November 2018 Newsletter Edition
The month of November has been a bit of a roller coaster. I am making progress on my goals. However this ended with unsuccessful lubricating knee injections. This raises the issue of knee surgery being unavoidable. I am not particularly excited needing more operations.
Several years ago an aunt showed me a bib made using a hand towel. A 6" hole for the neck is cut. Then a neck is added using a knit fabric. I've purchased a set of high thread count hand towels and am going to make a set for one of the young adults in the community I've been supporting. His girlfriend is pregnant. By making the bibs I am hoping to avoid stupid fights caused from being over tired and laundry needing to be done. I am hoping this will help facilitate their relationship growing as they start their family.
Another one of the young adults has a birthday coming up. I've purchased a birthday card for him and delivered it. It means a lot to the youth and young adults when acknowledging the milestones in their lives. It is rewarding to give back to the community with all the help and assistance I require in my own life.
Prior to my knee injections a friend came to check on me. I really appreciated this. I am trying to make my life work. I am committed to my life. Those around me see this. The knee injection was viscosupplementation therapy. In English this is a lubricating knee injection. It offered the prospect of pain relief for 4 to 6 months. This in turn would allow me to engage in some gentle exercise and make some gains in my "to do" list. This wasn't to be. The medication wore off after 20 hours in my right knee joint, 28 hours in my left knee joint and I experienced a full blown arthritis attack 35 hours after the injection.
I need some time to think about how I will proceed. The 3 years of continual physiotherapy between 2015 and 2018 was very hard on my body. I can't sustain this without a break and becoming properly rested up. I will need to make myself a list of "pros" and "cons" and figure out from there what makes the most sense to me and will offer the best prospects for my quality of life. This sometimes becomes necessary when living with a physical disability and / or chronic pain.