Sylvia's Journal

I am at the three-week mark now. I think I have rounded a first corner. It’s a soft rounding, not a sharp turn. Gone are the sharp pains that require a constant supply of opioids. Now the pans are more of the ‘gnawing/nagging’ type, a level of discomfort in the background, always. But these are no longer keeping me from sleeping and the awkwardness of having to sleep on my back is gone. I can sleep on my sides which allows for much tossing and turning.

Yesterday we went to the Gloucester Esplanade. It is Axel’s preferred walking place that has beauty on both sides: the flowers planted by the Generous Gardeners on one side and the ocean on the other. We were not the only ones. On a warm day like it was yesterday, all of Gloucester seems to stream to this magical place. We walked for about 15 minutes, me with a cane, and then Axel continued his walk while I rested in the shade by the Bocci courts with an icepack on my knee and my giant (800+ pages) book (The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton), a page turner I could not put away.

I continue to do my exercises 3 times a day. Some days, when I push my limits a bit too far, they leave me crippled. I decided to back off a bit and not push quite as much. I must remember about moderation rather than my tendency to assume it is all-or-nothing.

This week is starting to normalize again. Normal meaning that I won’t spent whole days mostly lying on my bed. Of course, this allowed me to read my 800-page book which otherwise would have taken me months. I have a few doctor’s appointments, unrelated to my knee, and a few hours of paid work.  I am easing back into the world.