Tribaby, I hope you get your cancellation spot sooner. It's really tough waiting when you feel so bad.
I'm hanging in there until January 25. I've been given Percocet for pain and it helpsa lot; anti-inflammatories just don't do much as the pain has gotten worse. I've taken several Percocets a day for the past week but I'm getting nervous about addiction risk, so I'm trying to go the weekend without it because I don't have to go to work and can veg out more and rest. When I'm at work, I have to be able to keep going and get through the day, so that's when I need more pain medication. It makes concentrating a little more difficult, but I'm very fortunate to have a boss who picks up some of the slack to help me out. I'm hurting pretty bad now, though, so I might have to take a pill in a while. My leg and low back just ache so bad.
I still have to take care of the two horses, but I'm using two trekking poles to lean on during the process. The hardest part is just walking through my yard to the barn. Once I get there, I start interacting with the horses and get involved with the tasks and that makes the pain seem less prevalent--until I stop and have to walk back down to the house! I still have to sit and rest frequently while I'm doing things out there. I have someone who does the heavier stuff, but the day to day care is still on me. I'm planning to send the horses out for boarding ... and they would be gone by now ... but one horse has a skin problem that is proving very stubborn and difficult to treat (Horseygirl--it's a miserable case of scratches or mud fever--this horse gets it so bad! I've tried multiple treatments on my own and prescribed by the vet. He is now on oral steroid treatment.) I can't put this on the boarding stable owner, so I'm trying to get him cleared up within a week or so ... and then they will be off to boarding camp and my life will be a lot easier.
As far as getting ready--I've cooked a couple of dishes and frozen them ... I've made a list of the things I will need to purchase beforehand ... I'm going to start moving things up higher so I can reach them--there is a bunch of stuff in my food pantry that I need to move to where I can reach them without bending over so far.
I've had grab bars installed in my bathroom and they are WONDERFUL! If any of you haven't done this--DO IT! It makes it easier to get in and out of the tub and also something to hold onto once you are in there for showering. The one on the outside wall really helps me when I'm drying off too. I used to lean on the sink, but this is so much more secure and better placed. Oh, and I bought a pair of elastic shoe laces for my sneakers. I'm going to try them out soon to see if they will work OK or if I will need to buy some good slip on shoes. Since I'm going to be off work for two months, I'm trying to spend as little as possible and try to get some good bargains. I've been checking out ebay and craigslist every day.
January 25th won't get here soon enough, though.
Dorothy
United Kingdom
How is everyone doing? I donated a unit of blood for my surgery a couple of days ago and will have my pre-op testing done next week. I'm hoping nothing comes up in the test results that would delay my surgery. I'm ready to get this done.
