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Feb. 20th, 2023 03:07 pmI have an unexpected free afternoon today. I was supposed to have my first appointment for vestibular PT today, but they called me to say that the therapist, after looking at my file, thinks they don't have the right equipment for my issues. So I'm being referred to still another clinic. I'll have to wait and see when that clinic can fit me in.
I wish they'd given me more notice, but I suppose I should be glad they let me know before I got to the hospital. Once I was there, I'd have been waiting for an ARide pickup almost three hours later.
At least it's at the same location. Technically, the Med Inn Bldg is separate from the main hospital, but logistically speaking, I get off the bus at the same place, go in the same door, do my Covid screening in the same place, and don't go outside again. I just have to go to a specific elevator that only serves the Med Inn Bldg. It's like how Taubman and the main hospital are technically different even though they're just two different directions from the main desk with no doors or separation. If you're in one or the other, you turn the corner and are suddenly officially in a different building.
I have purchased a pair of knee high compression socks and am wearing one on my left leg. They're toeless, so I don't think they'll give me athlete's foot (I can't wear anything but cotton around my toes if I want to avoid that; I also can't go without socks, even with slippers or sandals). Today is my second time wearing one, and the difference for my ankle and shin is immense. I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with things closer to the knee. The upper cuff for the sock lands awkwardly high (in terms of length, they had regular and tall but no petite) and presses on some parts of my leg that have been excruciatingly tender for years. At the moment, I've got some folded wash clothes in there to try to cushion things. One is definitely working; the other is not as helpful but is still better than without.
My first day wearing the sock was Saturday, and my ankle hasn't felt better at any point since the original injury last May. That carried over to yesterday, even without wearing the sock. I needed to ice parts of my knee yesterday and again this morning because they'd gotten very angry about where the cuff fell. I'm going to experiment this week to see what I can make work. I don't expect to be going out for any appointments until the 27th, so I might experiment with walking up and down the driveway just to see how it goes.
Because of my hand issues, the sock is difficult to get on and off. Otherwise, I'd be tempted to experiment a lot with cycling it on and off. Ace bandages are easier to put on and take off (while still not being easy), but much less comfortable to walk in and harder to place correctly.
Part of my reasoning for trying a compression sock is that the radiologist who read my x-ray (taken about 10 days after my fall) commented on the lymphedema. Since he only saw the x-ray, I take that as a sign that it was particularly noticeable.
My primary care doctor wants to try to get some PT set up in my home. The problem is that I'm in that horrible gap of being able to manage some trips out of the house but not enough trips to keep up with what I ought to be doing, appointment-wise. The Michigan Visiting Nurses don't work with people who can still physically go out for appointments.
Cordelia was home most of last week. Scott drove her back to campus today. Her morning class today was canceled, but she had rescheduled her dinner with my aunt and uncle for this evening (it was supposed to be last Thursday), and the last I knew, she still hadn't heard what was going on with tomorrow's classes. It's now at the point of being up to individual instructors with them having the option to go online or partly online. The university is also setting up to let students request medical withdrawals for the rest of the semester if they need them.
We had a friend over on Saturday. She and Scott watched a couple of episodes of TV while I sat off to one side and did my own thing. I listened and looked up occasionally, but I didn't want to risk actually watching because no show is worth a migraine.
Scott's birthday is this Friday. He floated the idea of me going with him to pick up Cordelia. Michigan State has a dairy store (it started as a primarily agricultural college and still has a lot of programs aimed that way) that apparently has amazing ice cream. Scott and Cordelia have been there, but I haven't had the opportunity. I don't think this is about it being The Best Ever as much as simply something that we wouldn't ordinarily do (since I don't drive up there with him, usually) but could without a lot of extra effort.
I wish they'd given me more notice, but I suppose I should be glad they let me know before I got to the hospital. Once I was there, I'd have been waiting for an ARide pickup almost three hours later.
At least it's at the same location. Technically, the Med Inn Bldg is separate from the main hospital, but logistically speaking, I get off the bus at the same place, go in the same door, do my Covid screening in the same place, and don't go outside again. I just have to go to a specific elevator that only serves the Med Inn Bldg. It's like how Taubman and the main hospital are technically different even though they're just two different directions from the main desk with no doors or separation. If you're in one or the other, you turn the corner and are suddenly officially in a different building.
I have purchased a pair of knee high compression socks and am wearing one on my left leg. They're toeless, so I don't think they'll give me athlete's foot (I can't wear anything but cotton around my toes if I want to avoid that; I also can't go without socks, even with slippers or sandals). Today is my second time wearing one, and the difference for my ankle and shin is immense. I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with things closer to the knee. The upper cuff for the sock lands awkwardly high (in terms of length, they had regular and tall but no petite) and presses on some parts of my leg that have been excruciatingly tender for years. At the moment, I've got some folded wash clothes in there to try to cushion things. One is definitely working; the other is not as helpful but is still better than without.
My first day wearing the sock was Saturday, and my ankle hasn't felt better at any point since the original injury last May. That carried over to yesterday, even without wearing the sock. I needed to ice parts of my knee yesterday and again this morning because they'd gotten very angry about where the cuff fell. I'm going to experiment this week to see what I can make work. I don't expect to be going out for any appointments until the 27th, so I might experiment with walking up and down the driveway just to see how it goes.
Because of my hand issues, the sock is difficult to get on and off. Otherwise, I'd be tempted to experiment a lot with cycling it on and off. Ace bandages are easier to put on and take off (while still not being easy), but much less comfortable to walk in and harder to place correctly.
Part of my reasoning for trying a compression sock is that the radiologist who read my x-ray (taken about 10 days after my fall) commented on the lymphedema. Since he only saw the x-ray, I take that as a sign that it was particularly noticeable.
My primary care doctor wants to try to get some PT set up in my home. The problem is that I'm in that horrible gap of being able to manage some trips out of the house but not enough trips to keep up with what I ought to be doing, appointment-wise. The Michigan Visiting Nurses don't work with people who can still physically go out for appointments.
Cordelia was home most of last week. Scott drove her back to campus today. Her morning class today was canceled, but she had rescheduled her dinner with my aunt and uncle for this evening (it was supposed to be last Thursday), and the last I knew, she still hadn't heard what was going on with tomorrow's classes. It's now at the point of being up to individual instructors with them having the option to go online or partly online. The university is also setting up to let students request medical withdrawals for the rest of the semester if they need them.
We had a friend over on Saturday. She and Scott watched a couple of episodes of TV while I sat off to one side and did my own thing. I listened and looked up occasionally, but I didn't want to risk actually watching because no show is worth a migraine.
Scott's birthday is this Friday. He floated the idea of me going with him to pick up Cordelia. Michigan State has a dairy store (it started as a primarily agricultural college and still has a lot of programs aimed that way) that apparently has amazing ice cream. Scott and Cordelia have been there, but I haven't had the opportunity. I don't think this is about it being The Best Ever as much as simply something that we wouldn't ordinarily do (since I don't drive up there with him, usually) but could without a lot of extra effort.
