...on the 7th day of Christmas [aka...I have SO much to do...]

I think it looks better...



I "worked" it in the shower[won't be able to say that much longer...]
I can't move the top joint at all unless I really hurt myself...
but the middle joint, though very stiff & SORE, will bend on command...

so today, I'm going "commando" in an attempt to get things done...
my motivations include...

part de-cluttering...
[thanks to MM for today's "inspirational post"...]
part..."tomorrow is trash day"...
part... nothing has been "done" since last Sat. AM
[when I dislocated my finger...]
part...the demo starts on TUESDAY....
part...I'm having company on Saturday...
part...ARGH...

so to get rid of this...



I first have to empty & move things...

such as these...



I was clever enough to insert baskets in the cubbies...



that can be removed with the contents intact...
but then, I need to sort the contents...



the medicine chest contents need further purging...



as does the under the sink "collection"...



since I want to save this and reuse it...
it has to be removed by me...BEFORE Tuesday AM...



probably leaving a hole like this...



this has to be moved into the DR, as does the screen behind it...



the stepladder coat rack will go...
[coats in closet...]
and the box on the floor will go to the DR too...



I have a cluttered kitchen & dishes to wash...



as well as a stove to clean & declutter...
[it looked great even a couple of weeks ago...]
then I got busy...let it "go"...
then hurt myself...and now...



the LR needs vacuuming, straightening & pet bed washing...



also pet debris "wrangling"...
the slip cover needs to be washed too...



Molly likes to roll around on the sofa...
mostly on her back...totally un-tucking the slipcover...



but then, that's not the only mess she makes...

sigh...

it WAS an "angel wing" begonia...

then there are the cases/bags of cat/dog food...
that I need to get to take to the vet's with them on Monday...
and I need to get a half dozen boxes from the vet...
for transporting kitties...

now I need to get to the store...
to get what I need for tonight's festivities...

my finger's really stiff again...and cold...
maybe some "Deep Heat" and a wrap...
it's puffed-up like a sausage...

there's always another challenge...

...the orthopod has spoken...

in the whiter light of the orthopedic dr's office...
the green-ish part looks black...
[BTW...I'm 1-finger typing, because at the moment...
anything else really hurts...]

look at the tip, see how it tends to turn up...?

OK...Dr."Evil" manipulated it down...
[it wasn't easy...it didn't want to move at all...
ie..."hurt like bloody @#$$%^"...]
then up...[which also hurt like....]
then all the way down...& back...
several times...

then, he did similar painful things to the middle joint too...



also squeezing, pressing and feeling his way around both joints...

coming to the conclusion...
that there was no need for invasive measures...
[$urgery, $crews, pin$...etc...ect...ect...]

that both injured joints were extremely swollen & sore...
from the injury trauma...
[hello... you just mashed & twisted both joints...
testing, "range of motion"...
d#@% straight they're swollen & sore...NOW, especially...]

so he did this...



he said I could wear the splint at night...
to avoid hurting myself in my sleep...
as the splint keeps it from moving or being painfully bumped...
[it worked really well last night...
I actually slept through the night without rolling on it...]

but since I need to move it to get it to heal...
I need to go with the tape job during the day...
tomorrow is trash & cat box day...
this should be interesting...

so I'm grateful it's not worse...
no long term treatment$...

the assistant who took my medical history...
couldn't believe,"how healthy you are..."
she said that nearly all of the people she takes histories from...
have so many health problems...

high blood pressure, bad cholesterol, diabetes, allergies to everything...

and they're taking so much medication...

she couldn't believe that I take basically nothing...
but OTC pain meds & Zyrtek D for sinus...

besides that...I was up to date on ALL check-ups...
AND vaccinations...

she left laughing that she'd remember me...
as one of her very few "healthy ones"...

you just never know when something good will come your way...
do you ? but then...He is the Master of everything...

...a macro kitty day...

some shots of a few of the kitties...


Mattie & Murph...


[no....MJ just blinked...but Frickie's good...]


Mattie


Murph



Mattie's paw



shy Mattie



Murph's whiskers


Mattie's tummy fur



Tommy's tummy fur



Mz Lucyfur, Herself...

...on the 6th day of Christmas [aka, "perfect timing..."

this is the day that this was supposed to commence...



I would have had to postpone it...
considering the current circumstances...



my hand is really feeling much better...

except for the 2, actually injured, joints...
most of the soreness & swelling is gone now...
and there's just a bit of stiffness...



as well as only a touch of the swelling & bruising...



my left hand is almost looking normal...
if you ignore the splint...
which has been a VERY GOOD thing...

however, to have started the demo today...
I would have needed to have worked...
on "path clearing", "stuff removal" from the bath...
"tp holder" removal from the wall...ect... over the weekend...
when I was incapacitated, big time...

I could barely feed myself... much less catch kitties,etc...

now, I can start doing the stuff I need to get done...
before next Tuesday [01/06/09] the big "D" day...

if my healing continues as fast as it has gone just today...
I'll be ready for the demo crew on Tuesday...

my dr. said that the very quick and constant application...
of an ice pack to the injury on Saturday was a big factor...
in lessening of the severity of the effects of the injury...

I only had the ice pack...
because something I'd ordered as a Christmas gift...
came late... having just arrived on Friday...
in an ice chest...with several long lasting ice packs...
or I wouldn't have had any at all...

sometimes God's perfect timing just takes my breath away...

and thanks again to all whose prayers & random acts of kindness...
have moved this recovery along at top speed...

God is SO good...He has "helpers"...
and He plans ahead...!

...on the afternoon of the 5th day of Christmas

I just returned from a visit with my Dr. about my finger...
definitely dislocated in 2 places...
and decidedly NOT straight like the other one, anymore...



he referred me to an orthopedist...
I just got the call that a consult & 2 "follow-ups"...
were authorized by my insurance...
my doctor thinks that the finger "should" straighten-out...
& heal on it's own without any "invasive procedures"...
[surgery, pins, screws etc...my finger hurts just thinking about it...]



however, he did say that if it doesn't straighten-out...
the orthopedist might have to correct it...
he gave me a cool splint to hold it straight...
and protect the tip from bumps...

I secured it with the same sticks to itself stuff...

the splint allows the rest of the hand to move around more...
and although it hurts more from the added motion...
the swelling is going down in the rest of the hand now...
and I can wiggle all my fingers from the knuckles...
[except that one, of course...]

bending from the middle joints is still hard...
in the index & 4th fingers...but doesn't hurt as much as it did...
[sore & swollen still, though...]
the dislocated 3rd finger is NOT bending yet...
and attempts to do so bring instant pain in both dislocated joints...

my hand around the knuckles seems much less swollen...
and isn't really sore when probed...
that's a big improvement from this AM...

I'm waiting to hear back from either my dr's office...
or the orthopedist about my appointment...
[just heard...appointment at 2:45 tomorrow...]

the really good news is that once they start the treatment...
my current insurance company will follow through the course...
saving me from the giant looming deductible...
that would be kicking-in on treatment started after 1/09/09...



I'm typing fairly normally again...
[using more than one finger...]
and it hurts a bit, but I'll live...

I'm really tired today... so I'm going to heat up some soup...
[now that I can open it...] & turn in early...
I've stopped taking the double doses of OTC Excedrin...
and it's time for a good sleep...

thanks again to all the kind souls...
who "helped" me out when I was really disabled...
on Saturday & Sunday when anything was almost impossible...
I do appreciate all the kindnesses...

may God richly bless you all...

...tausend Dank, Lil' Sis ! [aka Critter Christmas gifts from Germany...]

it can be a small world sometimes...
and the kindness of people I've never met...
never fails to touch my heart...

global communication can be problematical...
however...there are some true commonalities...
no matter where or who you are...

some of these common grounds include music...
the appreciation of beauty in the world...
and the love of the animals we live with...

through this blog, I've come to know...
some generous people who've shared my joy...
when Molly "arrived"...
and my sorrow at the loss of several kitties...
since this blog began in August of 2007...

I really got started blogging...
after Miz Minka wrote about the loss of my Bubba...
since then, I've said good-bye to Tippy, Robbie & Gracie...
and hello to Molly...
meeting many kind humans along the way....

my little "herd" has been the beneficiary...
of several gifts from Lil' Sis to Minka...
that were ignored by HRH, Minka...
but LOVED when they got here...
as "hand-me-downs"or de-cluttering flotsam...

so it was a very nice surprise...
when Miz Minka handed me a couple of items...
that Lil' Sis had sent to her, to give to my gang !



even a personal greeting for Molly...
[does this mean that now L'il Sis...
is an "honorary" doggy God-Aunt ?...
since Big Sis [MM] is Molly's God-Mom ?]



and, just in case you can't read the writing[UnkelPhil...]
it does say, mït Kaninchen...



upon taking the treat stick gently from me...
Molly retreated to her nest[ALL good things get this treatment...]



where she settled down & devoured it...



immediately being thankful to her "God-Aunt"...
and begging for more...

the Kittie treats were also inscribed...
but Lil' Sis used my real name...



so you get to see only this much...



the treats are little letters...



and attracted the herd right away...



MJ & Lucyfur, being the vanguard...



with MJ being especially thankful to his nice friend in Germany...
who's sent the cat treat ball he loves to play with...
the catnip mousie he enjoys...
and now... the yummy "Felix" treats...

many thanks, Lil' Sis for your generosity & kindness to my gang...
I hope that someday we can thank you in person...

...on the 5th day of Christmas

I have an appointment at 2:30 with my Dr...
the 2 phone calls it took...
[I was "dropped" after almost 7 minutes, on the 1st one...]
were made half asleep in an attempt to get in today...
& to not have to wait until tomorrow, or worse...



putting any pressure on the 3rd [or 4th] finger...
results in big time "unpleasantness"...
and I'm NOT looking forward to them being manipulated...
squeezed, prodded, poked & possibly yanked-on, again...
[I think it looks crooked... again...]



I have a lot of things to do that requires 2 hands...
before the bathroom remodel begins Jan. 6...
and at the moment...I can't do anything...

I had a good meal last night because Miz Minka & Mr Greenthumb ...
took pity on me & invited me over for supper...
I have a goodly supply of their delicious Christmas dinner leftovers...
in my 'fridge...but I can't open the containers...

well...I probably could get them open...
but the ensuing pain makes me loose my appetite...
which sort of defeats the purpose...
and just the simplest food prep, like making a sandwich...
is beyond me...I almost had to ask someone to cut my meat last night...

I have dishes to wash, a kitchen to clean...
cat boxes to clean, cat food to buy...
vacuuming & laundry, plants to water...
etc., etc., etc...

so I'm hoping for good news from the Dr. today...

at this point, a hard cast or splint would be welcome...
at least them I could do somethings that need doing...

I need my hand back... & my life...

I am working on my attitude at the moment...
I'm sure that God has it all under control...
now I need to rein in my feelings...
& be thankful... NOT easy, but I'm working on it...
I'm sure that there's a lesson here...
I just don't know what it is...yet...

...on the 4th day of Christmas

I finally resorted to this...
the gauze the ER Dr wrapped on my hand...
got too tight as more swelling happened...
so I loosened it...added different gauze...
and used this "stick-to-itself" stuff...



it keeps my fingers still & protected...
supported, but is infinitely adjustable...
should the swelling increase again...



the discoloration is actually worse than this...



it just doesn't show up in this yellow light...



the swelling is obvious...



I had to remove my thumb ring, as the swelling has increased...
it was getting tight...and it had been falling off...



this is probably the best picture showing the bruising...
the tip of my finger really is that pale...
and the rest is reddish purple....

and really sore...

I am, however, quite grateful for all the little things...
that have combined to make this bearable...

it happened after Lessons & Carols....
it happened before my insurance coverage changed...
the other dog & owner involved were very calm & unperturbed...
[it could have been SO much worse...]

I had the presence of mind to reset the main joint right away...
I arrived at a nearly full ER...
but didn't have to wait in a long line to sign-in...
[about an hour later, the line was "out the door"...]
they sent me right in after I signed-in...

they had to cut off my ring, but did it cleanly...
and before it cut off my circulation...
I was back home in about 5 hours...

several folks at church just jumped right-in & helped me out...
from BLT doing all the handbell wrangling...
to Super Sop & Miz Minka assisting me in vesting, unvesting...
and putting away my stuff as well as putting on my coat, etc...
Mr.GT for driving me home after inviting me to supper...
and to R for coming by to give me a ride there...

so while I'd just as soon NOT have a double dislocation...
of the 3rd finger on my left hand...with probable ruptured tendon[s]...
it could have been SO much worse...

God is good....ALL the time...