Friday, May 30, 2008
Minor Victory!
At physical therapy today they told me I can now use just one crutch instead of two!!! It's not huge progress, but I'll take it. If you see me in a crowd, I will still be using two crutches, just to help protect my leg from other people. Yeah for me!!!
Sunset Pointe pool escapades
When you stay in an "active over-55 living community", you tend to meet some interesting characters. First, I learned my mom has more clothing than any human being I have ever met. It didn't matter what I needed, she had it several colors. I also learned that my father spends a lot of time watching RAW and other mixed martial arts shows. Go figure.
Anyway, I digress. I went to the pool several times and met tons of different people. In the "active over-55 " age group, at least one person has had a knee or hip (or both) replaced. As I was doing my pool therapy, I got lots of stares. As they were floating around on their floaties and noodles, I was on the shallowest side of the pool trying to slowly walk upright unassisted (with the help of some pool noodles). Interesting how much easier walking can be with a little help from the water. It was kind of fun to be able to do squats and kicks and not have everything hurt while you're doing it. Afterwards was a whole different story. It was definitely painful, but worth it.
I made a friend Charlene while I was there. Her husband Mike had both his knees replaced. Naturally, he gave me the speech that I was too you to have the surgery, etc. And he gave me the "physical therapy is the key to success" speech. I think my therapist Sarah called him and told him to tell me that.
Anyway, I digress. I went to the pool several times and met tons of different people. In the "active over-55 " age group, at least one person has had a knee or hip (or both) replaced. As I was doing my pool therapy, I got lots of stares. As they were floating around on their floaties and noodles, I was on the shallowest side of the pool trying to slowly walk upright unassisted (with the help of some pool noodles). Interesting how much easier walking can be with a little help from the water. It was kind of fun to be able to do squats and kicks and not have everything hurt while you're doing it. Afterwards was a whole different story. It was definitely painful, but worth it.
I made a friend Charlene while I was there. Her husband Mike had both his knees replaced. Naturally, he gave me the speech that I was too you to have the surgery, etc. And he gave me the "physical therapy is the key to success" speech. I think my therapist Sarah called him and told him to tell me that.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Change of Venue
OK, so I have been remiss in keeping my posts current. I have spent week after week staring at the four walls of my living room (or bedroom, if I wanted a change of pace). Since my Wal-Mart escapades have been curtailed by all of my medical consultants, I have been sitting at home and sleeping and watching TiVo. Once the days started to blend together, I figured it was time to seek a change of venue.
My very kind parents have been asking me for weeks to come visit them. Good news, they live in Florida. Bad news, they live in one of those over-55 active senior communities. Think Disneyland for senior citizens...or La Boca Vista where George Costanza's parents lived on Seinfeld.
My doctors gave me the go-ahead to take the flight. I had to start taking baby aspirin every day (helps avoid blood clots). I also had to get some wheelchair help from the airline. Delta came through like a champ on the wheelchair help. If you get the OK to fly after your surgery, make sure you get a direct flight and try to get an aisle seat in first class. You will thank your lucky starts for the extra space. I did a lot of foot pumps and walked to the bathroom a couple times (again, helps avoid blood clots). And make sure you time your medication properly. A little Valium and some Vicodin made my flight much more enjoyable, thank goodness. Actually, a little Valium and some Vicodin can make just about any day more enjoyable.
I made a deal with my folks that I would come down but I wasn't bringing any luggage. Other than a bathing suit, some underpants and my medicine, that's all I was bringing. Mom said she would either provide everything or I could buy it there. Best thing I could have done. Luggage would have made this trip so much harder.
I got to my folks' place last Tuesday morning and spent most of the day recovering from my flight, except for a short trip to TJ Maxx to buy a couple of things. It's Florida and it was 88 degrees every day. It wasn't hard to buy a couple pair of shorts and some t-shirts.
More info tomorrow on my escapades at the Sunset Pointe pool!
My very kind parents have been asking me for weeks to come visit them. Good news, they live in Florida. Bad news, they live in one of those over-55 active senior communities. Think Disneyland for senior citizens...or La Boca Vista where George Costanza's parents lived on Seinfeld.
My doctors gave me the go-ahead to take the flight. I had to start taking baby aspirin every day (helps avoid blood clots). I also had to get some wheelchair help from the airline. Delta came through like a champ on the wheelchair help. If you get the OK to fly after your surgery, make sure you get a direct flight and try to get an aisle seat in first class. You will thank your lucky starts for the extra space. I did a lot of foot pumps and walked to the bathroom a couple times (again, helps avoid blood clots). And make sure you time your medication properly. A little Valium and some Vicodin made my flight much more enjoyable, thank goodness. Actually, a little Valium and some Vicodin can make just about any day more enjoyable.
I made a deal with my folks that I would come down but I wasn't bringing any luggage. Other than a bathing suit, some underpants and my medicine, that's all I was bringing. Mom said she would either provide everything or I could buy it there. Best thing I could have done. Luggage would have made this trip so much harder.
I got to my folks' place last Tuesday morning and spent most of the day recovering from my flight, except for a short trip to TJ Maxx to buy a couple of things. It's Florida and it was 88 degrees every day. It wasn't hard to buy a couple pair of shorts and some t-shirts.
More info tomorrow on my escapades at the Sunset Pointe pool!
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Happy Birthday to Me!!!!!
May 14, 2008
Yesterday was my 40th birthday and we had a planned to do a small dinner that night at a great steak house. Since I'm still having some issues with nausea, keeping food down, losing my appetite and losing weight, I was hoping dinner wouldn't be an issue. I lucked out big time and dinner turned out great. I didn't eat much at all (two small bites of steak, one scallop and a bite of a shrimp), so I was a little disappointed about that.
The chef made me a special dessert, and as you can see from the photo, it looked (and was) delicious (I did have a tiny bit of that)! Take a look for yourself!
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Am I lazy, or just recovering from surgery?
I got up very early this morning because I was planning on running some errands...returns at Wal-Mart (scooter carts...yeah!), Kohl's to pick up a dress (since going to the mall was completely out of the question), groceries (need more Ensure or else I might wither away to nothing) and a deposit at the bank.
After consulting with the intelligent side of my brain, I decided that would be too many things to do before my leg swelled up like a balloon, so I settled on Kohl's and the bank.
Note to Kohl's...get some scooter carts! Injured people (like me) and the weak and feeble little old people that frequent your store will appreciate it like you can't understand. Needless to say, the visit to Kohl's was VERY short.
Thank goodness the nice people at Chase were smart enough to put in drive thru windows and ATMs a long time ago. God love corporate forethought.
Needless to say, I spent the balance of the day in bed taking various naps. Not that it's almost 9pm, it's time for me to get out of bed and try to accomplish something today. The goal is unload the dishwasher, empty the sink and sort some laundry. We'll see how far I get with this considering it's getting late.
After consulting with the intelligent side of my brain, I decided that would be too many things to do before my leg swelled up like a balloon, so I settled on Kohl's and the bank.
Note to Kohl's...get some scooter carts! Injured people (like me) and the weak and feeble little old people that frequent your store will appreciate it like you can't understand. Needless to say, the visit to Kohl's was VERY short.
Thank goodness the nice people at Chase were smart enough to put in drive thru windows and ATMs a long time ago. God love corporate forethought.
Needless to say, I spent the balance of the day in bed taking various naps. Not that it's almost 9pm, it's time for me to get out of bed and try to accomplish something today. The goal is unload the dishwasher, empty the sink and sort some laundry. We'll see how far I get with this considering it's getting late.
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
did you know you can sleep for over half a day?
Today was day one of House Arrest Part II. I spent all morning (literally from the time I got up at 7:30 am and stayed up for 30 minutes) taking a nap and got up at 2pm. They I went to my primary care doctor to get a whole bunch of blood tests done to see why I'm so tired. Other than a nap and a trip to the doctor, the only other things I have done today are run the microwave and the toaster. I didn't end up eating either thing that I made, but I did do a little work besides sit on my butt and watch it get bigger. Oh, and I did manage to take a shower.
Maybe tomorrow I can use the microwave, toaster and the stove. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Maybe tomorrow I can use the microwave, toaster and the stove. But let's not get ahead of ourselves.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
House Arrest...round 2
***WARNING...THERE ARE SOME PHOTOS OF MY SCAR TOWARDS THE END OF THIS POST. JUST WARNING YOU IN CASE THAT TYPE OF STUFF GROSSES YOU OUT.
Purely for entertainment value, in case you're wondering exactly how many drugs you get to take when they saw your leg in half, here's a picture of the bucket o'drugs I have to take every day.
Went for a visit with my doctor this afternoon after a BRUTAL session at physical therapy. Didn't feel that great when I left PT, but I was anxious to get the doctor's appt. overwith so I could go home and take a nap. (Percocet-assisted, of course).
Purely for entertainment value, in case you're wondering exactly how many drugs you get to take when they saw your leg in half, here's a picture of the bucket o'drugs I have to take every day.
Went for a visit with my doctor this afternoon after a BRUTAL session at physical therapy. Didn't feel that great when I left PT, but I was anxious to get the doctor's appt. overwith so I could go home and take a nap. (Percocet-assisted, of course).
Good news is that he said my knee looks great and the hardware is looking good and all is in the right place. The bad news is they said I'm doing way too much and it's affecting how I'm healing. For as many times as I try to explain that I live by myself and the magic fairies have taken a vacation which means there's nobody to do laundry and dishes, they didn't seem to care.
As a result, I have to figure out how to find more fairies. Gotta find out where they have their club meetings. It also means I'm back on house arrest for the rest of the week and maybe the weekend. This should be interesting.
In photo world, I'm including pictures of my knee from this morning, when they removed all my bandages and Steri-Strips. 
I think it looks pretty cool.
I think it looks pretty cool.Monday, May 5, 2008
accessories that came along with my AARP card
I know I've been talking over and over about the scooter carts at the stores and my fabulous walker, and how much I love them both. No, really, I just love them both, espec
ially my walker. It makes getting around my place a whole lot easier and has a little bag up front so I can carry things from room to room.
ially my walker. It makes getting around my place a whole lot easier and has a little bag up front so I can carry things from room to room. And what else can be said about the scooter carts? They're the greatest things ever. Today's activity post-PT was a short trip to the Kroger (making brownies for the guys in my doctor's office). Anyway, the very nice Kroger guy not only found me a working scooter cart, he took my picture too. I bet the next time you're
at a store with a scooter cart you're going to spend a split second thinking how cool it would be to ride around in one for the afternoon.
at a store with a scooter cart you're going to spend a split second thinking how cool it would be to ride around in one for the afternoon.Don't these pictures make you want to take me somewhere with you? I am a sight to be seen, to be sure.
Sunday, May 4, 2008
helpful hints for those who will have or have had surgery
Since I am now three full weeks out from surgery, I thought I would share a few things that I have learned that have made things a little easier as me either as I prepared for surgery or progressed through my rehabilitation.
Pre-Surgery
Your House - First, get rid of every single area rug you have in your whole house. For as pretty as they might be, guaranteed they will get caught on your crutches or your walker. I am speaking from personal experience on this.
Your kitchen - Get rid of everything in your cabinets or fridge that you don't like to eat. Before your surgery, go out and get all kinds of stuff that you do like and put it on the lower shelves of the cabinets and fridge. Don't get too much, because you might find out in the first couple of days post-surgery that, because of your medication, the stuff you liked pre-surgery makes you sick to your stomach post surgery. I spent the first two weeks a home eating nothing but King's Hawaiian bread, Thomas' bagels and bottled water. Strange combo, I know.
Your bedroom - You're probably going to get sent home with a CPM machine and a Polar Pack or Game Ready ice machine. Before you put down the CPM on the bed, try putting down a big beach towel. It will keep the machine (which is very heavy) from possibly ripping your sheets and will take care of any drips from the ice machine.
Find one of those small TV tray tables and put it right by your bed. It's been a God-send for me to be able to reach over to get another pain pill or bottle of water versus having to unhook from the CPM and ice machine, get out of bed and get whatever I need.
Post Surgery
Take a shower - This is quote possibly the most exciting thing I have learned since my surgery. My doctor told me I couldn't get the wound wet and take a bath for 3-4 weeks. They also said I couldn't take a shower unless I could figure out a way to do it without getting the bandages wet.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, here's how you do this. I took a shower the first day I came home from the hospital and had absolutely no issues. First, you need to get a roll of Glad Press and Seal Wrap. Accept no substitutes, it has to be this exact brand. Anyway, take the Press and Seal and wrap it around your leg. If you're still using the immobilizer, you can wrap it around that. Otherwise, just wrap it around the bandages or ace wraps. Take some time to press down on the whole thing so everything sticks together. If you want a little extra protection, get some wide waterproof tape and tape the top part of the plastic wrap.
Next step is the bathtub. Put a non-slip pad or rubber thing in the tub, then put a stool on the pad. Make sure the stool is about the same height as the side of the tub. It works best if you have one of those shower heads that can be hand-held, but a regular shower works just fine. Make sure you have everything you need (shampoo, razors, conditioner, soap, etc.) within easy reach from the stool.
Anyway, get yourself in the tub and sit on the stool. Take your bad leg and place it on the side of the tub. Take the shower curtain liner and cover the bad leg with it and try to tuck the plastic around your leg to cover it as much as possible. At this point you can start the water and take your shower. Be careful not to move around too much or you'll fall off the stool. When you're done, make sure your towels are close by. Sounds like a basic thing, but I've had to make the hobble to the other side of the bathroom on more than one occasion. Will I ever learn?!?
Once you're done, you can either unwrap the plastic or make a slit and cut it off. I'm telling you, the Glad Press and Seal has been my saving grace. This was my 11th knee surgery and I have tried every type of plastic wrap, garbage bag, etc. and this stuff works wonders. I'm telling you Nothing feels better than finally being able to take a bath after surgery.
Oh, one more thing. Get yourself one of those plastic baskets that kids use in college to bring all their toiletries to the bathroom or one that you can put all your cleaning supplies in. Use this to cart around all your necessities like bottled water, pain pills, cell phone, magazines, books, etc. Makes things a whole lot easier to have everything in one place to cart from room to room. Otherwise, you end up like me and lose two cordless phones in the sofa and it takes days to find them since the batteries have died. I have also opened 6 bottles of water in the span of 22 minutes since I kept losing whichever the last one was that I opened. The baskets have been VERY helpful!
Pre-Surgery
Your House - First, get rid of every single area rug you have in your whole house. For as pretty as they might be, guaranteed they will get caught on your crutches or your walker. I am speaking from personal experience on this.
Your kitchen - Get rid of everything in your cabinets or fridge that you don't like to eat. Before your surgery, go out and get all kinds of stuff that you do like and put it on the lower shelves of the cabinets and fridge. Don't get too much, because you might find out in the first couple of days post-surgery that, because of your medication, the stuff you liked pre-surgery makes you sick to your stomach post surgery. I spent the first two weeks a home eating nothing but King's Hawaiian bread, Thomas' bagels and bottled water. Strange combo, I know.
Your bedroom - You're probably going to get sent home with a CPM machine and a Polar Pack or Game Ready ice machine. Before you put down the CPM on the bed, try putting down a big beach towel. It will keep the machine (which is very heavy) from possibly ripping your sheets and will take care of any drips from the ice machine.
Find one of those small TV tray tables and put it right by your bed. It's been a God-send for me to be able to reach over to get another pain pill or bottle of water versus having to unhook from the CPM and ice machine, get out of bed and get whatever I need.
Post Surgery
Take a shower - This is quote possibly the most exciting thing I have learned since my surgery. My doctor told me I couldn't get the wound wet and take a bath for 3-4 weeks. They also said I couldn't take a shower unless I could figure out a way to do it without getting the bandages wet.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, here's how you do this. I took a shower the first day I came home from the hospital and had absolutely no issues. First, you need to get a roll of Glad Press and Seal Wrap. Accept no substitutes, it has to be this exact brand. Anyway, take the Press and Seal and wrap it around your leg. If you're still using the immobilizer, you can wrap it around that. Otherwise, just wrap it around the bandages or ace wraps. Take some time to press down on the whole thing so everything sticks together. If you want a little extra protection, get some wide waterproof tape and tape the top part of the plastic wrap.
Next step is the bathtub. Put a non-slip pad or rubber thing in the tub, then put a stool on the pad. Make sure the stool is about the same height as the side of the tub. It works best if you have one of those shower heads that can be hand-held, but a regular shower works just fine. Make sure you have everything you need (shampoo, razors, conditioner, soap, etc.) within easy reach from the stool.
Anyway, get yourself in the tub and sit on the stool. Take your bad leg and place it on the side of the tub. Take the shower curtain liner and cover the bad leg with it and try to tuck the plastic around your leg to cover it as much as possible. At this point you can start the water and take your shower. Be careful not to move around too much or you'll fall off the stool. When you're done, make sure your towels are close by. Sounds like a basic thing, but I've had to make the hobble to the other side of the bathroom on more than one occasion. Will I ever learn?!?
Once you're done, you can either unwrap the plastic or make a slit and cut it off. I'm telling you, the Glad Press and Seal has been my saving grace. This was my 11th knee surgery and I have tried every type of plastic wrap, garbage bag, etc. and this stuff works wonders. I'm telling you Nothing feels better than finally being able to take a bath after surgery.
Oh, one more thing. Get yourself one of those plastic baskets that kids use in college to bring all their toiletries to the bathroom or one that you can put all your cleaning supplies in. Use this to cart around all your necessities like bottled water, pain pills, cell phone, magazines, books, etc. Makes things a whole lot easier to have everything in one place to cart from room to room. Otherwise, you end up like me and lose two cordless phones in the sofa and it takes days to find them since the batteries have died. I have also opened 6 bottles of water in the span of 22 minutes since I kept losing whichever the last one was that I opened. The baskets have been VERY helpful!
Thursday, May 1, 2008
Like I didn't have enough wardrobe issues...
So today I go to physical therapy and they proceed to beat the crap out of my leg. After that, I have a short appointment with my doctor who notices I have some swelling in my leg that wasn't that there last week. Might be from when I had fallen and couldn't get up. Who knows.
Anyway, there was good news and bad news to the solution. The good news was I could stop wearing all the bandages, ace wraps and gauze. The bad news is I have to wear a compression sleeve on my leg. My doctor seems to think I will be wearing this thing at all times. I begged to differ, but he didn't care. As you can see in the photo, it looks like a long white thigh-high stocking without the feet, toes or "sexy". And of course, it's 78 degrees in Cincinnati today and this new accessory will look lovely with any pair of shorts I decide to put on. Someone call Glamour Magazine. maybe I can be one of those "don't" photos that thave the black box over their eyes.
Anyway, there was good news and bad news to the solution. The good news was I could stop wearing all the bandages, ace wraps and gauze. The bad news is I have to wear a compression sleeve on my leg. My doctor seems to think I will be wearing this thing at all times. I begged to differ, but he didn't care. As you can see in the photo, it looks like a long white thigh-high stocking without the feet, toes or "sexy". And of course, it's 78 degrees in Cincinnati today and this new accessory will look lovely with any pair of shorts I decide to put on. Someone call Glamour Magazine. maybe I can be one of those "don't" photos that thave the black box over their eyes.
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