Adversity Leads to a Project (Long)

Erm, I've experienced a bit of a set back.

My left knee replacement was on March 11, and my recovery was pretty much without incident. I was discharged from physical therapy and discharged from my surgeon. Yes, there is still the occasional twinge left-knee-wise, and my endurance really needs extending. But I can could ascend and descend a full flight of steps reciprocally. Feeling as though I was on my way.

Then, on May 7, I awoke from a nap, put my weight on my right foot and experienced sharp, intense pain! What the heck? 

Operating on the firm belief that most things get better by morning (or at least within a couple of days), I babied my foot and thought positive. But on the 12th, not only was it no better but a misstep brought a sharp, searing pain and tears.

The next morning I presented to the Emergency Room. The heel was red and warm and swollen and I told the PA that I suspected cellulitis. She said that was a possibility and then mentioned calcific tendinitis and decided that to be on the safe side, we'd have an x-ray to rule out any kind of a fracture (there was none). I left the ER with (1) an antibiotic in case it was cellulitis, (2) an Ace bandage, skillfully applied, and (3) firm instructions to follow up with the orthopod or the podiatrist. Ice, elevation and rest were to continue. And ibuprofen for inflammation.

It took a couple of days to get into Dr. Foot's office and he did another x-ray and declared it was neither cellulitis (which I'd deduced for myself) or calcific tendinitis, but a different set of more unpleasant possibilities: It's the Achilles and it's either partially torn or fully ruptured. He put me in a boot, ordered a stabilizer for the other foot so I can walk, and called for an MRI to say which it was. If it's the former, it should get better within a few weeks. If it's the latter, he told me, "You're toast."* In this case, I suspect, toast is an unpleasant surgical procedure with yet another long recovery. But I'm not thinking about that yet, Scarlett. Now waiting for a date for the MRI, wearing the boot and stabilizer, elevating, and hoping for the best.

Well, the other news is that working on Bessie involved pulling out lots of fabrics. Lots of fabrics. That didn't get put away. Adding that to the already accumulated mess in the sewing studio produced a monumental disaster, the kind of thing that gets me worried that the Board of Health is going to suddenly appear a la Spanish Inquisition and shut me down completely. 

I'm not going to be able to sew on my machine while wearing the boot. And the sewing studio is adjacent to the laundry. Today I went down and put a load of wash in and decided while it washed and then dried, I'd devote that time to cleaning and organizing. I was delighted at what I accomplished while the sheets were getting clean! So my plan will be to try to daily (or as needed) do a single load of laundry and spend that time organizing, purging, stowing, whatevering.

I had two not-quite-finished quilts that surfaced today. One is the not-quite-four-years-old Trinkets project, with all fifty blocks assembled and a first border applied. Folded neatly inside it is a great bit piece of blue for the final outer 6" border. Second is the Granny project, which grew into forty-nine blocks and will fit a queen bed. All it needs is an 8" border. Two of my besties have agreed to apply those borders; then I'll be able to get them to the machinist. Another bestie will machine the binding on at the appropriate time, and I'll have the hand-binding to keep me out of trouble and as a nice change from Bessie.

Trying to make the best of an unwelcome situation, Near Philadelphia.
 

*Lest anyone be taking offense on my behalf at the "you're toast" remark, Dr. Foot and I have known each other for a long time. It's okay.