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Ongoing Therapy

30 Nov

My physiotherapy is coming along fine despite it being just once a week. The therapist said there’s improvement but I must continue with the home exercises and she even added a new routine for me to do to strengthen the area which is still weak.

I have been mindful not to exert too much and strain the wrist and thumb when I carve. With two more sessions to go before the year ends, I think I should be fine by then. Otherwise I may have to extend another round of treatment. We shall see.

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Plastered with orange KT Tape

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The Beautiful Shield

23 Nov

I have been monitoring the stag horn in front of the house, taking its picture every two or four days apart. And it has flourished to become a beautiful shield. Hubby concludes that the spot is perfect for growth despite the wonky weather.

Two weeks ago, it was very wet with a lot of rain just about every day and strong wind on occasions. Then the weather changed, now it’s hot and not as wet.

Nevertheless, the spot is good. So he decided to place another fern behind the existing one. Let’s hope the relocated fern will also bloom well in this unpredictable weather condition.

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Treating the Wrist Tendonitis

15 Nov

I finally got around to seeing a physiotherapist this week after consulting the sports doctor last week to treat the Wrist Tendonitis. It looked like the ‘damage’ is not that extensive although the left hand looked slightly atrophic. Gosh.

The tendon along the thumb to the wrist hurt only when probed. The rest and minimal usage has been effective although I must admit I have been carving but being very careful not to aggravate the situation.

Immediate measures to take besides rest are four sessions of ultrasound therapy within a month and regular strengthening exercises which I must do twice daily. And I should continue using the Acupuncture Meridian Pen for added self-treatment.

With these steps and proper care, healing and recovery will be faster. The good news is I don’t have to sit out the year from golf. Then again, with the weather being so wet until year end, I don’t think I am missing out.

For now, I should apply KT Tape to the affected area for support and at the same time protect the tendon from further injury. Otherwise I wear a wrist thumb brace which works just as well.

I am thankful this turned out much better than I had anticipated. Phew.

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Thriving Garden, Part 2

8 Nov

Lately, I have been noticing the staghorn fern in front of the house, something I don’t normally do. And it’s rather exciting to see a new green leaf growing and wrapping itself onto the shield frond. How refreshing it looks! This is despite the wonky wet and hot weather that we are experiencing.

But I now wonder how long will it take before it turns brown. Hmm… I guess I have to watch the fern more closely the next few days.

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The photos were taken four days apart.

 

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Need to Getaway

6 Nov

Maybe I need to get away from the usual routine and life. Stay away from golf and carving, and take out that bikini to wear to even out all the uneven golf tan lines.

I saw a sports doctor yesterday to evaluate the wrist. Thankfully it’s not what I thought initially – Avulsion Fracture and no necessity for an X-ray or MRI. Rather it’s a case of De Quervain’s stenosing tenosynovitis, inflammation of the tissue on the thumb side of the wrist. Commonly known as Wrist Tendinitis, it is due to overuse.

On top of over usage, it seems that Tendinitis is part and parcel with age, being the dinosaur that I am. Gee, as if I don’t have enough problems already what with the Infectious Collitis and Endometriosis diagnosed earlier in the year. I’m such a problematic dinosaur this year.

But with the weather so wonky these days and M2’s big exam looming closer each day, will we have time for a much needed escapade? Frankly, I don’t think it will be enjoyable with constant wet weather nor will there be ease of mind knowing what’s ahead for her.

It’s a good thing that today’s a public holiday and I am home taking a mini break as recommended by the doctor.

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A Colorful Bloom

2 Nov

I may not be a garden or plant person like hubby but I do appreciate a full bloom when I see one. Yesterday when he showed me this colorful air plant, I must say the heart did a funny flip albeit tiny. Still… a flip’s a flip.

Other times when hubby showed me little baby shoots coming out at the sides of a mummy air plant, honestly I don’t know what I am looking at. Likewise when I stand in front of his bromeliad collection, I can’t relate. I don’t know what I am looking at to appreciate. I’m pathetic…

But colors on a bloom, they are different and I can appreciate. So perhaps I am not that pathetic after all?

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Mounted on a piece of wood and hanging with a wire, this beauty is looking darn pretty!

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Thriving Garden

29 Oct

Although I am not a garden person, I am happy to say that our garden and plants are thriving despite the wonky weather that we are experiencing. Wonky in the sense that it’s either super hot or super wet.

The frangipani tree is all good, so are hubby’s collection of air plants and bromeliads. Even the staghorn ferns that he acquired are healthy.

The smaller ones, remounted on wood planks, are doing really well and now hangs in one corner of the garden. They were purchased from our trip back to his hometown for Chinese New Year early this year.

As for the two big ones, they are mounted on the trees in front of the house and are also thriving beautifully despite their exposed fern leaves or fronds looking brown. These fronds are known as the shield frond because they protect the roots from damage and store water and nutrients. And the brown look is due to humidity issues and not because the fern is dying, so they should never be removed.

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The three amigos

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Giant staghorn #1

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Giant staghorn #2

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Our Frangipani Tree, Part 3

25 Oct

It is slightly more than a month since its pruning and our frangipani tree has stabilised. New leaves are growing and so far they look healthy. No rust fungus splotches in other words.

I hope the netting covering the top, which has been providing an excellent shade for all the plants hanging on the branches beneath, won’t hinder the sprouting leaves. Maybe in time, the netting has to be removed; we will monitor the situation.

Thank goodness we didn’t have the tree chopped down as it’s been given a new lease in life.

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Busted Nail, Part 2

23 Oct

These few days I am more aware of my busted nail now that the bruised part has almost reached the tip. It is interesting to note that the white and brown coloring of the injury has ‘evolved’. From the time I took the two pictures two weeks ago and comparing to the most recent shots, it’s looking very different.

And no, I did not scratch the underside of the nail. On closer inspection, the brown on the underside looked like dried blood, stuck there for three months. Ugh.

Maybe by the end of this week, the nail can be trimmed and gone is the reminder of my unfortunate bathroom incident.

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up close on the ever evolving bruised nail

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Not Getting Better

19 Oct

I am afraid the left wrist is not getting any better. The last two golf games I played was most painful especially from impact. And I haven’t even been doing any serious carving, just them tiny Gnomes. I don’t think I will ever recover fully.

The vein is constantly swollen and every night I use the battery-operated Acupuncture Meridian Pen to administer relief which it does albeit temporary. But perhaps the usage is insufficient and I need to use it more than once a day.

I play another game this Saturday; let’s see how I fare…

 

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Tiny bumps along the vein

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