Another Little Step

A shower. Doesn't sound like much, does it? But I haven't taken a shower since May 24th. Tonight was the night. My incision has healed over (or so Mike tells me - I still haven't looked at it - and it's not exactly in an easy spot to view), so we figured it was okay to get it wet (the doctor said no water on it until the scab fell off). Finally. It wasn't all rainbows and lollipops as the nerve is extremely sensitive to heat. Even though the water was only running at a lukewarm temperature, the pressure across my foot got pretty intense in less than five minutes. So, it was a very brief shower, but a shower nonetheless.

Update...
I saw the doctor on July 2nd. The stitches were removed and he evaluated my progress. He reassured me that it was not at all unusual to hear that I am still having such pain in my left foot. It is a residual effect of the injured nerve and will simply take time to heal. He read through the surgery notes and said the good news was that the hole in which the herniated disc was primarily protruding was small, so that minimizes my risk of recurrence. The bad news is that the nerve was not only pressed by the herniated disc - it was pressed so hard that it was also displaced in my back. Because of the pressure on the nerve - pressure which was significant for nearly three weeks, the nerve was very red, swollen, inflammed and irritated. No magic wand to speed up the healing process. Even physical therapy will not help because it is geared toward rebuilding muscle strength; however, not nerve-related muscle weakness. Doctor's orders were rest, rest and more rest. I go back in for another check-up on August 4th.

Last week, I was able to go into the office for a half day each day. Thankfully, one of my co-workers is letting me park in her spot in the bank building. (I normally park in a city parking garage that is three blocks from my office.) I have been using crutches to get around the office as it seems to help conserve my energy and gives the left foot a break.

Our July 4th weekend was a fun one! My parents came to visit, and again, they were so helpful in getting the house cleaned and laundry done. We enjoyed a grill-out on the 4th as Mike's parents and the Foster's joined us also. On the evening of the 4th, Dad, Mike, Marcia and Casey went to Larry the Cable Guy's comedy act at Memorial Stadium (along with nearly 60,000 other fans). Mom and I enjoyed viewing wonderful displays of fireworks out both our front and back windows. (A definite benefit of legalizing fireworks in Nebraska. You Minnesotans are missing out.)

Since I've been out of the house a bit more, I've actually managed to consistently put on make-up. We figured this was something to catch on film, so Mom took a few pictures of Mike and me after church last week. Thought I would share...