The Good, The Bad & The Ugly~

 Butch having a week of home time was grand!  The first afternoon, he loaded Finn's little cart & we drove to Silver City to ride the trail.  The following day, July first, Butch left to pick up his trailer & make a delivery to Omaha.  When he returned home, we went to lunch & shopping for taller stems for our bike handlebars.  The day had gone from cool & cloudy to sunshine by afternoon.

July first, Cabin & flowers~

After Butch had ridden the trail, he decided that his handlebars were too low.  Neither of our bikes had an adjustment to raise them to a higher position.  When he mentioned it, I realized I had been more hunched over the bars than I liked.  I too, would end up with sore shoulders by the end of a ride.

Old angle, lower ~

After doing some research, we ended up at Bike & Trike Outlet of Omaha.  They were the only bike shop we called with stem extenders in stock.  We took the last two.  Since the shop was so close to Nebraska Furniture, we walked through electronics & furniture before heading home.

July 5th, Trail to the Missouri from Lake Manawa~

From the 2nd to the morning of the 3rd, rain moved in.  We received a whopping 4.40"!  (More on that later.)  Butch installed the new stems on both bikes.  We ended up taking his bike back to the outlet to have a longer hydraulic brake line installed.  With the handlebars higher, the original line was too short.  Butch managed to make it work for a test ride at Lake Manawa.  It was a gorgeous afternoon.  We'd planned to ride down to see the Missouri, but the access road had flooded.  There was too much mud & we didn't want to try riding through it.  On the way home Doozies ice cream was too good to pass up!

Saturday, our good times came to a flying halt.  We were getting ready to leave for town to pick up items for more projects.  I got in the Explorer, realized I'd forgotten my list & went to jump out.  Big mistake.  My right foot caught on the strap of my purse & I fell.  My right kneecap hit the concrete as hard as it possibly could have.

After a sleepless night for us both, Butch found Ortho Nebraska had an ER that was open in Omaha.  We made the drive.  The Dr. was surprised that the x-ray didn't show anything broken.  They sent me home with pain medication, ice packs & a new knee wrap.  I was to follow up the first of the week at the Council Bluffs clinic.

Finn not happy with my walker in his space!

Butch had been scheduled to leave on Monday, but instead stayed home.  He took me to the appointment I made for the first opening on Tuesday.  After the exam, the PA didn't see any serious damage. I was instructed to use the R.I.C.E method & return in a week.  When I asked how long my recovery period would be - he said I would probably be able to drive to the appointment.  

My little nurse~

I was surprised, since the pain was still very bad.  I told Butch to go ahead & leave which he did on Wed. morning.  After he was gone, I realized how long it took to do the simplest of chores, like feeding Finn his dinner!

7-10-2024 - Keeping my knee warm~

Finn has been very concerned & taken responsibility for my care seriously.  He follows my every move with the walker.  My friend Joyce has been kind enough to come by & water my outside flowers.  With temperatures hovering in the upper 90's & humidity in the 70's, it's a task...   

The pain has not resolved & I've had very little improvement in mobility.  I was unable to find a ride to the appointment I'd scheduled for this Tue.  I know if I still can't walk, I sure can't drive.  I made a call to the ER last evening & was told to call the Council Bluff's office & schedule an MRI this coming week.  My friend Kathy is coming to the rescue & offered to get me to where I need to be.  I can't have an MRI, because of the implants already in my legs.  I'll wait to see what their next suggestion is... 

I'm so mad at myself...  I'd managed to go almost four years without a major injury & had hoped to continue the streak!