Carm

That sounds like a really lovely way to mark the day and honor her memory. She would be so proud of you. And what a legacy of thoughtfulness she has left. I’m sure your brother will love his rubbing too. Maybe you can have them framed or find a special way to display the rubbings.

Be sure you take care of your self too, getting plenty of rest and hydration and good food. Take care. (((((mrsrad))))) 2 weeks ago

I haven’t been reading much on 43T and missed the info about your foot surgery! I am glad your foot is already feeling better and hope your recovery will be fast and complete.

Take care, and continue following all those doctor’s orders! (((((wren))))) 6 months ago

You are such an inspiration. Good for you for continuing to persevere and for continued problem-solving and success. 6 months ago

for your commitment on this goal. Right now I have a sister I believe to be bipolar and she thinks nothing is wrong with her. She is acting particularly manic right now and inflicting all sorts of pain and misery on family members. Thank you for being proactive, self aware, and for getting help when you need it. 6 months ago

I’m sorry to hear about this, Todd. Falls are so scary, especially in the elderly. I hope her head is okay and she will heal quickly. 6 months ago

I guess it was actually 8/21 when I last saw my surgeon. The surgery was on 5/30. This was my x-ray. 7 months ago

When I last saw my surgeon on 8/17 (2-1/2 months after surgery) he seemed pleased with my progress. I go back on 10/15 and will ask specifically about the bone healing. Before surgery I asked hi about a bone stimulator because my sister used one after a bad ankle break last year. He said they usually don’t do that unless someone is having particular difficulty with the healing.

Thanks for the idea to ask about the bone healing. I’m trying to gather the most important questions to ask because this could be my last visit with this doc given his retirement. 7 months ago

I’ve forgotten the official name for the surgery. But my foot injury was a Lisfranc fracture / dislocation. They basically fused that big joint in the foot after clearing out some tissue that had grown in there between my injury date and the surgery date. I have two good-sized screws holding everything together. I should upload a pic of the x-ray for you.

On the day of my injury the hospital ER took x-rays of my foot and arm (and other stuff, everything hurt). They found the humerus fracture but said the foot was not broken. I was incredulous the foot wasn’t broken because of how bad it hurt. But they said no. I understand that foot fractures don’t always show up on x-rays at first and Lisfranc can be particularly difficult to see if you don’t take a certain angle.

A month after the injury after gimping about with a crutch and a walking boot I went to my primary care doc and said it wasn’t getting better. That’s when they found the Lisfranc. It was another month before I had the surgery. 7 months ago

Yes, an HMO but a pretty good one as they go. The biggest problem here was that my doc is retiring. This month, for example, he is only coming in twice to see patients for follow-up. I survived though. :) 7 months ago

I too love variety in stamps. I remember when they first came out with the forever stamps. If you wanted variety you couldn’t choose those because there was only one design. Now there are many designs to choose from in the “forever” category.

I was intrigued with the bonsai stamps too and will be getting those next time. Right now I’m enjoying the fun Mail a Smile and Send a Hello stamps with characters from Toy Story, Nemo, Cars, etc. 9 months ago

I ate more takeout food than I should have. And I started to worry that my lost weight may have started to return. It had been a couple weeks since my last weigh-in. The scale is not convenient now because we have had to move things around to keep a clear path for my wheelchair.

So this weekend I had hubby haul out the scale. I’m down another 5 pounds for a 30 pound loss so far! I’m very pleased and I hope I can maintain my new habits and make even better ones as my recovery continues. 9 months ago

to be losing weight as a result of my lifestyle changes brought on after my fall.

I’m still in the wheelchair and can’t drive, which means I can’t just hop in a car and grab fast food. And we can’t just go out to eat several times a week. We have been eating at home a lot more.

The biggest lifestyle changes I have made are:

• not eating out so frequently. In fact we rarely eat out because of transportation issues and are ordering in twice a week (less than we used to eat out)

• no opportunities to grab fast food so we rarely have that

• I previously had a good habit of eating healthy foods spaced out in the morning so I wouldn’t be ravenous by lunchtime (yogurt at 8:30, a little oatmeal at 9:30, banana at 10:30). But now I’ve added healthy snacks in the afternoon to replace junk (candy bars, chips, any kind of high fat sweets) I might have eaten before. Now snacks are fruit, nuts, low fat mozzarella sticks, things like that.

• I’m actually finding I can say no to high calorie sweets at the office (cookies, muffins, cake) by instituting a “one dessert in a day” rule, so I save myself to have some pudding with my hubby after dinner.

• sticking to smaller portions most of the time now for lunch and dinner meals. Once in a while I slip up on this one when we get delivery.

More changes I will be working on:

• eat more vegetables

• eat less processed foods

• eat more fish (salmon, tuna, sardines)

• reduce sweets further

• eat less white carbs

• eat healthier fats (olive oil, canola)

• cook more at home, especially once I’m more on my feet. 9 months ago

It feels very strange to have lost weight in this way. Sometimes I feel like I can’t really take credit for the normal hard work it takes to lose weight. My lifestyle changes were in part forced upon me. But I’m sticking with it, so I’m claiming it. :) 9 months ago

Yes, there have been several good things that happened as a result of my accident. It’s amazing how that works. 9 months ago

to hear that Mr. Wren does not have cancer. I hope he heals quickly from surgery and is feeling much better soon.

That’s a lot for you to go through too. Good for you for getting past your anxieties about hospitals and taking good care of Mr. Wren.

((((HUGS)))) 9 months ago

This goal has been on my list for a long time and is one I struggled with. I was always getting up too late and resorting to driving so as not to be too late to work. Boy was that an expensive bad habit.

Since my accident nearly 5 months ago now I have been unable to drive. Hopefully that will change soon, but I have no intention of going back to driving to work. The habit of taking the bus (or special Access bus) on a predetermined schedule is well ingrained now and I’m not expecting to backslide.

I’m calling this done. 9 months ago

For your Grandma and for you who are assisting her. The obstacles in the mind can be more difficult to overcome than the physical ones. You’re doing a great job for her. 9 months ago

It’s very common to have plateaus in a weight loss journey. What counts is the consistency, and you are doing it! I’m proud of you. You are right, just keep with the program and the numbers will start going down again. 9 months ago

I would have to say that I have accomplished this one.

We don’t watch much TV since my accident. I’m spending a lot more time in front of my computer instead.

Also, we cut our cable plan drastically to save money. I really miss some of my favorite shows on the upper channels. But it is what it is.

I am going to mark this goal Done for now. If the TV becomes a problem again I will reinstate it. 9 months ago

so I can take one to work. Thanks! 9 months ago

for the reminder! I got my bottle out with dinner and then forgot. I’m supposed to take 1,000 morning and night, and I seem lucky to remember to take 2,000 at night. I need to take some to the office I guess as that’s where I eat my breakfast. 9 months ago

This goal, like many others, has been on my list for years. But since my accident in March I have been getting up much earlier. I have to meet an early special bus which takes me to work in my wheelchair. I have to meet it out front around 6:45 most days. Since my injuries it takes me about 2 hours to get ready, so that means up about 4:45. And since I need my hubby’s help to get up and for bathing, it’s a team effort. There is no slacking on this. The new habits feel engrained.

This has done nothing for my sleep troubles, I must say. But one thing at a time. I’m calling this one good. If I revert to old habits sometime in the future I can always add it back, but I don’t think that will happen. 9 months ago

that has been “fixed” for me as a result of my fall in March and resulting injuries and lifestyle change.

Since my accident I have not been staying late. It’s too much effort just to get through life. I had to take time off as I healed, and when I returned I kept to a normal schedule. For a while, just 8 hours a day seemed more than I could reasonably handle.

Now I am relying on a special paratransit bus (called the Access bus) for my transportation. You schedule rides 1-3 days beforehand and there is no varying from those times once they are set. Your wait window is up to 30 minutes, and many times it is late. Sometimes my commute can take up to 3 or more hours getting home. There is no way I would or could stay later than 5 now.

Once I am able to walk and drive again, I suppose it is possible that I would be tempted to stay late again. But that would only be true if I hadn’t undergone a complete change of mindset on this issue. I have no desire to go back to working late.

If this changes, I can re-add this goal. But for now I am calling it done. 9 months ago