Wonderful Cortisone

I went to the Orthopedist yesterday and talked to him about my knee and shoulder. I'm satisfied that the shoulder is responding well to the Physical Therapy, and I can tell that the leg, hip, and thigh muscles have strengthened since I've been going to PT, but my knee still will not straighten all the way out, and getting up and down from a chair still is extremely painful. So, he's put in a request with my insurance for the MRI, so we'll both know what's going on in there.

He did ask me if I wanted a Cortisone shot, and said it might give me relief for anywhere from a few days to a few months. The shot hurt something horrible going in, and the knee was awfully sore yesterday, but it's not hurting now! It's been so long since I could sit down without inwardly, or sometimes outwardly, groaning, that this is quite a pleasant change. I pray that I will be one of the ones to get long term relief with the shot. I've always had good success with epidurals lasting a long time, so I'm optimistic.

I did ask about going back for more PT, and his PA told me I needed to check with my insurance to see how many times they will authorize. She said I might want to keep some therapy sessions available, just in case I do end up having surgery. It's a shame that insurance companies control decisions like this, not the doctors and therapists who know how much I need this. I have good insurance though, so I'll be talking to them Monday to find out where I stand.

I had already decided before I got hurt taking care of Daddy that I would join a fitness "club" run by St. Vincent's hospital in Birmingham after he died, but the knee put that on hold. They have a program where you pay for a complete evaluation of your physical condition and they supervise your exercise program, with quarterly checkups of your progress with a Physical Therapist. They have all kinds of equipment, a pool, and lots of different classes I can take. I've been chatting back and forth with Lynda of Pilates & Reiki in Paradise about possible nearby instructors suitable for a person with Parkinson's, and oddly enough, this is the very Pilates class she suggested. Small world.

So, for the time being at least, I'm pain free, with plans for keeping it that way. We're going on our usual Date Day today, and by the time I've been in and out of the car dozens of times today, I'll know if I'm going to be one of the lucky one for whom Cortisone is a wonder drug. Wish me luck!!

Ahhh To Sleep, Perchance to Dream

Thank goodness for Ambien. I called my Neurologist's nurse yesterday and explained the situation with Daddy. She called in the prescription, and I had a good night's sleep last night, for the first time in a week. Whew!! That felt good.

It will take me a few days to get over being so tired, I expect, but getting a good night's sleep will make a world of difference in what I can accomplish without being totally exhausted. Maybe I can even get back to practicing my Tai Chi in Daddy's living room. After going to all that trouble to learn it again, I sure don't want to forget it. And it's good for my balance and stamina, too.

I've been reading some articles lately that say Pilates is good for PWP (people with Parkinson's), so that may be the next thing I look into. I haven't been able to figure out from what I've read if these were specially modified Pilates classes or not. Of course, it would make a big difference if they were. Speaking of PWP, I've also found that Parkinson's folks call themselves Parkies. Ain't that cute? So I'm a PWP and a Parkie now.

One of the Hospice people tried unsuccessfully several times yesterday afternoon to call us from her cell phone. We live in the middle of nowhere, as far as cell coverage is concerned. "Can you hear me now" just won't work out here. In fact, we had Verizon, and dropped it, because we couldn't get it to work at all LOL. She never did come, and we never did get to talk to her, either.

I'm considering ordering DSL for here, so I don't have to depend on my cell phone while I'm on the computer. Plus, for some reason, the program our church uses for editing our website just won't let me FTP from here on dialup. It works fine at the house on DSL. I'm the church webmaster, and that has to be updated weekly.

As you may be able to tell, I'm in a pretty good mood today. It's been over a week since he fell, and we've developed somewhat of a routine. Now that I know I will be able to sleep, I feel like we can handle whatever comes, between the two of us. We've had plenty of care giving experience, and we have Hospice for support. Our daughters and church family will help where they can, and we have our faith in God to hold us in the good and the bad times. What more could we ask.

Your prayers and kind thoughts are always appreciated, too. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much!