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One Step at a Time

Posted on January 15, 2017 by auburnchick

Nine weeks ago, I literally had my legs cut out from under me when I broke my ankle in three places.

Imagine nearly 63 days of not being able to walk on two feet.

When you’re as independent as I am, something like this can be devastating.

And it was.

Each week, I’ve been updating you on my progress.

I have BIG news for you.

On Friday, I took my very first steps!

I’m not going to lie.  It’s painful to watch.  I don’t mind acknowledging that.

After being given a weekly schedule on how much weight to put down on my ankle, I somehow thought it would be easy.

It wasn’t.

I tried to maintain a brave face, but y’all, inside, I was disappointed.  I cried after the Mr. turned off the camera.

It was very frustrating; it was also exhausting.

I could not make my foot remember how to take steps.

I was scared too, I’ll admit.  It hurt to put weight on it.

We thought maybe I wasn’t ready, so I allowed myself a short pity party.

Then, I did what I do best.

I got up and found a better way (after finding a video online that explained that you are supposed to put the crutch on the healthy side…most people do it wrong).

Watching the above video was a little less painful but every bit as awkward.  Why the heck couldn’t I stop leaning so far over?

The Mr., coordinated person that he is, tried to explain how to walk properly.

He even demonstrated.

I got mad.

He’s never broken his ankle before, so he didn’t get it.

He tried, though, and I had to give him props for that.

Still, I worked on it, because that’s just what I do.

After a solid night of sleep, I woke up to a foot that looked the best it had since November 13th…the day I broke it.

I put on my Superman knee high sock (no picture…sorry), my boot, and my “She believed she could and so she did” ankle sock for my left foot, and headed out on errands with the Mr.

We went to Sam’s Club, and he got the idea to have me push the buggy.

I was petrified.  I didn’t think I could actually push something, but he insisted that it would be like using a big walker.

I took a couple of hesitant steps and discovered that, once again, he was right.

He’s probably gloating a little if he’s reading this.

Hey Hon!

Anyhoo, I also discovered that the going was s-l-o-w.

He rolled his eyes and announced that it would take us an hour to get through the store at the rate I was going.

Ha!

It turned out that this was the BEST kind of physical therapy!  It helped me figure out how to balance myself without making “flying” motions with my arms.

Ahem.

I was also putting all of my weight on the right foot, which was painful, I’ll admit, but not broken-ankle painful…just under-used painful.  I can tell the difference, let me tell you.

I was exhausted when we got home and took a two-hour nap in the recliner.

After I got up, we ran out for dinner with me using two crutches.

There was something different, though.

The crutches felt super light.  I felt really good when we got home and walked around a bit with one crutch.

The Mr. left to go to one room in the house, and I headed toward the bathroom.  Before I did, I made my way to turn off the outside light, and I was feeling so good, that I decided to let go of the crutch.

I called the Mr. into where I was, and this is what he saw…

That emotion was as raw as it could be given everything I’d been through for two months.

When he turned off the camera, I bawled as he wrapped his arm around me.

He knew the struggle…had been there from the beginning.

I was in shock and awe…shock at how suddenly I could do it and awe at how amazing God has been.

Four weeks ago, when I got my boot, the doctor told me I’d be walking again in a month.  I wouldn’t have given a plug nickel given how stiff and painful my leg was when it came out of the cast.

As I have reflected on each week’s progress, I have been amazed.  Looking back has given me hope for the potential that each new week will bring.

When I was in the emergency room the night I broke my ankle, and the doctor told me I had a serious injury, all I could see was the long, dark journey ahead.  A trimalleolar fracture blog post I’d found on Google while I’d waited for seven hours in that ER room had left me devastated and discouraged.

God has taught me to trust Him each step of the way.  I’ve had no other choice.

Well, maybe that’s not true.  I guess God does give us choice, doesn’t He?  To me, though, there was no other course of action.

He allowed this into my life for reasons that I can see and reasons that I’m sure I’m not aware of.

I am still in full recovery mode, and I know my journey isn’t over.  I have a lot of healing to do…physical therapy is going to be long and painful.

I know, though, that with my Great Physician in charge, and prayer warriors lifting me up, I’ll continue to improve, one step at a time…one week at a time.

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Seven Weeks Post-Op

Posted on January 9, 2017 by auburnchick

Today marks seven weeks ago that I had surgery to repair my trimalleolar fracture.

It’s hard to believe that it was two months ago (11/13/16) that I fell and broke my ankle in three places!

I hope you’re not getting tired of these posts, but I need them to document my progress.  I also hope that they’ll be a source of inspiration to others who may be going through something similar.

I’ve got to tell you that I feel as though I’ve come a long way this past week.

I enjoyed one last day before I had to go back to school.  A nap was in order.

It was short-lived, though.  I got up and prepared another batch of the Soul-Soothing African Peanut Stew.  I wanted to have something for lunch the rest of the week.

I had a cute helper.

I went out to check the mail later in the afternoon and, on a whim, decided to see if I could crutch my way to the corner of my street.

I did, and when I got back to my house, I decided to put on the new ear buds that the Mr. had given me for Christmas…the ones that record my heartbeat and calories burned…and made another round!  I wound up walking almost a mile!  It was the first mile I’d collected for Charity Miles (check out the free app) since November 13th, the day I broke my ankle.

I cannot tell you what an emotional lift my walk was to me.  The longer I walked/crutched, the more I could envision myself walking normally again.  My gait became more natural, and I began pressing less and less on my crutches.  The weather was gorgeous that day, so being out and about was therapeutic.

We resumed school the next day.  Gambit was not amused.

It was my first day back at work since I got my boot on the 23rd of December.  Thank goodness I’d had practice walking around on crutches.

I dressed up in one of the new outfits the Mr. bought me after Christmas.

I took my scooter to work each day last week, but I only used it a couple of times.  I was supposed to be putting 75% body weight on my foot, so I knew that taking the easy way out by relying on the scooter too heavily would hinder my progress.

The first day back was a little tough, and my ankle swelled pretty good, as did my foot.  Still, I managed a fun dinner out, in the middle of the week, with my hubby…along with a rare glass of wine…rare these days because I’m being extra careful with what I’m putting into my body so the focus can be on healing.

Thank goodness for Epsom Salt!  I bought this from Amazon.  The salt is finer, so it dissolves a little better.

Last Wednesday marked a BIG milestone for me.

I got to sleep in bed WITHOUT the boot!

It was the first time in almost two months that my foot wasn’t confined while I slept.

I still kept it elevated on a pillow, but y’all…to be able to turn, gently, without five extra pounds weighing me down…

Oh my goodness!

When I woke up, nearly all of the swelling in my leg was gone.  It looked nearly normal.

Needless to say, I love bedtime now.  I’d dreaded it up to this point because I never slept well.  My sleep quality is slowly improving each night, although I am being super-careful not to twist my ankle when I turn over at night.

I went walking again on Thursday, but I think I overdid it a little.

By the end of first period on Friday, my ankle was shot.  I still have one area that hurts with regularity.  It’s the area where I think I have a pin, and it feels like a super-bad blister when it starts hurting.  The skin around it also gets red.

I took pictures of it and sent them to my nurse.  She still hasn’t responded.  Ugh.  I suspect that she must be out because she’s always so diligent to reply.

Before the weather turned cold on Friday, I did manage to get out and about (despite my sore ankle)…

I’ve definitely gotten more adept with the crutches and move along pretty well!

The weather here in Florida turned bitter cold late Friday night and through the weekend.  I’d been told that I’d be able to feel it in my bionic ankle, and boy did I ever!  It ached so badly Friday and Saturday night that I had to take Advil.  I’m praying that this gets easier with each cold season.  I cannot like this.  At all.

I must have been exhausted after the first few days back to school.  I got the best sleep since before I broke my ankle.

All of that rest was good for my ankle.  It looked amazing when I woke up.

This is the side that hit the floor directly when I fell.

This is the side that has the plate.

This is the side that has the plate.

Gambit acts as my personal escort now.  He’s constantly by my side in the house…

The Mr. and I went to a movie Saturday.  We finally saw Rogue One, which we enjoyed.  I crutched my way around the theater and up and down the stairs about three times.  On the way back to my seat after using the restroom, I saw a guy wearing a boot.  Of course I had to talk, and I learned that he’d broken his bone above his ankle the week after I broke mine.  He’s sporting a plate and screws too.  He gets around with a cane.  It seems that I keep running into people with similar injuries.  It’s my own little family.  ❤

I found these cute socks at Kohl’s on Sunday when we went shopping after church.  They were on clearance, and I wound up getting them free after we used Kohl’s cash.

I also found these slippers, which I got free as well after using my store cash.

It hurts a little to put anything around the back of my right foot.  Considering that I broke a bone in the back, that makes sense.  It’s still swollen back there!

As my healing progresses, I am gaining more independence.  I can now get myself into and out of the shower unaided.  Yay!  I can also get myself into the bathtub, on those nights that I feel like soaking my ankle this way.  I still need help getting out of the bath, though.  I’m very afraid of falling again.

I can do even more things around the house.  I ironed clothes Sunday night after the Mr. set up the ironing board for me.  I only dropped a crutch twice and spilled a cup of water once.  Oops.

I haven’t gotten a bone density test done yet, but I’m already taking supplements…

Yeah, my house is starting to look more and more like your grandma’s house.

Here’s a homeopathic gel I read about online.

You can find Arnica in gel and cream forms.  I found the above at Walmart.  I’ve had burning pain since before my cast was removed.  Massaging my leg with coconut oil had helped a little.  This gel is magic.  I can put it on and be pain free shortly afterward.  I read about it on a broken ankle support forum.  Thank you, Lord, for allowing man to invent the internet.  🙂

So, that’s my update for this week.  I continue to be amazed at God’s grace and the way He constantly provides for me.  Every time I’ve been anxious, I’ve felt His Spirit calming me down.  Though I still sometimes question why I have had to go through this, I choose to trust the Author of my story.

Thank you for your continued prayers.  I know that they are a major reason why I’m healing…why I’m so close to taking my first steps unaided.

 

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New Year Hodgepodge

Posted on January 4, 2017 by auburnchick

Happy New Year, y’all!  Boy, 2016 flew by, didn’t it?!  It’s hard to believe that we are back in January!  Enough about that, though.  Let’s jump into Joyce’s questions, shall we?  Don’t forget to link back up with her and visit others to see how they answered.  Oh, and if I don’t get back to you right away, please forgive me!  Today is our first day back to school after the break, so things are going to be h-e-c-t-i-c…especially because I had a sub the two days before we left so I’ll be picking up the pieces after that.  Ahem.

1.  Share one favorite moment/memory from your Christmas holiday. 

Just one?  I don’t know if I can choose.  We had a wedding AND Christmas to celebrate!  I think, though, that one of my favorite moments was the time my crew of five spent around the tree at my house opening presents.  We did this the night before we left to meet up with our extended family.  Having all of us together, in those moments, will forever be priceless to me.  My boy is in the military now…lots and lots of miles away from me…and I won’t know from year to year if he and his girl will be able to come home for the holidays.  Having this first Christmas with my babies together just felt so right.  Sigh.

2.  What was the best thing you ate over the holidays? Was it homemade or store bought? If it was homemade did you make it?

I made a Soul-Soothing African Peanut Stew (recipe from Oh She Glows recipe book) last week.  It was easy to prepare and packed with flavor!

3.  What was one of the most beautiful things you saw over the holidays?

Even though Rooster and his girl tied the knot in March before he left for basic training, they had their big wedding on the 18th of December.  Watching them stand together in front of the uniform-clad pastor, who is a chaplain in the Air Force, was beautiful.  I haven’t blogged about the wedding yet (I am waiting for pictures), I will share that I did cry.  To watch your youngest…your son…stand, oh so handsome in his Air Force blues…beside his beautiful girl.  There just aren’t words…

4.  What does fresh start mean to you?

Fresh start means starting anew…leaving behind what was and reaching for what will be.

For me, it means leaving behind the angst of the last two months as I begin to walk again…trying to step out in faith and not fear, which there’s much of, trusting God for what lies ahead.

5.  On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 being very positive and 1 being not so great) how would you rate 2016 in terms of personal achievement and well being? Explain.

I’m going to rate 2016 as a 9 in terms of personal achievement.  It really was a wonderful year for me.  Professionally, I felt so validated for the past six years of hard work.  Personally, with my fitness goals, I felt better than I ever had.  Despite my ankle break in November, I can still view 2016 in a positive light.

6.  Every January 1st since 1976 Lake Superior University has published a list of words they’d like to see banished from the Queen’s English. Words may be banished due to misuse, overuse, or just general uselessness. Go here to read more about how the words were chosen or, if you’re like me, to find out what in the world the word or phrase even means or the context in which it’s used. There were quite a few on this year’s list I’d never heard before.

Here’s the 2017 list of banished words-

You, Sir-focus-Bete Noire-Town Hall Meeting-Post Truth-guesstimate-831-historic-manicured-echo chamber-on fleek-bigly-ghost-Dadbod-listicle-get your dander up-selfie drone-frankenfruit-disruption

 

Which word on the list would you most like to see banished in 2017? What word or phrase would you add to the list?

I would ban “on fleek.”  I hear this term ALL.  THE.  TIME.  at school.  Blech.

7.  Large or small, light or deep, share with us one goal you have for the new year. 

My immediate goal for this year is to walk normally again.  I blogged about that a couple of days ago, but it bears repeating.  I’m at seven weeks post-breakage / six weeks post-surgery.  Sometimes, healing feels like it’s been a slow process.  Then, I look back at pictures from a couple of weeks ago, because I am the picture-taking-queen, and I see how far along I’ve come.  My incisions are almost healed fully, and the swelling has gone down so much.  My foot looks nearly normal again (until it swells after I’ve been walking on crutches).

Still, I have quite a ways to go until I can walk, unaided, on the right foot.

So, I know it could be considered a “superficial” goal.  It’s certainly not soul-searching or whatnot.  It is practical, though.

Sure, I have other goals for my life, but I think I’ll just keep those under wraps for now.

8.  My Random Thought

I think I’ll use this space to brag on my Chicky.  Chicky isn’t much of a homebody.  She doesn’t come “home” (aka, here) to visit often.  I understand.  She has her own life down in sunny south Florida.  Still, she came home for my surgery in November and was back again during the Christmas break.  She was here for two weeks!  We had our ups and downs…hard conversations that needed to be had…but overall, it was a wonderful visit.

She helped out so much.  She deep-cleaned most of our house.  She ran errands and was tender in her care for me.  She never complained about taking the scooter out of the back of the car or getting my crutches ready for me.  She prepared dinner a couple of times and, basically, helped the Mr. keep our household running.

Something I’ve always prided myself on is my independence.  Breaking my ankle has made me realize that asking for help is okay.  My Chicky stepped right in and did her thing.  Quite well, I might add.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: | 2 Comments »

Six Weeks Post-Op

Posted on January 2, 2017 by auburnchick

Happy January 2nd to you!

Last night marked seven weeks since I broke my ankle.  Today marks six weeks since I had surgery to fix the three fractures that I got when I fell over my dog (in the dark).

Here is a list that the emergency room doctor wrote for me the night I broke it…

Yesterday, out of curiosity, I googled the bones.  Here are some pictures (nothing gross, I promise)…

If you’re wondering what the pinning looks like, here’s a photo (nothing gross)…

Here’s another illustration (it’s a little yucky)…

You might remember that I went to the doctor on December 21st and had the cast that I’d worn for three weeks removed.  It was replaced by a removable boot.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve progressively been adding more weight to my bum leg.

Using a scale to figure out what 25% feels like was harder than it looked!

Rooster took these pictures of me the first day I used the walker.  What a workout!

Oh goodness, but this has been so hard!  The first day I added 25% weight and walked around with a walker, my foot swelled so badly!  It was almost comical, except that it wasn’t.  It freaked me out a lot.  I took it easy the next couple of days to allow the swelling to go down.

I was also instructed to begin making air motions with my foot to work on my range of motion.

Meanwhile, my left leg, which has been doing all of the work for both legs, began hurting.

I freaked out a little.  It felt like I was getting a shin splint, which I could not afford!  The Monday after Christmas, I emailed my nurse; I was worried about stress fractures given that my bones are brittle (a discovery through this ordeal).  She assured me that it is very normal to feel pain in the supporting leg and confirmed my guess that wearing a more supportive shoe on that foot would help.

I’ve since been babying the leg a little…icing it when it’s sore…and wearing a sneaker when I walk.

I’ve noticed that the pain is worse the more I’m up walking around.  Duh.  That may seem silly, but I’ll admit that I’ve taken it a little easy since we got home from visiting family.  That hasn’t been good because I’m supposed to be working my bum leg, which swells when I walk, and which makes my left leg pain flare up.

It’s a brutal cycle, let me tell you.

When we were visiting the Mr.’s parents, his mom had told me that one of her friends swore by Epsom salt baths to help with swelling post-surgery.

I’m all about homeopathic treatments, so I jumped on board and got my family to buy me some.  I’ve been faithfully bathing with the salts or soaking my feet in a bucket of Epsom salt water.

I've already gone through this bag and half of another. I've got a large bag coming from Amazon!

I’ve already gone through this bag and half of another. I’ve got a large bag coming from Amazon!

Last night, I noticed an immediate difference in the swelling when I took my foot out of the bucket.  It had swollen on the left side of my ankle, near one of my bad breaks.  The swelling was GONE.  Even the Mr., who’s been poo-pooing this whole thing, noticed.

Excuse the lines on my foot. They are from my knitted sock.

Excuse the lines on my foot. They are from my knitted sock.

I’ve been doing more research now that I’m emotionally ready to handle it.  One thing I looked for was an answer to why my skin has been burning since I got my cast off.  I discovered that this is due to the nerve block I had during my surgery.  My nerves are asleep right now, but they are trying to wake up.  It’s painful.  It feels like a bad sunburn every time I have my boot off and the skin is exposed to the air.  I may have found a cream to help with that, though.  The Mr. is taking me to the store to purchase it today.  I’ll report back on it later.

So, the positives, since I just realized that much of what I’ve already said sounds negative.

I’m noticing that the walking is getting easier.  Although it’s been difficult to get to 50% body weight…this week’s goal…I am noticing less heel pain when I put my foot down.  I have an area on the left side of my heel (the bottom part) that feels like a hard knot.  Left side of the heel…where my ankle hit the floor and broke so badly.  No coincidence.  I’ve read that the pain is from the Achilles tendon trying to stretch.  It’s getting better though!

I’m massaging my foot every time I have the boot off.  This is helping with the nerve pain and, I believe, distributing the swelling.

The need to walk has been a great excuse to go shopping.

I’ve done a LOT of this since Christmas.

A lot.

I did some online shopping on the drive home.  I’d wanted to get more Ginger Snaps charms for the necklace that Super Sis’s family gave me, but the store wasn’t open.  I found a coupon code to get a fifth charm free and, since they were pretty inexpensive, I went for it.

We did our traditional after-Christmas shopping and I bought Express jeans on sale for half off!  I wound up only paying about $20 after I found a gift card from last year in my wallet!

We’ve also done a bit of shopping since we got home.  Chicky went with us one time.  The Mr. and I have ventured out a few times on our own, though.

One place I shopped at was a jewelry store.  I had Pandora charms on my mind…

For the record, I didn’t get the above charms.  If you’re in my family, I would be most pleased to see these gifted to me though.  😀

I did leave with three new charms (one of them was free because of a great sale)…

The family, dog paw, and flag charms joined the heart/birthstone charm that the Mr.’s parents had bought to accompany the bracelet.

Yesterday, we headed to Dillards for their semi-annual ginormous sale.  I tried on a LOT of stuff, including these dresses…

See my crutch peeking out from the right.

See my crutch peeking out from the right.

I loved the next dress…

I didn’t buy ANYTHING from Dillards, but my ankle got a good workout.  The people, y’all!  It was an obstacle course!

We headed over to American Eagle, and I did buy a few things.  No pictures, though.

By this time, my ankle was done.  I was in a lot of pain, so we headed home so I could rest it before dinner.

Another thing I’m able to do now is cook.

Last week, I made this Soul-Soothing African Peanut Stew.  It was super easy and delicious!

Yesterday, I made another batch of chocolate covered peanut butter Ritz crackers.  I’d made a couple dozen before Christmas, but I had not put in enough peanut butter.  I made this layer a lot thicker this time, and YUM!

I’m even able to clean a little!

For those of you who are concerned that I’m pushing myself too hard, take heart.  I’m listening to my body, I promise.  I’m sitting when I need to, icing when my muscles are sore, and keeping close tabs on my pain to determine just how far to push myself.

Because of the research I’ve been doing, I understand that this is going to be a longer process than I’d like.  Making a complete recovery is my highest priority, but pushing myself a little is also part of that process.

I am thankful for the encouraging words and prayers that you lift up daily.  I know I wouldn’t be this far along if not for the healing power of the Great Physician.

Filed under: This-n-That | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

2017 New Year’s Day Thoughts

Posted on January 1, 2017 by auburnchick

Happy New Year!

I hope that you were able to ring in 2017 with a loved one…or two or three.

I actually watched the ball drop by myself…nearly in the dark after the bulb in my lamp blew.

The Mr. had gone to bed early because he had to work first thing in the morning (a rare event), and Chicky had hit the hay as well in anticipation of her drive home.

Oh, to be sure, the day had been filled with a bit of fun.

I celebrated Gambit’s Gotcha Day.

Five years ago, on New Year’s Eve, this precious baby, who was homeless at the time, followed me around the neighborhood while I took Molly on a walk.

He acted like he belonged to me.

He was skinny; his ribs were showing through.  He didn’t have a collar.  He followed me right into the garage when I got home.  The Mr. and Rooster quickly fell in love with him, and after feeding him at least three bowls of food, we set up a place for him to sleep in the garage.  Rooster and the Mr. checked on him frequently; it was a frigid night.

We took him to the vet the next day to see if he was chipped.  He wasn’t.  We let him into the back yard to see how he’d fare with the other dogs, and they all got along marvelously.  After a tick bath, we let him sleep in the house that night and found him, the next morning, snuggled against Rooster in bed.

We were in love, and after one quick drive to the animal shelter to get him checked again for a chip, we made the decision to keep him.

This dog has brought so much joy to our lives.  He is incredibly affectionate and very loyal.

Late in the day, Chicky suggested that we go bowling.  We’d never done that on New Year’s Eve before, but we wanted something to do, so off we went.

I was not about to be left out of the fun and told the Mr. as much.  I will admit that I was a little intimidated though.

The guy at the desk found me the lightest adult ball in the place, and when it was my turn, the Mr. carried it for me as I lined up.

I am able to put a little weight on my foot now, so I balanced with my crutches on my left side.

It wasn’t pretty, y’all, but I managed to get the ball down the lane.

It took me a few trips to discover that I could rest my boot behind me for leverage.

Y’all, my first ball went STRAIGHT down the lane!  I knocked down six pins but would have probably knocked them all down had I been able to put more power behind my throw.

The next trip down, I knocked down two more!  I was thrilled!  My family was shocked, as was a sweet friend who I bumped into (hey, Jenny!) who was bowling in the lane beside me.

So it was with Chicky and the Mr.’s help, I bowled two games.

I broke 60 both times, although my second game was uglier than my first.  There were a lot of gutter balls as I tried to adjust for my leg being in the way.  The hubby gave me some good pointers about turning my left foot in the direction I planned to throw and keeping my wrist straight so I wouldn’t throw a hook shot every time.

Still, I was pleased.

I’m learning that life isn’t always about winning.  It’s about #findingjoyinthejourney.

After our second game, we went home.  Chicky got me set up with a bucket of warm water and Epsom salt.  I had a knot on my ankle from the swelling, and boy was it sore!  This getting up and acting like things are normal is tough on my body right now.

I settled into my recliner and watched Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  Freeform has been having a Harry Potter marathon, which I can totally dig.

I did manage to sleep really well.  Thankfully, my sleep quality is slowly improving as I figure out more comfortable ways to rest.

And so I find myself on my own for a bit while the Mr. works and Chicky begins her drive home (with a side trip to her grandparents’ house to help put away their decorations).

—————————————————-

So, what do I hope for in 2017?  I’m not sure that I want to make any resolutions.

I know, though, that number one on my list is to walk normally again.  This is going to to be a painful process once I begin physical therapy in two or three weeks.

I am also praying that I’ll eventually be pain-free again.  I’m experiencing some side effects from the nerve block I gave approval to before my surgery.  For the record, if something like this happens to you, don’t get the nerve block.  The burning feeling is horrible.  It feels like I have a sunburn whenever I remove my sock.  The numbness is also aggravating.  I’m massaging my foot regularly, which has helped a lot.  I have read that the burning will go away, but it will take time.

Looks almost normal when I haven't walked much on it! Gives me hope that one day this will be what I see on a regular basis again!

Looks almost normal when I haven’t walked much on it! Gives me hope that one day this will be what I see on a regular basis again!

I’m also hoping that the pain from skin sensitivity on the inside of my ankle will go away.  I don’t know if one of the pins is too close to the surface of the skin, and that’s what’s causing the discomfort.  It’s one of the questions I plan on asking when I return to the doctor mid-month.

Look how nicely the incision is healing!

Look how nicely the incision is healing!

During 2017, I want to continue growing closer to the Lord.  Part of that plan includes a new Proverbs 31 Online Bible Study I’m going to participate in.  It starts on the 23rd of this month and will run for six weeks.  I received my book in the mail a few days ago.

Another hope for 2017 is that I find my way through some of the frustrations I’m having with teaching.  This profession is so challenging, and I just don’t understand some of the mandates that people from on high impose upon those of us working in the trenches.  Kids are seen as numbers, not individuals, and that angers me.  Accountability is a loose word randomly thrown around at convenience.  For a girl who sees things in black and white, this just rubs me the wrong way.

I want 2017 to be about simplification.  One thing the Mr. and I have come to recognize during these weeks of my injury is how messy things are.  As soon as I’m better, I plan on helping us purge some of the crap we’ve acquired over the years.

That doesn’t mean that I’m going to rid myself of yarn.  Some lines will not be crossed.  Ha!

Aside from these things, I’m just going to take things one step at a time.  I’ve learned that the best-laid plans sometimes don’t work out.  As a person who needs order in my life, this is challenging.  Yet, 2016 taught me that God really is in the details…that He always works things out in the most PERFECT way possible.

So it is my prayer that I will trust Him even more as I seek to follow His lead.

I hope you have a wonderful day as you celebrate the promise of an unwritten year.

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