Yup!  You read it right!  I went to see an orthopedist today about my knee, and he recommended that I start cycling.  I can still walk for exercise, but he said that biking (or cycling, as he corrected me ) would be good for my knee.  So I’m breaking out my bike!!  I don’t have a stationary one, and I’d rather be outside given the choice, so soon I’ll be out and about, helmet and all.  But I definitely plan on keeping up with the walking!!  He also recommended doing some exercises that strengthen my quads, so I will be concentrating on that too.

He didn’t see any problems on the various X-rays, but if I continue to have pain, I will have an MRI.  By the way, the X-ray technician was this really cute guy.  I had to put one of those gowns on, and when he came back to get me, I had to tell him I was having a little difficulty tying up the gown –and nooooo–it wasn’t my way of hitting on him (I mean, seriously, is there anyone out there who can tie one of those?  It’s like some sort of puzzle)!  Anyway, I failed, and I told him of my troubles and asked if I was the only patient who struggled with it.  He replied that the gowns themselves were simply defective, so I felt much better.  He was kind enough to get me another gown that I put on in the other direction, so nothing was hanging out!  He was probably thinking “This girl has more problems than just a sore knee!!”.  :)  hahahaha  No, he was really nice.

So I need to work on creating an exercise plan to see whether that is all I need to relieve the knee discomfort.  I go to my orthopedist again in four weeks.  As I wrote above, if I’m still having pain, he’ll order an MRI, and the next step could possibly be a Cortisone injection in the knee (with the approval of my oncologists, of course).  I hope I won’t need it!  MOTION IS LOTION!!  That’s my new chant.  :)  I told him how important it is to get my knee back in good working order so I can continue participating in TNT events! :)  Oh, and some good news he shared with me:  I look young!  That’s right, folks…he said I must get carded all the time, and that I don’t look 31.  It’s good because, of course, I want to look young, but it’s bad in that I’m indeed old if someone comments that I don’t look my age and it’s a compliment.  When you’re younger, you always want to appear older, you know?  When you’re old, you want to appear younger.  I’ve arrived at that point.  Oh well!  At least he didn’t think I appeared older than my age.  …I know, not even related to my knee, but it was good news to hear nonetheless!

So what else has been going on here…Aunt Bitsy left today, but we’re looking forward to another visit in May once her classes are done (in case you didn’t know, Aunt Bitsy is a professor of nursing…and a darn good one, I might add!!).  I let my neighbors’ dogs out and played with them for a while.  It was gorgeous out there today!  On my walk back home, I picked up another neighbor and friend, Mrs. Dowdy, and we walked back to my house.  We’re looking forward to being walking buddies!  We talked about everything, and there was one comment she made that I really wanted to share with you, because I thought it was so beautifully worded.  She said she likes to think of my time and treatment in Seattle as a big wave, one ready to crush anything in its path.  Instead of being trapped by its fury, my mom and I are surfing the top of the wave and riding it into the shore (I hope I did it justice, Mrs. Dowdy…I know I didn’t remember it word-for-word!).  I absolutely love that image, and I think I’ll incorporate it into my visualization.

The ocean in general seems to be a good analogy for a disease…I know, sounds weird, but hear me out.  Its waters (cancer, in my case) are incredibly powerful, and it’s important to acknowledge this before leaving the safety of the beach (the epitome of good health).  You might just get swept right out there without any warning, and you have to submit and go with the flow of the water to keep afloat (acknowledge your disease and seek treatment).  It’s important to keep the shoreline in focus (remission!!).  Respect the power of the water and the creatures that live beneath it’s surface (arm yourself with knowledge about your disease), but don’t forget to smile and delight in dolphins or clownfish (e.g.Nemo) or any positive distraction that comes your way (find something good in each day).  In the meantime, wait patiently for that kayak to bring you back to shore (the doctors, nurses, friends and family who guide your way).

I firmly believe I’m walking along the shoreline now, still wary of any crabs or jellyfish that could lie underfoot, but I’m smiling up at the horizon.  The sun is warming my shoulders (that are covered in sunblock, of course!), and I can just make out the beach house where we used to stay every year in the Outer Banks.  The dunes are damaged a little bit more than before, and the house doesn’t look quite as new as when we first discovered it, but I see my family on the various balconies, sitting in the hammock, playing on the beach, and I sigh with relief and joy to know that my life continues on, and the memories keep piling up.

Wow…I’m being deep tonight, huh?  (oops, anther ocean reference!  hahahahaha)  Seriously though, those are just my thoughts.  I definitely don’t automatically think of the ocean as a disease (or I wouldn’t like to go the beach much, would I?), but I figured it could make for another good analogy.  Maybe I’m just tired and all of this won’t sound as good when I re-read it tomorrow.  hmmm…

Speaking of, I guess it’s time to hit the hay.  As I wrote that, I wondered where the phrase came from, so here’s a link I found….verrry interesting.  “In 1902, mattresses were often sacks stuffed with straw or hay (hence the similar phrase ‘hit the sack’).The phrase ‘hit the hay’ seems to have originated in the US sports scene. The Oakland Tribune, July 1903, reported this: “‘Sam’ Berger, the Olympic heavyweight … was sleepy and he announced that ‘he was going to hit the hay.’”  In 1905, Paxton Sport USA included this:  [the baseball player] “has a language of his own. Going to bed for him is to ‘hit the hay.’” “…fascinating, don’t you think?  Now that I’ve shared that very important tidbit of information, I’m off.  I hope everyone is doing well!

Love,

Julie