Hey everyone! Let me just start by saying that I didn’t intend for two months to go by without posting an update. There’s been a lot going on lately and it’s hard to believe that it’s already May. I might break some of it up into separate posts just so this isn’t so long.

First, I finished physical therapy for my hip in early-mid March. It’s still not all the way better, but I reached a point where I wasn’t benefiting much from going. I was able to do a lot of the stuff at home. My PT told me that as long as it wasn’t getting worse, he wasn’t worried about it. In the two months since I’ve been there, it’s stayed about the same. I don’t know what to do about it. The main problem is that it gets very stiff, which makes it painful, but no matter how much I stretch it, I can’t seem to get much relief. It’s letting me run, though, so I’ve just been trying to deal with it the best I can. With the COVID-19 pandemic, everything has been upside down and doctor’s appointments are hard to come by right now for something that isn’t serious. Now that things are setting down a little, I might make an appointment with the orthopedic doctor who was treating it and see what I might be able to do about it. I had hoped the heel lift my PT gave me would have helped more than it is, but so far, not much luck. I’m just trying to focus on being diligent with my stretching several times a day and hope that eventually things loosen up.

Next, my tennis elbow is being extra stubborn. It hurts every day, I can’t straighten my arm all the way sometimes, it’s starting to affect my shoulder, and even simple things like brushing my hair are painful. Worst of all is how it feels if I spend a lot of time on my bike. That’s the final straw; I can’t let it get bad enough to get in the way of my biking. My doctor and I discussed options for helping it, and I was told that I could try an injection if I wanted to or I could try physical therapy. I know that doing steroid injections isn’t always the best answer right away, and it’s not as though the pain is severe, so physical therapy made the most sense, and that’s the way my doctor said he would go if it was him. It figures that I finally finish PT and have to go back. This is starting to become a trend. I don’t have anything set up yet because my appointment was a phone appointment yesterday and my doctor said his office staff would have to mail the forms to my house (not sure why they couldn’t be faxed to the clinic I always go to). I do know from when I was there last and discussing the possibility of having to come in for my elbow that I’ll be working with a different therapist. I think she’s an occupational therapist, so she does more upper extremity things. I follow up with my doctor in three months, and if at that point things are still unchanged, I have to see a specialist. I’m really hoping that physical therapy will help; it’s been four months and I’m ready to be done with it.

Now for some good news: at least my carpal tunnel is feeling a lot better. I’ve been wearing splints on both wrists at night and I feel so much better. I still have problems with numbness and tingling sometimes, but I would say things are 90% better than before. I didn’t realize how little I was sleeping because of the pain, but the splints have been a lifesaver.

Finally, things at work are better. They weren’t immediately; we did finally get a new manager, but one who was morally corrupt. I asked for a transfer after only two weeks of working with her (it was that bad) and everything has been so much smoother since then.

I know this post has been largely focused on my health issues this time, but there’s just too much to cover all at once. This post would have been way too long for anyone to want to read. I do have some other things that I want to share, but they’ll be waiting for another day. I don’t plan to wait so long to write next time.