Write On Rochester Conference 2010

PERMISSION TO FORWARD:

You are invited to join us for an intensive day of interactive workshops with award winning, best selling writer, Jessica Andersen.
                       Write On Rochester!

sponsored by Lilac City-Rochester Writers
location:  the Inn at the Radisson, Rochester, New York*
Fee:  $80.00** [non-LCRW members] includes Friday's book signing and speaker chat; Saturday lunch, hors d'oeurves rec eption, and book signing.

* a group of rooms has been reserved for attendees. To register, call 1-800-395-7046 OR 1-585-475-1910. mention Lilac City Rochester Writers to obtain the discount.

**Discount for students with appropriate ID

Date: September 17 & 18, 2010
Featured Speaker:  best-selling author, Jessica Andersen.

Workshops: A Writer's Journey; World Building; Pump Up Your Writing***
***Bring one scene, no more than 250 words, for Jess' input and expertise.

An acquiring editor from the Wild Rose Press will be available to take pitches.

FMI: www.lcrw.org or registration chair KatHenryDoran@Frontiernet.net

Patti Olesik, a.k.a. Patti Mann

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Posted via email from Patti's posterous

Recovery III

What's new with me?  Steve is doing much better now that they've taken out the k-wires near his knees.  Enough to let me leave and come home for a few days.  My brave boy is an inspiration to me and everyone around him.

The legs are still not as straight as the doctor wants them to be, so we're still cranking those struts until next Tuesday.  This is done to two struts per leg in the morning, another two in the afternoon and the last two before bed.

Got great news tonight.  He went twelve hours without getting another pain pill.  For someone who was constantly checking with me for when his next dose was due, this is a tremendous feat.  Today was not as good for my husband.  His phone sent Steve's call to voice mail while he was checking his voice messages.  Steve was so worried, he called the desk at the house for someone to go look for his dad in the dining room. LOL!! 

I have to understand my boy is feeling more vulnerable than we've ever experienced with him.  This is hard to grasp and we sometimes tend to take it lightly.  However, it's a serious issue with Steve and we have to be very careful to keep the lines of communication open when we're not in the near vicinity.

Patti Olesik, a.k.a. Patti Mann

website, blog,twitter, facebook

Posted via email from Patti's posterous

Recovery Part II

My son, Steve, is slowly recovering from his bilateral tibia/fibular osteotomy with application of Taylor Spatial Frames.  This is his opinion.  The opinion of the medical professionals - his orthopedist and physical therapists - is that he's moving along rapidly and with great improvement.  His recovery speed is up to him.

I, myself, see improvement in his walk, his ability to maneuver between the chair and bed, as well as his mental state.  He's holding up pretty well, but is upset when he encounters what he considers set-backs.  These would be the temporary inflammation of the pin sites, or stiffness of his knees.  This is to be expected with this type of surgery.  However, Steve wants to be well and on crutches NOW.  He's beginning to see how 'human' he really is.

The hardest part of all this is learning to hold my tongue.  Steve's feeling things he's never felt before, and not just physically.  He's feeling vulnerable.  With vulnerability comes harsh words, snapping and general crabbiness.  In such close quarters, it's hard to not react or respond back with equal venom.

We stop turning the struts on the frames Saturday night.  That would be twenty days of turning 6 struts.  Hopefully as the bones knit together, he'll be in less pain and find his mental equilibrium again.

More again next week.

Patti Olesik, a.k.a. Patti Mann

website, blog,twitter, facebook

Posted via email from Patti's posterous

Recovery

Recovery comes in many forms.  It's the healing of the mind, body and spirit.  My son, Steve, is recovering from surgery on his legs.  This will be a long process, as we adjust the struts holding the bones to either lengthen them in one direction and shorten them in another.  All this to make his legs straight so he can walk, run and play without pain.  The recovery isn't and won't be without its share of pain.

We have intermittent times of pleasure when he's feeling fit and without much pain.  Our time together is enjoyable.  Then there are the days where the pain sets in, and it's hard to walk or even move.  These are the days when prayer is all that gets me through them.  When he's in pain, he lashes out and I'm usually the closest target.  What I need to remember is he's in pain and really doesn't mean it.  I need to let it go and stay calm and not react.

Not reacting is the hardest thing.  Every action has a reaction.  We've been taught that all our lives.  Yet, reacting is not necessarily the best thing to do in some cases.  Sometimes we need to think and decipher if a reaction is appropriate.  What a hard lesson.

So far, Steve's progress is good.  He's impressing the physical therapy staff with his achievements.  However, some of these achievements come with a price of soreness and stiffness the next day or two.  Today we start our second week of therapy with the pool session.  He really likes that because he can usually walk without assistance.

Patti Olesik, a.k.a. Patti Mann

website, blog,twitter, facebook

Posted via email from Patti's posterous

Post-Surgery Blues

It's been a little over a week since my son's surgery.  He's doing wonderfully, making great strides in his recovery.  There are some drawbacks, however.  The pain medication made him sleep all the time, so he decided to back off on the dosage.  This was great at helping him stay awake, but sitting for long periods of time were never his strong suit.

He's impatient to get up and moving, but the long periods in bed, in the wheelchair or in the arm chair tend to make his knees stiff, his legs sore and swollen.  Naturally, this frustrates him and he lashes out.  The target usually is me, his mother.  I try my best to help him move, but if he snaps at me, I may move too quickly or with jerky motions.  This causes pain and he talks as if I'm intentionally hurting him on purpose.

I know intellectually he's just venting, but with the stress and strain of longs days keeping him company and pushing his wheelchair up and down the steep walkway between the Ronald McDonald House and the hospital, my nerves are strained as well.  All I can do is pray to God and his best friend to help him through his frustration and to keep us both sane.  It hurts when he tells me he's scared for what'll happen when his dad goes back home for a few days.  He's afraid I'll just keep hurting him and put all his hard work in physical therapy back weeks, not days.

So I want to thank all my friends for all their support and ask that you bear with me through this.  I'll be making more phone calls than I have lately, you can be sure of it.  It's so heartbreaking I'm almost tempted to talk with the RMH social worker about finding someone for me to talk things over with.  My husband isn't much help in that department.

Patti Olesik, a.k.a. Patti Mann

website, blog,twitter, facebook

Posted via email from Patti's posterous