Working on ROM, and Take Heed

I don't like that I'm still talking about my rehab, but it's top-of-mind for me these days and will continue to be for a while, it seems. I went in for manipulation under anesthesia (MUA) three weeks ago today because I wasn't progressing as I should have for being able to bend my knee due to excessive swelling that resulted in restrictive scar tissue that developed when my leg was immobilized. An MUA is a procedure where they sedate the person and bend their knee beyond the obstructive scar tissue developed after the surgery—scar tissue that prevents a person from getting a fuller bend in their knee. 

It's a quick procedure that takes mere seconds to perform but is not something you want to have done to you while you're awake. The procedure went well. My doctor was able to force my knee to bend to a 130° range of motion (ROM) while I was under. He cautioned me not to expect to continue to achieve that ROM. He said my goal should be 110°-115°. I would prefer 120°, but I'll be happy with whatever allows me to get back on my bikes and comfortably walk the links. 

Since the procedure, I've watched as my ROM has declined from 101° the day after the MUA to 95° later in the week and to 85° the following week. Swelling continues to be a problem for me. I met with my doctor on Monday. He prescribed a 5-day burst of MethylPrednisone to help reduce swelling. It helped. At PT on Wednesday, I achieved a 100° bend, and on Friday, I got to 107° ROM! My therapist and I high-fived each other. I left PT feeling good about my recent progress.

Trump has been in office for two weeks, and he's wasted no time creating chaos as his administration works to "flood the zone" with head-turning executive orders meant to overwhelm the media and tear at the fabric of our country. So far, every time I've heard him speak (something I try to avoid), it's nothing but one lie after another. Nearly all of his executive orders are being taken from the Project 2025 playbook—a conservative power grab to dismantle our democracy, consolidate power, and install him as a dictator to (in a nod to his Christian/White Nationalist base) impose their warped view of Christianity on the country, but at its core, it's about amassing money—It's about corruption. They've gone so far as to remove the United States Constitution from the White House website. It's not an overstatement to say we're in a perilous time. 

It's become so backward that Christian conservatives are debasing themselves as they work to defend a Nazi salute by Elon Musk, a person with close ties to Trump and with an office in the White House complex, while at the same time ridiculing and condemning a woman for preaching a sermon about compassion and kindness. Make it make sense. 

Numerous pages from the White House website have been removed, including those referring to diversity, equity, and inclusion—all targeted for removal. References to transgender people have also been removed as if these people no longer exist. All references to climate change are gone. CDC websites and associated databases have been taken down. We've withdrawn from the Paris Climate Accord and ceased affiliation with WHO (the World Health Organization).

The 1500 January 6th, 2021, rioters/insurrectionists at the nation's Capitol who were convicted of their crimes have all been pardoned by Trump, sending a clear message that if someone acts out violently on Trump's behalf, he will protect them from federal charges. His supporters cheered this action. 

At the expense of our national security, dozens of civil servants from the FBI and DOJ are being purged from their oversight positions as Trump clears the way for those loyal to him, and him only, to take their place. If this is what he's willing to do so blatantly out in the open, imagine what they're doing in secret.

For those who identify as Christian and support Trump and his lawlessness, the rule of law is at the bedrock of our democracy. Without it, we're doomed. Take heed: the word “awful” used to mean full of awe or reverential, but it changed over time and is now used to describe something horrible, unpleasant, or ugly. The word “Christian” is going through its own transformation. People will soon stop associating the word “Christian” with someone who is Christlike. Instead, it will become a word used to describe someone who acts quite the opposite of the word’s original meaning.

Heather Cox Richardson's most recent update.

That's all I've got.