A Baker’s cyst
Did you ever have one? I did not, and I did not understand where the agonizing pain in my left knee came from last Wednesday. Crossing the street at the end of my evening walk with the dog, I could just limp until I got a hold of the mailbox – my leg buckled and I almost fell. It got worse on Thursday, and on Friday morning Dennis took me to the ER. I was helped right away. They determined through an X-ray and an ultrasound that there were no broken bones, nor blood clots; it was just a Baker’s cyst. Never heard of the thing. Until now! The condition is named after the 19th century surgeon who first described it, Dr. William Morrant Baker. If all goes well, it should disappear by itself in a few weeks with rest, legs up, a knee brace and ice cubes. Tomorrow morning I have a followup visit with an orthopedic surgeon in Cary. I have a list of questions…
For a few days, neighbors offered to walk Lani, and that was terrific. I thought for sure that I could walk her again by this weekend. No way! In two days, she got constipated because of lack of good walking. Today, I gave her iced pumpkin treats and baked sweet potato, which she loved. Then tonight, the neighbor who walked her came back with good news: Lani was “empty”, she had done three productions. Relief!
A Dog Walker
Never in my life had I thought about needing a dog walker. Me? I would rather be one! But one of our daughters sent me a link to a website: Rover.com. I decided to check it out. Just for the first week or so. Because I was sure I would be able to walk pain free again in a week. The first person I contacted did not respond, but the second one did. And golly, I found a perfect match for us! A young woman who happens to live around the corner, in the next street, two minutes from here. She is available all the times I need her, because she does this professionally. Now that is a great business if you are fit to walk dogs for half an hour at a time! A good income. But of course you need to be strong and fit and able to walk a lot. That’s not me at this time.
I am using Mike’s walker when he does not need it, and a cane at other times. Amazon sent me a very well fitting knee brace and two ice packs. And I have been siting with my legs up for longer than ever before. Yesterday, we watched a video of the Hawai’i Tropical Botanical Garden that we know so well. I recognized the huge Cook Pine, still there, and Turtle Beach, and more. But they did not show the lily lake, the water falls and the orchid garden. Nor the tree that my mother planted in 1991. It must be huge now. I have asked the owner of our former home if he would please go and take a look to see if Mamma’s name is still on the sign, with the name of the tree: Sea Putat. Close to the ocean and Turtle Beach. He will do that for me!
Hale Akai (our former Hale Kea Akai)
By the way, if you plan to go to the Big Island and want to stay 9 miles north of Hilo, you can stay at the studio on our former 5 acre property. It is lovely, sleeps three, has a private patio, and the owners, Randall Durea and his wife Donna are great hosts. Only $125 per night: a real bargain for Hawai’i!
And that’s a wrap!
Until next time, stay well.
Ronny