No More F*cking Around Here.

So, the good news – Nicole had minimal impact in my area, except for right along the coast. The storm surge was BAD. Houses fell into the ocean, more are teetering on the brink, and there are beachside condos that are no longer safe, because the storm surge undermined the buildings.

I had basically no impact from the storm, except for a personal impact. I was not called in for storm duty (because it wasn’t that big a deal here) so I was working in my home office as usual on Thursday. Nicole was busy outside, but after being awakened at 4 am to the sound of transformers blowing and instant darkness, the power switched over and came back in about two minutes. So, I’d been up since 4 (I couldn’t go back to sleep, the storm was LOUD). I was at my desk in my home office well before 8, and was in the process of uploading research when the power blinked…and flickered…and blinked out…and I of course swore like a sailor, then it came back on, and blinked a few more times and then stabilized. Of course I’d lost my wifi connection so I waited for that to reset, then restarted my company laptop. It was fine, but the dock that connects to my two monitors (I can’t do my job off a laptop without those two monitors) had lost the connection.

So I fooled around with settings for a bit, then decided I had to do the tried and true, unplug it all and plug it in again before sitting on hold for tech support. So I did. It required a bit of physical contortions to do all the unplugging and plugging in again, but I got it done. It worked. I was up and running again, yay!

I sat down and worked – I did get up occasionally, I was not actually glued to my chair for the next 8 hours, but I noticed when I got up from my chair after 5, my bad knee was stiff and sore. I didn’t think too much about it, it as only a bit sore and I assumed it would calm down overnight.

It did not calm down overnight. It calmed down about as well as I do when told to “Just calm down.” I slept fine, no pain at all, because it only hurts when I put weight on it. My knee was so enraged by morning I could barely stand to get out of bed. I could not straighten my left leg, and putting more than the slightest bit of weight on it was unbearable. I had to support myself with grabbing furniture and walls, but I got to the bathroom, then the kitchen and made coffee and an ice pack, hobbled to the couch, and spent my previously scheduled “day off” with my leg elevated and iced.

Thank God Gidget is tiny, potty pad trained, and the goodest girl ever, because there was no way I could get her down the stairs, and she’s also totally neurotic and won’t let anyone else walk her. (My pet sitter never laid eyes on her when caring for her in June.) She’s very hurt about this no walkies situation and thinks it’s something she did. I’m praising her to the skies for being so good about it.

That was Friday, today is Saturday and it’s 80% better, though I am still elevating it when I’m sitting. Today’s issue is just general stiffness in my leg from hobbling around on it for a day; the insane joint pain is nearly gone. Tomorrow I’m sure it’ll be even better. Gidget might actually get out, but I can’t do that until I’m sure I can navigate the stairs without making it sore again.

This is not a new issue for me; it has happened in the past whenever I’ve gotten too out of shape. It started in my 30s. I know for a fact it responds 100% to regular exercise and a plant based diet. It might be arthritis, but I suspect bursitis, because it’s back of knee pain and it only happens with specific situations/motions and if I’ve been neglecting exercise and diet.

The last time I annoyed it, it didn’t get this bad, but it was after a ride on Expedition Everest a few years ago. Again, a mild twinge when I exited the ride, but an hour later I was hobbling around and it hurt for a day, then it was fine. I was in much better shape then, and it never got as bad as this round.

I’m sure it happened this time because I had to get my ass out of my chair and do some knee bends and twists and other normal movements humans who are in decent shape can do without incident, when I had to unplug and reconnect my computer stuff. It didn’t hurt at all at the time, because that’s how this is: It’s not an OW! I just hurt something! It gets annoyed later. Then I sat down in my cheap desk chair and clearly didn’t get up enough, and voila!

When I swore I was going to get out and walk every day in November, the Universe sent more heat, rain, and a tropical storm, and I had excuses to remain sedentary. This knee drama is what happens when I don’t walk regularly, and haven’t in weeks. I talk about doing yoga, but actually getting on the mat? Not so much. I sit. A lot. All the damn time. And now I’m paying the piper.

So, yeah, when my knee recovers from the current drama, probably by tomorrow, definitely by Monday (if not I’ll see a doctor, but it’s on its usual trajectory for recovery) I swear to GAWD I will walk daily, I will do yoga and stretch, and I will clean up my diet and cut the crap. This was a reminder that I’m NOT young anymore, but this state of decrepitude is due to deferred maintenance. . There is no leeway for deferred maintenance now. NONE. Maintenance must be Job One. I have had a wake up call, and I’m on it.