Vacation to Prison in One Day

Hi to All,
Here I sit, just another Michigan day. I dream of the day of sunshine in Arizona again. But, in order to achieve that I'm wanting to rebuild my strength again. I've sat with my pain for nearly two years and as I slowly get put back together, I want to walk again. I'm challenged by using muscles that haven't been able to work for a long time. Each day I walk with my platform walker trying to go longer each day. Even standing straight is a goal after all that sitting. Slowly I see progress with allot of naps. The easiest tasks, are chores for me. My goal was to stand long enough to do dishes, I can now. I hope the day will come that I can without back pain. What a journey and life lesson to appreciate what you once had, while keeping the faith of your quality in whom you have become. It is your heart that makes us and the only thing worth protecting. Our bodies change in time and tragedy and our things come and go with fashion and style in the moment. But our hearts is what remains in thick or thin. I hope your heart is hosting God for your forever friend. That is the only thing we can control and hold on to. No matter what else changes in our lives this is the only thing that stays consistent unless we choose to change it.

As goals face me each day I would stare at the door which leads to the basement. Can I do this? Should I try? What if...............? Well, today's the day, no now today is the day, maybe now I should try. Two weeks later, Syrians go off. Kent county is in a tornado warning. Today is the day. I grab the cell phone and my stair canes and off I go. One step, two etc. I made it. Now I am seeing my long lost basement. I start cleaning as I feel prouder and prouder for my accomplishments. Oh look, my guest bed. I'll take a nap from all my hard work; and three hours later I wake up refreshed and renewed as if I was on vacation. I sure enjoyed seeing different four walls. OK back up stairs I go.

Feeling refreshed and still exhausted from my travels, I nestle in my lift chair to watch some TV and elevate my leg. oh, oh, I'm napping again. BANG! I'm awaken by a noise, and power serge. The power is off. Wondering what just happened, I go to get up and check the circuit breakers. Push, Push and I'm now stuck in my lift chair. Did you know lift chairs work on power and there is no manual release button? Well I now know that. Therapy session number three for the day begins. Or I can stay in prison. How do I do this without messing up my left femur/knee or wrecking my right ankle with my dead talus bone? Time passes and as the smoke clears from all my thinking, I find my self saying two things: It is better to try and fall then not to try at all, and with God all things are possible. Now remember it has only been three weeks since my surgery and I'm still tender and I was on vacation earlier that day. One, Two, Three, OK, now my left leg is swung over the left arm of the chair and my right foot is searching for the floor between the left chair arm and the foot rest of the chair. My head rests on the right arm of the chair and the only thing I can think of doing is to laugh; say get real, you shouldn't be trying this; not feeling like a lady right now and praying that the door bell doesn't ring; To I'm tired again maybe just a quick nap! 15 minutes later I wake up again with the thought that maybe I should have my iron tested I'm always tired yet. As that inner voice yells out at me, "you have to get out of this chair first!" Much stronger from my nap I do a push up with my arms, the right foot touches and now as I'm sitting on the left chair arm my left foot wiggles to also touch the floor and as I stand, I wave my arms in the air as if I'm Rockie that just ran a flight of stairs as I cheer, "I did it! I did it!" See with God all things our possible.

For the recorded 2 hours later I got to do it all over again. It was a bad storm and I'm a slow learner for doing it again. With allot of laughs that day, I felt I went on vacation and to prison. Whats new with you?
Love
Shellyrose

The Garden is Beginning to Bloom!

To All,
The garden is beginning to bloom is how I feel. I felt your prayers going into surgery. I slept well the night before which hasn't happened before. They started my I V with only one poke and that too has never happened. The femur rod was totally loose as it felt to me all along, yet has never showed up in ex rays. So when I felt that I was coming and going I often was. As I'd lift my foot to take a step the rod and gravity would actually turn my foot. Therefore each step I took for a full year truly was breath taking. A pleasant surprise if there wouldn't be any pain and a daily prayer if there was. You know the little breath prayers one will lift up quickly like: All for thee my Lord, This too shall pass, I'm not given any more than what God knows that I can handle ( often asking God if I made it yet or give me the strength to continue). etc.

I feared that the surgery wouldn't show anything and by having it I just sent myself back another year. Well, the problem has been found and corrected. Praise the Lord.

They did do the full surgery. The muscles were pulled away, the rod was removed, grinding ridges into the interior of my femur bone, a new rod was put in and anchored with cement and glue, bone grafting from the donor bank was done and plating the exterior of the femur was added for re enforcement. Then the upper part of my knee replacement was replaced. I got 31 staples this time. I was sent to my hospital room for a four day recovery with the goal of back to a nursing home for two months then back to Mary Free Bed for physical therapy for two weeks or better.

But with the "Round up of prayers" here is what has happened. After my 5th day in the hospital I was sent home with allot of heads shaking. I was walking again with a platform walker, doing stairs, and lifting my own leg again without help or aid devices. Cool Han! I was given therapy at home 3x a week and no driving for 6-8 weeks. Today, 9 days since surgery I felt well enough to do a girls priority. I drove to Mc Donalds and went junkin'. This is the best I have felt physically in nearly two years. My neighbors have asked me if they have postpone my surgery and when I proudly show them some leg, ( only to reveal the 31 staples still in place until Tuesday), they can't believe it. Nor I.

The other night I woke up to find that I was sleeping on my belly. Last time it took me 6 months to be able to do that because I waited for the muscles to gain there strength and reattach to the bone and with the rod slipping it was very painful to turn and change positions. I lived using my power chair and got to the point that I was using slide transfers. Now I use my walker90% of the day. I truly have a dream of AZ this year. But believe you and me only when I can with no risk of a set back. But isn't this good news. As you notice the sunshine, just know you are seeing some rays from my new, long lost smile.
Thankyou to my support team and all your prayers!
Love
Shellyrose