I had a visit with the orthopedic surgeon two days ago and we are both pleased that the cortisone shot in my knee is helping. Its been two weeks since the shot and he said that I won't experience the full benefit for another couple months. But that is it was going to work, it would start working within two weeks.
And, it has. So, hallelujah, praise kneesus!
It is still unstable and I am not yet back to going for intentional walks, BUT I can at least walk around the house now which is a big improvement!
Yesterday, something momentous happened - I got my man to work out with me! He's NOT an exercise guy. At. All. He will walk with me, but not long ones, and never anything else. But I always jokingly invite him to my workouts, and he responds "no thank you" and we laugh. But yesterday, I said "I'm going in for my strength training, wanna join?" And he said... "yah, lets do it!"
And he DID! We went through my entire strength training routine! I am so proud of him for really getting out of his comfort zone. Later in the evening, he praised me for my "strength", and it felt nice to be seen for what I am working so hard for.
In other news, I have been squeezing in some more short paddling trips into my days, as summer is dwindling down. Its been really nice. I find myself simultaneously wishing that it was more physically demanding and enjoying the relaxing nature of it. It's not nothing, I do end up feeling it in my forearms afterwards, but its not the "active" past time I was thinking it would be.
One side benefit to the paddling, is that it has forced me to be a little more comfortable in my swimwear. I need to wear UV protectant swim clothes and thats a-ok with me because I've never been comfortable showing my arms or legs, ever in my life. So wearing just a plain bathing suit has never been an option for me. But I also would NEVER wear anything tight before. I don't want to show my skin, but I also don't want to show the size and shape and lumps and bumps of my legs or arms. Anyway, I am wearing my swim pants and swim tops and feeling OK about it. Truth-be-told, no one sees me in them. The paddling I do is launched from a private dock, and when I am out on the water, I am seated and would only be seen at a distance.
But I don't want to discount my feelings here. I feel less embarrassed and less self-conscious than I have before. I wouldn't use the word "confident" by any means. But its an improvement, and that is something. Especially since I don't actually notice any visual differences in my body, but I guess just age and experience alone has granted me a small amount of "less fucks" to give.
