After the hours stuck yesterday in the surgical waiting room chair, despite my getting up and stretching and trying not to get stiff, my dodgy hip was in a state this morning.
I hadn't walked yesterday and really wanted to today, so I bowed to reality and rummaged in the coat closet for the cane last used many years ago by Handsome Partner.
I fiddled about to get it adjusted to fit then went to YouTube to learn how to use it! To be exact, which hand to hold it in. Turns out you do best using the hand opposite the hurting part.
So I did that and took a trial short walk to test my skills. I got the hang of it and the hip definitely hurts less with the support of the cane. The only tiny hitch was bursting out laughing at the comic figure I cut trying to get my feet moving right, the cane mixing me up at first. Like the caterpillar forgetting how to move his feet when he starts thinking about it.
So I got home and posed on the deck as a scary old lady sitting leaning on her cane ready to judge people and wave it about threateningly. It gives a new meaning to raising cane.. You kids get off my lawn! It's a plain cane, and I'm thinking of decorating it.
I did see an interesting lichen on my walk, not many lichen this year, maybe because of the drought, which looked like a white freehand drawing on a tree.
Later I did stretches and weights and the standing up exercise, to get back in trim, or as near to trim as I can get anyway.
Misfits box arrived, and the recyclables from the last box were picked up
I'm trying purple garlic, new to me, but you can't go far wrong with garlic, oat milk which I could make at home but why not, Nancy's yogurt likewise, honeynut squash I think I'll probably bake and stuff, since they're small and a nice flavor. Black beans to keep up my bean department, you always need back up beans.
This was a small order, between larger ones. It's such a luxury to have great food appearing reliably on the step. I used to hate grocery shopping and get in a blur with the choices and finding where they'd moved my things this time.
I think rearranging the store is a marketing idea, to bring you past different items you might suddenly need. It backfires with me, just making me annoyed when I'm traipsing around in search of something that was right there last week.
I'm now reading the latest Osman
A friend of mine just started using a walker. She is not thrilled to have to do it, but if gets her out walking she is willing to put up with it. So use the cane well and enjoy your time outdoors.
ReplyDeleteIf that's what it takes, I'm up for it.
DeleteWe once bought purple carrots because they were new to us. However using them in chicken soup was a bad idea. It turned the chicken and broth purple and didn’t look very appetizing. I used a cane during our last trip to London (plantar fasciitis). I knew how it was supposed to be used but was forever out of step.
ReplyDeleteYes, you have to look out for vivid colors. Maybe purple carrots are really salad ones! Using a cane is trickier than it looks. I see people doing it fine, so I guess they're experts.
DeleteIf there's a cat in Richard Osman's new book series, then all is well.
ReplyDeleteThere's a cat.
DeleteAngela you accidentally posted a comment meant for that lady whose husband Pirate died earlier this year, so I'm not publishing it here, out of respect all round. But you may want to go to her blog and comment there.
ReplyDeleteA cane comes in handy for lots of things as RC discovered on our recent trip. It certainly opened a path for us (and even allowed us to be one of the first ones to board the plane) and we managed to commandeer a motorized cart which certainly helped him with the long walk through the Toronto airport. He doesn't want to use it, but the day has come I think.
ReplyDeleteThese are advantages I hadn't considered!
DeleteMy grandfather used a cane but claimed that he only carried it to poke things with. I still have that cane. I use it in a closet, hung over the clothes bar to separate the things that have been ironed from the things that have not. I can see him every time I open that closet.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds weird but you know what I mean. HE was never in a closet as far as I know.
Yes, cane as weapon and communication! I think there will be days I need it and days I don't. Today's much better after the walking and exercises yesterday.
DeleteI found that true when I started using my cane, too! I didn't use it in England and it was OK but there were times when I wish I'd brought it along. Can't wait to read the new Osmun.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lot of fun, as expected. I'm using the cane today just for practice in and out of the car, buildings etc.
DeleteI used a cane for 3 years. Rarely at home but always when I went out. I haven't needed it for about 5 months, but I know how to use it if I need it. It's good you have it and used it.
ReplyDeleteIt was quite an emotional threshold to cross, but made sense.
DeleteStrips of plastic diamonds wrap nicely around a cane.
ReplyDeleteNoted!
DeleteI used a cane for years, for both broken legs. It became second nature in a short time.
ReplyDeleteI keep a cane nearby for those occasions when my hips acts out! A cane is a great assistive device!
ReplyDeleteSo you had a bit of a wait too. Yes, the cane thing seems counter-intuitive, but I learned that a long time ago. I pretty well can't take my cane into stores when I shop because I will forget it and have to go back into the store. In the store, I have the cart for support, not that I really need it because I am ambling about slowly.
ReplyDeleteMy son was attended to bang on time. My wait was while his procedure, as they call it, was in progress. Between the pre op, the op, and the recovery, was several hours. I hope Sue is okay now? Son is fine.
DeleteCarol has a wrist strap which I'm training myself to use, exactly because I don't want to walk off without it before I get used to having it. I lost numerous umbrellas that way.
Adopting an assistive device can be emotionally fraught (especially if it belonged to a family member), but once over the hurdle one realizes that in fact it makes things easier. What a good idea to practice with it while your bursitis is acting up. It got you out on a walk and exercised your brain!
ReplyDeleteChris from Boise
Yes, it's more than just a handy thing. I remember Handsome Partner so reluctant to get a cane that his doctor had to tell him "You can't keep using liz as a human walker!"
DeleteYou have a fun outlook about the cane. That's great to read.
ReplyDeleteI do believe in getting fun where I can!
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