends picked me up so I could attend, because I didn't want to miss out.  Our group has been together for more than ten years and read more than 60 books.  Maybe it's because we were already friends.  Maybe it's because of the great dinners. Or the wine. Or the interesting and funny conversations.  Whatever the reason, we are still going strong and I suspect we'll continue for a very long time because it's always a wonderful experience.  Tonight was no exception. I came home full, happy, and tired.

A very special thing happened today.  When I got the mail, I had a get-well card from someone who reads my blog regularly.  (Since this is a public blog, I try to protect my privacy, and that of the people who show up in my blog, by being intentionally vague about details.  I know it causes my explanations to be convoluted at times and I apologize in advance, but you will appreciate it when you are the one who shows up in my blog!)  This is a person I have met in person only once, but we have corresponded by email and she is a friend of some of my friends and my patient, long-suffering husband, which makes her my friend.  She sent me a very encouraging and uplifting note, which made my day.  

Coincidentally, she has a granddaughter with CRPS in her arm who is going through her own struggles and has chosen not to go forward with any other treatments for the time being.  It made me sad to hear it, but I can certainly sympathize.  As you know from hearing my stories, it can be time-consuming.  Painful.  Expensive.  Frustrating.  Downright maddening.  I hope she will continue to seek treatment, though.  The chances of getting CRPS into remission decrease drastically, and the chances of permanent injury increase drastically, the later you wait to start trying treatments.  I have been able to keep a positive attitude because I have always considered this temporary while I continued to look for long-term relief.  My story might have taken a very different turn if the stimulator hadn't worked.

One more week of recuperation before going back to work.  I'll be tapering off my pain medication, slowly increasing my activity level, and learning more about adjusting my programmer to deal with different conditions (like the storms and resulting temperature change that came in tonight).  Oh, and trying to figure out how to leap over stone walls in a single bound.  Surely there is a program for that somewhere on this thing...