Tuesday Talk

It's my second day back at the job and I'm holding up. Day 1 was okay, but by quitting time, my knee felt shredded and I was pooped! Then on to my 2nd visit with the acupuncturist immediately after work (great timing!) and while it didn't exact the miraculous improvement of the first visit, it was helpful and relaxing. Perhaps one reason it wasn't quite as effective is that I spent part of the time in pretzel-like contortions taking pictures of the needled knee. She treated different areas this time, including behind the knee which bothered me a lot yesterday, so she had me turned on my right side rather than on my back for needle placement and heat application, making it hard for a blogger to snap pics! Following is the back of the knee where she inserted 2 needles and then a heat lamp nearby:
Here are a few shots from the front, where she had more needles, some again attached to electrodes, and with heat directed from another strategically placed lamp:





Pretty cool, huh? The practitioner was all excited I was taking pictures and offered to take some if necessary. I excused her from such scintillating duty, as she surely had other ailing folks to poke and prick. She's quite lovely though, and oozes kindness and competence.

When I was loading these pictures into the computer, my husband said, "Oh, are those from your surgery?", then quickly saw the needles in the skin and said, "Whoa! I just ate. I don't want to lose my dinner!" Cracked me up, because this looks like nothing; but he's one of those types who passes out when he has blood drawn. Drops like a stone. Poor delicate Tommy. He'd have made a lousy nurse, but is a great railroad man!

The knee is definitely better today, but there is one area that continues to catch when I walk, and therefore I'm still very gimpy. It's close to one of the sites where the arthroscope was inserted, so again, I wonder if the doc left a clamp or a chunk of torn meniscus in there! Not really...but it's like a little lightening jolt that makes walking a bit of a pain in the a$$ - or knee. I'm trying to be tolerant of my slowish progress, but I have so much to do and very little Christmas shopping done that it's tough being a patient patient. I keep reminding myself that Christmas will come whether I'm "ready" or not, and my kids have all said they really don't want or need much and just want to be together.

This google image doesn't show up too well, but the message is DO(N'T QU)IT...DO IT. I mentioned in my Sunday post that my eating has been...er, relaxed over the last week and that I was going to weigh on Monday. I did and was 198. I was 192 the morning of the surgery. Teetering at the exit from Onederland again. So I had a good clean day yesterday and plan one for today. But I tell you - this knee situation is eating away at my motivation and determination(I love food metaphors!). Not making me want to give up or quit, but feeling it's okay to stay where I am for now, and that's a dangerous attitude, or as South Beach Steve says, a slippery slope. So weighing frequently is a good thing for the time being - as I move beyond this knee episode and am able to exercise and move around freely again, I'll re-evaluate.

Have a good Tuesday everyone, and hang in there...not matter where or what "there" is. "Together we can do what we can't do alone"...from where else? AA!