The first week post - surgery for Rick ...

This has been a WEEK!!! Goodness, has it really only been a week???
So hard not to over-do myself in the midst of all this. 

I am thankful to Rick's parents - they have helped with the cleaning, the laundry, keeping the dishes washed. Even helping with the meals. 
Rick's dad had Chris, Mandy, Elijah, and Brooklyn all out side the other day getting the dead tree in the back yard cut up, split, and stacked. May not be the best wood - but it's wood!!! 

I haven't been much on the computer this first week. Hardly on Facebook at all ... just to check in once a day ... and not on the website except for the surgery update a couple of days ago. I apologize to those that read this. Sigh. 

Rick is struggling with the whole sling and pillow existence. He doesn't like to be restricted in his movements ... and this is major restriction! It being his right hand (which he is right-handed) doesn't help matters any either. Sigh. Add to it that he tends to be an "all or nothing" kind of guy - either he can do everything, or he can do nothing. God, love him! (Do something with him! LOL)

---

In the midst of it all, I find myself feeling very alone, very lonely, very insecure and very afraid at times. Unsure of just about everything. 
This is all such new territory for both of us. Never in our marriage have we both been down - not this long. Honestly? Neither of us have ever been down this long - much less both of us at the same time. 

So, not only are our limitations challenging to us ... but just the day to day living is a challenge! We each have specific challenges. We are struggling to see the challenges as something to be creative and to conquer. But often so far, the challenges become the conqueror not the conquest! Sigh. 

Certain articles of clothing that we cannot do - which leads to a choice of laughter or humiliation - underwear, socks, for Rick it is even pants and a shirt. 
Brushing our teeth - trying to put toothpaste on with one hand only (Rick) or dealing with the severe bleeding (Margaret - because of the Lovenox shots). 
Even just fixing a meal. OMW!!! That seems to be some of the most challenging times we have faced yet! I cannot stand to cook, cannot bend over to get anything out of the frig or the cabinet. Rick has one hand. So, we are learning to really work together!!! LOL You should see us getting a pan of cornbread out of the oven! LOL 
Trying to juggle the pain meds so that our pains are under control, but we are not knocked on our butts 24/7. We want to be awake, alert, aware. At least to some degree! And so far, we have both had spikes in pain - but not a sustained number above 5 for very long at all. Praise the Lord!!! 

Taking a shower is more than just a "hop in and bathe, then hop out and get dressed" affair!!! We have managed to get it down to just Rick and me helping each other. But we haven't spent much time laughing over it all yet. Surely that will come in time ... just not yet. Sigh. 

Going anywhere for me is not much fun...too much pain involved in getting down our back stairs, in and out of the car. Not to mention the actual riding. I never knew there were so many bumps in a road - any road, every road!!! 

Spending most of our times in the house ... sometimes even counting "flowers on the wall" ... 
Reading ... watching movies ... sleeping ... talking to one another ... 
Not many visitors - everyone has their own lives. We understand that. 
Not many phone calls - again, everyone has their own lives. 

---

I guess one of the hardest things for either of us to deal with is how isolated we feel. 

Not having TV service means that we depend on the computer and radio for news ... only thing about the radio is that in this old house we do not have good reception at all. Sigh. And for the computer? Well, this last week especially, just haven't felt like sitting here much at all. Actually went 3 days and never sat down here. <<Shaking my head in amazement at that! LOL>>

We have watched movies - but 99% have been movies that we have seen so many times that we can go to sleep during the movie, wake up several minutes later and never feel like we have missed anything. LOL 

We got out last Saturday for a couple of hours. Saw clouds and trees and people! Wow! There really IS a world that still exists out there!!! LOL 

My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus' Blood and righteousness! 
But, my hope is also that these rough days and times will pass ... and we will be better servants of the Lord because of it all. 

May the Lord bless and keep each one of you ... you are in our thoughts and our prayers. Hopefully, we are in yours as well.