Better Days

The past week has not been my best. The swarm encounter continues to wreak havoc on my body by making me feel toxic, ugly, and itchy nearly all the time. To add insult to injury, the weather has been atrocious with seemingly nonstop rain, humidity, and dark skies.

Between the hives on the bend of my knee, courtesy of a particularly sadistic yellow jacket, and the weather, my leg has been hurting. Every morning I wake up and struggle to fit into my socket because of the swelling. Throughout the day I constantly have to stop my activity so that I can release the pressure within my prosthesis because the tissue feels squished and cramped. I hate having to make adjustments to my schedule because of my amputation!

Phantom pain, which is rarely an issue, has been keeping me up at night. My big toe feels like it is being twisted in a vice while the toenail is being pulled off. It is not a comfortable sensation!

My leg has been kicking uncontrollably as I lie down to go to sleep. The nerves are so angry from being compressed in a tight socket that the stinging sensation is relentless. If I close my eyes I have flashbacks of being swarmed.

For the first time in a long while, I have actually felt disabled. I haven't been able to be the kind of Mom that I want to be because of the discomfort. I can accept not having a foot and using a prosthesis to walk, but I'll never get used to limiting my activities because of it!

Robby has been a trooper. He's been content shooting suction cup arrows at the sliding glass door and watching Super Mario videos on YouTube. He is now at an age where he understands when I explain that I am having trouble walking. He has been bringing me cups of ice water, Hershey Kisses, and lots of extra kisses to make the "ouchies" go away.

This weekend the weather is supposed to clear and (hopefully) the sun will shine again. As soon as the humidity dries up, I know that my limb will return to its normal size. Right now, I'm hoping that the song is right and that the sun really will come up tomorrow- I'm ready for this week to be over!