Getting bored and getting out

I am more a woman of action than a woman of leisure. The forced downtime of stroke, sciatica, and then angry toe has me going a bit stir-crazy, but I'm reluctant to aggravate the former or latter (the drugs I'm on seem to have kicked sciatica's butt – yay!). I did go to two doctor's appointments prior to this week thanks to friends who drove me, and was ready for a good nap after each. Because of that, I decided to stay home from church again last Sabbath because there was a memorial service at 3:00 we needed to attend, and spending basically all day away was just too much. As it was, after the memorial service I rode with Rick to treat a patient; I fell asleep on the drive home and went to bed to sleep some more once we got home. On Sunday afternoon Rick had to check on the same patient, and I agreed to ride with him again. Afterwards we stopped at Costco, then the Italian deli where he has bought the heavenly cannoli; they didn't have cannoli but we got delicious paninis and even more heavenly tiramisu that we ate in the truck. I got home without needing to crash, probably because there was little human interaction (besides my husband) or other activity that took much brain power.

After taking it easy on Monday, I tackled working a few hours at the office on Tuesday. I rode in with Rick, then my boss gave me a ride home when I was done. There was work I could have done on the clinic side, but that had to wait for another day; it amazes me how fast my brain tires post-stroke!

Wednesday was sunny and dry, so I decided to walk down to the barn and turn the horses out in the arena. I don't know if/when the guys have turned them out since my stroke, so I decided to lead them out one at a time. Lance and Stella were both very well-mannered on lead, but clearly needed to let off steam once released. By the time I decided to pull out my camera, Lance – turned out first – had mostly settled down to grub any green stuff.

I've been enjoying some "dessert spinning," luscious Inglenook Fibers “Frost Moon” sticklebatts made up of all kinds of fibers + glitter. After spinning nearly a pound of black wool last year plus eight ounces of dark navy last year and this, I needed something light and bright and fun! The December fiber snacks were a daily diversion, but I also put pressure on myself to keep up; there is no pressure but pleasure with the sticklebatts.

The pressure comes from other responsibilities. I need to do the clinic payroll tomorrow, but first I must bring my payroll ledger up to date after talking my husband through the bare bones for January's payroll. While in town tomorrow I'll do whatever office work I can, so I need to vacuum today while I have time and energy. Boring stuff, I know, so here are some pretty pictures made this week to end on more interesting notes:

Poppy, standing alert on my chest

Even the best nursemaids need a break

My first time cooking since the stroke, a well-received curry

A lovely view from the deck

That's it for now from . . .

Two steps forward, one step back

On Sunday, the day after my last post, Brian escorted me out to the shop to watch him (and eventually Rick) work. I don't get it, but having me do so makes my son so happy. I took along my spindle and spun and watched (and even helped Brian a little by feeding that red tubing to him) until the linens in the shop dryer were dry. Then Brian carried the laundry basket and escorted me back to the house.

Rick had finally found my FitBit, which was removed at the hospital, and I charged it Saturday night. With moving around in the house and walking out the shop I got in 3,540 steps on Sunday, a far cry from my 12,000 daily minimum before my stroke (in fact, I got 19,395 steps the day OF my stroke!). I decided to strive for at least a few more steps every day in my effort to 'resume normal activities' as my discharge instructions say. On Monday I got 4,838 steps, and on Tuesday, I ventured out with Rick's old cattle-working cane and walked to the gate to pick up some packages there, put them in the garage, then walked to the barn to see the horses (it was the Lunar New Year and so the first day of the "Year of the Horse" – how could I not?), and got eggs from the hen house on my way back up. It all made me so happy, and I got in 5,924 steps.

this horse mobile hangs in our bedroom window

gorgeous cloudscape from our deck before I ventured out

the changing cloudscape when I returned from outdoors

I was surprised to see that one of the packages from the gate was addressed to me, as I wasn't expecting any of the things I had ordered (more on that later) to arrive yet. But when I looked at the return address and saw "TimPrint" and "Kentucky," I suspected my longtime blogpal and good friend IRL Sara. Sure enough, she sent me a card with a photo of her and Bea enjoying a beautiful sky in which she wrote such encouraging words, two sachets of loose-leaf herb tea, and some sheep cut-outs I can wrap with homespun and use as Christmas or everyday ornaments. A big mood boost at the end of a mood-boosting day!

My head and sciatica were fine with all the increased activity; I count that as two big steps forward!

Then one huge step back occurred. One of my toes, yes, a toe, objected. Stella stepped on this toe a year or two (or more) ago, and the middle joint has bent upward ever since; I suspect she broke it and it healed improperly. As a result most of my more structured shoes/boots bother it, so I wear my soft allbirds most of the time. A few months back I wore a pair of short boots that had heretofore been okay but they wore a blister on the top of that toe, making it even more touchy. I had worn my roomy chore boots to go outside Sunday and Tuesday since they haven't bothered my toe in the past, but on Wednesday my toe got very bothered – swollen, red, and extremely tender to the touch of even socks. I was worried that maybe it had gotten infected somehow, but my veterinarian husband and my nurse neighbor both thought otherwise and suggested I just hot-pack it. I've been doing that multiple times a day the last two days without much change, which has kept me inside with one bare foot; I only got 4,795 steps on Wednesday and 5,757 steps on Thursday (up and down stairs to do laundry and to get more spinning fiber). This morning Rick suggested sandals in passing, so I dug out my one pair of open-toed Keens. They work! The only problem is that I don't want to use them inside and outside, where it is muddy, then back inside; we don't wear outside shoes inside. So today I've been wearing them inside, where I appreciate the arch support, insulation from the cold floor, and protection from bits of debris (vacuuming is on today's to-do list). I might find a solution for that; in the meantime the 'one huge step back' has been slightly ameliorated.

I mentioned ordering some things. Indeed, I felt I deserved some 'retail therapy' in honor of surviving a stroke and the Year of the Horse! While still at OHSU I ordered three tops from Coldwater Creek, pictured below in screenshots from their website. I was hoping a horsey top would arrive in time to wear for the Lunar New Year, but was disappointed. I also took advantage of a sale on 'Muddy Mats,' getting three in a color that goes nicely with our great room wall color. These might help with wearing my sandals inside after outdoor outings if I do my best to stay out of the messiest of areas. I also ordered two pairs of shoes from PoshMark after another close friend turned me on to that app. I was looking for styles that might work with my sore toe once it quiets down; being comfortably shod is a huge priority for me. Eventually I plan to sell some stuff on PoshMark as well; I think it may become a replacement for eBay for me.

When I'm sitting, I'm often spinning and listening to an ebook (currently Chosen By A Horse; recommended!). Still spinning away on the navy top with my three Dovekies. I'm contemplating plying it with some Inglenook Sticklebatts I purchased, spun thin. Oh, and when my head is feeling truly alert I work on running my needle through the stitches of my Dala sweater just below the arm holes, which is where I want to rip back to. I figure picking through the stitches like this is far easier than trying to pick up fine, black, loose stitches after ripping back without a lifeline.

That's the post-stroke report from . . .

On the other side of crisis

Two days after my last post, I had a stroke. Now, "stroke" conjures certain things for most people including me, and those things didn't apply. In short, on Tuesday night, Jan. 27, Brian came out of his room and started a political discussion which immediately raised my stress level. Rick deals with those things less passionately, so I went to the barn to do chores and then to our room to put clean sheets on our bed. When I bent over and was hit with a "thunderclap headache" and nausea, I knew something bad had happened in my brain. I walked out to the great room to tell Rick I wasn't feeling well, and he rushed me to the nearest emergency room, where they took a CT scan and handed me off like a hot potato to OHSU, the best regional neurosurgical center. Diagnosis: a subarachnoid hemorrhage resulting in hydrocephalus, requiring an external ventricular drain. I was in the NSICU for over a week (I was told it would be weeks), moved for one day to the neuro ward, and was discharged on Feb. 6 with no deficits or restrictions, other than not overdoing it.

head drain, borrowed glasses, and borrowed 'clothes'

OHSU had some great salads when I could make myself eat

NOT hospital food; Rick brought IN this heavenly pistachio cannoli

Perfect sentiment from social media for me!

The o'dark thirty view from my neuro ward room

The daylight view from my room

I managed to do a tiny bit of spinning on my last day at OHSU

Home again, home again with my dear doggy

a view from my bedroom

seen on my first venture outside Thursday

a bright pot of spring flowers from our church family

another view from my bedroom

Valentine chocolates from our sweet son (Dubai; oh my!)

My guys were great support while I was in hospital and have continued to be so after discharge. Poppy has been the best little nursemaid; maybe if she had been allowed into OHSU I would have been discharged even sooner. 😊 Of course I'm still on a boatload of drugs and am thankful for them; my head and sciatica would be much worse without them. Oh yeah; after a week of laying in a hospital bed my sciatica returned with a vengeance, which has been a more debilitating problem than my 'stroke head.' It was a good thing I was released on a Friday night, because it took all weekend before the sciatic spasms abated enough that I could try moving somewhat safely on my own.

'Stroke head' is a thing, folks. Even though I no longer need the 'brain drain,' the lining of my brain is still being irritated by the presence of blood where it's not supposed to be, which I was told could take up to a month for my body to absorb. Things like sudden changes of position, bending over, concentration on things like the small screen of my iPhone hurt my head, but sensitivity to light and sound have improved greatly. I am slowly and carefully able to do more; tomorrow I am hoping to be escorted to the barn so I can visit my horses and sheep. I can't drive until I'm off all my meds, so my home place is my world for now. Life could be sooo much worse.

That's it for now from . . .