Thanks!

Yet another year has gone by and it's time for the "obligatory what-I'm-thankful-for post."

There are the standards: my friends and family. Both categories have grown this year. (Yay!) I've met Soo, and become better friends with Eric. Not to mention the folks that have shown up at work the past year that I've befriended. And of course, there's little Tristan, the newest member of our family. I constantly have to clamp down on what I say/post because I have an acute case of PPS (Proud Papa Syndrome).

I'm extremely thankful that I'm here in Virginia rather than in the desert, half a world away like so many people I know. One of the great blessings of the job I've been given is that it can be done just as easily by remote.

I'm thankful for my continued convalescent progress. I've started "pool therapy," and have been told that I don't need to walk with a crutch anymore (though I should continue to do so out in public to keep the mob at bay). Many thanks to the Ortho folks and the Physical Therapy folks who together make it possible for me to run worry-free (later).

And, finally, I'm grateful for the continuing development of my kids. (I know, this sounds like a repeat.) Every lesson I teach means a refresher for myself. Almost everything they say and do means more laughter in my day.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving - I hope you have scads of things to be thankful for, and know it.

--Beav

More Useless Blather

Wow. I mean, wow. I finally got to take a bath tonight. I've been showering (and before that, my lovely wife helped me with sponge-bathing), so I haven't been stinky. But today I talked to the doc and got permission to bathe. In a tub. For a long time. It was beautiful. I feel like the rapture came and they lowered the standards for me. We had no bubble bath, but that didn't even slow me down.

I found (read: was led to by some folks at Fark) a couple great links.

First is an online comic strip called "Order of the Stick." If you know D&D at all, you'll enjoy it. In fact, the more you know about D&D, the more you'll enjoy it.

Second is a video clip of Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie (of House fame) doing a skit where Hugh seems to be the host of a talk/discussion show and Stephen is a guest, talking about language. Absolutely hillarious.

Have fun!

--Beav (I laughed until I cried)

PT! It's good for you! It's good for me!

I've been to two physical therapy sessions now. What fun. The goals are: to get my extension back (I'm about 8 degrees shy of straight), to get my bending back (I started at about 65 degrees, going for something like 145), and to re-strengthen the muscles in my leg (mainly thigh). Lots of great exercises for that.

I went in on Tuesday, they propped my heel up, letting my knee go (to help extension) while they put some hot mats on my leg to help loosen up the muscles. That was good. Then, to warm-up the muscles, I got on an exercise bike and did what they call "stirrups." Since I can't bend the leg enough to get it all the way around, I rotate as far as I can, hold it for 5 seconds, then rotate the other way as far as I can, 5 seconds. Lather, rinse, repeat for, oh, 10 minutes. Then they stretch me. I lay on my stomach, and the tech slowly bends my leg back/up as far as she can get it. That can get a mite uncomfortable, but as of yesterday, I got to 93 degrees.

Next comes calisthenics, essentially. I do toe raises and heel raises while maintaining balance with those bars they use to help people learn to walk again. Then some squats. That's some, uh, more discomfort. I don't like squats when I have 2 good legs, but I'm only going down til my legs are at a 45 degree angle to the floor. After that, it's back to "Big Blue," the table I sit/lay on. I do scissors on my back, roll over to the side and lift my leg off the table, roll to my stomach and lift my leg some more. Then to my back again and do heel drags. Those are where I drag the heel of my injured leg toward me, so the knee bends. Go as far as I can, then back down. After doing those, I do them again, except this time I'm lying on my back with my legs going up the wall so gravity can help me drag in and punish me when I push out.

After that, the electro-shock! Hee hee. They pass electricity through my front thigh muscle to help it contract, while I tense the muscle and do leg lifts. The power cycles on and off; when it's on, I tense and lift; off, I relax. Then, we ice up and I go home.

Wow. I am still maintaining my (mostly) positive outlook: that this is the temporary pain I must endure to be whole again. Hopefully that will last for a while. At least until I can do pool work. Then I'm in the water and I'm good.

--Beav (You're going to feel a little pressure.)