A Smile On My Face

 Even though I didn't go somewhere warmer this winter, I have some blooms to cheer me up.

I bought this calandiva (a variant of Kalanchoe) at Meijer about a week ago. I needed some printer paper and decided to shop in-person after many weeks of not being in a store. Meijer often has interesting potted plants.

I have had my amaryllis over 9 weeks. It finally looks like it might bloom in another week. Oddly enough, I noticed another flower stalk this week; not sure how long it has been growing. It certainly will not bloom until long after the first stalk has bloomed.

Starting to bulge open. A flower next week maybe?

Second stalk near the bottom.

Grace Village still has no monthly birthday party, but it continues to send over a birthday carnation and a muffin (two muffins for us so I guess the activity director thinks my husband needs one). It arrived today via a volunteer messenger.

The thing that really put a smile on my face this week is what I saw when the snow melted away and the sun came out yesterday. Daffodils! I know it won't be until at least March when their sunny little faces appear, but now I feel winter is waning and spring will come before too long.

My New Gizmo

 

Today a man delivered this bone stimulation device to my home. Even though the insurance company authorized it, my co-pay was going to be $500. However, OrthoFix called me to see if I qualified for any discounts. Praise the Lord, I qualified for a 100% discount, i.e., the insurance payment is considered payment in full. 

The box with the glowing light keeps track of the amount of time I have worn the device. Once it has counted down to zero, it automatically turns off. If I want to end a session before completing 4 hours, I just turn the power off and then on again for the next session.

 I am supposed to wear it 4 hours a day though the time can be divided into two or three sessions. The minimum session is to be 1 hour at a time. I don't yet know how many months I have to wear it. The agent said most people wear it 3 months. When I see my doctor in 6 weeks, I will ask. It probably partly depends on what the x-ray shows re bone growth. Yesterday's x-ray showed the bone bits in the "cages" that replaced the discs are already starting to grow a bit. 

It is very lightweight. It rests on the shoulders and the "ring" that puts out electronic pulses doesn't actually touch the neck. I cannot feel anything; there is no sensations from the pulses.

People with a smart phone can keep track with an app that syncs with the device. I don't have such a phone, but my Samsung Galaxy tablet has bluetooth and I was able to put the app on the tablet. 

The calendar "dot" will turn green if I wear the device the full 4 hours. I may be asked to bring the tablet with me to my doctor's appointment so he can see that I have been compliant. 

After completing the 4 hours I will connect the stimulation device to a charger so it is ready to go the next day. I sort of feel like Big Brother is keeping track; but on the other hand it does mean I don't have to keep a paper record to remember how much time I have worn it. I haven't read the manual yet. It may be that the company also can access the information. Not sure.

The only annoying feature I have noticed so far is that when I tilt my head back it brushes against the collar around my neck. I can walk around with it, even outdoors, but I need to make sure no rainstorms are expected since it is to be kept dry. I suppose one could cheat and just turn the device on without actually wearing it; that obviously would defeat the point of having it.

Let's pray that the time investment actually pays off with stronger bone.

Icy, Snowy Birthday

We had freezing rain overnight. This morning we woke to an icy glaze on the streets and driveway. Mid-morning we saw some snow. It may snow a bit this afternoon. No sun expected.

I had an office visit with my spine surgeon at 10:15 this morning in Warsaw. He comes to Warsaw twice a month; it was good that I did not have to drive to Fort Wayne. Actually Highway 30 had been salted and cleared and was not in too bad a shape. Grace Village was out salting my street and driveway around 9 a.m. To be even more careful, my husband drove me to my appointment in his all-wheel-drive pickup truck.

The x-ray of my cervical spine showed the new titanium plate securely in place and the fusions (cages with bone bits) showing some early "maturation", meaning there is some bone growth starting. All lifting/bending restrictions have been lifted. I thought I would have to wait until week 6 per the discharge instructions, but I guess things look fine so restrictions have been lifted at week 5. My next appointment is in 6 weeks. I do still have some trouble swallowing, especially large med/supplement capsules and tablets. The swallowing is expected to resolve in the coming weeks.

At breakfast there was a big gift bag that had snowflakes and said "Let it snow". 

Inside was a panda toy from my husband. He is very soft and huggable (the panda, but I guess that pertains to my hubby, too).

I have received some birthday cash from two people. This weekend I will look at Zappos and read the reviews for walking shoes. My old Nike pair badly need to be replaced. The nice thing about Zappos is the free returns. I may order 2 or 3 pairs of shoes, then return all but the one I choose to keep. 

While washing some of my placemats, I noticed that several stains are not coming out anymore even with treatment. I love the Lenox on Blue ones. I see they sometimes come up for sale on ebay. Replacements company has them but so expensive. Anyway, I decided to order 4 Pioneer Woman mats. My Walmart only had 1 in stock; I was pleasantly surprised to find them on sale at Amazon with free shipping (even though less than $25 order). They supposedly would arrive between January 28th and February 2nd, but they showed up via FedEx today! They are washable and reversible. They are kind of big from top to bottom, but I like them and will keep them. Bright and cheery.

I had originally planned to have my husband pick up carryout dinners from Texas Roadhouse for tonight. Instead I pulled out of the freezer this morning one of the large Costco steaks. He surprised me by going to the grocery store while I was at the doctor's office and buying a small chocolate cake for my birthday dessert. We will have to make up for the missed restaurant food meals by doing it another time. This is not my first birthday in Indiana where the weather caused us to change plans. 

I get my first Moderna vaccination next Tuesday (Feb. 2nd). My husband already had his first one since he fit in the 80+ cohort. His second one will be February 8th. 

I think I will go put away the last of my Christmas stuff; I was waiting until I had permission to bend over to get into my lower cupboards. I may still need help putting things on the shelf above my husband's clothes in his closet since that will require a step stool or step ladder. Not a good idea to fall.

Good Night's Sleep

 Last night I had the best night of sleep since my surgery. When I changed positions I noticed almost no pain at the base of my neck. I do have some pain after my physical therapy exercises, but I am using only gabapentin to reduce the level. No more muscle relaxant (highly sedating) nor extra-strength tylenol.

I received two pop-up cards from my brother-in-law and sister-in-law during my recovery. I still have them sitting out because they are so pretty.

I have an appointment for the corona virus vaccination on February 2nd. Light at the end of the tunnel.

My pastor came home Saturday after a week in the hospital with COVID. He is still on lots of meds plus shots to prevent blood clots. He had a tough time. It is going to be awhile before he is back in the pulpit. The church has already arranged for somebody to fill in for at least the next two weeks. I still only watch online.

My husband started a jigsaw puzzle last week. I wasn't interested, but yesterday as I listened to the worship sermon I worked on it a bit. It is set up in the den where the computer is located. Now I am hooked.

I felt kind of bored last week. On Saturday I watched a DVD movie titled Miss Potter about Beatrix Potter. I bought this several years ago at a garage sale and had watched it, but I had forgotten most of it. I enjoyed it though it has a sad event.

Today I have as my computer wallpaper a photo of Old Town San Diego which I took last February. No winter get-away this year so I am browsing my photos from previous years.

Hope you are all well. Do whatever it takes to avoid getting COVID.

Progress

 I think I have turned the corner on my recovery from cervical spine surgery. The past two days my pain has diminished some. I have been able to sleep in my bed comfortably after 17 nights in a recliner. The pain ramps up a bit after my physical therapy exercises. I have a pulley to use in my home. I will continue to use the highly sedating muscle relaxant at bedtime, but I am trying to not use it in the afternoon. I am hoping to drive myself to PT next week. That requires not using meds that cause drowsiness. 

At my January 6th meeting with the doctor's assistant, I was told that I should start rubbing vitamin E oil into my incision when I felt ready. It is still a bit swollen and tender. I will try the oil in a few days. So I am making progress. I still have lifting/bending limits for the next 3 weeks however.

I ordered an amaryllis the day before Thanksgiving. I was so disappointed to get a pot with a bulb with maybe 1/8th of an inch of green. Finally after Christmas it started to grow leaves. Now I see a hard sprout which I think will be the stalk with flowers. Maybe by my birthday in two weeks I will have some blooms. To have to wait two months from purchase is not acceptable to me. I will not order from this company again. 

Today my husband received his first Moderna COVID vaccine shot. Our state has finally opened up the shots to other than healthcare workers and long-term care facilities. The current category is those 80 and above. He qualifies because he turned 80 twelve days ago. His second shot will be in February. The next category is supposed to include those 70 and older. I am guessing that might not be until the end of February or early March. I will be registering when my time comes. My county had its highest daily cases of the virus on Saturday. The post-holidays surge has begun. 

The Red Zone

 Last week my county entered the red zone, the most at-risk high-transmission category. The Warsaw public library is only available for curb-side pickup and telephone reference calls. Banks are drive-thru or lobby access by appointment only. Yesterday I learned that my pastor and his wife are ill with COVID. He officiated at his son's wedding on December 27th sans mask. The whole wedding party of 13 wore no masks. His symptoms showed up one week later on January 3rd, his wife's a few days earlier. A church family (parents, grown daughter, 2 grown sons-in-law) also has COVID. 6 adults and 4 children spent all day together on Christmas. Our church will have no live nor livestreamed service on Jan. 10th and probably not on the 17th. The live service had already been cancelled due to snow on Jan. 3rd.

Our county is very slow in administering the vaccine. Grace Village healthcare workers and HC residents received the first shot Dec. 28th; assisted living will receive their first Jan. 25th when HC gets their second. Health care workers throughout the county are getting shots. The general public has been given no projected dates except that those 75 and older and essential workers will be next. Now one of the administrative staff and 5-6 independent living residents of Grace Village have tested positive for COVID. 

I am feeling a little crabby today. My December 22nd ACDF surgery went OK. Today an assistant of the surgeon removed the steri-strips. The incision area looks very puffy still. The x-ray shows the inside throat area still swollen as well. I am having a little trouble swallowing. I am still sleeping in a recliner, hope to try my bed on Friday or Saturday (after an earlier disastrous try). I did perk up when I finally managed to get my wedding ring over the big knuckle and back in place several days ago. I am having muscle pain across the shoulders and around the shoulder blades. I got off the percocet on the third day and switched to tylenol, but it only takes the edge off. I start physical therapy tomorrow. I am praying the shoulder/back pain goes away in the next 10 days. Then I can get off the muscle relaxant and drive again. Not too chipper right now. I knew it would take weeks, even months, to get back to normal activity, but knowing and accepting are two different things.

Time to take the muscle relaxant afternoon dose which means I will be overwhelmingly drowsy in 20 minutes and forced to take a nap.

Hope your new year is going well.