Jody: Settling into Recovery Mode

Today is Monday...it's been three weeks since my left side won't cooperate, and a week that I have been home from the Hospital.  It has been seven weeks since the ablation on the trigeminal nerve, and this past weekend my nerve pain returned, the same levels as in August, so that didn't work out.

I feel like I hit a plateau this weekend...no real progress, except my thinking is clearer...so there is that.

My parents are home from their vacation. Mom is sick, so she is staying upstairs so I don't get whatever she has.

My son asked what I do all day, and I had to explain that everything takes longer, even eating or using the rest room, so that uses up a bunch of time. But I am not driving him to school or back home, and I am not cooking dinner every night, so...

My daily agenda starts when Fraser Health calls about when they are coming and then we go from there.  

Every day, I have to prepare myself for meeting strangers. In the ten days I have been home, only two Home Care Aides have repeated visits. It is a mental hurdle every day, because a stranger is literally coming through the door to see me and we have to be comfortable around each other immediately.  They have all been very nice.

I am on the wait list for physiotherapy, but in the meantime, have lots of printouts of exercises to do, so I have set aside times for that.  I have worked in finger practice with typing and keyboard, squeeze balls for my grip, and laundry.  Sorting clothes, using my left hand as much as I can to fold laundry is really good therapy. Plus it is manageable if I do it every two days.  FH generates a lot of linens. I have also been working on steps each day.  We have rails on both sides of a staircase at home, so I am making my left leg do steps. Safely.  It is slow progress.  

I have other things to do too. Hobbies and activities that used to fill my day.  I still intend to purge things in my room, and I got that job started this past weekend.  I have set myself a drawer or box to go through each day. It will take longer to purge stuff, but it keeps me busy. 

I hope to start reading and crocheting again.  My eyes wouldn't stay still after the stroke, so I gave those up temporarily.  But I have been listening to books.  I look forward to the day I can resume Book Club.  I have my German DuoLingo lesson to do each day, and that takes longer than it did before.

Plus every now and then there are visitors to break up the tedium of being alone. There are several phone calls to make - communicating with Fraser Health usually involves phone tag - and texts and emails to answer.

And there is George to take care of.  Sweet George who settles more quickly now with a stranger or more a day.  He barks a lot, then hides.  I have not been able to find a dog walker up here, so if you know of anyone (has to be a woman or teen without other dogs) who lives nearby, let me know with a DM.