Spring at last

We've got a mini heatwave going on which is lovely after such a harsh winter.

Lots has been going on in our garden including a new greenhouse so I'm hoping for a good crop of tomatoes and want to make vast batches of pasata to bottle up for the winter. .

Both knitting and sewing has been taking place as well but photos are bottle-necked at the processing department so my phone will have to suffice.

I've also finally got some good news about my knee as I'm seeing another Physio and have started work in the gym. I can't wait to get rid of my limp!

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A year later

Today a year ago I had an an accident. Due to it initially being diagnosed as a sprain I didn't see a physio for a few months. The first consultant told me I'd be walking within 3 months which proved to be too optimistic. Finally after 4 months I had a full diagnosis:

• Bone bruising (fractures under the soft surface of the bone) within my knee

• 2 torn medial hamstrings on the inside of my thigh

• Medial ligament torn off the bone

• Severe damage to the muscle on the outside of my thigh

A year later I can walk but have a pronounced limp. I'm no longer on Tramadol but have to use a walking stick if I go out and still have difficulty with lots of simple things including put a sock on my right foot.

I'm hoping to make a full recovery and am aiming to be able to run with Oscar again.

A year ago I considered two women to be very close friends.

One has been absolutely amazing. Without her help we would have probably have to re-home Oscar as I couldn't cope with him at all. She came in to help me nearly every lunch time for 7 months to walk both dogs, bring me something to eat & drink and help me to the loo etc. On rare days when she couldn't help DH would take half a day off work as I really couldn't cope all day on my own. When physiotheraphy finally started DH would drop me off on his way to work & she would pick me up as I wasn't allowed to drive until the end of May.

I haven't heard from the other friend since February or March.

It's really proven to me that when things get tough you find out who your friends are!

I've put some weight on due to the pain killing properties of chocolate and a total inability to exercise but have decided to forget about dieting this Christmas. Last year the celebrations were a fog of pain to be honest and I just want to relax and enjoy the time with my family this year. When I can move without pain I'm hoping to be able to exercise again.

I gave this amazing friend a present last week of pure cashmere yarn from ColourMart as a 'Thank You for Everything' present and it brought tears to her eyes

Now if I could only shake off this stinkin' cold.......

Still here

In 3 days time it'll be 6 months since my accident. I have been discharged by the physio & am allowed to drive again which is great as I hated being dependant upon other people to ferry me around. However the physio thinks it'll take another 5 months or so until I'm back to normal. I have to use a walking stick which I HATE as without it I have a very pronounced limp. I feel very self-conscious either way so not good.

I'm desperate to get moving again and have set myself the task of investigating 'Sports Rehabilitation' next week but don't know if it's available on the NHS. My long suffering husband is still walking the dogs every morning and could really do with a day off/a lie in. I'm desperate to walk them but Oscar is lively and my balance isn't great.

Knitting wise I decided to make something very simple using colours that would cheer me up:


Courtyard Steps blanket

This photo was taken a few weeks ago and I'm much further on now. I stupidly bought only 4 balls of each colour. This wouldn't have even made it big enough for a toddler to use as a buggy blanket but 2 Raverlors were kind enough to help me out and I now have another 3 of the green. I'm still after a ball or two of the pink (Anchor Style Magicline 1462, dyelot 22726) if anyone has any spare.......

Celebrations

For the first time in a long time I've got something to celebrate.

Today in addition to it being St George's Day it's also my birthday. I haven't been in the mood to celebrate but my husband and daughter decided to ignore that and have spoilt me rotten. DH bought me an amazing Sewing Machine, DD baked me some cookies and got me some lovely presents including a cake:


Carrot Cake

I've also been spoilt by friends and my employers sent me a HUGE bouquet of flowers which was totally unexpected.

The reason I've been down is that I'm still in a lot pain from my accident and am totally fed up with being unable to walk and being housebound. I was told 3 weeks ago by the consultant that it'll be another 6 months before I'm fully mobile again which wasn't what I wanted to hear.

In addition to the original diagnosis of bruised bones and grade 2 medial ligament damage my physiotherapist has found more damage:

- Two 'Medial hamstrings' on the inside of my leg have been torn and

- my Iliotibial Band (long muscle connecting the hip to the knee) is trashed as well

I have two physiotheraphy sessions every week and am improving but it's slow and painful. Prior to my accident I used to walk the dogs every morning and run with Oscar so I'm finding my inactivity very hard to cope with.

Hence the sewing machine. I need to learn a new skill so that something good comes out of all this inactivity. I haven't been knitting recently either as every project I've started or worked on has gone wrong but that's for another post......

12 weeks plus

I'm finally starting to get better. The horrendous pain has eased and now instead I've just got pain and discomfort. I am 'walking' wearing the leg brace and using crutches and am actually bearing weight on my right leg!

Now my problem relates to the range of movement, or lack of, in my knee. The hamstring had shortened after such a long time of not being used and my knee being propped up on pillows. This is nearly resolved and now I've got to work on the knee. It's stiffened up & I need to be able to free up in order to walk normally again. I need 90 degree of movement in order to ever be able to walk and I have 45 at the moment.

So lots of very uncomfortable exercises to come and ice packs are my reward to numb the resulting pain. My muscles have gone & my leg has wasted away a bit so lots of work to do once I've got the knee working again. I aiming to be running again by the end of the year.

Btw: above is now my morning activity instead of walking with my 'dales, Frankie has the most amazing tummy........

Diagnosis

I’ve got bruised bones (tiny little fractures under the surface of the bone that don’t show up on x-rays) with grade 2 medial ligament damage.

In the long term this is good news as I don’t need an operation and shouldn’t have any long term effects.

However in the short term it isn’t good as there is nothing the Doctors can do apart from pain management. I was told that patients normally start to recover within 4-6 weeks but as mine is still so painful I must have severe bruising. I have to continue to rest my knee and eventually the pain will ease.

It's been 10 weeks so far, any bets as to how much longer before I can walk again?

10 weeks

after my accident and I'm still here:

Sat in exactly the same chair

wearing the same brace

with the red cushion under my knee.

The only improvement in this time has been the pain relief that I rely on.

Any early morning visitors will hear my alarm clock as it goes off at 4 a.m. so that I can take tablet

before the next one at 8 a.m.

Then 12 noon,

4 p.m,

8 p.m.

12 midnight, I think you get the drift.....

I have an appointment tomorrow morning with a consultant who should hopefully have the results of my MRI scan and will be able to sort out a plan to fix the damage.

I have also been seeing a physiotherapist who, working without the benefit of the scan, thinks that I need an operation and then lots of work to get walking again after that.

Hopefully I'll know more after tomorrow. I have a fear that I'll be put on a long waiting list but who knows.

Meanwhile life goes on:


Frankie

These were taken just over a month ago but I haven't felt up to posting anything. Frankie is now 7 1/2 months old and is a grown up kitty when he wants to be. He learnt to go out of the cat flap very quickly but it took him a bit longer to learn how to get into the house again.


Frankie

Now that he can burn up all his kitten energy he's often be found snoozing on the back of the sofa, snoring lightly as only a kitten can.....

A month later

and I'm still here sat on my butt in same the chair. The brace is still on and I really hate it. The crutches/brace give me blisters and I'm hobbling around.

Being in constant pain definitely gives life a different edge and my priorities have changed. It's now an ordeal to do anything and I REALLY miss walking the dogs in the morning. I've been told it'll be 3 months before I'm walking but one month on and I've had no progress to speak of so I'm not holding my breath.

But life goes on: Frankie kitten is now 6 months old & was neutered this week. He went out for the first time this afternoon & the woodshed was VERY interesting. He's developed a love of dog food so we're trying to persuade Oscar to eat his food so that Frankie doesn't steal it.


Frankie aged 4 months as we haven't taken any photos recently

I started a new job a week before the accident but luckily I'm based at home so haven't had to take time off sick. It's been interesting trying to arrange an invalid working area as I can't sit at my desk but it's doable, the work is interesting and I'm enjoying it.

Out with the old

Perhaps to be expected we didn't have the best Christmas or New Year celebrations.
2009 was a difficult year for our family on many levels most of which isn't to be shared here. 2008 was also hard on us so we could really do with a change this year....

Knitting is taking place but I've discovered that when it's one of the few things I can do it loses much of it's appeal. My husband is snowed with all the burdens that my injury has heaped on him, so for now you'll have to make do with a photo of a new WIP (taken with my phone) Thummbed mittens.

ETA 2/1/10 to add links

Merry Christmas

I hope you're all having a wonderful day with loved ones and enjoying a peaceful & joy filled day.

Our Christmas is a bit different this year as I had an accident 2 days ago involving a lovely farm dog, who obsessed with a moving quad bike, ran into my knee at top speed and sent me crashing to the floor. It's too swollen at the moment to be certain of the damage but for now the Doctors think I've hurt my medial cruciate ligament and possibly the cartilage as well :(

So my Christmas this year involves minimal movement but that means lots of knitting as I can't do much else. Poor DH has to do everything else including all dog walking which he's not happy about as he'd planned a few lazy mornings in bed but I'd swap in an instant.

As I'm typing DD is happily checking out her presents and playing a new CD and I'm pleased that all presents were bought and wrapped well in advance.....