Good Days, and a Little Detective Work.

Good Days, and a Little Detective Work.

Today I had an interesting, and ultimately great, day.

Started VERY tired - I'm sleeping more deeply this past week or so - but it's a bit harder to wake up. So in the morning, I'm groggier. Also the right leg is more painful.

Fully to be expected, as  it is still malformed and the joint is just not going to stop deteriorating.

I found this website that shows great examples of exactly my physical issue - congenital/developmental hip dysplasia., with excellent comparative x-ray images and explanations. http://www.chiropractic-help.com/Developmental-Hip-Dysplasia.html

I was thinking that the cause of mine is possibly due to having been born in a high-radiation area - 90 miles equidistant from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, just 14 years after the bombs were dropped. I was in utero at least 6 months in that location (Possible more - we're having  a bit of a time tracking down when exactly the family moved to Japan, and the base is now closed, making records more difficult to find).
I wasn't remembering anyone in the family having hip problems…

However, in this web site, it mentioned that it is often genetic, and to think of predecessors who limped or walked with a cane, etc…

It's kind of a big "DUH " moment.  My dad died at 44 but he did already have back problems - I don't know if his hips were involved - my mother was really healthy until she got cervical cancer - her bones were very strong (She broke her back and with a year of chiropractic treatment, was totally healed and never had another back problem). But - our grandfather on my dad's side lived into his 90's, and even when I was a little one, I clearly remember him walking with a cane, and talking about having a "Hitch in m' gitalong". He moved fairly slowly, and I believe he would have been about 79 years old.
(Thanks to my sister Pat, the Keeper of the Family History, for helping me figure out the dates so I can better try to understand this whole mystery. SHe seems to think that he had an injury working as a cowboy in younger days, but it could also still be connected to dysplasia, even so. )

So. Back to my day. Work was a bit painful - it's getting to a place where, in the morning when I am in need of coffee and water,  my coworkers, as kind and generous as they are with helping me, are getting very busy, and there might even be a touch of "Helper fatigue" involved. I do not blame them a *bit* - I am deeply grateful for all they have done. But it means more moving around the office on a very painful leg(always with the walker, of course) - painful from the waist to the floor, it is so out of sorts that the whole damned leg is really pretty bad. Probably a consistent 4 out of 10 for pain, spiking at about a 7 or so if I don't move it for a while ( as in the middle of the night, sleeping), or if I sit on too short a chair, or getting in and out of the car. I have discovered a Thing: living room furniture is all built *very* low these days. Painful to sit on and get up from, so I tend to bring in a dining chair when visiting friends or family.

Then the day improved -

I made it through, knowing I had an hour music rehearsal at my house, and then my dear friend's poetry reading (with an open mic piece from me - my second Hip Surgery poem - I'll post those in another entry). I was so tired driving home, I very, very nearly fell asleep in bad traffic - very scary, at least scary enough to jolt me with adrenaline and get me home safely.

Musicians arrived, songs were run through and I made it out of the house at a reasonable time to make the reading… very excited to see my friend Jt read - he's a rockstar at it… and we have a great community of very talented serious poets in this city, many of whom were going to be there for the Open Mic section.

Jt and our dear friends were there, already holding a seat for me, the host, Bill, had put me on the open mic list, I got settled and we were on!  Jt and the other featured poet were great - Jt is really in fire these days and it’s a treat to see! The evening went great - my piece ( recently re-worked) went over very well, and even the couple or three oddball readers were entertaining. Everybody gets a chance to read at the Shine, and they have a great rule - "No bloodletting" - listeners are responsive and vocal, but no need to be mean. Poetry with Legs at the Shine Café is a Safe Space. I think it's a great idea, and it makes for a lively and quality night.

I got home well, in a LOT of pain - it was my first three-stair-trip day in a while… but really very well worth it. Ice did a lot to remedy the issue, I slept well… even a dead car battery thins morning was dealt with swiftly and easily,  and tonight I have a massage from the wondrous Curt.

I cherish the Good Days, and sometimes a *little* over-doing isn't necessarily a bad thing. The trade is worth it.