Went to Physical Therapy and...

I went to Physical Therapy on Friday and it went well. Well, in that it doesn't look like I'll have to go more then a month and possibly not even that long. The reason is that there isn't really a lot they can do to help me improve from where I am at this point. It was worth the visit though to learn "how to sleep". A big part of my pain in my right shoulder was coming from the way (position) that I was laying and he helped me with that. I need to sleep with 4 pillows : D who knew? Sounds crazy but it really does make a difference in the morning when I wake up. Of course it's a pain during the night when I want to roll over to the other side, but I'm learning that I can go right back to sleep. The main thing that changed was putting a pillow under my abdomen which lifts the right shoulder some so it doesn't roll under causing it to hurt when I wake up. (Just in case some of you were wondering.) I've gone back to driving and that has been wonderful, but I just have to be real careful when pulling out into traffic. I can turn my head to the right a little more then I can to the left. I find I need to turn my body to the left in order to see better. I'm being very careful and so far I'm doing OK. I also try to pull into (or through) a parking space so I don't have to back out...that helps a lot too. All in all I'm getting stronger each day and for this I thank the Lord for His goodness and safe keeping.

Lowell was suppose to get cataracts removed from each of his eyes (one this month and the other one next month) but he told me today that he went back to the Dr. and told him to just refill the order for glasses that he had and that he'll get it done a year from now (maybe). : / Oh well, what does the Dr. know? : D Lowell kept telling the Dr. that he isn't having any problem seeing and that all he needs is to have his glasses fixed...they couldn't be fixed so they are having to replace them (the frame couldn't be fixed). We'll just wait and see I guess.

I still have a prayer request that is a concern of mine, but I can't yet give any of the details. I know that God is able and that He has a perfect plan and will in the matter, but I really think it needs to be addressed and yet, I don't have any answers to the situation or peace about it....so I continue to pray and trust the Lord. He hath begun "this work" and I'm going to trust and wait on Him to complete it. Thank you for joining with me in this matter. I really do appreciate it.

I can't believe that summer has come and gone and now it's the "holidays" again. Joy and her family will be going to FL to be with Michael's family for Thanksgiving. It will be a bitter/sweet one for them as this time last year Michael's brother was fighting cancer and went home to the Lord just before Thanksgiving. So this will be hard for all of them. Pray for them during the weekend if you think of it. Barbara and her family will be here with us and we'll have Thanksgiving together, along with some of the families from BBN that live out here close by us. We always came here before, but now it seems easier to go to her house since the kids are all bigger and they have the Wii (don't know how you spell it for sure) and other things for the kids now that they are older. So I don't know just where we will celebrate, but anywhere is fine with me....I just love all of us being together. The day after Thanksgiving we usually put up the Christmas decorations and enjoy them for the whole month (we take them down just afterwards). So it won't be long and we'll be in 2010! Now that's hard to believe.....seems like it was just 1999 and we were concerned about the computers (especially at BBN). How time flies!

Well, speaking about time flying, I best get off of here and go get my supper started. Lowell will be home soon and I won't be ready for him : D You take care and again I want to thank each one of you for praying and in advance Thank You for continuing to ~ I really do appreciate the love and concern that you've shown for me.

In His care I remain,

Georgie

It's been 3 mos now....

Well, the trip to Mayo has come and gone and now all I have to do is continue to wait (upon the Lord). Funny, but after waiting so long to finally get married (41 years ago) I thought that I'd never have to "wait" again...WRONG....I'm still waiting.

The doctor said everything looked good and that I could take the brace off (and wear it as I needed to), drive (but very carefully), and continue to do my housework (but to do nothing that caused pain) : ) That was nice to hear, because now I don't have to do anything that causes pain...and that could cover a lot of different areas. : ) That was all the good news, but the news that I wasn't expecting was that this is going to be a 2 year process. I had to go back at 6 wks., 3 mos., 6 mos., 1 year and then at the end of the 2nd year....WHO KNEW! I thought that this visit was the end of my "life at Mayo" and come to find out I've only begun. What it did show me was that this was really a "bigger deal" then I ever realized. I guess I'm really glad that I didn't know all of this before hand or I may have been more fearful then I was. I thought that at the end of the 3 months that I would be completely healed and ready to go. Come to find out that it will take at least 9 mos. for some of it to heal (and maybe even longer) and 2 years for it to "completely" heal.

All of this just reaffirm that the Lord surely did a wonderful work on my behalf and in answer to the many prayers that have been prayed. Lowell and I stayed gone from here the rest of the week to just rest and "regroup" some. During the week we talked about "what if" and realized again that the Lord had really directed our steps during all of this. I could be in a wheelchair right not and unable to type or do anything with my hands and fingers, plus not able to walk either. I can't get over even my handwriting and the difference the surgery made. I had really become unable to write anything and hadn't typed for some time before the surgery. It is amazing how much I had lost in just that one week before the surgery, now I understand better why the doctor was so insistent that I have it done "now" and not wait a week or two. God is so good to bring the right people into our life at the right time...all we have to do is follow.

I have to go to physical therapy for my neck and will begin that this Friday. I've been without my brace for a week now and I can already see a difference in now and when I took it off a week ago. When I first took it off my head seem wobbly but each day it seems to have gotten stronger. I'm sure that in a few weeks of exercise it will be much stronger. So all in all it was a good week and I'm looking forward to getting back to "normal" what ever that may be for me. The doctor did say that I will never really be back to normal since there was some permanent damage done before I had the surgery and that will never be changed. : ) Aging, there are some benefits but there are some problems too. Just a new chapter in my book of life that's being written.

Just before we left town Lowell broke his glasses and they couldn't be fixed, so we went to the eye doctor for an exam since it was time to anyway and if he was going to have to get new glasses he might as well get them right....well, the doctor said there was no reason to give him new glasses yet because he has cataracts on each eye that need to be removed first. : / Lowell wasn't real happy to hear this news and it's taken him a week to agree that maybe the Dr. was right. We go this Thurs. for an exam with the surgeon and then the earliest he can get it done is the first part of Dec. (They say that Nov. & Dec. are the two busiest months of the year, because of it being so close to the end of the year and everyone wants to get it "in" before the end of the year.) So that will be our next little venture I guess. : )

Well, that sort of catches you up on what's going on in my life and again I do thank each and everyone of you for praying for me. As I mentioned in my last post I do have another matter of concern to me that I'd ask you to pray about. I'm still not able to give you any details, but the Lord is well aware of it all and He will know just what you are referring to when you make your request known unto Him. Yesterday at church the sermon was right to me....it was... God Is Able. This of course wasn't new truth to me, but it was a good reminder to me that He knows all about what is going on and He is concerned about it and will work according to His plan and purpose. I know this, but sometimes it's just good to be reminded of it. I know He has His timing and I'm waiting on Him (but it seems to me "now" would be a good time to answer our plea). So if you'll join with me again I sure would appreciate it ~ it really is important.

Again, I thank you for your love and concern for me over these past few months, I really appreciate it.

Georgie

Phil. 1:3