Day Three Hundred Sixty-Four: Back Pain

My Year of Firsts decided to have sort of a last laugh and remind me of my age by delivering back pain to me today like I have never experienced. Like wanting to cry, unable to move, taking muscle relaxers and pain pills left over from knee surgery type pain. And, I can't think of any particular incident that would have caused it, though maybe that's yet another testament to my age. 😉 It' not exactly the First I was hoping for, but I guess it's an appropriate bookend for this crazy Year of Firsts that started with my knee injury.

Day Two Hundred Forty-Six: Two-Mile Run

Ok, so technically, I have run two miles before. Lots of times actually. But everything I knew my body could do completely reset when I injured my knee, and so I have new old milestones to reach that certainly do feel like Firsts.

I was cleared to start running in January, and it has been hard. At first, I could barely run for a minute. There has been pain (so much pain!) and a few tears. But there has also been fierce determination. By early March, I had worked up to one-mile runs, and could pound them out pretty consistently on the pavement and on the treadmill. Even as recently as Tuesday, though, I was telling Jeff that a mile was about all my knee seemed to want to do and that I was having a hard time moving beyond that barrier.

But, with the knee's blessing, today I finally managed to knock out two miles. Before my injury, I was running about four miles a day, and I'm assured that recovering from this type of injury and surgery generally takes about a year.  I am realistic enough to know that, as I continue to work, there will very likely still be hard days, days when my knee or my mind or both just don't want to or just can't manage to reproduce the results from today. That's o.k. because now I know I can do it. And when you know you've done something once, it's easier to do it again and again. This accomplishment meant a lot to me and truly felt for all the world like a real First (possibly a little better, even, since I had to work harder for it!), and I wanted it on the official record. 

Just put one foot in front of the other until you get where you want to be!

Day Seventy: Golden Tonic

I have been trying to learn about natural ways to combat inflammation and joint pain ever since I injured my knee, not only because I have been dealing with those very things in the present, but also because I have heard that this type of injury can lead to arthritis down the road. My hope is that I can get myself healthy and active as soon as possible and stave off other issues in the future.

Turmeric is touted as having anti-inflammatory properties, and collagen is supposed to help with joint pain. So when I found a recipe for this Turmeric-Collagen Coconut Tonic, I bookmarked it so I could give it a try. (It was my first time to make this drink, but it was also my first time to buy a package of collagen, which I added to my stash of weird products in the pantry that provide an endless amount of shock and entertainment to my family members!) I can't say yet what the verdict is for my joints, but I can tell you it is delicious, and I would drink it even of it didn't have the potential health benefits.

Golden Tonic

Day Forty-Nine: Uber to and from practice

Our weekly schedule is pretty crazy, just like almost everyone we know, especially families with kids. But, since I injured my knee, and especially since I had the surgery, we have had the added challenge of having just one driver. (Ruth can drive with a licensed driver, but for Tuesdays and Thursdays, even that doesn't help us.) Jeff has been amazing at juggling everything, and my mom helped out tremendously when she was here over the weekend. But when the time of Max's Thursday gymnastic class got switched up on us, there was just not going to be any way for Jeff to get three people to three far flung locations at the same time, super hero though he is. We talked through our options and finally came up with Uber as a solution. I recently experienced the first of walking one of my kids to practice, but I can honestly say I have never Ubered anyone to practice before! Admittedly it felt a little odd to hire a driver to take the two younger boys and myself less than two miles, but it worked out beautifully, and I'm so very thankful we live in a place where this is an option!

The Uber App, showing several cars in my area

Day Forty-Three: Knee Surgery

I finally got to the first I set myself up for back on day five, when I tore my ACL and meniscus trying to learn how to Ripstick. I can honestly say I didn't ever think about putting these things on my original list when I started planning for my Year of Firsts. But sometimes you've just got to go with the firsts you have, not the firsts you wish you had.

Sexy new accessories

Post-Op necessities: a hanger for scratching my foot, water bottle, ice packs, barf bag, pile of pillows, comfy clothes

Day Forty: Doorknob Repair

I thought it would be really cool if the First for today was something spectacular, since it's the Fortieth First to celebrate turning 40. But life doesn't always play along with our grand plans. So, instead of something spectacular, I repaired a doorknob. It's not that I've never repaired anything before--I am actually quite handy with a screwdriver, if I do say so myself--but I think this was the first time I've had to put a doorknob back together. And, it was definitely the first time I had to do something like that with a bum knee, which seems irrelevant until you realize that without the ability to kneel, you are either standing and are therefore too tall to see all the inner workings of the knob, bending at the waist, which can get uncomfortable pretty quickly, or sitting flat on your rear on the floor and are too short. I really can't even take full credit for this first, because Clay insisted on helping, so I let him screw in one of the screws. We make a great team, and we got the job done. I did do it in my nice clothes, though, so I guess that could be my little bit of spectacular. 😀

 

Busted doorknob

Putting it all back together

Finishing touches
(He does not have a black eye. This is the tail end of pirate face paint.)

Day Twenty-Five: Physical Therapy

Today, I became a patient of physical therapy for the first time. This will be my new home away from home for the next few months, leading up to and following my knee surgery. The equipment looks fun and exciting to the casual observer but is actually used to torture patients back into shape. In seriousness, though, I'm glad to have the chance to strengthen my muscles before and after surgery, so that I can have the best chance at getting back to the active lifestyle I love.

photo from Orthopedic Associates website

Torture Chamber 
Physical Therapy Room

Day Ten: Andrew Jackson's Hermitage

We spent the morning at Andrew Jackson's Hermitage, which was my official first for the day. The grounds were beautiful, and the mansion was lovely. And, it was interesting to learn more about our 7th president.

Additionally, I less enthusiastically added the handicapped experiences of being ferried out to the mansion in a golf cart and viewing the mansion itself (first floor only!) from a wheelchair, for a couple of other firsts. It certainly gave me new eyes with which to see how difficult and inconvenient life can be for people who are under the same obligations I experienced today.

The Hermitage

The face on the 20

Day Six: New Accessories

Apparently, sometimes I get to pick the first, and sometimes it gets to pick me. After my antics yesterday, my first for today ended up being the acquisition of some lovely new accessories. I can honestly say I have never owned a knee stabilizer or a pair of crutches before. X-rays show that nothing is broken, but the MRI tomorrow will tell the ligament story.

Accessorized

Day Five: Ripstik

I was having a hard time thinking of a first for today, but when the boys went outside to ride their Ripstiks, I decided I would go with them and get them to give me a lesson. They were thrilled to have me playing outside with them and to be able to share their skills with me. They were excellent teachers and were very patient with me. I finally did manage to stay on for a few seconds, but my victory was short-lived, because I hit a little crack in the concrete and went sailing. It was immediately clear that the lesson was over. The boys were so sweet and concerned and helped me hobble into the house and get iced up, since Jeff had taken Ruth to practice. Clay even offered me his special Spiderman bandaids. Maybe there are some firsts that 40-year-olds are not well suited for...

Sweet teachers and caregivers for old Mom