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Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Ouchy stuff and this week's lunch round-up (or how in the world do I cook while keeping my leg elevated?)

Monday, I was doing my good-for-me thing, out for a run, when my left foot slips and down I go. It's slick in places still (and may very well be for the next few months -- ack!) I landed on my hands and both knees. I just missed hitting my head and I felt grateful for that. I was also grateful that I fell forward, to take the brunt of the fall on four limbs and not backwards, which would have likely meant a cracked tailbone. I fell that hard.

Anyway, sitting there stunned for a minute, I checked out my knees. Nothing appeared to be loose in any abnormal way. It looked like I might just be bruised. So I picked myself up and finished off my run. It was a long-run day, so I put a lot of miles on my injuries. And really, my knees weren't hurting me in any appreciable way, so I thought, "wow, I lucked out there!"

An hour after getting home, I could not bend my left knee. I took a look and it was badly swollen. Frozen peas for half an hour, and lots of advil. But I still needed to get myself into the kitchen to make something, anything, for the next day's lunches, make dinner and get ready to take my daughter to a piano concert in the evening.

So the afternoon was challenging. I could only make one item for lunches. The family will have to fend for themselves for a couple of days. But this is what I made -- a large casserole dish of Pizza-mac.

Pizza-mac is cooked macaroni, tossed with some protein (I used cooked pinto beans and a diced pepperoni-like beef hot link), some veggies (I used a can of green beans, chopped parsley and some sliced olives), and all held together with pizza sauce, and topped with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the oven at 350 F until the cheese is melted and everything is heated through, about 30 minutes.

Pizza-mac is NOT gourmet, but good ole comfort food, and will fill stomachs for lunches this week (and breakfasts, I had some yesterday as my breakfast).

The rest of the lunch round-up will be:
  • oranges
  • pbjs
  • last of the yogurt
  • anything else anyone can find in the kitchen
As for Monday's dinner, I had a homemade pizza in the freezer, to go with the thawed frozen peas, and brownies from the weekend. Good enough!

The concert was really fabulous, but I couldn't keep my leg up, or even out of the way of the folks at the end of the row who kept needing to get up and pass me throughout the evening. Grrrr -- why on earth would anyone allow their phones to be on during a lovely piano concert?! (I glared at them appropriately every time they passed in front of me.)

It's not how I planned for my week to go, but I am able to take care of my knee, and other things, like budgeting and bill paying, nonetheless. Switching gears.


The good news on my knee -- it looks and feels a lot better this morning. I've got it wrapped in an Ace bandage for this week. I won't go for my Wednesday run, but will try for a walk at the end of the week.

Hope your week is going well!

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18 comments:

  1. Oh Lili, how awful for you. And as one who fell badly four times last winter, I certainly feel your pain. Please make sure that you over-rest your knee or it will keep coming back at you. And good luck on getting a lot of paperwork and other tasks done during your cuperation time.
    Jayne

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jayne,
      Thanks. I checked my knee this morning, and it would be a mistake, I think, to try doing anything strenuous with it. So, I'll take your advice and just let it heal. I was able to do hand weights yesterday, which is helpful for my arms and back. I felt like such an old lady!!

      Delete
  2. Ouch indeed! I'm glad your knee is getting better and hope it is fully recovered soon.

    I've had to sideline my outdoor daily walks for now. Sunday night we received ice followed by about 4 inches of snow. This is very early for Ohio. The abnormally cold temperatures (10 degrees F this morning) are keeping the ice/snow in place.

    So, since I live in a rural area there aren't any clear places for me to go walk. The snow plow pushes the snow to the shoulders of the road, so that's not an option. I'm stuck with walking very brisk laps around the inside of my house for 30 minutes each day. My free solution to not having a treadmill. Luckily, I get up at 5:00 AM and do this before anyone else is awake. That keeps my sons from laughing at me. :) Hey...it keeps me fit and keeps the extra pounds away. I'm used to doing this during the winter, but we usually don't get weather like this until the end of December. If this is any indication, we are probably in for another bitterly cold/snowy winter like last year.

    If I recall Kris is in a state close to mine...I'm wondering if she's getting an early winter this week as well...

    Lili, I hope the rest of your week is uneventful. Take care.

    Angie

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    Replies
    1. Ha! I'm in Michigan ... not just any part of Michigan ... no, I'm near Lake Michigan where "lake effect snow" is a verb. Apparently, a very active verb these days! Last Thursday started our barrage of snow. We woke up to about 6 inches and it's been steadily accumulating since then. While it's not unusual to have a few inches on the ground at this time of year, it is unusual to have this amount of snow so early. We have a good foot of snow on the ground and it's coming down steadily as I write this. Our temps are chilly but not quite as bone-chilling as yours.

      Lili, so sorry about your fall! If your tummy can tolerate it, may I suggest ibuprofen instead of Advil (i.e. try Motrin)? It's an anti-inflammatory and will knock out the swelling in your knee a lot faster. But you're doing the right thing with keeping it cold and elevated.

      I like not-gourmet food. Pizza mac is a good old standby. I should slip it into our repertoire--although I think tonight is a chili and cornbread night--somehow I even FEEL warmer thinking about that meal. :)

      Delete
    2. Hi Angie,
      someone else who does "laps" indoors! When it's rainy I actually jog laps in the house, too. There's a loop between the family room, the kitchen and a hall. I push some furniture out of the way, put on music and jog away. I also use the stairs to do my "hills". I'd love to have a treadmill. But then there's the problem with where to put it.

      Chili and cornbread sound very warming! Enjoy!

      Delete
    3. Hi Kris,
      okay, so Angie, I now realize it's Kris having cornbread/chili for dinner -- I read two comments as one! Back to regular programming . . .

      Kris, that sounds like a lot of snow for early/mid November! I am soooooo glad to not have the snow, yet! I'm sure you have winter tires on your cars. Not so here. I know very few people in Seattle with tires that do well in snow. And I'm just not ready for winter, yet! Do your kids get very many snow days off from school? All that snow sounds like it would be a good day for cocoa!

      On the news last night, they were talking about the lake effect snow in Buffalo, NY. Way more than I'd like to live with! But I do admit, it's beautiful. Enjoy the snow.

      Delete
    4. We don't have nearly the amount of snow that they have in Buffalo--thank goodness!!!!!!!! I do enjoy the snow if I don't have to drive in it--speaking of which, I have brand-new all-weather tires on my car and it makes a huge difference in how well the car handles. We also have a 4 wheel drive truck--it's foolish not to have a 4WD out here.

      Snow days really vary for us. Last winter was the most--8 days. We've had several years with no snow days, so it just depends on when/where you get your snowfall. If it arrives on weekends or during Christmas holidays, no snow days for us! :)

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    5. Well, Kris you are definitely not a stranger to the cold and snow! Chili and cornbread sound like the perfect supper tonight. :)

      Angie

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    6. Lili,

      It's great that you have stairs for 'hills'. No stairs in my house, so it's all a flat walk for me.

      I'd like to have room for a treadmill as well. Later in life, when both of my sons have moved out, we will turn one of their bedrooms into a guest bedroom and have talked of turning the other into a workout room. My husband would like to have a weight bench and weights. Who knows if we will actually spend the money for those things though? We have survived all of these years without those things.

      Angie

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    7. Angie, I often see workout equipment on the curb with a "free" sign, at the end of garage sale weekends.Craigslist would also be a good place to look -- when you and your husband are ready to turn a bedroom into a workout room. That's my plan, at least. ;-)

      Delete
  3. That is why I don't run. With my natural grace and agility I would be flat on my face daily. So sorry for the bunged knee. It's just no fun. I vote for your family to take care of you while you recoup ( all the while understanding that may not be entirely possible)

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    Replies
    1. Hi Anne.
      Thank you. And they've been pretty good about managing things on their own this week.

      Delete
  4. Hi Lili,
    So sorry to hear of your fall, but glad it wasn't worse. I had to give up any running over 10 years ago - walking works great for me. We were blessed to receive a treadmill in a barter arrangement several years ago, but I have done the laps in the house and on the steps routine too! Just think of the electricity you are saving ; )
    Jo Ann

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    Replies
    1. Hi Jo Ann,
      I'm very fortunate that it wasn't worse! Walking will definitely be the way to go at some point. How great to get a treadmill by barter! Great job!
      I'm saving electricity -- I hadn't thought of that! Thanks!

      Delete
  5. Ouch! Just reading that gave me a pain shiver! Hopefully you've just bruised or strained something with the fall and not actually torn anything. I blew out my knee 6 years ago and I fear it will never be the same. Sigh. But it doesn't sound like you've done permanent damage. When I hurt my knee it was REALLY obvious at the time it happened - like I could feel whatever tore tearing... while kneeling down to clean up cat barf in the middle of the night... geez... why can't I injure myself doing something less comical than that!

    Anyhow, I'm sensing a definite pizza theme in the menu, and it sounds like you deserve some comfort food! I'm drooling over the idea of brownies! CatMan and I are hoping that enough of the snow & ice will melt this week so we can get out for a ride, but I may just have to content myself with yoga and my collection of thrift store exercise equipment (thrift store: where all good intentions go to die!)

    Hope you're feeling better soon!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Cat,
      You're right, I think it will be fine. I didn't feel pain other than on the surface, that's why I continued to run. It wasn't swollen until after the run.
      What a way to ruin your knee!! But I bet that's more common that you'd suspect (maybe not the cat barf, but bending down).

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  6. Lili, I'm not sure if I should call you crazy or well disciplined for continuing the run after your hard fall. But anyway, I'm glad that your knee is starting to heal. My family would eat pizza every day if given the choice and I'm sure that your family is enjoying it too.

    I remember a while back you were working on getting a walking/running habit established. Sometime, you could tell us how you were able to do that. Regular exercise is a difficult thing for many people.

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    Replies
    1. Hi live and learn,
      I don't know either -- but in hind-sight, somewhat careless.

      We've been using up the pre-made items from the freezer this week. I guess it was a very good thing that I made extras of several dinners last week. And everyone seems very happy with meals for the week.

      Delete

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