I'm not sure why, but I keep waking up really early. Maybe because I keep going to sleep early. The Percocet isn't having the desired "knock me out every time I take it" effect, but when it gets close to the evening it starts to. I fell asleep mid-text last night.
When I woke up yesterday I could feel that my foot had started to swell - I guess from going so long without ice. I was also started to get feeling back from my heel up to my arch and it wasn't good. The drugs and ice were helping with that until I decided I needed to bathe last night. I think all the activity - and the anesthesia continuing to wear off - made it hurt again. (Sitting in the bathtub with one foot hanging out the side isn't as comfortable as it may sound.) When I went to sleep last night I could distinctively feel my second and third toes when they were touched, but nothing on the first one (can't get to the others). I've managed to use the desk chair as a wheel chair which keep the weight off my foot (and keeps everyone around me amused).
All in all I've been doing very well. My mama is feeding me so well. Grits, eggs, and cheese for breakfast. Homemade minestrone soup and rolls for lunch. Southwest chili, cornbread, and salad for supper. If you're ever going to be an invalid I highly recommend my parents' house. Plus she's good company (and my daddy when he's home).
Jonathan came over in the afternoon to amuse me, though we mostly sat here on laptops next to each other. He babysits so my mom can go do her errands :-) My flowers are continuing to open up more and more every day. They're roses, lilies, and astromelia all in shades of yellows, oranges, and some dark pinks here and there. Pretty much as close to an indoor sunset as you'll ever see. He hung around until I started to drool on his shoulder ;-).
Tanya and Charity are coming to visit me today, and maybe Jersey later. I have to say, this is exactly what I needed. I do look forward to when bathing and going to the restroom aren't such a mission and when my foot doesn't have to be above my heart all the time, and I hope the pain stays under control, but all in all, life is good right now.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Friday, January 30, 2009
The deal with my foot
I'm not sure what woke me up, but now I'm awake. I took my percocet, hauled myself to the bathroom (no small feat), and am now wandering around the web. I'm not sure but it feels like I might be starting to feel my foot again. I hope not. I'm not ready for the pain.
Yesterday morning I had surgery on my right foot. I have bunions (which aren't as gross as they sound). It's a genetic problem where the bone structure of your foot spreads out across your toe joints. This can happen with the first joint by the big toe causing the big toe to turn inwards toward the second toe. Evidently it can also happen with the joint of the baby toe as well (it did on mine). I've been reading a lot about them and some say the toe turns inward first causing the bump on the outside of the joint, others say the bump pushes the toe inward. Whatever the case is, it becomes very painful over time. Shoes stop fitting right and life in general becomes a bit miserable. To correct it they cut open the side of your joint, push the joint back over to the next one, and pin it there. Sometimes they have to remove parts of bone that build up over time. Joy has had this surgery correcting both of her and has had good results. Tanya also had surgery last month and seems to be healing well.
I've always had really bony feet so I didn't even know there was anything wrong until I went to the podiatrist for something else. They told me I had them several years ago. I didn't believe them (what an obnoxious patient), but as time went on my feet started hurting more and more. I'm on my feet all the time as it is, but it started to get bad enough where I went back to the doctor.
After working hard last year to pay off some other debts, and getting as much traveling in as I could, I finally got the right foot done yesterday. So far so good. I've been lying on the couch at my parents' with my foot above my heart as much as possible. Yesterday while I was awake we had to ice it for 30 minutes, then take it off for 10 minutes - the whole day. It helps my foot not swell as much, which will help it heal better. I'll be lying down, doing the ice thing, for the next 2 days. After that I should be able to be a little more mobile, but can't drive for 2 weeks. I have to go back on Wed to make sure everything is fine. They'll rewrap it, and put my air boot on (I think).
I'll be out of work for at least 6 weeks. I'm really excited about it. The last few months have been really hectic so I'm excited to have forced down time. I'm looking forward to being able to catch up on real life and get to know my friends and family again. I have some writing projects I want to do, and want to use this time to start preparing to take the test to get into grad school.
I think I"ll try sleep again.
Currently reading: My Little Blue Dress By Bruno Maddox
Yesterday morning I had surgery on my right foot. I have bunions (which aren't as gross as they sound). It's a genetic problem where the bone structure of your foot spreads out across your toe joints. This can happen with the first joint by the big toe causing the big toe to turn inwards toward the second toe. Evidently it can also happen with the joint of the baby toe as well (it did on mine). I've been reading a lot about them and some say the toe turns inward first causing the bump on the outside of the joint, others say the bump pushes the toe inward. Whatever the case is, it becomes very painful over time. Shoes stop fitting right and life in general becomes a bit miserable. To correct it they cut open the side of your joint, push the joint back over to the next one, and pin it there. Sometimes they have to remove parts of bone that build up over time. Joy has had this surgery correcting both of her and has had good results. Tanya also had surgery last month and seems to be healing well.
I've always had really bony feet so I didn't even know there was anything wrong until I went to the podiatrist for something else. They told me I had them several years ago. I didn't believe them (what an obnoxious patient), but as time went on my feet started hurting more and more. I'm on my feet all the time as it is, but it started to get bad enough where I went back to the doctor.
After working hard last year to pay off some other debts, and getting as much traveling in as I could, I finally got the right foot done yesterday. So far so good. I've been lying on the couch at my parents' with my foot above my heart as much as possible. Yesterday while I was awake we had to ice it for 30 minutes, then take it off for 10 minutes - the whole day. It helps my foot not swell as much, which will help it heal better. I'll be lying down, doing the ice thing, for the next 2 days. After that I should be able to be a little more mobile, but can't drive for 2 weeks. I have to go back on Wed to make sure everything is fine. They'll rewrap it, and put my air boot on (I think).
I'll be out of work for at least 6 weeks. I'm really excited about it. The last few months have been really hectic so I'm excited to have forced down time. I'm looking forward to being able to catch up on real life and get to know my friends and family again. I have some writing projects I want to do, and want to use this time to start preparing to take the test to get into grad school.
I think I"ll try sleep again.
Currently reading: My Little Blue Dress By Bruno Maddox
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Something about Syracuse
The long and winding road has brought me to Syracuse, NY. My room is finally warm enough to take my scarf off. I feel like the town is underneath a big sifter. I'm hearing stories of 10 inches of snow, but hopefully I'll be headed back to Atlanta before it gets too bad. I don't like winter. This morning on the flight back from Flint, MI I wore all three pairs of socks in my suitcase so my feet would stop aching from cold.
I'm having surgery Thursday morning. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm tired of my feet hurting all the time. I'm also tired of being on the go all the time. During the first three days there's a ridiculous icing regimen that will keep my foot from swelling, and since I'll be on patron and perc and can't think - or just percocet - I'll be staying at my parents' so my Mama can take care of me.
This time a week ago I was touring the Atlantis at the top of the Palm in Dubai. Previously we had toured the Berj Al Arab - the 7 star, sail-shaped hotel, gone on a dune buggy desert safari, seen many expensive malls, visited the gold souks, haggled over pashminas, and eaten far too much.
I got up at 4:30 this morning and am now in a daze trying to stay awake until a reasonable time. I'm thinking 7 sounds good. Tomorrow is a 4am wake up, then no more suitcases, wake up calls, cold airplanes, grumpy passengers, reduced rest, and navy polyester for quite a while. I'm loving it.
To start my 29th year off Jonathan took me to Chima, a Brazilian steakhouse. I'd never been to one before and it was even better than I had expected. Not only did they bring you every kind of beef, there was also salmon, yellowtail, chicken, and pork. There might have been more but I was full and had to make them stop bringing food. The eating and celebrating continued with the family the next day. The dark chocolate cake wasn't square or round. It was different and outside of the box - what we're hoping for the coming year.
Currently reading: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich By Alexander Solzhenitsyn
I'm having surgery Thursday morning. I'm really looking forward to it. I'm tired of my feet hurting all the time. I'm also tired of being on the go all the time. During the first three days there's a ridiculous icing regimen that will keep my foot from swelling, and since I'll be on patron and perc and can't think - or just percocet - I'll be staying at my parents' so my Mama can take care of me.
This time a week ago I was touring the Atlantis at the top of the Palm in Dubai. Previously we had toured the Berj Al Arab - the 7 star, sail-shaped hotel, gone on a dune buggy desert safari, seen many expensive malls, visited the gold souks, haggled over pashminas, and eaten far too much.
I got up at 4:30 this morning and am now in a daze trying to stay awake until a reasonable time. I'm thinking 7 sounds good. Tomorrow is a 4am wake up, then no more suitcases, wake up calls, cold airplanes, grumpy passengers, reduced rest, and navy polyester for quite a while. I'm loving it.
To start my 29th year off Jonathan took me to Chima, a Brazilian steakhouse. I'd never been to one before and it was even better than I had expected. Not only did they bring you every kind of beef, there was also salmon, yellowtail, chicken, and pork. There might have been more but I was full and had to make them stop bringing food. The eating and celebrating continued with the family the next day. The dark chocolate cake wasn't square or round. It was different and outside of the box - what we're hoping for the coming year.
Currently reading: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich By Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Friday, January 16, 2009
On the shores of the Persian Gulf
I have no idea how long I've been in Dubai. I can look at my watch but there's a 9 hour time difference and I can't tell if it's am or pm back home without too much thought. They say when it's light here it's dark there, but who knows. All I know is that it's Friday here. Thursday was about 5 hours long. We went to sleep on Wed night around 11pm on the flight. When I woke up we were about 2 hours away from Dubai and the sun was about to set on Thursday. The flight was wonderful. We got business elite, ate, slept, ate again, and were here. Not a bad way to pass 14 hours. It was interesting that if you watched the moving map they would regularly show the direction and distance from Mecca.
There is such a variety of people here. I have seen a few completely covered women, but there are a lot of westerners and a lot that are only partially covered. It seems that some women are thinking if you can only see their faces then they are going to make them look as good as possible. Their make up, skin, and eyebrows are immaculate. Some of the women have really elaborate trimming on their black coverings - sequins and beads - or have really flashy shoes and pants underneath. It's kind of an interesting combination. I wish I knew more of the rules of their culture so I could understand how it works.
Right now I'm sitting at the window on the 42nd floor of one of the many residential skyscrapers. I can look out over the Persian Gulf and see the island that is shaped like a palm tree. The weather is beautiful. Reminds me of southern California. We walked to a late breakfast and are now off to see a bit of the town.
There is such a variety of people here. I have seen a few completely covered women, but there are a lot of westerners and a lot that are only partially covered. It seems that some women are thinking if you can only see their faces then they are going to make them look as good as possible. Their make up, skin, and eyebrows are immaculate. Some of the women have really elaborate trimming on their black coverings - sequins and beads - or have really flashy shoes and pants underneath. It's kind of an interesting combination. I wish I knew more of the rules of their culture so I could understand how it works.
Right now I'm sitting at the window on the 42nd floor of one of the many residential skyscrapers. I can look out over the Persian Gulf and see the island that is shaped like a palm tree. The weather is beautiful. Reminds me of southern California. We walked to a late breakfast and are now off to see a bit of the town.
Friday, January 9, 2009
the long drive south
Lying on my bed, listening to the radio, surfing the net it's hard to remember the stress of the beginning of this week. I feel fortunate to be at home.
After arriving in Joburg and spending the first night with Adri's auntie we drove south to Bloemfontein. I met Adri's mother, her husband, some of her relatives, and an assortment of animals - including a parrot who drank fanta and beer, ate human food, and could unwrap a chocolate. I spent a short night in a thatched roof bedroom before Adri woke me up at 4:45 to drive south. The time difference really hits you when you realize that people back home are still awake from the previous day and you're getting up for the next one.
We drove hours and hours through fairly arid terrain. Sometimes there were mountains. Sometimes there were sheep, cows, and ostriches. I saw plants that made me think Dr. Seuss had visited Africa and been inspired by them. We had breakfast at Wimpy - a South African breakfast favorite. I realized how American I am when I got annoyed by the people whose children ran around in public without shoes on. It's not that they can't afford them - they just don't see the need.
We made a little detour on the way to a place called the Valley of Desolation. We passed villages where the houses made my bedroom look large and you could tell who was doing better by whether they had an outhouse. By then it was very hot so we stopped for cornish pies and grapetizer. I nearly got hit by a car because I forgot the pedestrian never has the right of way. I also forgot about the guys who hang out in parking lots and "help" you park and watch your cars and expect you to pay them for their services.
In order to get to the Valley of Desolation you had to drive up a very narrow and winding road that didn't have guard rails. There was a lot of scrub, but other than that it was pretty dry and, you guessed it, desolate. It was a clear day and the view from the top was impressive. There were a lot of light brown mountains with odd angles. It made me wonder what was going on inside the earth to make them come up that way. I saw an English guy climb up on a few boulders piled high at the edge of a cliff and pose for a great photo. I wanted a similar picture, but I think it took me 20 minutes to work up the courage to stand up there. I was really far from the edge, but evidently I'm far more scared of heights than I realized. My heart was pounding, but hopefully Adri was far enough away where my gritted teeth look like a smile.
After nearly running out of gas in the middle of nowhere (due to a lack of gas stations) we finally made it to Port Elizabeth around 2:30pm. The long drive has worn me out so I'll tell the rest from there later.
After arriving in Joburg and spending the first night with Adri's auntie we drove south to Bloemfontein. I met Adri's mother, her husband, some of her relatives, and an assortment of animals - including a parrot who drank fanta and beer, ate human food, and could unwrap a chocolate. I spent a short night in a thatched roof bedroom before Adri woke me up at 4:45 to drive south. The time difference really hits you when you realize that people back home are still awake from the previous day and you're getting up for the next one.
We drove hours and hours through fairly arid terrain. Sometimes there were mountains. Sometimes there were sheep, cows, and ostriches. I saw plants that made me think Dr. Seuss had visited Africa and been inspired by them. We had breakfast at Wimpy - a South African breakfast favorite. I realized how American I am when I got annoyed by the people whose children ran around in public without shoes on. It's not that they can't afford them - they just don't see the need.
We made a little detour on the way to a place called the Valley of Desolation. We passed villages where the houses made my bedroom look large and you could tell who was doing better by whether they had an outhouse. By then it was very hot so we stopped for cornish pies and grapetizer. I nearly got hit by a car because I forgot the pedestrian never has the right of way. I also forgot about the guys who hang out in parking lots and "help" you park and watch your cars and expect you to pay them for their services.
In order to get to the Valley of Desolation you had to drive up a very narrow and winding road that didn't have guard rails. There was a lot of scrub, but other than that it was pretty dry and, you guessed it, desolate. It was a clear day and the view from the top was impressive. There were a lot of light brown mountains with odd angles. It made me wonder what was going on inside the earth to make them come up that way. I saw an English guy climb up on a few boulders piled high at the edge of a cliff and pose for a great photo. I wanted a similar picture, but I think it took me 20 minutes to work up the courage to stand up there. I was really far from the edge, but evidently I'm far more scared of heights than I realized. My heart was pounding, but hopefully Adri was far enough away where my gritted teeth look like a smile.
After nearly running out of gas in the middle of nowhere (due to a lack of gas stations) we finally made it to Port Elizabeth around 2:30pm. The long drive has worn me out so I'll tell the rest from there later.
Saturday, January 3, 2009
the way across the pond
I haven’t been able to write since I left the US due to terrible internet connections, and now that I’m finally able to there is so much to write about.
I can’t remember the last time I was as anxious going to the airport as I was on Sunday. I had packed my bags (without the copious lists of previous African adventures), traded my trips, and done everything I could think of to prepare. Connecting in Dakar, Senegal had me a little concerned, as did being on an airplane for 19 hours. I haven’t done it in a long time and was wondering if I’d be able to. It’s also said that people get bumped off flying through Dakar due to weight and the flights being oversold.
I finally made it on the flight - missing business class by one person. In spite of my disappointment, I was pleased to find out the movies were free and on demand, and I was seated by the window next to a guy who didn’t smell, didn’t have a baby, and preferred sleep to anything else. During the flight leg of the flight (a mere 8 hours) I watched 7 TV shows and two movies.
During the 1.5 hour layover in Dakar, where they somehow managed to clean the plane with us still on it and do a complete security search, I was able to migrate to the front of the plane. Here I was treated like the queen I am, given breakfast, and a champagne glass that never seemed to empty. After that it was about 3am according to my body, and I slept the rest of the flight.
Adri and her cousin picked me up at the airport and we went to her aunt’s place. Just on the drive to the house I was reminded of so many things I’d forgotten about South Africa. It takes a few minutes to get used to being on the opposite side of the road and the car. Stop lights are robots. Stop signs are stop streets. Trucks are bakkies. You don’t buy a soda at a gas station. You buy a cool drink at the petrol shop. The walls and fences that surround every house were also a harsh reminder of how rough it is down here.
I made it through a nice dinner and conversation about the family, rugby, and cricket (there was a huge match coming on at 1am they were going to get up to watch) before washing the last 24 hours of grime off and passing out. There was a fierce African rainstorm that helped me sleep solidly through their night (my afternoon and evening).
We’re headed to the beach in the morning so I need to try to sleep now. I’ve been trying not to get too adjusted to the time here, but it leaves me tired all the time, so now I just sleep whenever I can. More to come.
I can’t remember the last time I was as anxious going to the airport as I was on Sunday. I had packed my bags (without the copious lists of previous African adventures), traded my trips, and done everything I could think of to prepare. Connecting in Dakar, Senegal had me a little concerned, as did being on an airplane for 19 hours. I haven’t done it in a long time and was wondering if I’d be able to. It’s also said that people get bumped off flying through Dakar due to weight and the flights being oversold.
I finally made it on the flight - missing business class by one person. In spite of my disappointment, I was pleased to find out the movies were free and on demand, and I was seated by the window next to a guy who didn’t smell, didn’t have a baby, and preferred sleep to anything else. During the flight leg of the flight (a mere 8 hours) I watched 7 TV shows and two movies.
During the 1.5 hour layover in Dakar, where they somehow managed to clean the plane with us still on it and do a complete security search, I was able to migrate to the front of the plane. Here I was treated like the queen I am, given breakfast, and a champagne glass that never seemed to empty. After that it was about 3am according to my body, and I slept the rest of the flight.
Adri and her cousin picked me up at the airport and we went to her aunt’s place. Just on the drive to the house I was reminded of so many things I’d forgotten about South Africa. It takes a few minutes to get used to being on the opposite side of the road and the car. Stop lights are robots. Stop signs are stop streets. Trucks are bakkies. You don’t buy a soda at a gas station. You buy a cool drink at the petrol shop. The walls and fences that surround every house were also a harsh reminder of how rough it is down here.
I made it through a nice dinner and conversation about the family, rugby, and cricket (there was a huge match coming on at 1am they were going to get up to watch) before washing the last 24 hours of grime off and passing out. There was a fierce African rainstorm that helped me sleep solidly through their night (my afternoon and evening).
We’re headed to the beach in the morning so I need to try to sleep now. I’ve been trying not to get too adjusted to the time here, but it leaves me tired all the time, so now I just sleep whenever I can. More to come.
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