Bit of Ivory

Long time, no update. I’m so bad. Really must get back into the groove of doing this. Because it’s not like things haven’t been happening.

We had a fabulous time in Disneyland. Seriously, it was one of the best trips ever. The only damper on the thing was that I got tendonitis in both legs (it’s the tendon that’s on the outside of my calves) and in one foot (I think it was the pereneal tendon, which is below your ankle and on the bottom of your foot), and it was bad enough on Saturday that even the 3-minute walk from our hotel to the gate was enough for me to be nearly crying in agony. Not a good thing. So, we rented a wheelchair. I felt like an idiot, and felt badly that Sarah and Lisa had to push me around Disney, but it made it possible for us to actually go on rides. So I guess it was worth it. I didn’t go so far as to use the disabled entrances and jump the queue– instead we parked the wheelchair and I walked on to the rides like a normal person. The breaks between the queues was enough to keep the tendons from cramping too awfully much, so it worked out. $10 well spent.

Two days before we left for California, my mom had back surgery. This was planned– we got out of the house while mom was still in the hospital, and then were home and available when she was home. Luckily, instead of the vertebrae fusion that had been recommended, she qualified (and was randomized to) a research study for a new product called a <a href=”http://www.appliedspine.com/”>Stabilimax</a>. She actually got a level 2 Stabilimax, meaning that she’s been stabilized on two vertebrae instead of just one. She also had a herniated disc repaired. This surgery has been nothing short of amazing. If she’d had a fusion, she’d still be flat on her back right now. There would have been no bending for 6 months. Full recovery might have taken as long as a year. Instead, she’s up and walking and even drove herself to physical therapy today. The doctor expects her to be back to normal activity in 4-6 weeks. And mom’s so happy. Instead of being in constant pain in her back and down her leg, the only pain she’s feeling is from the incision. She feels better than she has in more than a year.

But while Mom is improving apace, we’re really worried about my cousin. She was in a paragliding accident on Saturday– fell 80 feet after hitting a windshaft. She has a crushed ankle, a broken pelvis and arm, and an abdominal hematoma that they’re worried about. Truly, she’s lucky to be alive. She went in for surgery this morning, which apparently went much better than expected, but she’s still not going to be able to stand for at least 6 weeks, and they expect at least a 6-month recovery. Rebecca is 9 months older than me– she was my “can I PLEEAAAAASE have a sleepover?” after every family event cousin– and has a 5-year-old little boy who saw the accident, saw the ambulances, saw the LifeFlight helicopter. The day before Mother’s Day. I can only imagine how horrible that must have been for him. It’s been an anxious weekend for us all, and it’s far from over.

In the meantime, I’ve been working out my anxieties by doing DDR for about an hour this afternoon. My sister bought my brother’s Wii from him (with 2 kids, he just doesn’t have time to use it), and I went out and bought the pad today. I haven’t moved that much since I went to the Keane concert.

Still no job. Still little progress on the thesis. But things are looking up.