Sidelined

I'm going to start this post with a whine...you can choose to stop reading now, or not. 

For those who have been reading for a number of years, you'll know that I don't do "sick" well. While I'm not sick, I did injure myself at some point and now I'm sitting on the sidelines. Let me explain:

We painted several days last week, and I spent a good deal of that time either bending over to paint the lower blocks, kneeling or sitting on the ground to do the same. For a good part of one day I was working on gravel. It wasn't comfortable but other than a bit of muscle soreness in my thighs I didn't feel too bad.

However, I woke up Saturday and found my left knee was swollen and very tender. When I attempted to walk I discovered I couldn't even bear weight on my foot. What I could do was walk on the ball of the foot though my knee was still angry with me.

I took a couple of painkillers, dressed and drove down to Walmart to pick up a knee brace and lidocaine cream. When we'd wrapped up on Friday I'd told everyone we'd take the weekend off - there was curling to be watched! So I figured I'd stay home, watch curling and rest my knee, and things would be better by Monday. 

That wasn't the case, though I felt I'd improved enough to go help with the painting. I did tell the others that I wouldn't be kneeling though, so two others took care of the lower blocks while I used the roller to prime the upper blocks. We finished priming about 12:30 and I went home feeling exhausted. 

I guess I overdid it, and after talking to our resident L, a former nurse and J, who has experience in physical therapy, I agreed to let others finish the job. And a great job they did! Here are photos of the before and after:

I've had a couple of nights where I wake up in significant pain. I get up, take a pain killer, and use the lidocaine cream to get back to sleep. Mornings tend to be good, and I am improving but any extended period of walking (grocery shopping) or sitting (playing Canasta on Wednesday) has me hobbling around again. We did got thrifting on Tuesday, but I spent more time sitting in the thrift stores than perusing the racks/aisles. I did find a lovely vintage piece, a platter made in Japan at one store for $3.

Thank goodness for the Canadian women's curling (Scotties). I've had three draws a day, until Friday, to watch, I've been knitting, and finished a book in between games. The book, "Before I Wake" by Robert J. Wiersema is interesting and weird at the same time. A three year old, out with her mother on a walk to the local mall is hit in the crosswalk by a speeding vehicle. There is little hope for recovery and the family agrees to take her off the equipment keeping her alive...but she doesn't die. The driver of the speeding vehicle realizes what he has done and makes an attempt to take his own life by throwing himself off a cliff, only to find himself pulled back by some force into a strange other world. This is when the book gets weird, with characters dating back to the time of Jesus, forces of good and evil, harm and miraculous healing, and a family in turmoil. The writer brings it all together in the end, but while a generally easy read, it isn't a book I'd look to read again.

Oh, and a short explanation about Wednesday's photo. This is my friend L, holding up an apple fritter from Arizona Donuts. Those things are massive, cost $3, and taste absolutely delicious! Easily shared by 3-6 people too. If you are ever in Yuma and have the need for a sweet treat, check them out. 

L is a retired nurse and has warned me I can expect it to take up to six weeks for my knee to be fully healed. Can I be patient that long? Doubtful, but I'll try.

Have a great week ahead everyone!