I had my last physical therapy session today. Lovely Paul has declared that my knee is as bendy as he can make it. He has determined that he has given me the tools to continue working on my hip strength. Hip strength you say? Yes, it seems like the muscles from the bum guide the knee, so most of the time was spent working on hip strengthening and flexibility. I can really feel it in my balance on the left leg.
For my final bend this morning, Lovely Paul pushed me to 127 degrees. 125 was the goal so it was cool to get a couple extra degrees. I'm not gonna lie to you...I'm still sore this evening from that extra push.
As I was getting my parting gift (a t-shirt and a water bottle!) I learned that Lovely Paul was leaving the clinic next week to move back to Boise. I am so glad I got done with my PT before he left! I wouldn't have been too excited to have a different doc working with me after all this time unless it was Lance, but he seemed busy all the time.
Are you wondering if I told him I call him Lovely Paul? I did. He laughed. He is lovely. He has a wonderful personality, he is a terrific physical therapist and he talks really lovingly about his wife. He is super easy to talk to, even when he is torturing you just a little bit.
I know you're curious. Check out his work profile here.
My surgery was January 12. Today was my final day of physical therapy, April 20. That's 99 days from surgery to the end of rehab. It's been an adventure!
Showing posts with label knee. Show all posts
Showing posts with label knee. Show all posts
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Sunday, April 16, 2017
#1853 three things: taxes, allergies and physical therapy
I've got three things to talk about tonight.
1. Taxes. We have our taxes done by a CPA named Russ. He has been doing our taxes for several years now, since the properties got complicated beyond my scope, I feel good about having Russ prepare and advise. We knew that 2016 would be interesting tax-wise because MT did not have a W-2 job, so the only entity withholding taxes from his earnings would be us and we weren't really sure what that would look like. We thought that holding out 30% for taxes was probably a good number, but then money was tight and we didn't hold out anything. We have a plan to pay for the taxes, so that's good. The thing is that Russ called us on Saturday with what we owe the IRS and the State, and holy crap it's a big number. I might have hyper-ventilated just a little. And I didn't feel like we made all that much money. Ugh. The amount that self-employed people have to pay is crazy. Russ told us that whatever MT made, he should hold out 50%. It's just another thing to factor into bids and stuff. I'll be straight with you...this life is stressful for me. On the other hand, MT is having the most job satisfaction that I've seen him have in 15 years or so. I'll be all right.
2. Allergies. It is spring and I am happy and slightly miserable. This season's allergies are taking the form of a dry, scratchy throat and red, itchy eyes. The dry throat causes me to have an annoying hacking cough. Sometimes my eyes itch so much that wearing my contacts is uncomfortable. I usually take out my contacts soon after I get home, but it's all I can do not to rub rub rub my eyes. Spring is so beautiful with the flowers and the green lawns and trees getting their leaves, but oh my goodness, it is hard on my sinuses.
3. Physical therapy. I reached my goal bend of 125 degrees last Thursday. I have two more sessions scheduled with Lovely Paul so we can make sure that 125 is here to stay. He said that he would give me some instructions for exercises to do to keep working on the knee to make it and the muscles connected to it nice and strong. Those exercises are no joke. There are a lot of exercises that strengthen the hip and glutes because there are so many muscles and ligaments and such that connect to the knee. I do get quite a good leg workout at physical therapy. Lovely Paul is also pleased because I have started going back to spinning class at the gym. Okay, I've only been to two classes. I went last Wednesday, the 12th, because it was my three month anniversary of the surgery and I wanted to see if I could pedal that bike for an hour. I can do it. The first five to ten minutes were a little difficult. It didn't hurt but it felt kind of weird. Then I got used to it and rode well for the next 30 minutes or so. About 45 minutes in, the knee got tired. It sounds funny to say that, but truly I was pedaling along with the group and suddenly my knee told me to ease up. I took off the little tension I had on the bike and just continued to spin slowly and steadily. When I got off the bike, I didn't have any pain, but my left leg was definitely more fatigued than the right knee. Pretty much the same thing happened in class on Saturday, but I pushed myself a little harder through the majority of the class and eased up with about 15 minutes left. No swelling, no pain, no limping. It felt good to get back out and break a sweat on a bike, even if it was inside. I don't feel like I'm quite ready to get back to Zumba though!
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
#1837 WW Wednesday: spring challenge
Several times a year, Weight Watchers gives the members a challenge. For the next six weeks, we have the Spring into Spring challenge. If you attend four of the six meetings, you get a little charm to put on your key ring or bracelet or whatever method you choose for keeping the charms. Each week there is a suggestion to help us spring into action.
The Week 1 challenge was to visit a garden center. I did one better than just going to Lowe's and wandering through the garden center. I went to a garden - Red Butte Garden. As I mentioned in Saturday's post, RBG was awesome as always and I was so glad to get up there and wander around. I may go again this weekend because the weather on Saturday is supposed to be fantastic.
We get a weekly mini magazine at the meetings that includes some good advice and a recipe and some ideas for ways to accomplish the weekly suggestions. On our weekly this week, our fill-in for the quasi-permanent fill-in leader, Sandy, gave us cute sticky notes on which we wrote how we were going to Spring into Spring this week. I wrote down
I put the sticky note on my computer at work to help me remember to go walk!
As I mentioned, this is my first full-time week back at work. I've been okay so far, I think. At lunchtime on Monday and Tuesday, I did walk around the track four times in a row which equals one mile. It was definitely the most steps I've had since January! It was wonderful to get out for a walk in the sunshine. I didn't do it today because I was pretty tired, I had PT this afternoon, and I had errands to run I'll get back out there tomorrow.
Are you wondering about my weigh-in results? I'm a yo-yo. The .4 lbs that I lost on the first week, that came back in the second week, were gone again in this third week. I need to weigh myself tomorrow to see if they have come back in these past four days. I still have time to get rid of them (if they have come back) before Saturday. I would very much like to end this first four week period with a loss!
I mentioned I had PT this afternoon. I got one more degree today, so along with the two degrees I gained Monday, that is three for the week and gets me to 113 degrees. Getting closer to the goal (120 - 125 degrees) and I feel good about it!
Here are a couple of photos that I took at Red Butte Garden on Saturday. Happy spring!
The Week 1 challenge was to visit a garden center. I did one better than just going to Lowe's and wandering through the garden center. I went to a garden - Red Butte Garden. As I mentioned in Saturday's post, RBG was awesome as always and I was so glad to get up there and wander around. I may go again this weekend because the weather on Saturday is supposed to be fantastic.
We get a weekly mini magazine at the meetings that includes some good advice and a recipe and some ideas for ways to accomplish the weekly suggestions. On our weekly this week, our fill-in for the quasi-permanent fill-in leader, Sandy, gave us cute sticky notes on which we wrote how we were going to Spring into Spring this week. I wrote down
Go to Red Butte Garden
AND
Walk on the track at work
I put the sticky note on my computer at work to help me remember to go walk!
Are you wondering about my weigh-in results? I'm a yo-yo. The .4 lbs that I lost on the first week, that came back in the second week, were gone again in this third week. I need to weigh myself tomorrow to see if they have come back in these past four days. I still have time to get rid of them (if they have come back) before Saturday. I would very much like to end this first four week period with a loss!
I mentioned I had PT this afternoon. I got one more degree today, so along with the two degrees I gained Monday, that is three for the week and gets me to 113 degrees. Getting closer to the goal (120 - 125 degrees) and I feel good about it!
Here are a couple of photos that I took at Red Butte Garden on Saturday. Happy spring!
 |
| I like the colors of the branches of the different trees. |
 |
| AWWW...the various purple spring flowers on the side of the hill are sweet. |
Sunday, March 12, 2017
#1834 three things: my insurance, national insurance and more daylight
I think I can think of three things to talk about tonight.
1. Insurance. Since it's been a couple of months since the knee surgery, I decided it was a good time to check with the hospital and the insurance company to make sure everything was billed and being processed. I looked at my billing from the hospital, and it looked like everything had been billed. I looked at my insurance and noticed that the biggest claim was not listed. I called the insurance company to find out about it and they said they hadn't received the claim. Together we called the hospital and it turns out they just sent in the claim on Monday the 6th. Gah! Why the delay? Probably because the hospital knows that they will get the money? The insurance company said it will take 30 to 45 days for them to process the claim, so I will have to keep an eye on it. I'm pretty close to meeting my out-of-pocket deductible for the year as it is. My biggest fear is of one day getting a bill from the hospital for $30,000. I get sweaty just thinking about it.
2. Speaking of insurance, let's talk about Trumpcare. The Republicans HATE the Affordable Care Act and have always wanted to repeal it. The GOP finally came out with their plan last week. I haven't read it, but I've heard the highlights, or lowlights, depending on your point of view. What I have heard the most is that older people will pay more for their insurance. At first I thought of my parents. My dad has large medical bills every month. How would the new plan affect him? Then I was watching the national news, I think it was on CBS, and there was a graphic about how people aged 50 - 64 would be affected by Trumpcare. The graphic indicated that insurance premiums would increase for that age bracket by around $5,000/year. That's my age bracket! Gah! I work for a company that pays the premium for my insurance and it covers T and MT also. But, my out of pocket premium is high. How will Granite deal with the Trumpcare factor? I'm thankful I got my knee done this year.
3. On a lighter note, Daylight Savings Time is here. (Get it...lighter note, daylight savings?) Last night I set my clock forward by an hour. I ended up waking up at 4AM and I couldn't get back to sleep. I read and played with my phone and finally fell back to sleep around 6AM. I woke up again around 9AM and thought maybe I'd take a nap, but the day has flown by and I don't really have anything to show for it other than I finished a book. Now it's 9:30PM but my body kind of thinks it's 8:30PM but I'm going to bed because if I don't, tomorrow will be awful. Also, I'm going back to work full-time tomorrow, so the day might be long and tortuous anyway. I'm pretty sure I'll be super tired tomorrow night.
Have a great week!
1. Insurance. Since it's been a couple of months since the knee surgery, I decided it was a good time to check with the hospital and the insurance company to make sure everything was billed and being processed. I looked at my billing from the hospital, and it looked like everything had been billed. I looked at my insurance and noticed that the biggest claim was not listed. I called the insurance company to find out about it and they said they hadn't received the claim. Together we called the hospital and it turns out they just sent in the claim on Monday the 6th. Gah! Why the delay? Probably because the hospital knows that they will get the money? The insurance company said it will take 30 to 45 days for them to process the claim, so I will have to keep an eye on it. I'm pretty close to meeting my out-of-pocket deductible for the year as it is. My biggest fear is of one day getting a bill from the hospital for $30,000. I get sweaty just thinking about it.
2. Speaking of insurance, let's talk about Trumpcare. The Republicans HATE the Affordable Care Act and have always wanted to repeal it. The GOP finally came out with their plan last week. I haven't read it, but I've heard the highlights, or lowlights, depending on your point of view. What I have heard the most is that older people will pay more for their insurance. At first I thought of my parents. My dad has large medical bills every month. How would the new plan affect him? Then I was watching the national news, I think it was on CBS, and there was a graphic about how people aged 50 - 64 would be affected by Trumpcare. The graphic indicated that insurance premiums would increase for that age bracket by around $5,000/year. That's my age bracket! Gah! I work for a company that pays the premium for my insurance and it covers T and MT also. But, my out of pocket premium is high. How will Granite deal with the Trumpcare factor? I'm thankful I got my knee done this year.
3. On a lighter note, Daylight Savings Time is here. (Get it...lighter note, daylight savings?) Last night I set my clock forward by an hour. I ended up waking up at 4AM and I couldn't get back to sleep. I read and played with my phone and finally fell back to sleep around 6AM. I woke up again around 9AM and thought maybe I'd take a nap, but the day has flown by and I don't really have anything to show for it other than I finished a book. Now it's 9:30PM but my body kind of thinks it's 8:30PM but I'm going to bed because if I don't, tomorrow will be awful. Also, I'm going back to work full-time tomorrow, so the day might be long and tortuous anyway. I'm pretty sure I'll be super tired tomorrow night.
Have a great week!
Thursday, March 2, 2017
#1826 this is ridiculous
It is 7:30 pm and I am practically falling asleep as I sit here at the dining table. I sleep well at night, but I get so dang tired during the day! I know the time will come when I'm all healed and back to normal. That time hasn't come yet, though.
I got three more degrees of bend today during physical therapy. I'm back to 106 degrees. I told Lovely Paul I was pretty sure I could get 105 and he pushed me to 106. It hurt and I whimpered, but I'll take it. That's five degrees this week! If I can get five degrees every week, I'll be feeling pretty good :)
I got three more degrees of bend today during physical therapy. I'm back to 106 degrees. I told Lovely Paul I was pretty sure I could get 105 and he pushed me to 106. It hurt and I whimpered, but I'll take it. That's five degrees this week! If I can get five degrees every week, I'll be feeling pretty good :)
Monday, February 27, 2017
#1824 back to work
I went back to work today! I considered it a cruel twist from Mother Nature that after mostly pleasant weather while I was off work, she chose to make it snow a lot today when I had to go to the office. That's what I get, I suppose, when I said out loud that I was glad I would miss the winter storm months of January and February. Didn't quite make it out of February!
It was kind of strange being back in the office. It's the same, but it's weird when you haven't been there for six weeks. I know I'll fall right back in the groove of it. Today I worked from 7:30 to 11:30 because I had a PT appointment at 12:30. For the rest of the two weeks, though, I'll work 9:00 to 1:00. I'd like to do a little stretching in the morning before work, then I'll be able to do some when I get home too. The schedule is throwing my meal times out of whack, so that's something else to factor into my routine.
For example, today I grabbed some deli sliced ham for breakfast. I also had some hot cereal that I took with me to work, but I didn't eat that. When I got home, I had to quickly change and go to PT. Those appointments last about 90 minutes so by the time I got home just after 2:00, I was really hungry! I had some leftovers from yesterday (tacos), then I had to take a nap. I was so tired! I was reading and I could barely keep my eyes open. When MT got home around 5:30 or so, I was awake but not hungry. He had some tacos for dinner. It's 8:00 now and I'm not hungry but I am tired and will probably go to bed in an hour or so. I'll figure it all out just when I go back to working full time. :)
Did you see the end of the Oscars last night? La La Land had been announced Best Picture and speeches were made. A commotion broke out on stage as people were running all around and one of the La La Land producers announced that there had been a mistake and the real winner was Moonlight. It was chaos. I've never seen anything like it. At first I thought it was the presenter's fault, but apparently they were given the wrong envelope. They had the Best Actress envelope, but the actress who won that award said she had her envelope in her hand the whole time. Are there multiple envelopes for the awards? Regardless, I was happy for Moonlight to win, although I did like La La Land quite a lot. Moonlight was a remarkable film (I wrote about it in post #1822, if you're interested in my thoughts) but seeing it once was enough. Heavy stuff. I would watch La La Land again. My favorite movie that I saw that was nominated for Best Picture was Hidden Figures. It's really wonderful. Here's an interesting tidbit: two of the actors from Hidden Figures are also in Moonlight. Those two films could not be more different!
Happy Fat Tuesday tomorrow. Go ahead and eat a donut because Lent starts on Wednesday. I don't have a religious bone in my body, but sometimes I like to give something up during Lent. I don't know if I will this year. I'll probably have a donut tomorrow though!
It was kind of strange being back in the office. It's the same, but it's weird when you haven't been there for six weeks. I know I'll fall right back in the groove of it. Today I worked from 7:30 to 11:30 because I had a PT appointment at 12:30. For the rest of the two weeks, though, I'll work 9:00 to 1:00. I'd like to do a little stretching in the morning before work, then I'll be able to do some when I get home too. The schedule is throwing my meal times out of whack, so that's something else to factor into my routine.
For example, today I grabbed some deli sliced ham for breakfast. I also had some hot cereal that I took with me to work, but I didn't eat that. When I got home, I had to quickly change and go to PT. Those appointments last about 90 minutes so by the time I got home just after 2:00, I was really hungry! I had some leftovers from yesterday (tacos), then I had to take a nap. I was so tired! I was reading and I could barely keep my eyes open. When MT got home around 5:30 or so, I was awake but not hungry. He had some tacos for dinner. It's 8:00 now and I'm not hungry but I am tired and will probably go to bed in an hour or so. I'll figure it all out just when I go back to working full time. :)
Did you see the end of the Oscars last night? La La Land had been announced Best Picture and speeches were made. A commotion broke out on stage as people were running all around and one of the La La Land producers announced that there had been a mistake and the real winner was Moonlight. It was chaos. I've never seen anything like it. At first I thought it was the presenter's fault, but apparently they were given the wrong envelope. They had the Best Actress envelope, but the actress who won that award said she had her envelope in her hand the whole time. Are there multiple envelopes for the awards? Regardless, I was happy for Moonlight to win, although I did like La La Land quite a lot. Moonlight was a remarkable film (I wrote about it in post #1822, if you're interested in my thoughts) but seeing it once was enough. Heavy stuff. I would watch La La Land again. My favorite movie that I saw that was nominated for Best Picture was Hidden Figures. It's really wonderful. Here's an interesting tidbit: two of the actors from Hidden Figures are also in Moonlight. Those two films could not be more different!
Happy Fat Tuesday tomorrow. Go ahead and eat a donut because Lent starts on Wednesday. I don't have a religious bone in my body, but sometimes I like to give something up during Lent. I don't know if I will this year. I'll probably have a donut tomorrow though!
Friday, February 24, 2017
#1823 six weeks post surgery
It has been six weeks since my knee surgery. I've been going to out-patient physical therapy for about four weeks. I had a little setback the past couple of weeks. I was doing really well and getting good bending results, and then I went for a couple of walks that were probably a little too much. My knee swelled up and even though I tried, reducing the swelling was difficult, and I actually lost a bunch of bend-ability. Lovely Paul said it's a pretty common and normal occurrence (as did Dr. G). I have been working on it, and I did gain a couple of degrees in the bending yesterday (103 degrees).
I met with the surgeon this morning. I had a progress report from Lovely Paul; Dr. G (the surgeon) liked what he read and declared that I could go back to work for four hours/day for the next couple of weeks. I still have six to eight weeks of physical therapy left, and Dr. G stressed the importance of getting the bend going again, which is why I'm only part time for now.
Am I ready to go back to work? I think so. I'm glad I'm restricted to four hours a day to start. I like the idea of easing back into the work routine while maintaining my PT routine.
I'm walking around the house without a crutch. When I go out, I usually use one crutch, but it's mostly a security blanket-type thing. There is still a slight limp to my walk; I think it's because I am not fully straight or bending like I should. When I really focus and think about it, the limp is barely noticeable. I've had MT watch me walk and then give me comments.
What will I miss about being home? Probably reading at my leisure and watching a movie most afternoons. I had quite a pile of videos picked out and I still have a few left. I watched some movies on Netflix and HBO plus I went to see a couple of movies at the theater, too. I will also miss sleeping in until 8 AM. I'm glad I did set an alarm and get up and moving in the morning.
That's all for today. Have a great weekend!
I met with the surgeon this morning. I had a progress report from Lovely Paul; Dr. G (the surgeon) liked what he read and declared that I could go back to work for four hours/day for the next couple of weeks. I still have six to eight weeks of physical therapy left, and Dr. G stressed the importance of getting the bend going again, which is why I'm only part time for now.
Am I ready to go back to work? I think so. I'm glad I'm restricted to four hours a day to start. I like the idea of easing back into the work routine while maintaining my PT routine.
I'm walking around the house without a crutch. When I go out, I usually use one crutch, but it's mostly a security blanket-type thing. There is still a slight limp to my walk; I think it's because I am not fully straight or bending like I should. When I really focus and think about it, the limp is barely noticeable. I've had MT watch me walk and then give me comments.
What will I miss about being home? Probably reading at my leisure and watching a movie most afternoons. I had quite a pile of videos picked out and I still have a few left. I watched some movies on Netflix and HBO plus I went to see a couple of movies at the theater, too. I will also miss sleeping in until 8 AM. I'm glad I did set an alarm and get up and moving in the morning.
That's all for today. Have a great weekend!
Friday, February 10, 2017
#1822 four weeks post surgery
Whew! This post turned out to be a little longer than I thought it would be. I had lots of words :)
The knee surgery was 29 days ago. I think the recovery is going well. This week I had two sessions with Lovely Paul, the physical therapist. The bending goal is 125 degrees. On Wednesday I was at 105 degrees after extensive work by Lovely Paul.
Here's what out-patient physical therapy is like for a total knee replacement - at least for me:
I start off on a Total Gym machine. I lay on the bench with my feet on a solid surface, feet about shoulder-width apart and I bend my knees to the point where I can't bend them further, then I straighten my legs. I do that for ten minutes. It warms up the knees and gets the blood flowing through the joint. After that, I got to a room and lie on the table. Lovely Paul comes in, put some type of lotion on his hands and begins to massage my left knee. It starts out fine, but then he really starts digging into the soft tissue around my knee, working on the scar tissue that is building up in there, working on the knots that are forming as my tendons and muscles and whatever else is in there builds up to repair the knee and to help the muscles gain strength. I can assure you there are times when I get tears in my eyes. It can be very unpleasant. Then the bending begins. Lovely Paul puts his knee up on the table, puts my foot against his thigh and he press his thigh in to bend my knee while he continues to massage my knee and calf. He is gentle but firm and it doesn't feel that great until he measures the degree of bend and the number goes up each time. Hearing him say the bigger numbers does make me feel happy!
After the bending comes the straightening. There's more massaging and this time flexing of the knee. He'll hold my heel in one hand and press down right above my knee with the other hand, kind of hyper-extending the knee. The flexing part is going well this time around, so he doesn't spend too much time on that but enough that I can feel it.
Lovely Paul is done after that, then one of the techs, Katie, Andrew or Taylor, comes in to put me through my stretching and strengthening exercises. There are currently about seven different exercises that I do there with them, followed by ten minutes on a stationary bike. (New addition!) I haven't been able to get the full rotation on the bike, but it's coming. I've been working on my bike here at home too and I can feel it getting closer to going all the way around. I can do it backwards, but not forward.
When the exercises are complete, it's time to relax! I get back on the table and a bolster is put under my knee. An ice pack goes under the knee and another goes on top of the knee. Around the knee itself, there are four electrical stim pads that are put on my skin. The tech turns on the electrical current and a gentle pulse of electricity hits my leg in the four places around my knee to encourage blood flow and healing. Sounds kind of barbaric, but it feels wonderful. I'm always sad when that ten minutes is over.
Overall, I'm at the clinic between 75 and 90 minutes, depending on how much time Lovely Paul spends with me and how fast or slow I get through all the exercises.
Most of the exercises I do at the clinic I do at home. I do the majority of the exercises three times a day at home, except for a few that I only have to do twice a day. I don't have an electric stim machine, so I just put ice on my knee for twenty minutes after the stretches. It probably takes just under an hour or so to do the whole routine plus the ice. And I walk around the house of course. I'm thinking about going over to the gym next week to walk on the indoor track. I'll check with Lovely Paul first before I do that, though.
This week I drove for the first time since the surgery. That went well. I felt confident and free! It was nice to get out of the house. I also went to a movie at a movie theater! I chose a theater that has reclining seats. It was very nice. There was only one other person seeing the movie with me which is kind of strange but fine. I saw the Academy Award nominated film Moonlight.
It was unlike any other movie I've ever seen. It's a story about a young man, Chiron, growing up in the neighborhood of Liberty City in Miami. It's a story about drugs and bullying and a person trying to figure out who he is. The film doesn't romanticize any of that, but it does humanize it. In one scene the boy, Little, asks his mentor, Juan, if he sells drugs. When Juan says yes, Little asks if Juan sells drugs to his (Little's) mother. Juan again says yes, then begins to cry. It's an incredibly powerful scene. The story is told in three chapters: Chiron as a young boy called Little, Chiron's in high school, and when he is an adult known as Black.
I saw the movie yesterday afternoon and I've been thinking about it ever since. Another thing that made the movie different was that I don't think there was one white face in the movie. There was a lady with light skin, but I think she was Latina.
The movie probably isn't for everyone. It's not really a feel-good kind of picture, but it was well made and well told and well acted. Moonlight is definitely worthy of the attention and accolades it was been getting.
On a much lighter note, I also went out to the office today to meet up with my friends Kelsie and Nicole for lunch! It was very quiet around the office today, but I got to see a few people and it was fun to chat with them and of course go out for lunch my friends. I was happy to hear about their kids and what is going on with their lives. I'm not exactly sure when I'll be going back to work full time; I should know more after I meet with Dr. G on the 24th.
So the good news is that I'm getting out and about. I'm feeling good (though I have a lingering cold). The knee is mostly pain-free. I'm really happy with where I am in my recovery from the surgery. Tomorrow I'm going to weigh in at WW, so I'll let you know what's going on with that aspect of things in a couple of days.
Have a great weekend!
The knee surgery was 29 days ago. I think the recovery is going well. This week I had two sessions with Lovely Paul, the physical therapist. The bending goal is 125 degrees. On Wednesday I was at 105 degrees after extensive work by Lovely Paul.
Here's what out-patient physical therapy is like for a total knee replacement - at least for me:
I start off on a Total Gym machine. I lay on the bench with my feet on a solid surface, feet about shoulder-width apart and I bend my knees to the point where I can't bend them further, then I straighten my legs. I do that for ten minutes. It warms up the knees and gets the blood flowing through the joint. After that, I got to a room and lie on the table. Lovely Paul comes in, put some type of lotion on his hands and begins to massage my left knee. It starts out fine, but then he really starts digging into the soft tissue around my knee, working on the scar tissue that is building up in there, working on the knots that are forming as my tendons and muscles and whatever else is in there builds up to repair the knee and to help the muscles gain strength. I can assure you there are times when I get tears in my eyes. It can be very unpleasant. Then the bending begins. Lovely Paul puts his knee up on the table, puts my foot against his thigh and he press his thigh in to bend my knee while he continues to massage my knee and calf. He is gentle but firm and it doesn't feel that great until he measures the degree of bend and the number goes up each time. Hearing him say the bigger numbers does make me feel happy!
After the bending comes the straightening. There's more massaging and this time flexing of the knee. He'll hold my heel in one hand and press down right above my knee with the other hand, kind of hyper-extending the knee. The flexing part is going well this time around, so he doesn't spend too much time on that but enough that I can feel it.
Lovely Paul is done after that, then one of the techs, Katie, Andrew or Taylor, comes in to put me through my stretching and strengthening exercises. There are currently about seven different exercises that I do there with them, followed by ten minutes on a stationary bike. (New addition!) I haven't been able to get the full rotation on the bike, but it's coming. I've been working on my bike here at home too and I can feel it getting closer to going all the way around. I can do it backwards, but not forward.
When the exercises are complete, it's time to relax! I get back on the table and a bolster is put under my knee. An ice pack goes under the knee and another goes on top of the knee. Around the knee itself, there are four electrical stim pads that are put on my skin. The tech turns on the electrical current and a gentle pulse of electricity hits my leg in the four places around my knee to encourage blood flow and healing. Sounds kind of barbaric, but it feels wonderful. I'm always sad when that ten minutes is over.
Overall, I'm at the clinic between 75 and 90 minutes, depending on how much time Lovely Paul spends with me and how fast or slow I get through all the exercises.
Most of the exercises I do at the clinic I do at home. I do the majority of the exercises three times a day at home, except for a few that I only have to do twice a day. I don't have an electric stim machine, so I just put ice on my knee for twenty minutes after the stretches. It probably takes just under an hour or so to do the whole routine plus the ice. And I walk around the house of course. I'm thinking about going over to the gym next week to walk on the indoor track. I'll check with Lovely Paul first before I do that, though.
This week I drove for the first time since the surgery. That went well. I felt confident and free! It was nice to get out of the house. I also went to a movie at a movie theater! I chose a theater that has reclining seats. It was very nice. There was only one other person seeing the movie with me which is kind of strange but fine. I saw the Academy Award nominated film Moonlight.
It was unlike any other movie I've ever seen. It's a story about a young man, Chiron, growing up in the neighborhood of Liberty City in Miami. It's a story about drugs and bullying and a person trying to figure out who he is. The film doesn't romanticize any of that, but it does humanize it. In one scene the boy, Little, asks his mentor, Juan, if he sells drugs. When Juan says yes, Little asks if Juan sells drugs to his (Little's) mother. Juan again says yes, then begins to cry. It's an incredibly powerful scene. The story is told in three chapters: Chiron as a young boy called Little, Chiron's in high school, and when he is an adult known as Black.
I saw the movie yesterday afternoon and I've been thinking about it ever since. Another thing that made the movie different was that I don't think there was one white face in the movie. There was a lady with light skin, but I think she was Latina.
The movie probably isn't for everyone. It's not really a feel-good kind of picture, but it was well made and well told and well acted. Moonlight is definitely worthy of the attention and accolades it was been getting.
On a much lighter note, I also went out to the office today to meet up with my friends Kelsie and Nicole for lunch! It was very quiet around the office today, but I got to see a few people and it was fun to chat with them and of course go out for lunch my friends. I was happy to hear about their kids and what is going on with their lives. I'm not exactly sure when I'll be going back to work full time; I should know more after I meet with Dr. G on the 24th.
So the good news is that I'm getting out and about. I'm feeling good (though I have a lingering cold). The knee is mostly pain-free. I'm really happy with where I am in my recovery from the surgery. Tomorrow I'm going to weigh in at WW, so I'll let you know what's going on with that aspect of things in a couple of days.
Have a great weekend!
Monday, February 6, 2017
#1821 three weeks post surgery
I haven't been writing often because really the only thing going on with me right now is recovering from the knee surgery. The days pretty much run together as I follow the same routine which goes something like this:
Wake up, shower (or not) get dressed, etc
Do some PT stretches followed by ice
Watch a movie or TV or read
Repeat last two steps
Go to bed
Last week I started my out patient physical therapy. I had two sessions with lovely Paul. I thought they went well. I'm meeting with him again today in about an hour. The thing that will be different about this session is that I will drive myself. Over the weekend I weaned myself off the heavy pain-killers and now all I'm taking is Tylenol. YAY! Because I'm not taking the narcotics doesn't mean I don't have pain, but it is very tolerable, especially compared to what I've lived with for so many years. I will say that on Saturday, I did not have any pain at all during the day. It was wonderful and strange. I can definitely get used to it!
I tend to have some pain at night when I'm in bed. I might have talked about this before. My body is all relaxed so it's easier to notice and identify the pain coming from my knee. I usually can shift positions and get comfortable and get back to sleep pretty quickly. I've been sleeping a lot and I think it helps in recovery.
Before the surgery I spent a weekend preparing meals for the freezer that we could dump in the slow cooker. We have been eating those meals and they have been very good. I'm really glad I took the time to prep those meals. It has saved us a lot of money and is hassle free. MT just has to remember to pull the meal out of the freezer in the morning, then I can dump it in the slow cooker in the late morning. There's always enough for leftovers, too, so lunch is taken care of.
My appetite hasn't been what it was prior to surgery. I think it is the effect of the medications. When I had the right knee done, we ate out a lot and I gained weight. This time around, I have lost weight during the past three weeks. I think the weight loss is a combo of the meds, lack of appetite and eating at home instead of having take out so often. I'll keep you posted on my progress there. I'm thinking about going to weigh in at WW on Saturday.
Time to get ready for PT. I'll let you know how the driving goes :)
Wake up, shower (or not) get dressed, etc
Do some PT stretches followed by ice
Watch a movie or TV or read
Repeat last two steps
Go to bed
Last week I started my out patient physical therapy. I had two sessions with lovely Paul. I thought they went well. I'm meeting with him again today in about an hour. The thing that will be different about this session is that I will drive myself. Over the weekend I weaned myself off the heavy pain-killers and now all I'm taking is Tylenol. YAY! Because I'm not taking the narcotics doesn't mean I don't have pain, but it is very tolerable, especially compared to what I've lived with for so many years. I will say that on Saturday, I did not have any pain at all during the day. It was wonderful and strange. I can definitely get used to it!
I tend to have some pain at night when I'm in bed. I might have talked about this before. My body is all relaxed so it's easier to notice and identify the pain coming from my knee. I usually can shift positions and get comfortable and get back to sleep pretty quickly. I've been sleeping a lot and I think it helps in recovery.
Before the surgery I spent a weekend preparing meals for the freezer that we could dump in the slow cooker. We have been eating those meals and they have been very good. I'm really glad I took the time to prep those meals. It has saved us a lot of money and is hassle free. MT just has to remember to pull the meal out of the freezer in the morning, then I can dump it in the slow cooker in the late morning. There's always enough for leftovers, too, so lunch is taken care of.
My appetite hasn't been what it was prior to surgery. I think it is the effect of the medications. When I had the right knee done, we ate out a lot and I gained weight. This time around, I have lost weight during the past three weeks. I think the weight loss is a combo of the meds, lack of appetite and eating at home instead of having take out so often. I'll keep you posted on my progress there. I'm thinking about going to weigh in at WW on Saturday.
Time to get ready for PT. I'll let you know how the driving goes :)
Sunday, January 29, 2017
#1820 two weeks and a few days
Still here! Last week my sister Lizzie was here hanging out with me. She was incredibly gracious and intuitive and helpful. She made last week very nice for both me and MT. She made dinner and yummy cookies. She let me rest; she cheered for me when I was doing the physical therapy. We watched movies and read and laughed and sniffled, too. I caught a cold which I promptly passed on to her. It was a quick cold, but an ass-whooper.
A week makes such a difference! When Lizzie arrived on the 20th, I wasn't able to go with MT to pick her up at the airport. I wasn't sleeping well and I was in some pain all the time. I wasn't moving around very well. During the week, the PT was increased in number of repetitions stretches and level of intensity, too. I think I'm getting around a lot better on my crutches and sometimes, especially in my bedroom, I will just use one crutch, being thoughtful about shifting my weight so I walk without too much leaning on the crutch I'm using. There's a lot of stuff to think about when you're trying to remember how to walk without a limp after you've been limping for years!
This morning we took Lizzie to the airport at 6:15 AM and I was able to ride along so I could say a proper thank you and good-bye. I will miss having her here. It is a joy to be around my sister. <3 p="">
Now I'm entering a new phase of the rehab. Tomorrow MT will take me to the doctor so I get this 16" band-aid removed from my leg. The good news is that the band-aid still looks clean and good. There's no oozing or redness or extreme bruising that I can see. The seal is still tight. I've showered several times and managed to keep the dressing dry thanks to Press and Seal wrap. (It works!) On Tuesday I will have my first session at the out-patient physical therapy clinic. When I home physical therapist came, he said my progress was very good. I could bend my knee to 91 degrees and straighten it to four degrees which are both well in the range for release to out-patient PT. I'm confident that through PT I'll be able to meet the bend and flex goals the surgeon has so I won't have to have any further procedures (a manipulation).
The biggest part of the new phase though is that I will be alone for most of the day. MT will be working, although the house he's working on is close to ours and I expect that he'll pop in around lunch time to make sure all is well. T is going to school and working and doing his own things. He helps when he is around, and I appreciate that. I think I'll be fine by myself. I've set up a schedule of times to do PT and I've got a little routine that I'll follow. There are still a bunch of movies I want to watch and lots of books to read and I still need to get rest. I've found that sleep has been the best thing for me as I recover. And lots of water.
One other thing, and I'm not sure if it's good or bad. I'm completely obsessed with the Trump presidency. I'm constantly on Twitter looking at the headlines from BBC, CNN, the Associated Press and Reuters as those new sites tell me what is happening with all the executive orders and the protests and what people are saying. I follow Trump himself and Steve Bannon and while I can't quite force myself to follow Kellyanne Conway, I think I might have to at some point. I can tell you that never before have I so closely followed what is happening in Washington and how it affects the rest of the world. I've always said that what happens in Washington barely trickles down to affect my personal life, and that is still true so far, but to learn about the executive orders and the switching up of advisors on the National Security Council (among other things) is making my head spin. Every day I shake my head and think "What's next?"
It is (past) time to do the first round of PT today. I'm headed downstairs to get after it!
A week makes such a difference! When Lizzie arrived on the 20th, I wasn't able to go with MT to pick her up at the airport. I wasn't sleeping well and I was in some pain all the time. I wasn't moving around very well. During the week, the PT was increased in number of repetitions stretches and level of intensity, too. I think I'm getting around a lot better on my crutches and sometimes, especially in my bedroom, I will just use one crutch, being thoughtful about shifting my weight so I walk without too much leaning on the crutch I'm using. There's a lot of stuff to think about when you're trying to remember how to walk without a limp after you've been limping for years!
This morning we took Lizzie to the airport at 6:15 AM and I was able to ride along so I could say a proper thank you and good-bye. I will miss having her here. It is a joy to be around my sister. <3 p="">
Now I'm entering a new phase of the rehab. Tomorrow MT will take me to the doctor so I get this 16" band-aid removed from my leg. The good news is that the band-aid still looks clean and good. There's no oozing or redness or extreme bruising that I can see. The seal is still tight. I've showered several times and managed to keep the dressing dry thanks to Press and Seal wrap. (It works!) On Tuesday I will have my first session at the out-patient physical therapy clinic. When I home physical therapist came, he said my progress was very good. I could bend my knee to 91 degrees and straighten it to four degrees which are both well in the range for release to out-patient PT. I'm confident that through PT I'll be able to meet the bend and flex goals the surgeon has so I won't have to have any further procedures (a manipulation).
The biggest part of the new phase though is that I will be alone for most of the day. MT will be working, although the house he's working on is close to ours and I expect that he'll pop in around lunch time to make sure all is well. T is going to school and working and doing his own things. He helps when he is around, and I appreciate that. I think I'll be fine by myself. I've set up a schedule of times to do PT and I've got a little routine that I'll follow. There are still a bunch of movies I want to watch and lots of books to read and I still need to get rest. I've found that sleep has been the best thing for me as I recover. And lots of water.
One other thing, and I'm not sure if it's good or bad. I'm completely obsessed with the Trump presidency. I'm constantly on Twitter looking at the headlines from BBC, CNN, the Associated Press and Reuters as those new sites tell me what is happening with all the executive orders and the protests and what people are saying. I follow Trump himself and Steve Bannon and while I can't quite force myself to follow Kellyanne Conway, I think I might have to at some point. I can tell you that never before have I so closely followed what is happening in Washington and how it affects the rest of the world. I've always said that what happens in Washington barely trickles down to affect my personal life, and that is still true so far, but to learn about the executive orders and the switching up of advisors on the National Security Council (among other things) is making my head spin. Every day I shake my head and think "What's next?"
It is (past) time to do the first round of PT today. I'm headed downstairs to get after it!
Thursday, January 19, 2017
#1819 it's been one week
Hi everyone! It's been one week since I had my knee joint replacement surgery, and I'm happy to say that everything is going well.
The surgery happened last Thursday, the 12th, around 9 AM. I had anesthesia through a shot in my spine which made it so I couldn't feel my legs at all, but I wasn't completely out. I did have a good sedative, so I slept through most of it, but I do remember waking up - very groggy - toward the end and at the very end. I was awake and coherent when I was wheeled through the halls to post-op. Another thing that is kind of weird is that I listened to music from my beloved iPhone during the surgery. I think I listened to the Hamilton Mix Tape, but then I thought it was over and asked someone to change it to Beyonce. I don't remember hearing Beyonce, though.
I was in the hospital Thursday and Friday night. There was a possibility of going home Friday night, but I did not feel ready for that. I was definitely ready on Saturday. On Friday I slept quite a bit through the morning, then had good physical therapy on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. The nurses and aides that took care of me at University Hospital were very good and I think their care had a lot to do with my being so ready and able to leave on Saturday.
My mother-in-law was here with me on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. MT has been hanging out with me yesterday, today and tomorrow. It's not that fun to hang out with me. I'm needy or I'm asleep or I'm just laying there. When I'm up, my Care Coach gets to bring me ice water to drink and fill my ice bucket that I put on the knee to reduce the swelling. He also gets to spot me as I walk up or down the stairs and carry the crutch. He prepares my meals and takes care of the dog and all the house stuff.
Home nurses and physical therapists come about every other day. The nurses check my vital signs and check my INR level. The INR level has to do with blood coagulation since I am on a blood thinner to help prevent blood clots. So far so good there. The physical therapists come over to check my mobility and give me exercises to start getting the knee to bend to a specified number of degrees as measured by a cool little protractor and also to be flat when it is straight. Neither of those things are happening just yet, but I'm working on it. I also have exercises to strengthen the quad muscle above the knee and to help with my balance. I do all of those exercises three times a day, plus I walk around the house with my crutches. I feel stable and mobile with them.
There is only one thing that concerns me. I have a little rash on my left arm. I noticed it on Monday and have been watching it. Today it seems a little more red and like it has spread a bit. I called the home nurse office and I'm sorry to say that no one called me back. Tomorrow a nurse will be here, so I'll be sure she takes a look at it. I think the rash was caused by the adhesive of the tape that held my IV in place. The adhesive is very sticky and even though I have scrubbed, the marks of the tape can still be seen. The rash doesn't itch, but it may or may not be cause for concern. I'll keep you posted.
That's pretty much all I've got for tonight. It's the first time I have felt like sitting up at my computer and writing a little bit. Honestly, it's hard to lay down all the time. I feel kind of caged, but also unwilling and not ready to go out of the house. Today has been snowy and cold. I told my friends at work that the good part of having knee surgery in January is that I don't have to drive in the snow. The bad part of having knee surgery in January is recovering from the knee surgery.
Now that I've been sitting here for a few minutes with my knee bent, I feel it stiffening up which is my cue to move around. I'm also due for some pain meds. The pain hasn't been bad as long as I stay diligent and listen to what my body is telling me. You can't let the pain get ahead of you because it's hard to catch up.
Hope you are all doing great!
The surgery happened last Thursday, the 12th, around 9 AM. I had anesthesia through a shot in my spine which made it so I couldn't feel my legs at all, but I wasn't completely out. I did have a good sedative, so I slept through most of it, but I do remember waking up - very groggy - toward the end and at the very end. I was awake and coherent when I was wheeled through the halls to post-op. Another thing that is kind of weird is that I listened to music from my beloved iPhone during the surgery. I think I listened to the Hamilton Mix Tape, but then I thought it was over and asked someone to change it to Beyonce. I don't remember hearing Beyonce, though.
I was in the hospital Thursday and Friday night. There was a possibility of going home Friday night, but I did not feel ready for that. I was definitely ready on Saturday. On Friday I slept quite a bit through the morning, then had good physical therapy on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. The nurses and aides that took care of me at University Hospital were very good and I think their care had a lot to do with my being so ready and able to leave on Saturday.
My mother-in-law was here with me on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. MT has been hanging out with me yesterday, today and tomorrow. It's not that fun to hang out with me. I'm needy or I'm asleep or I'm just laying there. When I'm up, my Care Coach gets to bring me ice water to drink and fill my ice bucket that I put on the knee to reduce the swelling. He also gets to spot me as I walk up or down the stairs and carry the crutch. He prepares my meals and takes care of the dog and all the house stuff.
Home nurses and physical therapists come about every other day. The nurses check my vital signs and check my INR level. The INR level has to do with blood coagulation since I am on a blood thinner to help prevent blood clots. So far so good there. The physical therapists come over to check my mobility and give me exercises to start getting the knee to bend to a specified number of degrees as measured by a cool little protractor and also to be flat when it is straight. Neither of those things are happening just yet, but I'm working on it. I also have exercises to strengthen the quad muscle above the knee and to help with my balance. I do all of those exercises three times a day, plus I walk around the house with my crutches. I feel stable and mobile with them.
There is only one thing that concerns me. I have a little rash on my left arm. I noticed it on Monday and have been watching it. Today it seems a little more red and like it has spread a bit. I called the home nurse office and I'm sorry to say that no one called me back. Tomorrow a nurse will be here, so I'll be sure she takes a look at it. I think the rash was caused by the adhesive of the tape that held my IV in place. The adhesive is very sticky and even though I have scrubbed, the marks of the tape can still be seen. The rash doesn't itch, but it may or may not be cause for concern. I'll keep you posted.
That's pretty much all I've got for tonight. It's the first time I have felt like sitting up at my computer and writing a little bit. Honestly, it's hard to lay down all the time. I feel kind of caged, but also unwilling and not ready to go out of the house. Today has been snowy and cold. I told my friends at work that the good part of having knee surgery in January is that I don't have to drive in the snow. The bad part of having knee surgery in January is recovering from the knee surgery.
Now that I've been sitting here for a few minutes with my knee bent, I feel it stiffening up which is my cue to move around. I'm also due for some pain meds. The pain hasn't been bad as long as I stay diligent and listen to what my body is telling me. You can't let the pain get ahead of you because it's hard to catch up.
Hope you are all doing great!
Thursday, January 5, 2017
#1818 sooner than later
This afternoon the knee surgeon's office called and offered me an earlier surgery date and I accepted it. This time next week, I will be in the hospital with a new knee joint!
EEK! YAY! GULP! SQUEE! All the feelings are happening to me tonight.
I have a feeling the next six days are going to fly by. I was planning on having three Sundays before I went to the hospital, but now I only have one. Guess what I'll be doing this weekend? Prepping meals that I can freeze and then dump in the crock pot and maybe getting a pedicure. I really would like to have nice feet before the surgery since I won't be giving them much attention for the next few weeks.
But right now, I think I'll get ready for bed. Sure it's only 8:30 but I am really tired. MT thinks that I am so tired all the time because I am in pain all the time and it wears me out. Sometimes he is so smart.
EEK! YAY! GULP! SQUEE! All the feelings are happening to me tonight.
I have a feeling the next six days are going to fly by. I was planning on having three Sundays before I went to the hospital, but now I only have one. Guess what I'll be doing this weekend? Prepping meals that I can freeze and then dump in the crock pot and maybe getting a pedicure. I really would like to have nice feet before the surgery since I won't be giving them much attention for the next few weeks.
But right now, I think I'll get ready for bed. Sure it's only 8:30 but I am really tired. MT thinks that I am so tired all the time because I am in pain all the time and it wears me out. Sometimes he is so smart.
Sunday, January 1, 2017
#1815 here we go!
It's been so long since I last wrote, I almost forgot that I wanted to get back to writing today. Happy new year everyone! Did you all have a nice holiday? Have you made any resolutions for 2017?
My Christmas vacation was lovely. The three of us flew to San Diego. It wasn't a good start to the trip. The plane had mechanical problems so it was being worked on while we sat on the plane. The entertainment system was activated while we waited. I put on a movie and fell asleep. When I woke up, the movie was over and we were still on the ground. After sitting there for a couple of hours, we had to change planes. We finally arrived in San Diego about two and half hours after we were originally scheduled to arrive. Then, in San Diego, the luggage carousel stopped working, so we had to wait for that problem to get sorted out. Ugh. Our bags were all there and Lizzie was there to pick us up, and after that, the vacation was great.
My cousin Sonia and her daughter Nicole came over from Spain to spend the holiday with us. It was great to see them again and of course to hang out with Lizzie and Mom and Dad. MT did a little bit of handy-man work for my folks which I know makes MT feel good. Other highlights were great food (The Mission and Las Olas in San Diego and El Cholo in La Habra) plus my mom's own delicious cooking. Her canelones are outstanding!
The Christmas gifts I received made me feel so special and that I had been a very good girl in 2016. Everyone was so generous and thoughtful. It was really wonderful. Unfortunately for me, I was in a lot of pain from my knee that day and I was kind of miserable. Everyone was really nice about that, too. I felt bad that I couldn't help my mom with meal prep or anything. I could barely put weight on the leg because my knee was so swollen. It was awful.
Speaking of the knee, my surgery has been pushed back a couple of days to January 26. I'm okay with the change. What's two more days? I have begun a countdown, though. I'm hurting.
I spent yesterday and today thinking about resolutions for the new year. I know it's hokey, but I really like to think that I will change and that change is possible in the new year. In fact, change is my guiding word for the year. Actually, my word is TRANSFORMATION. Sounds more fancy and inspiring than "change", doesn't it? There are two things in my life that I want to transform in 2017: my weight and my clutter. I actually considered the word "reduce" but it didn't feel right.
As far as my weight goes, this must be the year that I get back on "ONEderland." That's what us Weight Watcher types say when our weight gets under 200 lbs. I want that. The goal is totally attainable as long as I pay attention to what I'm eating and how much I'm eating. Cutting back on sugar would be a key to achieving the goal, too.
As far as the house goes, I have lots and lots of random stuff that can be purged. I've had a couple of really good experiences with "tidying up" that have made me feel not so overwhelmed by the process. I just have to do it. Just thinking about it is pretty intimidating, but the results are so worthwhile that I'm going to commit to it.
So...here we go! 2017 should be an interesting year.
My Christmas vacation was lovely. The three of us flew to San Diego. It wasn't a good start to the trip. The plane had mechanical problems so it was being worked on while we sat on the plane. The entertainment system was activated while we waited. I put on a movie and fell asleep. When I woke up, the movie was over and we were still on the ground. After sitting there for a couple of hours, we had to change planes. We finally arrived in San Diego about two and half hours after we were originally scheduled to arrive. Then, in San Diego, the luggage carousel stopped working, so we had to wait for that problem to get sorted out. Ugh. Our bags were all there and Lizzie was there to pick us up, and after that, the vacation was great.
My cousin Sonia and her daughter Nicole came over from Spain to spend the holiday with us. It was great to see them again and of course to hang out with Lizzie and Mom and Dad. MT did a little bit of handy-man work for my folks which I know makes MT feel good. Other highlights were great food (The Mission and Las Olas in San Diego and El Cholo in La Habra) plus my mom's own delicious cooking. Her canelones are outstanding!
The Christmas gifts I received made me feel so special and that I had been a very good girl in 2016. Everyone was so generous and thoughtful. It was really wonderful. Unfortunately for me, I was in a lot of pain from my knee that day and I was kind of miserable. Everyone was really nice about that, too. I felt bad that I couldn't help my mom with meal prep or anything. I could barely put weight on the leg because my knee was so swollen. It was awful.
Speaking of the knee, my surgery has been pushed back a couple of days to January 26. I'm okay with the change. What's two more days? I have begun a countdown, though. I'm hurting.
I spent yesterday and today thinking about resolutions for the new year. I know it's hokey, but I really like to think that I will change and that change is possible in the new year. In fact, change is my guiding word for the year. Actually, my word is TRANSFORMATION. Sounds more fancy and inspiring than "change", doesn't it? There are two things in my life that I want to transform in 2017: my weight and my clutter. I actually considered the word "reduce" but it didn't feel right.
As far as my weight goes, this must be the year that I get back on "ONEderland." That's what us Weight Watcher types say when our weight gets under 200 lbs. I want that. The goal is totally attainable as long as I pay attention to what I'm eating and how much I'm eating. Cutting back on sugar would be a key to achieving the goal, too.
As far as the house goes, I have lots and lots of random stuff that can be purged. I've had a couple of really good experiences with "tidying up" that have made me feel not so overwhelmed by the process. I just have to do it. Just thinking about it is pretty intimidating, but the results are so worthwhile that I'm going to commit to it.
So...here we go! 2017 should be an interesting year.
Monday, December 12, 2016
#1809 going under the knife
Today I met my new knee surgeon at my new knee care place. I had to change from Dr. F, who has been treating me for over four years because Dr. F and the hospital where he practices does not take my insurance anymore. I am sad to leave Dr. F's care because he is a good surgeon and a nice man, but I can't afford to have my knee treated without the help of insurance, so enter Dr. G.
Dr. G is young and handsome and kind and assures me that he is a very good surgeon. (He does have excellent ratings and is highly thought of by the staff that works with him.) The hospital where he will do the surgery is a very good hospital and I know that everything will be fine.
I'm getting a total knee joint replacement on my left knee on January 24. Even though my goal in meeting with Dr. G today was to schedule the surgery, after the consultation and discussion, I still cried when he left the room. This is a big surgery and it is scary. The four weeks after the surgery are not a lot of fun. As I sat in the examination room, all of those memories from four years ago came rushing back to me - the ice pack, the stitches, wrapping the leg in a garbage bag when I showered, the pain and the pain medication, the home nursing visits, the physical therapy, the crutches, the helplessness, the counting on others to help you. Believe me, if I thought there was another way to get rid of the constant debilitating pain, I would take that option, but I know there is no other way than joint replacement surgery. I also know that after the first four weeks, the repaired knee will start to feel better and I won't be in pain all the time and eventually I will be really glad that I had the operation, but today I am sad and scared and nervous and coming to terms with the reality of January 24.
You might be wondering how much pain I am actually having to make such a commitment. Let me try to explain. My left knee hurts all the time, every day. When I sit down, I can bend my knee until it starts to ache from being bent, then I try to straighten it, which causes more pain. The reverse is also true. If I am laying down with the knee straight (unbent), it will start to ache and then I'll have to bend it which makes it feel like something is breaking. After I've been sitting down for awhile, when I stand up, I have to take a moment and gently press on the front of the knee to get it to straighten. I limp when I walk. When I walk up or down the stairs, I put my right foot up (or down) first, then bring my left foot down (or up). I rarely walk up or down the stairs one foot after another. Exercise is fine when I'm doing it, I think because the blood flowing through the knee feels good, but when I am finished with the exercise, the knee swells and I feel like I'm dragging my leg around instead of having use of it. When I turn over in my sleep, the pain in my knee wakes me up. On a scale from one to ten, with ten being the worst pain ever, I'm normally around seven to eight to eight and a half. (I try to save nine and ten for post-surgery descriptions.) It's a sucky way to live when you're 50 years old. Hence, surgery.
In the meantime, I will continue to take some anti-inflammatory pain relievers and go about the business of life. I've lived with the pain for a long time, so another five weeks will be a snap. Plus there is so much to look forward to in that time - especially Christmas in California with my cousin from Spain and my first family along with MT and T!
Sorry for the long whiny post, but I needed it :) Talk to you soon!
Dr. G is young and handsome and kind and assures me that he is a very good surgeon. (He does have excellent ratings and is highly thought of by the staff that works with him.) The hospital where he will do the surgery is a very good hospital and I know that everything will be fine.
I'm getting a total knee joint replacement on my left knee on January 24. Even though my goal in meeting with Dr. G today was to schedule the surgery, after the consultation and discussion, I still cried when he left the room. This is a big surgery and it is scary. The four weeks after the surgery are not a lot of fun. As I sat in the examination room, all of those memories from four years ago came rushing back to me - the ice pack, the stitches, wrapping the leg in a garbage bag when I showered, the pain and the pain medication, the home nursing visits, the physical therapy, the crutches, the helplessness, the counting on others to help you. Believe me, if I thought there was another way to get rid of the constant debilitating pain, I would take that option, but I know there is no other way than joint replacement surgery. I also know that after the first four weeks, the repaired knee will start to feel better and I won't be in pain all the time and eventually I will be really glad that I had the operation, but today I am sad and scared and nervous and coming to terms with the reality of January 24.
You might be wondering how much pain I am actually having to make such a commitment. Let me try to explain. My left knee hurts all the time, every day. When I sit down, I can bend my knee until it starts to ache from being bent, then I try to straighten it, which causes more pain. The reverse is also true. If I am laying down with the knee straight (unbent), it will start to ache and then I'll have to bend it which makes it feel like something is breaking. After I've been sitting down for awhile, when I stand up, I have to take a moment and gently press on the front of the knee to get it to straighten. I limp when I walk. When I walk up or down the stairs, I put my right foot up (or down) first, then bring my left foot down (or up). I rarely walk up or down the stairs one foot after another. Exercise is fine when I'm doing it, I think because the blood flowing through the knee feels good, but when I am finished with the exercise, the knee swells and I feel like I'm dragging my leg around instead of having use of it. When I turn over in my sleep, the pain in my knee wakes me up. On a scale from one to ten, with ten being the worst pain ever, I'm normally around seven to eight to eight and a half. (I try to save nine and ten for post-surgery descriptions.) It's a sucky way to live when you're 50 years old. Hence, surgery.
In the meantime, I will continue to take some anti-inflammatory pain relievers and go about the business of life. I've lived with the pain for a long time, so another five weeks will be a snap. Plus there is so much to look forward to in that time - especially Christmas in California with my cousin from Spain and my first family along with MT and T!
Sorry for the long whiny post, but I needed it :) Talk to you soon!
Sunday, November 13, 2016
#1795 not quite like I'd planned
Today did not go according to my plan. At. All.
Yesterday I wrote that Osi was having seizures. The seizures kept happening during the night, and by 8:00 this morning, we knew she had had at least six or seven seizures that we knew of in 24 hours. That fact worried us enough to take her to the emergency care vet that works with our regular vet. The bad news is that we were there for well over two hours. The good news is that although Osi was nervous, she did not seize during that time and (knock on wood) hasn't seized since. The vet I spoke to recommended increasing the dosage of one of Osi's meds. I feel comfortable with that, so we'll try it. It seems like a good easy solution.
I mentioned in yesterday's post about the full moon. As it turns out, Osi's last set of cluster seizures was on October 15 and the moon phase was exactly what it was last night - waxing moon about 96% full.
Between Osi's seizures and my chronic horrible knee pain, I didn't get much sleep last night. Around 6:00 tonight I was yawning and seriously considering going to bed. Instead, I fired up my computer and started exploring New Orleans. Lizzie sent me a preliminary itinerary, but from reading my recently purchased guide book, I realized that some of the things she had listed for us to do each day were in different neighborhoods and might not be the best use of our time. So armed with my guidebook, the internet and the list of things we want to do, I set out to make my own day-by-day plan. I kind of petered out by Sunday. I'm pretty sure I sure that I stuffed too many things into Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so Sunday will be a good day to regroup and see what we didn't have time to do maybe. Also, I haven't even sent the proposed plan to Lizzie, so she might not be down with it at all! My philosophy, though, was to visit a different neighborhood or two each day. We might not get out of the city to explore a plantation or see the bayou, but there is a lot of cool stuff to see in NOLA itself. The restaurants alone were hard to narrow down. We only eat three meals a day and there are literally dozens of places that I thought sounded pretty amazing.
And now it is 11:00. I haven't even taken out my contacts yet. Today's to-do list is woefully short of checked off items. I'm gonna really have to get after it Monday and Tuesday night so I can be ready for Lizzie's arrival on Wednesday afternoon. Our flight to New Orleans leaves at 7:00 on Thursday morning, so there will be no time for messing around! I'm getting excited though!
Yesterday I wrote that Osi was having seizures. The seizures kept happening during the night, and by 8:00 this morning, we knew she had had at least six or seven seizures that we knew of in 24 hours. That fact worried us enough to take her to the emergency care vet that works with our regular vet. The bad news is that we were there for well over two hours. The good news is that although Osi was nervous, she did not seize during that time and (knock on wood) hasn't seized since. The vet I spoke to recommended increasing the dosage of one of Osi's meds. I feel comfortable with that, so we'll try it. It seems like a good easy solution.
I mentioned in yesterday's post about the full moon. As it turns out, Osi's last set of cluster seizures was on October 15 and the moon phase was exactly what it was last night - waxing moon about 96% full.
Between Osi's seizures and my chronic horrible knee pain, I didn't get much sleep last night. Around 6:00 tonight I was yawning and seriously considering going to bed. Instead, I fired up my computer and started exploring New Orleans. Lizzie sent me a preliminary itinerary, but from reading my recently purchased guide book, I realized that some of the things she had listed for us to do each day were in different neighborhoods and might not be the best use of our time. So armed with my guidebook, the internet and the list of things we want to do, I set out to make my own day-by-day plan. I kind of petered out by Sunday. I'm pretty sure I sure that I stuffed too many things into Thursday, Friday and Saturday, so Sunday will be a good day to regroup and see what we didn't have time to do maybe. Also, I haven't even sent the proposed plan to Lizzie, so she might not be down with it at all! My philosophy, though, was to visit a different neighborhood or two each day. We might not get out of the city to explore a plantation or see the bayou, but there is a lot of cool stuff to see in NOLA itself. The restaurants alone were hard to narrow down. We only eat three meals a day and there are literally dozens of places that I thought sounded pretty amazing.
And now it is 11:00. I haven't even taken out my contacts yet. Today's to-do list is woefully short of checked off items. I'm gonna really have to get after it Monday and Tuesday night so I can be ready for Lizzie's arrival on Wednesday afternoon. Our flight to New Orleans leaves at 7:00 on Thursday morning, so there will be no time for messing around! I'm getting excited though!
Friday, November 11, 2016
#1793 starting the weekend off right
I got off work a little early this afternoon. Leaving early on a Friday is one of the lovely things of the late season at a construction company. We are working now on finishing out the year, so it's not as busy for us as it is in the heat of the summer. Everyone has worked really hard this year, and it's been quite a week. I was glad to tell everyone to go home early today. I took advantage of it myself!
When I got home, I came up to my room and sprawled out on my bed. I was pretty tired because the football game ended late last night - but with a Utah win, so I was happy! I finished the book I had been reading, played with my beloved iPhone, petted my dog, then got ready to go to the gym. There is a 6pm Zumba class that I like to go to when I can. The instructor is fun. We dance our fannies off but it doesn't seem really tough at the time. He keeps the steps pretty simple. I've been to his class enough times to know the routines pretty well. The thing is that with my arthritic left knee, even the easiest steps can be painful.
The knee usually feels fine as long as I'm moving. It stiffens up quite a bit when I am still. After the seven minute drive home from the gym, I can barely straighten the leg. It sucks. I grabbed a bag of mixed veggies from the freezer and plopped it on the swollen, tender knee for 20 minutes. Frozen peas make a perfect ice bag because it shapes to the part that needs ice. It helps. I talked to my dad for our regular Friday night conversation. I talked to MT for a few minutes and petted my dog and decided to take a bath.
I don't usually take baths. I'm a shower person. But I had seen a pin on Pinterest (of course) that to take a bath with Epsom salts, baking soda and drops of lavender essential oil. (I'm kind of crazy for essential oils!). While the tub was filling, I went ahead and bought myself the new album by Sting, 57th & 9th. I don't think I've mentioned to you lately how much I love Sting. Does the musician you have loved since you were 14 still make music? Mine does and it is Sting.
I climbed into the nice warm tub. Sitting down was a little tricky since now I had been standing up for a little bit and my knee was locked into a straight line. At least I didn't slosh any water over the edge of the tub when gravity took over and I finally got seated. With Sting singing is heart out, I felt myself relax in the warm, soft, lavender scented water. It was pretty heavenly. The only thing that would have made it better, I think, is if I had a candle burning instead of the lights being on. (Note for next time - get a candle.)
Now I feel all warm and cozy. My skin feels really soft, which is kind of a miracle since it is so dry here and I believe there is not enough lotion on the planet to hydrate my skin. My knee feels good. All the tension that was in my shoulders seems to be gone. I'm super thirsty. I think there may have been some shifting of the toxins and chakras that happened along the way.
And I still love Sting. The new album is much more rock-n-roll than the previous album, but there are still plenty of ballads in there too. It's comforting to hear him sing new music.
Speaking of new music, there are a few other new releases that I might have to purchase and download: Alicia Keys, Pentatonix (a Christmas album!) and Kenny Chesney. I haven't added new music for awhile. It's a simple pleasure that I should indulge in more often.
Now I'm off to bed. I'm tired and calm and warm and ready for a good night's sleep. I have lots of tasks on tomorrow's to-do list, not the least of which is to finish preparing a loose itinerary for my trip to NOLA with my sister! This time next week, I'll be sipping a hurricane and listening to jazz in the French Quarter. Or maybe Friday night will be the evening we do a ghost tour. So many things we want to do, and only four-ish days to take it all in. Gotta do some planning!
Rest well, friends and welcome to the weekend!
When I got home, I came up to my room and sprawled out on my bed. I was pretty tired because the football game ended late last night - but with a Utah win, so I was happy! I finished the book I had been reading, played with my beloved iPhone, petted my dog, then got ready to go to the gym. There is a 6pm Zumba class that I like to go to when I can. The instructor is fun. We dance our fannies off but it doesn't seem really tough at the time. He keeps the steps pretty simple. I've been to his class enough times to know the routines pretty well. The thing is that with my arthritic left knee, even the easiest steps can be painful.
The knee usually feels fine as long as I'm moving. It stiffens up quite a bit when I am still. After the seven minute drive home from the gym, I can barely straighten the leg. It sucks. I grabbed a bag of mixed veggies from the freezer and plopped it on the swollen, tender knee for 20 minutes. Frozen peas make a perfect ice bag because it shapes to the part that needs ice. It helps. I talked to my dad for our regular Friday night conversation. I talked to MT for a few minutes and petted my dog and decided to take a bath.
I don't usually take baths. I'm a shower person. But I had seen a pin on Pinterest (of course) that to take a bath with Epsom salts, baking soda and drops of lavender essential oil. (I'm kind of crazy for essential oils!). While the tub was filling, I went ahead and bought myself the new album by Sting, 57th & 9th. I don't think I've mentioned to you lately how much I love Sting. Does the musician you have loved since you were 14 still make music? Mine does and it is Sting.
I climbed into the nice warm tub. Sitting down was a little tricky since now I had been standing up for a little bit and my knee was locked into a straight line. At least I didn't slosh any water over the edge of the tub when gravity took over and I finally got seated. With Sting singing is heart out, I felt myself relax in the warm, soft, lavender scented water. It was pretty heavenly. The only thing that would have made it better, I think, is if I had a candle burning instead of the lights being on. (Note for next time - get a candle.)
Now I feel all warm and cozy. My skin feels really soft, which is kind of a miracle since it is so dry here and I believe there is not enough lotion on the planet to hydrate my skin. My knee feels good. All the tension that was in my shoulders seems to be gone. I'm super thirsty. I think there may have been some shifting of the toxins and chakras that happened along the way.
And I still love Sting. The new album is much more rock-n-roll than the previous album, but there are still plenty of ballads in there too. It's comforting to hear him sing new music.
Speaking of new music, there are a few other new releases that I might have to purchase and download: Alicia Keys, Pentatonix (a Christmas album!) and Kenny Chesney. I haven't added new music for awhile. It's a simple pleasure that I should indulge in more often.
Now I'm off to bed. I'm tired and calm and warm and ready for a good night's sleep. I have lots of tasks on tomorrow's to-do list, not the least of which is to finish preparing a loose itinerary for my trip to NOLA with my sister! This time next week, I'll be sipping a hurricane and listening to jazz in the French Quarter. Or maybe Friday night will be the evening we do a ghost tour. So many things we want to do, and only four-ish days to take it all in. Gotta do some planning!
Rest well, friends and welcome to the weekend!
Monday, November 7, 2016
#1789 hurting
I'm hurting tonight, friends. My left knee not playing nice with me at all. I took some ibuprofen and have tried to relax, but every once in a while a pain shoots through my knee and makes me a little nauseous. When the shooting pain stops, a dull ache sets in that lingers until the shooting pain comes back. It's not very nice. I'm gonna put on my cozy compression sleeve and get to bed. Tomorrow is a new day and hopefully I'll feel better.
Thursday, November 3, 2016
#1785 I'm too old for this
I have been tired and run-down all day and I blame baseball. The game last night was so good and so exciting that it took me a little while to calm myself down and stop looking at Twitter and get to bed. Even after I got to bed, I was antsy and restless. I'm sure I got up at least three times during the night and I woke up well before my alarm even thought about waking me up.
To fight off the blahs I was feeling tonight, I went to a Zumba class at the gym. As usual it was really fun. The Thursday instructor, Lisa, knows a lot of routines and always has fun music. Also as usual, when it was over, my left (unrepaired) knee hurt like the dickens. I gobbled down several Ibuprofen, took a hot shower and now have a type of compression sleeve on it. The sleeve makes my knee feel safe and happy. The knee still hurts, but it feels warm and cozy.
Now that I feel all relaxed and smell nice after the shower, I'm going to crawl right into bed. I am diffusing an essential oil blend called GoodNite. It smells great and is supposed to calm the senses to promote good rest/sleep. I'm not sure I have total buy-in to the oil mysticism, but it does smell good and it can't hurt.
I'll try to be more interesting tomorrow!
To fight off the blahs I was feeling tonight, I went to a Zumba class at the gym. As usual it was really fun. The Thursday instructor, Lisa, knows a lot of routines and always has fun music. Also as usual, when it was over, my left (unrepaired) knee hurt like the dickens. I gobbled down several Ibuprofen, took a hot shower and now have a type of compression sleeve on it. The sleeve makes my knee feel safe and happy. The knee still hurts, but it feels warm and cozy.
Now that I feel all relaxed and smell nice after the shower, I'm going to crawl right into bed. I am diffusing an essential oil blend called GoodNite. It smells great and is supposed to calm the senses to promote good rest/sleep. I'm not sure I have total buy-in to the oil mysticism, but it does smell good and it can't hurt.
I'll try to be more interesting tomorrow!
Wednesday, August 24, 2016
#1742 three things: updates
I think there are three things I can write about tonight! They are all updates from previous posts.
Knee. The last time I wrote I was bitching about how bad my left knee was hurting. Since Sunday I have been taking it easy and medicating. The knee feels better than it did, but it's still swollen and painful. The pain goes between a four and a six on the ten point scale. So annoying. #arthritissucks
Pillow. Around the end of July or the first of August I got a new pillow. Remember that I spent $50 on it and I was freaking out a little? Well, since I've been sleeping on the pillow for about a month, I can tell you that it was worth the money. I've mostly been sleeping pretty well, even though thinking/worrying about the man-child does sometimes wake me up in the middle of the night. Not the pillow's fault or the man-child's fault either. Sometimes I just think too much for my own good. I will be away from my pillow for the first time this weekend, so I'll be interested to see how it goes.
iTunes gift card. Remember in July when I was trying to get in 8,000 steps a day so that I could be a $10 iTunes gift card from my work? Well, I did get in 8,000 steps every day in July; in fact, I averaged over 10,000 steps a day! Today I got the gift card in the mail along with a check for $50 for getting over 310,000 steps in July! HOORAY! Why don't I have that same determination and will power every month? I could give myself an iTunes gift card if I succeed or even something else (like nail polish!) but I don't reward myself or challenge myself. Kind of depressing when I think of it. But I was super excited to get the check and the gift card!
Want to know one more awesome thing? I'm going to San Diego in the morning! I'm super excited to visit Lizzie and check out her new apartment in the city. I'm also really looking forward to spending some time with my mom and dad in their peaceful little oasis in the 'burbs. And when I get home on Monday, MT and I will be closing on the sale of the fixer upper, so there's something else to look forward to!
Knee. The last time I wrote I was bitching about how bad my left knee was hurting. Since Sunday I have been taking it easy and medicating. The knee feels better than it did, but it's still swollen and painful. The pain goes between a four and a six on the ten point scale. So annoying. #arthritissucks
Pillow. Around the end of July or the first of August I got a new pillow. Remember that I spent $50 on it and I was freaking out a little? Well, since I've been sleeping on the pillow for about a month, I can tell you that it was worth the money. I've mostly been sleeping pretty well, even though thinking/worrying about the man-child does sometimes wake me up in the middle of the night. Not the pillow's fault or the man-child's fault either. Sometimes I just think too much for my own good. I will be away from my pillow for the first time this weekend, so I'll be interested to see how it goes.
iTunes gift card. Remember in July when I was trying to get in 8,000 steps a day so that I could be a $10 iTunes gift card from my work? Well, I did get in 8,000 steps every day in July; in fact, I averaged over 10,000 steps a day! Today I got the gift card in the mail along with a check for $50 for getting over 310,000 steps in July! HOORAY! Why don't I have that same determination and will power every month? I could give myself an iTunes gift card if I succeed or even something else (like nail polish!) but I don't reward myself or challenge myself. Kind of depressing when I think of it. But I was super excited to get the check and the gift card!
Want to know one more awesome thing? I'm going to San Diego in the morning! I'm super excited to visit Lizzie and check out her new apartment in the city. I'm also really looking forward to spending some time with my mom and dad in their peaceful little oasis in the 'burbs. And when I get home on Monday, MT and I will be closing on the sale of the fixer upper, so there's something else to look forward to!
Monday, August 22, 2016
#1741 that knee got worked
I am relieved that the Olympics are over. The Games were seriously cutting into my sleeping time. I couldn't tear myself away from them and I went to bed well after 11 pm every night. I'm not as young as I used to be and the lost hours of rest were taking a toll.
Last night I was in bed by 10 and asleep by 10:30. Sadly, I didn't stay asleep. I was having such terrible arthritis pain in my left knee that I couldn't get comfortable. The knee was extremely swollen: bending it hurt and having it straight hurt too. There was nothing for it. I took Aleve and ibuprofen and those two meds didn't even touch the pain. In the hospital you judge your pain on a 10 point scale with 10 being the highest level. Last night I was easily an eight creeping up to a nine.
I came by the pain honestly, though. Yesterday morning I went up to Red Butte Garden to do the bloom recording. There were four concerts up there last week, and the only free day was Tuesday, but I was beat from going to the concert on Monday, so Sunday was the day. I don't think I've ever been up there on a Sunday. There were quite a few families in the Children's Garden. There's a fun fountain for the kids to play in and it looked like everyone was having fun. When I was there, it was warm but not yet really hot, so it was pleasant. Yesterday was the day I saw the most hummingbirds in the garden. They were everywhere. My mom would have loved it!
T and I had made plans to explore the campus that afternoon, so he picked me up at the garden. After a quick lunch, we went to the campus. Our goal was to find all the buildings were he has class so he would at least be familiar with where he needs to go. We were certainly not the only people looking around. There were groups of students, singles and families walking around. It was a beautiful afternoon, but it was hot in the afternoon.
The campus of the University of Utah is quite large and on a big hill. We were down pretty much at the bottom of the hill near President's Circle looking for the building where his math class is, and then we trudged all the way back up the hill near the Huntsman Center to check out the last building. Most of his classes are pretty close together except for those two. He has those classes on Tuesday and Thursday and just 15 minutes to get from the one on lower campus to the one on upper campus. It won't be a problem for him. He's young and fit. For me, it was tiring and it took a damn sight longer than 15 minutes!
After we found the buildings, we drove around looking for parking lots he could use. We spent a couple of hours doing all that. I hope it was beneficial for him. He said he was glad that we took the time to do it. Of course he could have done it on his own, but I was glad to hang out with him and see where he would be spending his time.
It was during the drive home that my knee started to swell and kind of locked up. It was awful. My Fitbit said I had walked over 13,000 steps and climbed the equivalent of 39 staircases. So like I said, I came by the pain honestly.
Today it feels a lot better, but then again, I haven't done anything to aggravate it. I have an appointment to see Dr. F (the knee surgeon) on the 30th. I am expecting the knee to be drained and a cortisone shot administered. The thought of the joint replacement surgery, the recovery and the physical therapy is unappealing, but having this constant pain sucks too.
Well, this wasn't a very cheery post, was it? I bet most of the seven of you didn't even make it down this far in the post! It's ok. I'll do better next time :)
Last night I was in bed by 10 and asleep by 10:30. Sadly, I didn't stay asleep. I was having such terrible arthritis pain in my left knee that I couldn't get comfortable. The knee was extremely swollen: bending it hurt and having it straight hurt too. There was nothing for it. I took Aleve and ibuprofen and those two meds didn't even touch the pain. In the hospital you judge your pain on a 10 point scale with 10 being the highest level. Last night I was easily an eight creeping up to a nine.
I came by the pain honestly, though. Yesterday morning I went up to Red Butte Garden to do the bloom recording. There were four concerts up there last week, and the only free day was Tuesday, but I was beat from going to the concert on Monday, so Sunday was the day. I don't think I've ever been up there on a Sunday. There were quite a few families in the Children's Garden. There's a fun fountain for the kids to play in and it looked like everyone was having fun. When I was there, it was warm but not yet really hot, so it was pleasant. Yesterday was the day I saw the most hummingbirds in the garden. They were everywhere. My mom would have loved it!
T and I had made plans to explore the campus that afternoon, so he picked me up at the garden. After a quick lunch, we went to the campus. Our goal was to find all the buildings were he has class so he would at least be familiar with where he needs to go. We were certainly not the only people looking around. There were groups of students, singles and families walking around. It was a beautiful afternoon, but it was hot in the afternoon.
The campus of the University of Utah is quite large and on a big hill. We were down pretty much at the bottom of the hill near President's Circle looking for the building where his math class is, and then we trudged all the way back up the hill near the Huntsman Center to check out the last building. Most of his classes are pretty close together except for those two. He has those classes on Tuesday and Thursday and just 15 minutes to get from the one on lower campus to the one on upper campus. It won't be a problem for him. He's young and fit. For me, it was tiring and it took a damn sight longer than 15 minutes!
After we found the buildings, we drove around looking for parking lots he could use. We spent a couple of hours doing all that. I hope it was beneficial for him. He said he was glad that we took the time to do it. Of course he could have done it on his own, but I was glad to hang out with him and see where he would be spending his time.
It was during the drive home that my knee started to swell and kind of locked up. It was awful. My Fitbit said I had walked over 13,000 steps and climbed the equivalent of 39 staircases. So like I said, I came by the pain honestly.
Today it feels a lot better, but then again, I haven't done anything to aggravate it. I have an appointment to see Dr. F (the knee surgeon) on the 30th. I am expecting the knee to be drained and a cortisone shot administered. The thought of the joint replacement surgery, the recovery and the physical therapy is unappealing, but having this constant pain sucks too.
Well, this wasn't a very cheery post, was it? I bet most of the seven of you didn't even make it down this far in the post! It's ok. I'll do better next time :)
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