Over-doing.. or not? 11/4/2013

This weekend I did some fun things.

I am trying so hard not to push myself too hard - to rest as much as possible... not overtax the still crumbling right hip and painful knee. But some thing are do it or miss it things.

I had a mostly good experience dealing with getting around disabled facilites...
Months ago, tickets went on sale for a concert my a favorite singer of mine, Portuguese Fado singer (Fadista), Mariza. My dear friend Nan and I are big fans, so I bought good tickets, the new Green Music Hall on the Sonoma State campus, in Rohnert Park. almost 2 hours' drive, but not to be missed.
Nan drove up from the Fresno area Saturday afternoon, we talked and caught up and visited, and then we were on the road )
Of course everything always takes a long time for me, but we really did get out of time in a decent amoutn of time. It took all day to plan, but it happened. There is little I dislike more than being late for a live performance, especially with my walker in tow at the moment - sneaking into a seat it not really possible when the ushers have to take and stash the walker, etc.

But - we made it into town, scoped out the hall location, grabbed a bit to eat and go to the hall about ten minutes to curtain.
Of course, I had to use the loo, and the handicapped parking spaces were, as is too often the case, prety far away from the building. The walk was really pretty taxing. Nan offered to drop me nearer to the door, and I probably should have let her, but I was concerned that she would arrive late, and that woudl be awful. So, the longer that it looked walk... then into the loo - several open stalls, and of course I had to wait for someone who was not disabled to vacate the disabled stall.
She came out, looked down at my walker and gave me that sheepish, "Oh, sorry!" look. I have lots my ability to be friendly about this particular thing. I just pursed my lips and looked at her. Perhaps it was uncomfortable enough for her to re-soncider using the stall when she has the other option. Clearly, people with chairs and walkers and other variants on limited mobility do not.

That dealt with, when we got to the lobby, we made a beeline for an usher - who happened to be the cheerful and respectful head of disabled seating services or some such! She efficiently and kindly got us to our (excellent!) seats, all the while telling us how lucky she felt to work at their beautiful (and it really is STUNNING!) hall. The seats are all wooden(With a small inserted cushion in the seat) - but incredibly comfortable! I nearly never sit for more than an hour without need some kind of stretch (whether I can get one or not). These were amazing.

Great (Amazing!) concert, and then time to go. Nan went to get her car, and the traffic directors showed her where she could drive right up to the building - designed just for handicapped pickup! Excellent!

I had though to bring a freezer pack of ice packs, and on the way home it was good to use them. It was a lot of walking and extended sitting in teh car and hall, and I was really feeling it. Getting home, I was really sore. But I slept well, being pretty worn out.

Sunday, I saw the second of three time seeing the National Theatre Live encore of Frankenstein. It is really brilliant. The two leads trade the lead roles of Victor Frankenstein and The Creature, and I wanted to see both - plus Benedict Cumberbatch is a tour de force in the role of he Creature, so I'm seeing it again next weekend. Again, a lot of sitting, but I gave myself tons of time to get there early and get a decent spot . it was worth it. I am pleased that today at work I wasn't suffering too badly.


It can't be ALL bad ;) - tonight I posted this as my Facebook Status: "Well, the kitchen has been melt-down free this evening! I made mashed cauliflower with garlic earlier with dinner - seriously delicious. Making a batch of banana paleo breakfast muffins in my new silicone muffin baking cups - they stand alone! Kinda cool. And -tasty breaky treats for a while! http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2012/04/banana-muffins-wbanana-chocolate-chip-option.html "

My concern is always, "Am I going to feel any better when the right leg gets worse? and, am I doing my left new hip damage, or just a bit of strain, when it gets sore from my overdoing,and it has to take the brunt of my weight with the weakness of the right?

It seems that the pain in the right can still come and go - yes, it is still deteriorating because it is still crumbling, but some days it's just sore, and it can improve from that. Ice still helps... heat still helps. Tylenol does too. I think I'll be able to get through this pre-op time so much better than the first.
I had been replying on Ibuprofen, and in the week before surgery, when all NSAIDS and supplements have to be cut out, Tylenol wasn't doing the trick.
Thank goodness it does, now, and I'll be able to take it up to the night before surgery. I won't have to resort to a few Norco tablets before surgery as I did last time.
Having the left hip done and just wonderful is probably 2/3 reduction in the previous pain levels.
Sometimes I have a hard time remembering/believing how terrible that previous pain level was. Especially on a bad right hip day.
But it is NEVER as bad any more.

I am at three weeks and 5 days to Surgery #2. Still stuff to do... Thanksgiving with my sister, brother, sister in law, niece and her husband and baby, and SIL's daughter and her husband and two kids shoudl be just lovely! ANd nice way to go into surgery this time - plus, there will be two holiday days (Thanksgiving). I had to take those last two days off as vacation the first time, my pain level was too uncomfortable to sit at a desk and work all day.

Patience... and needing to get some things done, like help plan and sing for my dear Deborah's memorial celebration - her "FUN-eral" as she called it. :)

moving forward.
-MK