Today, I went to the podiatrist for what was supposed to be my last visit. 4.5 months ago, I had surgery to repair two torn ligamnets in my right ankle. Today was supposed to be a stress test on that ankle. When asked how my ankle was doing, I told the nurse that after a minor stumble about three weeks ago, my big toe joint felt like it needed to pop. It still feels like it needs to pop. She decided to x-ray the foot, just to be on the safe side. Turns out, I fractured the tibial sesamoid on my right foot. So, I'm back in a soft cast and the boot I wore after surgery. Lucky me. And of course, I'm back in this footwear 9 days before we leave to Camp Pineywoods for 5 days.
I told Dr. Sands about leaving for church camp and that I was planning on swimming and working in the lake at camp. His compromise, I have to wear all of this until it's time for me to get wet at camp. Then, I have to wear an ace bandage and boot when I'm not in the water, and wear a brace when I am in the water.
I think I can live with that. I will see Dr. Sands again the day after camp to see how my foot has healed.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
105 Ways To Be A Sample Example
Ms. Stephanie, our childrens' minister, is always telling the preteens that they need to be a Sample Example. My Stephanie came up with this list of 105 Ways To Be A Sample Example. Some of these are from personal experience and others are observations.
To Whoever is Reading this;
These are 105 ways to become a sample example! I used past experiences to use to my advantage. You see, when I have kids, I am going to teach them how to be a sample example. There are over 100 ways and these are just a few! I hope you learn something! Remember, before you read this, LET GO of your ego. I hope that you can walk away from this list a leader!
105 Ways To Be A Sample Example
1. Don't talk about people behind their backs or in front of them.
2. Don't call people ugly.
3. Don't be rude.
4. Don't embarrass people.
5. Don't do bad/mean things in front of kids.
6. Don't interrupt.
7. Be kind.
8. Have personal space and be aware of it.
9. Use common sense.
10. Don't talk about private things in front of others.
11. Don't be possessive.
12. Stay in your business.
13. Don't take credit for stuff you didn't do.
14. Think before you act.
15. Listen and respect others' opinions.
16. Do what your superiors ask.
17. Don't hurt others physically.
18. Pay attention to others' feelings.
19. Don't say rude or hurtful things.
20. Care for others.
21. Don't be critical.
22. Don't be judgemental.
23. Don't talk under your breath.
24. Don't be purposely annoying.
25. Think to yourself, "Would I want this done to me?"
26. Don't touch people inappropriately.
27. Make eye contact when you're talking to others.
28. Don't bully.
29. Don't gossip.
30. Be mature.
31. Don't intentionally break things.
32. Respect others and everything about them.
33. Be responsible.
34. Care for others.
35. Follow instructions immediately.
36. Don't use sarcasm.
37. Control your temper and emotions.
38. Don't slam doors.
39. Don't yell at people.
40. Have some modesty.
41. Stay focused.
42. Don't whisper to people very obviously.
43. Do as you are told.
44. Don't talk about situations that involve the person that is right in front of you out loud.
45. Don't be obnoxious.
46. Don't goof off.
47. Be helpful.
48. Don't curse.
49. Pay attention to what you're doing.
50. Be aware of who is listening to you.
51. Be aware of who is around you.
52. Don't be nosey.
53. Pay attention to others.
54. Clean up after yourself, no matter what it is.
55. Fix your mistakes.
56. Take constructive criticism well.
57. Don't pick favorites.
58. Don't show off.
59. Treat everyone as your equal.
60. Realize that you are not the only person on the planet.
61. Don't have people go and get information in order to plot against someone.
62. Don't try to show-up others.
63. Love who you are.
64. Don't hate yourself.
65. Love God!
66. Hate sin.
67. Don't brag about yourself or boast.
68. Don't pick friends by what they look like.
69. Don't be a diva.
70. Ask yourself, "Would I want my kids to do this?"
71. Ask yourself, "Does this make God happy?"
72. Ask yourself, "Does this make me feel better?"
73. Ask yourself, "Would I act like this if Jesus was in the room?"
74. Respect others' interests.
75. Ask yourself, "What if that was me?"
76. Don't steal.
77. Don't make fun of insecurities.
78. Pay attention to your surroundings when you talk.
79. Don't trespass.
80. Don't cheat.
81. Don't lie.
82. Ask yourself, "Would I do this in front of the other person's parents?"
83. Don't look at other people's things without asking.
84. Help others, especially in their time of need.
85. See a need, fill a need.
86. Remember that life goes on.
87. Use your brain.
88. Keep moving forward.
89. Remember, life is like fishing; sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't.
90. Keep God with you.
91. Don't fall for peer pressure, no matter how tempting.
92. When people are trying to help you, don't ignore them.
93. Be understanding.
94. Don't doubt others.
95. Don't try to be someone you're not.
96. Give your best effort.
97. Don't try too hard.
98. Let out anger.
99. Don't keep things inside of you.
100. Don't throw away gifts.
101. Be the bigger person.
102. Don't envy.
103. Respect natural gifts.
104. Don't disrespect people.
105. Don't blow things off.
To Whoever is Reading this;
These are 105 ways to become a sample example! I used past experiences to use to my advantage. You see, when I have kids, I am going to teach them how to be a sample example. There are over 100 ways and these are just a few! I hope you learn something! Remember, before you read this, LET GO of your ego. I hope that you can walk away from this list a leader!
105 Ways To Be A Sample Example
1. Don't talk about people behind their backs or in front of them.
2. Don't call people ugly.
3. Don't be rude.
4. Don't embarrass people.
5. Don't do bad/mean things in front of kids.
6. Don't interrupt.
7. Be kind.
8. Have personal space and be aware of it.
9. Use common sense.
10. Don't talk about private things in front of others.
11. Don't be possessive.
12. Stay in your business.
13. Don't take credit for stuff you didn't do.
14. Think before you act.
15. Listen and respect others' opinions.
16. Do what your superiors ask.
17. Don't hurt others physically.
18. Pay attention to others' feelings.
19. Don't say rude or hurtful things.
20. Care for others.
21. Don't be critical.
22. Don't be judgemental.
23. Don't talk under your breath.
24. Don't be purposely annoying.
25. Think to yourself, "Would I want this done to me?"
26. Don't touch people inappropriately.
27. Make eye contact when you're talking to others.
28. Don't bully.
29. Don't gossip.
30. Be mature.
31. Don't intentionally break things.
32. Respect others and everything about them.
33. Be responsible.
34. Care for others.
35. Follow instructions immediately.
36. Don't use sarcasm.
37. Control your temper and emotions.
38. Don't slam doors.
39. Don't yell at people.
40. Have some modesty.
41. Stay focused.
42. Don't whisper to people very obviously.
43. Do as you are told.
44. Don't talk about situations that involve the person that is right in front of you out loud.
45. Don't be obnoxious.
46. Don't goof off.
47. Be helpful.
48. Don't curse.
49. Pay attention to what you're doing.
50. Be aware of who is listening to you.
51. Be aware of who is around you.
52. Don't be nosey.
53. Pay attention to others.
54. Clean up after yourself, no matter what it is.
55. Fix your mistakes.
56. Take constructive criticism well.
57. Don't pick favorites.
58. Don't show off.
59. Treat everyone as your equal.
60. Realize that you are not the only person on the planet.
61. Don't have people go and get information in order to plot against someone.
62. Don't try to show-up others.
63. Love who you are.
64. Don't hate yourself.
65. Love God!
66. Hate sin.
67. Don't brag about yourself or boast.
68. Don't pick friends by what they look like.
69. Don't be a diva.
70. Ask yourself, "Would I want my kids to do this?"
71. Ask yourself, "Does this make God happy?"
72. Ask yourself, "Does this make me feel better?"
73. Ask yourself, "Would I act like this if Jesus was in the room?"
74. Respect others' interests.
75. Ask yourself, "What if that was me?"
76. Don't steal.
77. Don't make fun of insecurities.
78. Pay attention to your surroundings when you talk.
79. Don't trespass.
80. Don't cheat.
81. Don't lie.
82. Ask yourself, "Would I do this in front of the other person's parents?"
83. Don't look at other people's things without asking.
84. Help others, especially in their time of need.
85. See a need, fill a need.
86. Remember that life goes on.
87. Use your brain.
88. Keep moving forward.
89. Remember, life is like fishing; sometimes you get it, sometimes you don't.
90. Keep God with you.
91. Don't fall for peer pressure, no matter how tempting.
92. When people are trying to help you, don't ignore them.
93. Be understanding.
94. Don't doubt others.
95. Don't try to be someone you're not.
96. Give your best effort.
97. Don't try too hard.
98. Let out anger.
99. Don't keep things inside of you.
100. Don't throw away gifts.
101. Be the bigger person.
102. Don't envy.
103. Respect natural gifts.
104. Don't disrespect people.
105. Don't blow things off.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
All Tied Up - paracord bracelets, key chains/zipper pulls & chokers
I've opened my etsy shop. www;etsy.com/shop/momrod2000 I'm selling paracord survival bracelets, key chains/zipper pulls and chokers. Coming soon - lanyards. I hope you visit my shop soon,
May
Just a thought . . . .
I'm not sure which is busier for parents; December or May.
I'm hoping that this year we can get through May without any illness or injury. DD2 has decided to take off the Month of May from her activities. No complaining here. DD1 has a 2 hour dance class on Mondays, she's student helping in a class of 2 & 3 year olds for 45 minutes on Tuesdays, a 2 hour dance class on Wednesdays, followed by a 30 min tumbling lesson, a 1 hour dance class on Thursdays and various events on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
In addition, we're having 2 or 3 events that happen at the same time on the weekends.
Fun, fun!
I'm not sure which is busier for parents; December or May.
I'm hoping that this year we can get through May without any illness or injury. DD2 has decided to take off the Month of May from her activities. No complaining here. DD1 has a 2 hour dance class on Mondays, she's student helping in a class of 2 & 3 year olds for 45 minutes on Tuesdays, a 2 hour dance class on Wednesdays, followed by a 30 min tumbling lesson, a 1 hour dance class on Thursdays and various events on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.
In addition, we're having 2 or 3 events that happen at the same time on the weekends.
Fun, fun!
Ankle Surgery Revocery
I am currently 9 weeks post-op and still revocering. I had no idea that it would take this long (actually longer) to recover from this injury and surgery. After 6.5 weeks of physical therapy (3 days/week), I can walk on a flat surface, balance on one leg and go up stairs. Going down stairs is a whole different ball game. My achellies is still so tight that I can't flex my ankle to 0 degrees. That is something I work on every day.
It seems that lately my ankle and foot have been hurting when I haven't done anything unusual. I'm hoping that this is temporary, and that once this pain passes, my range on motion will improve. I have 5 more physical therapy visits, on this session. I suspect that I will be continueing after this session is over.
It seems that lately my ankle and foot have been hurting when I haven't done anything unusual. I'm hoping that this is temporary, and that once this pain passes, my range on motion will improve. I have 5 more physical therapy visits, on this session. I suspect that I will be continueing after this session is over.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Ankle Recovery - 5 weeks post-op
Tomorrow it will be 5 weeks since my ankle surgery. The last 5 weeks have been alot of ups and downs. Most of the downs have come when I've tried to push myself too hard.
It took 4 weeks for me to be able to point my big toe. It's amazing how that simple act can be taken for granted. As I was showing off my new skill, I quickly started experiencing cramps in my foot. The best way I can explain the cramps is to say it felt like pointe shoe (toe shoe) cramps. Now, I just gotta work on flexing my foot. I can easily flex my toes, but my calf and Achilles are way too tight for me to flex my ankle.
I am still attending physical therapy 3 times a week. There, I have started weight shifting exercises. I stand on a thick, squishy mat while I shift my weight back and forth from my left foot to my right. Going side to side is easy. But when I shift with one foot forward and the other back, it's a little more difficult. When my right foot is in back, I have balance issues. When my right foot is in front, it feels like there is something blocking the movement in my ankle joint. Yesterday, during the exercises, something in my ankle shifted. I hoped that would resolve the flexing issues, but it didn't. For days, my ankle has felt like it needs to pop. It's the sensation that things are locked up, and if it would just pop, it would feel better. But, I am not about to attempt to pop it. I just have to wait and hope it pops on its own. And that it doesn't hurt when it does.
I am also experiencing weird nerve issues from the nerve block during surgery. The area between my big toe and second toe is still numb. And I still have the pins and needles issues in my toes. The pins and needles really are only an issue at bedtime. But at bedtime, I also experience other sensations. Nails being driven into my big toe, fire hot lines across all my toes, bugs crawling around my ankle, tingling all over my foot, and pains near the incision sight, but not at the incision sight. I've also noticed that I can tap on one area of my foot and cause tingling in another part. I've been told that some of this is normal, but I should definitely mention it to my doctor when I see him next week.
Starting yesterday, I am encouraged by the physical therapist to walk with one crutch when I am in the house, and two crutches outside. I like this, because it gives me a hand to do things. I hope Dr. Sands is not upset. He gave very strict instructions about partial weight bearing. I have a nice list of things to ask him. Can I drive? (Please, please, please). How does my incision look? (The steri-strips are falling off, but the scab looks really wide. I can't turn my ankle to get a good look at it.) Is the incision healed enough for me to be able to soak my ankle? What can I do about the nerve issues in my ankle (it's had to go to sleep when your toes feel like they're on fire.) Can I chaperon my daughter's choir trip to a contest, then to Schliterbahn?
Something else I learned yesterday, these 4 weeks of physical therapy is just the first session of physical therapy. I still have a few weeks before I can begin turning my foot in and out or twisting. Before I can start any of that, I have to master moving it up and down.
I still have a long way to go, but I am making steady process.
On another note, I have been off of cymbalta for 4 weeks. I have not noticed any of the withdrawal symptoms for over a week. That is wonderful. One issue I have had with the change in meds is that cymbalta has a side effect of drowsiness, while Wellbutrin has a side effect of insomnia. Because I have had problems with insomnia for about 20 years, this hits me harder than it might hit someone else. That is starting to get better, but as I'm walking more, I'm having issues with my low back. Some of this has been bad enough to wake me in the middle of the night. I've had to start taking my pain meds again; not as much for my ankle, but also for my back. Thankfully, I only have to take it at bed time.
As I have mentioned before, I remember alot more of my surgery that I'm supposed to. I learned yesterday that that can be a side effect of taking ambien; even though I haven't taken it in months.
It took 4 weeks for me to be able to point my big toe. It's amazing how that simple act can be taken for granted. As I was showing off my new skill, I quickly started experiencing cramps in my foot. The best way I can explain the cramps is to say it felt like pointe shoe (toe shoe) cramps. Now, I just gotta work on flexing my foot. I can easily flex my toes, but my calf and Achilles are way too tight for me to flex my ankle.
I am still attending physical therapy 3 times a week. There, I have started weight shifting exercises. I stand on a thick, squishy mat while I shift my weight back and forth from my left foot to my right. Going side to side is easy. But when I shift with one foot forward and the other back, it's a little more difficult. When my right foot is in back, I have balance issues. When my right foot is in front, it feels like there is something blocking the movement in my ankle joint. Yesterday, during the exercises, something in my ankle shifted. I hoped that would resolve the flexing issues, but it didn't. For days, my ankle has felt like it needs to pop. It's the sensation that things are locked up, and if it would just pop, it would feel better. But, I am not about to attempt to pop it. I just have to wait and hope it pops on its own. And that it doesn't hurt when it does.
I am also experiencing weird nerve issues from the nerve block during surgery. The area between my big toe and second toe is still numb. And I still have the pins and needles issues in my toes. The pins and needles really are only an issue at bedtime. But at bedtime, I also experience other sensations. Nails being driven into my big toe, fire hot lines across all my toes, bugs crawling around my ankle, tingling all over my foot, and pains near the incision sight, but not at the incision sight. I've also noticed that I can tap on one area of my foot and cause tingling in another part. I've been told that some of this is normal, but I should definitely mention it to my doctor when I see him next week.
Starting yesterday, I am encouraged by the physical therapist to walk with one crutch when I am in the house, and two crutches outside. I like this, because it gives me a hand to do things. I hope Dr. Sands is not upset. He gave very strict instructions about partial weight bearing. I have a nice list of things to ask him. Can I drive? (Please, please, please). How does my incision look? (The steri-strips are falling off, but the scab looks really wide. I can't turn my ankle to get a good look at it.) Is the incision healed enough for me to be able to soak my ankle? What can I do about the nerve issues in my ankle (it's had to go to sleep when your toes feel like they're on fire.) Can I chaperon my daughter's choir trip to a contest, then to Schliterbahn?
Something else I learned yesterday, these 4 weeks of physical therapy is just the first session of physical therapy. I still have a few weeks before I can begin turning my foot in and out or twisting. Before I can start any of that, I have to master moving it up and down.
I still have a long way to go, but I am making steady process.
On another note, I have been off of cymbalta for 4 weeks. I have not noticed any of the withdrawal symptoms for over a week. That is wonderful. One issue I have had with the change in meds is that cymbalta has a side effect of drowsiness, while Wellbutrin has a side effect of insomnia. Because I have had problems with insomnia for about 20 years, this hits me harder than it might hit someone else. That is starting to get better, but as I'm walking more, I'm having issues with my low back. Some of this has been bad enough to wake me in the middle of the night. I've had to start taking my pain meds again; not as much for my ankle, but also for my back. Thankfully, I only have to take it at bed time.
As I have mentioned before, I remember alot more of my surgery that I'm supposed to. I learned yesterday that that can be a side effect of taking ambien; even though I haven't taken it in months.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Cymbalta withdrawals
Today is day 16 without Cymbalta. The withdrawals are barely noticeable, save one. This is one I haven't mentioned before. Because Cymbalta causes drowsiness, when you take it away, your body doesn't have the chemical (medicinal) signal that it's time to go to sleep. It probably doesn't help that I spent the first few days after my surgery in bed, awake, watching TV, reading and playing games on the computer. For the last week, each night when I lay down to go to sleep, my mind races and I am just as awake as I am during the day. Last night, I finally fell asleep around 3:30am (after going to bed at 9pm). On school days, I usually have to get up between 4:30am and 5:00am, so not falling asleep until 3:30am is going to be a problem.
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