102 REBIRTH

I used the walker, which had been booked for three months, for a grand total of two days.  Then I started walking on my own.  I slept in my recliner for the first two nights and then I made the long walk up the stairs to have a shower and to sleep in my own bed.  I still must sleep in the recliner during the week as Toby cannot do the stairs anymore and cries when left alone.  But, that aside, I am home.

When I woke up after the first night, I was really disoriented.  I wasn’t in the hospital, I dreamt I was back in my old house in the basement, but no, nothing looks familiar.  It took a few seconds and my head cleared and I realized I was home.  Toby was asleep next to my recliner and Renee was fast asleep on the couch.  I drifted back off to sleep.

The Doctors and Physios all told me that it was extremely dangerous to walk a dog of Toby’s size while using a walker.  Renee took Toby on his walks for the first few days and then when she went home after Labour Day, I took over.  The walks were quite short to start with, but I kept increasing my distance by a block or two every second day.   The foot in the cast was fine, it was my stamina that sucked.

LEFT FOOT AFTER GETTING HOME

LEFT FOOT ONE MONTH LATER

The Doctor’s prediction of skating by Christmas seems like a pipe dream at this stage, but I have made tremendous progress already.  I’m already up to walking 4.5 KM per day with Toby and this is only just two weeks after getting home, so it just might be possible.  I have lots of issues that need to be addressed by my own physio-therapist and I can’t do that until I can drive again.  Maybe skating will be possible, but the stamina to play may take awhile longer.

Bottom line, I survived a near fatal infection from a cut foot.  I’m out of hospital and home after 8 weeks.  I need to get the cast off, so I can resume driving.  I still have a lot of issues to deal with, from building up my stamina and strength, to fixing injuries and conditions that have accompanied this whole situation.  Some of them make no sense whatsoever.

SLEEPING IN THE RECLINER

FIRST LUNCH AT HOME

From top to bottom, I need to fix my neck (muscle relaxers are helping) but it needs decompression.  My left shoulder is still painful and to this day I don’t know why.  My left hand is almost useless.  I can’t close my fingers and the hand shakes badly.  My lower back needs decompression and this is likely caused by walking in this cast which makes my gait lopsided.  My left thigh has some sort of weird burning tingling pain, and finally my right foot.  It is still somewhat swollen from the infection and surgery, but I can walk on it without the cast.  Just not for any kind of distance.  All these things will be addressed when I can drive, because then I can get in to see my physio therapist and get each issue dealt with.

There’s some things I will be stuck with for the rest of my life, such as diabetes, but following a proper diet (which I’m doing) and the huge 60+ pound weight loss and exercise has allowed me to keep my blood sugar under control so well that the doctors took me off the metformin which was causing major side effects and slowing down my recovery.

COMPARISON SHOT SHOWING CHANGES BETWEEN JUNE AND SEPT

The cuts on my left foot have finally healed and as such are no longer an issue.  Other issues I may be stuck with are the shaky hands.  I have had minor tremors in my hands since I was about 7 years old, but they were barely noticeable.  Now it is very prominent.  I’m hoping that as I regain strength that the shaking will return to minimal, but, I don’t know.  Mom’s hands shook badly as she got into her sixties and I may be in the same boat with a hereditary condition.

These things are all minor in the grand scheme of things, since as I mentioned before, I’m alive.  I will deal with things as they come, day by day and try to make every day count.   My blood pressure is great, again without the drugs (110/66 this morning).  I’m scared to go back to the lake at this point and I certainly won’t ever go barefoot again.  I can’t go next year though as I don’t want to take a chance on getting hurt and missing Caitlin’s July 7 wedding.  We have all made the decision that I should not go back to the lake alone again, but we shall see.