~*~*~*Whoo-Hoo*~*~*~

Finally....a little freedom.....to drive, to work and the hard part....to learn to walk again.....Wow!! It's been nine weeks since my fall, and alas, I feel like there really is a light at the end of the tunnel. I had a check-up with Dr. Behm on Thursday and hit the trifecta. I was so excited to hear I'd be able to get some normalcy to my life again. He was very happy with how things were looking, feeling and moving and wants me to begin adding a little weight (with crutches, of course). If only it was as easy as it sounded. My mind is saying "Go For It", but crazy as it sounds, it's REALLY scary (not to mention, painful). Hopefully, little by little I'll trust my mind. It'll also help when I begin therapy on Monday. He has recommended aquatherapy, which will allow me to put full weight on it while in the water. Fortunately, we have a new PT place in Corvallis with a therapy pool. It's pretty neat as it has a "built in" underwater treadmill. My first thought was how I'd get into the pool, but they've assured me they'd use the hydraulic chair till I could use the stairs. Whew, the relief.
Along with all this good news, we had to have a little chat about what the future holds. Back when I had the surgery, he'd said that ten of the eleven pins/screws and the plate would be permanent, but there would be a decision to be made on number eleven. Well, I guess the time's coming for that decision. Number eleven is the long screw that was put in to hold the tibia and fibula together for healing. It can be left in, but it will eventually break. Ugh! Sometimes, when this happens, there are no problems, but there's always a chance of some discomfort and pain. Once it breaks, there's no way to get the "inside" (fibula) piece of the screw out without extensive surgery. The surgery to remove it before it breaks is quite simple.....outpatient....they put you under, just a small incision, unscrew it, steri-strips, and you're on your way. The ugly part of it is, he won't remove it until the fourteenth week and then you're in the boot for an additional two weeks. Yowsie!!! Sixteen weeks total....that's a long time. Well, at this time I'm leaning toward having it removed. With being on my feet so much at work, it seems logical that I wouldn't want to risk the chance of problems down the road. Maybe better to give a little extra time now than a lifetime of pain and worry. And as for the boot, we've kinda bonded....I don't go ANYWHERE without it (well,except the shower).
On a happy note and something to look forward to, I've made reservations for Bret, Erika and I to take a trip to Vegas the first week of June. We'll be meeting up with Bret's family for the wedding of his sister Shelley's daughter, Whitney, and her great guy, Keith. Erika will be in the wedding....should be fun!! Unfortunately, Taylor will miss out. He's unable to miss any classes for his Classroom Without Walls project and it's also his State Cup for soccer. Never a dull moment around here. Sorry we'll also be missing Debbie and Tim's daughter Erin's high school graduation in Spokane that weekend. Congrats and Best Wishes to her!!

Spring weather seems to finally be here to stay this time. Bret's mowing today and thanks to him my flower beds are looking beautiful with the perennials coming on. He is so good to me. I'm so thankful and appreciative for all he's done for me. My biggest blessing!! Looks like after all I may be able to help him plant the vegetable garden in a few weeks. I've got so much to look forward to...........