PT & Me!

Yippee, Look at me...90+ degrees! Yes, this is day 2 of physical therapy and I rocked 97 degrees, 10 degrees better than on Monday! Things are coming along nicely on the recovery front. I'm getting out a bit more these days and trying to not sleep as much so that when I do return to work it's not a total shock to my system!

I've had some good company lately, Daniel has agreed to take over for mom on gimp duty and we're having a lot of fun! I'm currently working on the sweetest Halloween costume idea, Nancy Kerrigan!!! I mean, if you have to be disabled on Halloween, you might as well take advantage of it right??? Dan is going to be Tonya Harding, haha, my nemesis! All in all, it should be a great time! I'll be sure and keep you posted with pictures!

Thanks for following my road to recovery. I've still got a ways to go, but things are def looking better!

GREEN LIGHT

That's right folks, had my post-op appointment today and the doctor gave me the green light! Looks like all this R&R is truly paying off! They took my stitches out and have unlocked my oh so beautiful brace so that I can bend my knee 90 degrees and I now don't have to wear it at night, PTL!!! You can't imagine how hard it is to sleep with. The brace is more my nemesis than even my crutches. Speaking of crutches, I found out I am going to have to be relying on these little guys a bit longer than i had hoped. I had planned on 4 weeks and done, but apparently I have to gradually become weight bearing on my right leg, which means another 2 weeks or so of partial weight bearing that i had not foreseen, sigh. Well, here's to time flying by...or rather, relishing the moment! I'll be sure and add a stitch free knee pic when I get one!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Ciao, Miche

Like a Newborn Baby...

It's true...Day 8 and I'm still laid up on the couch as I write this. I haven't truly seen the outside world in more than a week and I'm wondering if that is some kind of Guinness World Record!?! Luckily, I do have a back porch and am able to enjoy the warm Fall weather on occasion. The knee...with bandages!

What could I possibly do for that length of time all couped up??? Have you ever hung out with a newborn? Haha, that's pretty much my life. SLEEP is what I've done the most. Who knew that I could need so much rest? EAT, yep, can never resist momma's home cooking, esp since I never cook (unless you count frozen waffles, cereal and heating up veggie burgers). READ, there's been lots of quite moments to get deep in the Word of God and journal and reflect on life as I know it. I cherish these times because they are so rare in the world as we know it. Just the other day I heard a great sermon by Bill Hybels of Willow Creek Church about the busyness of life and evaluating ourselves to see if we are people who "Seek First" or "Run After". Seeking first comes from Matthew 6:33, "Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you." Running after is what we do in society each day. Run after money, success, relationships, service, dreams, all the while lamenting that we don't have "time" for this or that. Moral of the story is, look at your life and find the non-negotiables and give them top priority, then let everything else sift into the cracks. This not only will salvage the things you love most, but will preserve your sanity.

I admittedly am often a "running after" person. My life has become a tangled web of decisions that funnel into a paper thin version of myself. This is not healthy, nor optimal. I want to be full and overflowing. Able to give out of abundance. One of my friends in med school called me out on this a while back diagnosing me with ATMS (Afraid To Miss Something) syndrome, haha, and he was right! I had removed the filter of what I truly wanted from my processing department and was being satisfied with more less fulfilling activities. Since then, I've been able to step back and re-evaluate what and who is important in my life. Understanding that levels of relationship are there for a reason and being at peace with that has helped me not stress about abandoning (partially) some relationships I don't have the time or effort to invest in.

Also, a healthy view of seasons in life has proven beneficial. Which brings me to the season I'm in now. A season of REST. Not that I like it or would choose it, but I feel that God knows that about me and sometimes creates space for what we truly need. And I'm resolved to appreciate it, sit in it, listen, love it, and learn. Isn't it true that successful crops always need a season for the soil to regenerate and not be sown? That being the case, in my barren season, I choose to flourish!

Using my CPM machine!!!

Road to Recovery

A sign from God? Yes, please! I recently had a major knee surgery (meniscus transplant with an osteochondral allograft transplant) and have veered onto this exit ramp and been traveling down the road to recovery for all of 4 days now. It's my 5th, yes 5th! knee surgery and one would think recovery would get easier each time...NOT the case. This has possibly been the most brutal yet. Guess I should have known, seeing as it was by far the most invasive surgery I've had. My body is having to accept foreign tissue and grow with it, yikes!

The "Damage"...one of my friends pointed out that there's a cross! Pretty sweet :)

Unfortunately, for me, this will be a looong road to recovery, 4 weeks on crutches and 3 mos of PT. But it will all be worth it if it is my LAST knee surgery ever and I can return to adventurous activities I love! As you know, it's always best to have "mom" around when you're sick and I'm so blessed to have my mom here for almost 2 weeks. She's seriously been a saint! It's been such a humbling experience for me because I hate asking for help and am normally quite independent. Daily, I've needed help getting out of bed, getting food, going to the bathroom, and showering! Talk about being totally at someone's mercy. It makes my heart so soft for those with permanent disabilities and amazed at how they go about daily life and are able to adapt and move forward. I just pray I can rest and appreciate this time for what it is and allow myself to properly heal for future endeavors!

It's day 4 and today I was able to make my own breakfast and go to the bathroom on my own, whoo hoo! Oh, the little things in life. It's funny to think that a mere 2 mos ago, I was writing about hiking a 14er and today I am celebrating taking a potty on my own, lol! I am happy to have this blog to keep me busy and will intermittently keep you posted on this "road to recovery". Please let me know if you have any "MUST SEE/READ" movies or books because I finally have time!

Much Love, Miche

Back to Blog!!!

As some of you may have noticed, I've fallen off the blog wagon for the past few weeks, and for that I apologize. In the wake of having lots of late Summer visitors, starting a new side business, Juice Plus+, and preparing for a major knee surgery, my beloved blog has suffered.

But now I am on the road to recovery for both my knee and my blog and plan to get both back top form asap! I'm off work for the next few weeks and will be doing a lot of blogs that I thought of during my craziness and lots of new adventures to report on too. Oh, and I'm going to revamp my blog design, God willing, so stay tuned for a cute lil refresh!


Thanks for following!
~Miche

Oh, and I'll leave you with a video that makes me laugh every time I watch it...it's my bf trying to be a Sk8tr Dude! haha