Life is Healthy

Friday was the last day I felt oblivious about surgery. I dressed up and went to a university function with my husband.

Here we are in front of his new lab.

No one there knew how knobby my knees were or how the left one can’t bend more than 90 degrees. Nope. I was just Lynn in a dress and a great bra, and wearing a smile. I had a lot of fun forgetting.

But, it will happen, and it’s a good thing. It’s time to take care of this knee. So in light of surgery on Wednesday, I bought a few things to help make the everyday things we take for granted a little easier, and I did a few things to help me feel better all around.

First up, I bought myself the Cadillac of toilet seats. I mean this thing is large and in charge and has its own zip code. I’m a queen on a throne. My toes barely touch the floor and there’s very little bending of the knees required. I’m set.

Larry will install a hand-held shower head so I’m not wedded to sponge baths for six weeks, and his secretary’s mother had similar surgery 10 years ago and has a shower chair I can borrow. Yay!

Yesterday I made and froze several black bean burgers and a batch of red lentil tomato soup. I won’t be able to reach my toes for awhile, so today I had a pedicure, and since I’m carrying most of my worry in my neck and upper back, I had a massage. I also took another long walk – something I will do tomorrow, too. I’ll never take walking for granted again.

T minus 1.5 days.

The biggest change I made was moving a bed downstairs to my office. My office doubles as my workout room. It’s sacred space. A lot of things get thought in there. A lot of muscles get challenged in there. Years of myths I’ve believed about myself have been debunked in there. My office/workout room will prove to be a good space to rehab. It’s a room of energy and light. It is a refuge. Yes, I will be well there.

I woke up once last night wondering where I was, like when I stay in a hotel. Unlike a hotel, though, the bed is familiar, and like my new potty chair, it’s pimped out and comfy with a memory foam mattress topper, my favorite blanket and lots of pillows, my favorite being my water pillow. Best. Pillow. Ever.

Sleeping downstairs, while the sounds are familiar, they’re a lot closer. The neighbor’s dog was out for her last evening potty break, and her bark cut through the darkness like a warning – (Is there a bear out there? A skunk? A raccoon?) – unlike in the daylight when everything feels safe.

There were fireflies near my window, glowing and fading, glowing and fading. The half-moon lit up the pseudo nightstand where my computer table used to be. The moon doesn’t shine and fireflies don’t glow in my window upstairs. What a treat they were to observe.

In a week or so this differently-utilized space will feel normal, but like any change, it just takes some getting used to. Like this surgery, it’s an adventure.

This will be my last blog for a few days. I’ll be in touch when I can from the hospital on my Lynn’s Weigh Facebook page if you’d like to join us over there. In the meantime, I wish you all a good, on-plan week, and I thank you so very, very much for all of your kind support.