Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Muesday Updates

This post was dictated and then emailed to me, by me, and via my iPhone's dictation feature. 
FTR: This is my first post that was entirely dictated (except for the hyperlinks,) it's my first day back in the real world post surgery, I have a million emails in my inbox and it's a Muesday, so please forgive any and all funkiness.
####

It's been 13 days since my last post and 15 days since my surgery and I wanted to check in and update you guys.
As per my last video/post, my combo CT wrist & three fingers trigger surgery went well, I'm out of the cast, wearing a brace outside of the house, my incisions are healing nicely and it's been a hell of a learning experience! 


For now, I can't carry anything heavier than 12 ounces, aka, a can of soda or the equivalent of, in that hand/wrist. No weight-bearing which means no push-ups; no using my hand/wrist to get up from my seat, etc., no using my hands pull-up my yoga pants, which is interesting to say the least. 
No fingers from my left hand used to put on/pull up my socks or clothes, and no heavy lifting. It also means stretching my fingers and wrists via exercises 1 million times a day, and limited amount of time on the computer - I am told that last restriction will be lifted super soon and thank God for my iPhone!
***UPDATE: Computer clearance given as of noon, June 1. :) 


In these past two weeks I've learned and or revisited a few of life's lessons and I've learned the importance of asking for and accepting help when I need it.

Like having my friend Dave hold my plate steady so that it won't slide off the table when I tried to grab a fork full of salmon from my dinner plate.
Or having my friend Sue open my mascara when I could not - because while I could put in a new infusion site while in a cast with no problem - I couldn't remove the lid to my new mascara to save my freaking life! 


I am grateful for my sister Cathy who called me from 5 states away and  every day like clock work while I was down for the count

Also, I am incredibly grateful to and for my friend Cath, not my sister Cathy, who is also my friend, but my friend Cathy, twin of Sue and Cath of Cathy and Dave fame, who is also like my sister - and who not only let me stay with her and Dave for 4 for days after surgery, but also went with me to get my surgery and sliced organic apples for me before she went to work every morning!

And I was very thankful for a certain wonder pup named Misty who would snuggle with me and let me know that every thing was going to be OK. 
I relearned how to be still and to rest, because I had no choice - that was what was required- and it was/is hard.

And I'm very thankful for all of my friends in the DOC who texted, emailed, posted, called, and checked in to make sure I was doing OK. THANK YOU. 

I learned to embrace the dictation feature on my iPhone and I am still trying to embrace the dictation feature on my laptop.
FTR and as stated above: I dictated, then emailed myself this post from my iPhone and hopefully it's not too much of a hot mess~


I learned that all surgeries - even hand and wrist, can take a lot out of you and make you more tired than you ever thought possible - and for longer than a couple of days.


I was reminded to go with my gut - that if something doesn't look right with your incisions - and even if you went to the doctor for a check up the day before/get your top stitches removed – go back because you might need antibiotics to prevent/fight an infection.


I learned that everything takes longer with stitches and such - and the importance of celebrating little victories, like being able to wash my hair, first with one and then with both hands. 
 Or slicing an onion with my left hand on Saturday night to put my salad -a huge deal by the way and not as easy as it sounds - the slices were anything but neat or even - but I did it! 
And finally being able to wear pants without elastic waistbands because I could actually zip/button/snap up my own pants.
 

I have a new appreciation for no longer being in pain caused by carpal tunnel or three trigger fingers on my left wrist and hand.


I'm looking forward to doing things in the next few weeks that caused me pain before. Things like writing long ass stories and the likes there of; gardening, riding my bike, taking notes by hand, and writing cards that no longer look like something a chicken scratched in the dirt.

And believe it or not, I'm looking forward to doing push-ups and sit ups getting back into the swing of upper body workouts.

There was a time when my hands and wrists were oddly strong for being so little - and they are getting stronger each day.


I missed a few things along the way and that didn't make me happy. 


I was able to participate for two days during DBlog Week - I'd planned to do 3 more videos, but thanks to nausea from the painkillers two days after my surgery, 
I had to listen to my body and sit the rest of #Dblogweek out - and that sucked.


Via my Facebook pages/twitter last week and over the weekend, I linked to the news about Charlie Kimball's new Novo Nordisk's Tresiba.Chip Ganassi's  racing team's Indy car (with a new, borrowed number of 42,) at this year's 100th Indy500. 
Posting about  Charlie and the Tresiba's car honoring the Diabetes Community and how honored I was to be chosen as one of the lucky 42 blogger/members of the Diabetes Online Community whose names grace the car.
Because of wrist and hand restrictions, I didn't write about it - or anything else on the my blog. 

But I am linking to a fantastic post and Charlie Kimball interview by Kerri over at sixuntilme  - as always, Kerri is on fleek. 

Over this holiday weekend I stayed on the down low, remembered those who fought to protect our country and never came home, and dreamed of swimming in the ocean. 
Because while I was able to look at the ocean and the beach - I wasn't allowed on or in either officially, until this past Sunday. ;)

Yep, I'm getting back into the swing of things - including airport foolishness, as of this coming Friday - and I am a lucky duck indeed~

2 comments:

Richard's Rambling Review said...

Hi there lucky duck, aka KK, I am glad you are on the mend! I have not had trigger finger problems, but I did have carpal tunnel surgery and ulnar nerve transposition about 20 years ago. Soft cast for a week or so, and everything back to normal. It is a shame that our fingers can have so many problems caused by T1D.

Rick Phillips said...

Glad you are feeling better Kelly. DOnt push it, it will be fine.

I referred your blog to the TUDiabetes blog page for the week of May 30, 2016.