AFO Leg Brace Woes

Well, as some of you know who follow me on Facebook, I was going to try and wear the brace for my foot an hour a day to hopefully minimize bruising and redness. Let's just say that didn't work out too well. I've been wearing it to walk once a week. This is much less than I wanted, but it's all I can handle. 

My feet have always been very sensitive, and wearing braces just intensifies that problem. It's just not designed to bend with my ankle as my others have been, so it feels like I'm lugging around a cast. So, in order to avoid weekly trips to Gainesville that are about an hour and a half each way, I've just been wearing it once a week.

Recovery from my foot surgery is going well. I bought some flat Crocs as my doctor suggested, but still can't wear them due to the swelling. I will get there! It's just taking time. 

Recently, my left foot (the one I had surgery on) has been hurting in the arch and heel. It even started doing it while wearing tennis shoes. On Saturday and Sunday, I had to take my shoe off to get relief. It was red, and it shouldn't have been. The only thing that could have caused it is my new heel lift that I got in January. I wanted my orthotist to make softer one. When my mom looked at it closely, she realized it's not completely flat on one side, and it's crooked. This would make anyone's foot hurt! So, after a day or so, I'm going to dig out my old heel lift and use it again. You definitely live and learn with these things. I just assumed my orthotist knew what he was doing. I've been proved wrong twice. 

Thankful I see my surgeon on March 24th!

Snowy Memories

We were snowed in for four days at my house in Georgia. My brother, sister-in-law and their two kids came and stayed with us because their pipes have frozen in the past and we didn't want them to be stuck with possibly no heat or water when the weather got bad.

They went home last night and I already miss them! Almost every morning, my oldest nephew, Mason would come in with his little tiny skeleton key pretending to unlock my door, saying, "Time to dit up, Aun-ie!" Mind you, this was usually around 7 or 8 in the morning. :) It was a big adjustment for me because I haven't been getting up that early since I graduated college in May. He had the biggest grin on his face!

Before I go any further, let me just say, taking care of two kids is HARD work! Anyone who says differently is nuts. So, in the midst of helping with my other nephew who is 3 months old and playing with Mason, taking pictures or video slipped my mind.

Mason and my mom spun around and around in the kitchen. Mama had both of his hands and slung him around and around. He LOVED it! "Do it 'gin! Do it 'gin!" he'd say. Mama got dizzy rather quickly, so about five times was her limit.

Mason and I had a pillow fight in the living room. He started out on the couch and quickly started running around my wheelchair in circles screaming like a wild Indian as I hit him with the pillow. Eventually, he got brave and came over to me while I was sitting in the lift chair and smashed the pillows in my lap. As nighttime approached, we settled down and watched "Man from Snowy River." "Trow it 'gin! Trow it! Trow it!" Mason pleaded. That was enough excitement for one day, so I redirected his attention to the horses on the TV.

My brother also had cabin fever, so he got out my keyboard and "played" several songs including "Let It Be" and "Dixie Land." I say "played" because he had it on the automatic setting that shows you where to put your fingers as the piano plays it for you. 

On the last morning, Mason woke up around 8 a.m., but watched YouTube videos and cartoons with my mom. At 9:51 a.m. I heard his familiar pitter patter of feet, but this time my mom was with him, carrying my breakfast. "Time to wake-d up, Aun-ie!" Mason said. Mom said, "We made you breakfast!" Still groggy, I didn't quite understand. She said, "I let Mason help with breakfast. He stirred the eggs." I said, "Oh, thank you baby!" With the biggest grin he said, "I made is (this) for ou(you)!" That was my first-ever breakfast in bed. :)

I was busy and sat up more than I have in one day in several years, but I wouldn't have wanted to be snowed in with anyone else. I love my boys!

Parents, Beware of Urgent Care Centers

On Sunday night, February 2, 2014, my two- year-old nephew was taken to an Urgent Care in a different town because the local office was closed. His eye was somewhat swelled because he had hit it the night before. He was crying throughout the day because his ear hurt. The Nurse Practitioner did not give him anything for his eye. She just told my sister-in-law to put an ice pack on it and to call back the next day if he wasn’t any better. She said he had strep throat, but did not test him for it. She said by the time she tested him there wouldn’t be anything left. She said, “That’s what were going to treat him for.”

Well, my sister-law made an appointment with his pediatrician in Athens and they were appalled the nurse practitioner didn’t give him anything for his eye. He had to have two shots because they don’t want him to have any damage behind his eye. This could have been treated Sunday night. I would urge anyone who has a toddler to NEVER take your child to an Urgent Care Center! We live 50 miles from his pediatrician and were trying to get him better on the weekend, but instead they did nothing.

I do not recommend Urgent Care offices for children. They might be good for adults, but we have wasted two trips there and won’t be back. If we need anything on the weekends, we will be going to Athens Regional Emergency Room.

This isn’t my only complaint. A few weeks ago, we took my other nephew to Urgent Care and the same Nurse Practitioner suggested putting Crisco in his hair to treat flakes. He was there about a cough. Her remark was, “It worked for my two kids.” My sister-in-law didn’t ask her anything about his hair. Then, she didn’t even take his temperature until the end of the appointment, which required getting him out of the car seat because she had forgotten. The time saved in going to Urgent Care is nothing compared to possibly saving a life. Whatever happened to people entering the medical field because they genuinely care about patients, young and old?

This kind of behavior is unacceptable, and I felt compelled to say something so this doesn’t happen to another child.


Sincerely,
The Sanders family (including immediate and extended family)

Remembering Saturday

Since this is my personal journal, I want to write down memories not only so I don't forget them, but also to preserve them for my family.

This past Saturday started off kind of bad. I've been battling a severe bacterial infection of my sinuses for over a month, almost two, really. I just finished my third round of antibiotics yesterday, including predinsone.

But that evening, my mom and kept my nephew. He's two-and-a-half and is the light of my life. I love him with everything in me. He came in my room, snuggled up under the covers, and gave me the sweetest little grin as I pulled up a Monster Jam video on YouTube. A few minutes into the video, he told me, "I wuv ou". I melted right there, almost tearing up. This was the first time he said that to me, totally unprompted. I've always told him I love you, and he would say it back. 

Those three little words made my night! You see, I was watching a new movie on Hallmark when he came into my room wanting to watch tractors. I could have kept watching my show, but I didn't. Just taking a few minutes to give him my undivided attention meant I got the greatest gift ever. "I wuv ou."

 Go outside and let the sunshine warm your face.

Stop and read a book with your nephew.

I wish I could bottle up his sweet innocent laughter because I instantly forget my pains. 

I'm so glad I take time to go in the living room to "beat trees" with Mason. He takes his hammer and knocks one of the little wooden trees over. I take the other hammer and knock down the other one.

I love to teach Mason new things. Recently, he was beating the kitchen floor with his hammer. I said, "That's loud! I'm going to close my ears." Mason moved to the carpet and said, "is(This) not loud." I said, "That's right!"

It wasn't long before he went back to happily beating on the kitchen floor. :)

Don't get so busy with life that you forget to stop and enjoy it. Who knows an ordinary Saturday may turn out to be one to remember.