Day 19...

Today is Day 19 since surgery, counting the day of surgery, (8/30).

Yesterday, with the help of my home health physical therapist, I succeeded in going down 7 stairs. I then limp-walked with my walker through the living room and dining room and kitchen, and then we tackled back up the 7 stairs.

Son is visiting this weekend. So today, Son and Hubby will help me make it all the way downstairs to the ground level. We'll do 7 stairs down to the mid-level. I'll rest. Then we'll do the 9 stairs down to ground level, where my wheelchair awaits me. I'll get to go outside today in my wheelchair!! Yay! I'm so excited!

I'll also watch some TV. I don't have any TV on the third level, where my cocoon is. It'd be kind of nice if I did, but I don't. I do have my computer, but I can't stream because we've had such terrible wifi at our house, we dropped wifi. We use a hotspot which uses data. Streaming eats data. But I can watch DVDs on my computer. And I can watch youtube videos; they don't eat data like streaming does.

My friend Joy, who moved in with us on 9/06, has the weekend off. She left last night around 6:15 and will return Sunday evening around 7:00 for another week of potty chair duty, adjusting my wedge, helping me shower, putting on my compression sock, other help when I need it, doing household chores, and keeping me fed. She's a real trooper, and I'm beyond thankful for her help. I know it's not easy being on call 24/7. 

I have eleven days until post-op and (hopefully) will be given permission (and freedom) to bear some weight on my surgery leg. There are sixteen days until neck injections when I'll get better nerve damage relief and be able to lower my daily prednisone. I'm counting down the days. I'm quite bothered about having to increase my daily prednisone, but I have to in order for my arms to be able to continue to bear my body weight. And it was expected. I'm telling myself I'll get back on track with the lower daily pred dose, but it may take a whole epidural round.

That ends today's report for now....