It was warm and humid this morning when I went for my walk. But within a few hours, the temperature had dropped more than 25 degrees and the wind was howling. It was cold enough that the light rain jacket I had worn to work would not do. Fortunately, I had a doctor appointment near my house, so I was able to run home and trade out the jacket for my wool coat and a pair of gloves. I'm really appreciating the seat warmer in my car. Good thing I found it!
At the doctor's office, I got three new programs for my stimulator, which gives me a total of six. I am particularly fond of the one that has a slower but more intense pulse. It feels like someone is massaging my calf - my calf isn't part of the problem, but it sure feels nice. I can also feel it more intensely on the ball of my foot when I walk, which seems to help. The medical device rep also increased the maximum amplitude on the first three programs, something she said she would probably need to do several more times over the next few months as I continue to heal and become more desensitized to the stimulator. She reminded me that I will still have good days and bad days. (Tell me about it.) Still, it's nice to have a few more tools in my arsenal.
And speaking of good days and bad days, over the last 48 hours my foot has started to feel much better. It was gradual and I'm not sure when it went over (or should I say, under) the tipping point, but by the time I went to my appointment, I was back down in the 3 range. Whew. So I guess I made it through a flare-up without too much disruption. At least, I hope I made it through, which would mean it is over. I really need to feel good this week. I am going to do my best to take good care of myself with regard to sleep, exercise, and healthy eating, which is more easily said than done on a week like this. For instance, our first house guest will arrive around 12:30 tonight. But my patient, long-suffering husband is on welcoming committee duty tonight. I intend to be sawing logs long before then. And enjoying my calf massage.
My other mission will be to try to make sure my patient, long-suffering husband takes care of himself, too. He has had his customary music festival cold for the last few days and has nearly lost his voice. Not good for someone who needs to spend the next six days herding about 50 (metaphorical) cats. He's armed with a medicine cabinet full of cold and allergy remedies, so we're hoping he'll make a speedy recovery. As you know, I am the eternal optimist.
And speaking of being an eternal optimist, Mom had her three-month CT scan and lab work today, and she'll get the results Wednesday morning. We have no reason to believe it will be anything other than continued good news, but all the same, I'll be glad when it is Wednesday afternoon.
No comments:
Post a Comment