Monday, February 28, 2011
I'm Awake!
Ok, I kind of fell asleep there. But again I will be trying to blog each day about my recovery. Tomorrow physical therapy begins! I suppose parts of it will be easier and parts of it more difficult; just like everything else. I feel sleep lurking.
5 Days
It's been five days since the surgery and some things have gone much better.
First of all the nausea that I experienced from the anaesthesia the first time was pretty much totally missing as was the amnesia. I remember going into the surgical room and being put on the table and I remember waking up in the recovery room, talking to someone I knew. Lyla is a friend from Garden Club and quilting so that was fun. I went to my room and was alert and knew what was going on. All good things. I wasn't near as amusing to Joe and the daughters but it was a great relief to them that I was so much more aware. My first walk was from one side of the bed to the other about 5 hours after surgery.
As I understand it, the left knee wasn't nearly as bad as the right had been and the length of the surgery was much shorter, recovery too. Even so, I had this little problem of falling asleep unexpectedly--talking, sleeping, watching tv, sleeping. Not much different from my normal Thursday afternoon-evening. However, it is best not to fall asleep with a full glass of ice and pop in your hand. I ended up with a change of clothes and bedding from that.
During my first stay in the hospital, I became over confident and fell reaching for the walker. This time it wasn't my fault. My second walk was to the door of the room and back; all went fine. My third walk was to be much longer and I asked to go to the bathroom first. One PT put a higher seat on the toilet for me and the other one walked me in to the area and I turned around to sit down. The extra seat collapsed under neath me as one leg wasn't correctly attached. I tried to stop falling but ended up on the floor with my walker on top of me and the other PT on top of the walker. I gathered a crowd immediately and didn't get to use my line (I've fallen and I can't get up.) We walked back to bed and that was that. I just couldn't seem to get very far in these walks.
My last walk before dismissal was a ride to the thereapy room where the steps are. I had to be able to go up two steps to get into my house from the garage. It's been difficult to retrain myself as to which is my good leg and which is my bad. For control I have to use the good leg going up and the bad leg going down, the reverse of what I've been doing. At the hospital it was scary but ok. When we got home, it was the hardest part of the experience.
First of all the nausea that I experienced from the anaesthesia the first time was pretty much totally missing as was the amnesia. I remember going into the surgical room and being put on the table and I remember waking up in the recovery room, talking to someone I knew. Lyla is a friend from Garden Club and quilting so that was fun. I went to my room and was alert and knew what was going on. All good things. I wasn't near as amusing to Joe and the daughters but it was a great relief to them that I was so much more aware. My first walk was from one side of the bed to the other about 5 hours after surgery.
As I understand it, the left knee wasn't nearly as bad as the right had been and the length of the surgery was much shorter, recovery too. Even so, I had this little problem of falling asleep unexpectedly--talking, sleeping, watching tv, sleeping. Not much different from my normal Thursday afternoon-evening. However, it is best not to fall asleep with a full glass of ice and pop in your hand. I ended up with a change of clothes and bedding from that.
During my first stay in the hospital, I became over confident and fell reaching for the walker. This time it wasn't my fault. My second walk was to the door of the room and back; all went fine. My third walk was to be much longer and I asked to go to the bathroom first. One PT put a higher seat on the toilet for me and the other one walked me in to the area and I turned around to sit down. The extra seat collapsed under neath me as one leg wasn't correctly attached. I tried to stop falling but ended up on the floor with my walker on top of me and the other PT on top of the walker. I gathered a crowd immediately and didn't get to use my line (I've fallen and I can't get up.) We walked back to bed and that was that. I just couldn't seem to get very far in these walks.
My last walk before dismissal was a ride to the thereapy room where the steps are. I had to be able to go up two steps to get into my house from the garage. It's been difficult to retrain myself as to which is my good leg and which is my bad. For control I have to use the good leg going up and the bad leg going down, the reverse of what I've been doing. At the hospital it was scary but ok. When we got home, it was the hardest part of the experience.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Here I Go Again!
Joe and I will be leaving the house at 5:30 am to arrive at Mt. Carmel East by 6:15 for registration for my second total knee replacement. Being the first surgery of the day is great in some respects as it will be over much earlier and that's better for Joe. I will probably sleep through most of the day again but it was hard on Joe not to even get me to my room before five in the afternoon. Also I am hoping not to be so entertaining as I was the first time. I have talked with various medical people about my reaction to the anaesthesia and hopefully it will be better.
Of course, the best thing about the 6:15 start is there is no time to get nervous in the morning. We'll arrive and things will get started!
Of course, the best thing about the 6:15 start is there is no time to get nervous in the morning. We'll arrive and things will get started!
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Wrestling, Barbaric or Character Building?
My 11 year old grandson has wrestled for his school this year for the first time. He has not been successful, losing every match but working hard in practices. I only went to to one meet, later in the season. As I watched their warm-ups, I was surprised to see Kai's flexibility as he did front and back somersaults and then a back bend up from the floor. Obviously he had learned some things in practice and was stronger than before. The matches started and I felt it was a little barbaric as the boys groped each other and some left the mat in tears. Kai struggled mightily but lost his match that day.
Today he came home from his last team meet and announced that in his very last match, he had pinned his opponent. The huge grin on his face was all it took to make me like wrestling very much. His coach complimented him and reminded him that all his hard work had paid off and that he deserved this win. Wrestling will never be my favorite sport, but I think it's been character building for Kai. To work hard and never win is always harder than not working and winning easily. It was great that he got the reward at last!
Today he came home from his last team meet and announced that in his very last match, he had pinned his opponent. The huge grin on his face was all it took to make me like wrestling very much. His coach complimented him and reminded him that all his hard work had paid off and that he deserved this win. Wrestling will never be my favorite sport, but I think it's been character building for Kai. To work hard and never win is always harder than not working and winning easily. It was great that he got the reward at last!
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Jewelry Gene
I believe that the desire and ability to wear jewelry well is genetic and it skipped me.
My mom and her sisters had tons of costume jewelry and a very few expensive pieces. Mom would wear huge chunks of color on her ears and it must have been uncomfortable as her ears were never pierced. She would add on a matching necklace and bracelet with her bright make-up. She looked good and it made her feel good to add that jewelry to her ensemble.
When my Aunt Karla passed away, she left behind two suitcases full of costume jewelry. My daughters and I were invited to choose a momento. The girls' eyes were so big; they were enchanted with the overwhelming display and dove right in. I picked one pair of earrings, knowing I might never wear them.
When I do wear jewelry on some special occasion, it will be a pair of old earrings from my mom's stash. I still have much of it and I love to go through it. The girls, on the other hand, graduated from huge boxes of costume jewelry to several good pieces that they started collecting from high school on. I'm not sure if my granddaughter Quinn has the jewelry gene or not yet. At the age of six, she loves to give herself fancy manicures and have her mom paint her toenails, so I'm thinking probably, "Yes, the gene moves on."
My mom and her sisters had tons of costume jewelry and a very few expensive pieces. Mom would wear huge chunks of color on her ears and it must have been uncomfortable as her ears were never pierced. She would add on a matching necklace and bracelet with her bright make-up. She looked good and it made her feel good to add that jewelry to her ensemble.
When my Aunt Karla passed away, she left behind two suitcases full of costume jewelry. My daughters and I were invited to choose a momento. The girls' eyes were so big; they were enchanted with the overwhelming display and dove right in. I picked one pair of earrings, knowing I might never wear them.
When I do wear jewelry on some special occasion, it will be a pair of old earrings from my mom's stash. I still have much of it and I love to go through it. The girls, on the other hand, graduated from huge boxes of costume jewelry to several good pieces that they started collecting from high school on. I'm not sure if my granddaughter Quinn has the jewelry gene or not yet. At the age of six, she loves to give herself fancy manicures and have her mom paint her toenails, so I'm thinking probably, "Yes, the gene moves on."
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
The Other Side
I glanced through some of my earlier blogs and decided that I may be giving the reader a somewhat exaggerated picture of Joe. I am not lying about anything but also I am not writing about the good qualities near as much as I am poking a bit of fun at his more interesting bad qualities.
So for the record:
Joe is an excellent PapPap and has a wonderful relationship with his three grandchildren. He plays games and has tons of patience as well as having great care with their needs.
He calls his daughters almost every day (maybe a bit too often but they call him back) and is incredibly proud of them.
I often hear him hooting on the phone as he talks with his sister or brother in Steubenville or his sister in Columbus. He and his sister Barb have a deep personal relationship with Reader's Digest and have to talk over each issue.
He has a great sense of humor and often sees the comedy in life.
He is an excellent counselor and teacher. All the kids love him when he subs and he brings home notes that say, "You rock, Mr. Whyte!"
Ok, good enough for now. Let's not give him a big head.
So for the record:
Joe is an excellent PapPap and has a wonderful relationship with his three grandchildren. He plays games and has tons of patience as well as having great care with their needs.
He calls his daughters almost every day (maybe a bit too often but they call him back) and is incredibly proud of them.
I often hear him hooting on the phone as he talks with his sister or brother in Steubenville or his sister in Columbus. He and his sister Barb have a deep personal relationship with Reader's Digest and have to talk over each issue.
He has a great sense of humor and often sees the comedy in life.
He is an excellent counselor and teacher. All the kids love him when he subs and he brings home notes that say, "You rock, Mr. Whyte!"
Ok, good enough for now. Let's not give him a big head.
Electronics Killer
Joe is a killer of all things electronic or even remotely high tech.
We have had a new garage door opener for three months and in that three months, his remote opener has died three times. The first time I think he demagnetized it by carrying it around in his pockets. The second time I don't know what happened, maybe he was still carrying it around. But the company replaced both of our openers and reprogrammed the whole system. Now he keeps it in his console as it must be out of sight or someone might steal it. Whatever! This third time they suggested to him he try to reprogram it himself and to look for the red button on the opener system in the garage. There's no red button on the box that I can see. So he'll have to call them again and hopefully they'll help us fix it without starting to charge us. Oh, and yes, I have an opener that has had absolutely no problems.
When I had my first knee surgery, I purchased a second laptop for the house (My other one is at the shop and used for business.) and signed up for internet access at home so I could keep up with all the fun stuff I do, like this blog. Now that it's there in the house, Joe wants to do email. It's a slow process educating him. He's very impatient and he pounds on the computer and inevitably every time he touches it, it freezes up. Honestly, I think it's someting in his chemistry. I don't know if that's even possible but if it is, it's him. I think he could bring down the whole internet so if it goes dark, be aware that it's Joe's fault!
I think he's also killing the dishwasher. See my earlier post.
We have had a new garage door opener for three months and in that three months, his remote opener has died three times. The first time I think he demagnetized it by carrying it around in his pockets. The second time I don't know what happened, maybe he was still carrying it around. But the company replaced both of our openers and reprogrammed the whole system. Now he keeps it in his console as it must be out of sight or someone might steal it. Whatever! This third time they suggested to him he try to reprogram it himself and to look for the red button on the opener system in the garage. There's no red button on the box that I can see. So he'll have to call them again and hopefully they'll help us fix it without starting to charge us. Oh, and yes, I have an opener that has had absolutely no problems.
When I had my first knee surgery, I purchased a second laptop for the house (My other one is at the shop and used for business.) and signed up for internet access at home so I could keep up with all the fun stuff I do, like this blog. Now that it's there in the house, Joe wants to do email. It's a slow process educating him. He's very impatient and he pounds on the computer and inevitably every time he touches it, it freezes up. Honestly, I think it's someting in his chemistry. I don't know if that's even possible but if it is, it's him. I think he could bring down the whole internet so if it goes dark, be aware that it's Joe's fault!
I think he's also killing the dishwasher. See my earlier post.
Monday, February 7, 2011
Food Network
One of the more masochistic things that I do is watch the Food Network. For a person who is doing Weight Watchers it seems somewhat counter productive.
I watch "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" and want to go to every joint that Guy goes to and eat all the food just as he does. Even when he's tasting brains or kidneys or the spiciest carnitas, I want to take a bite right along with him.
Then I watch "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" and vicariously enjoy every bite the chefs take. Maybe it is not so terrible if I don't actually eat anything but just watch other people eat it. That's it, I'm a food voyeur. Especially when they are eating my favorites, like chocolate or ice cream or probably just about anything edible. So maybe it's not so masochistic, but is more like therapeutic as long as I don't get up off the couch and head for the kitchen.
I watch "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" and want to go to every joint that Guy goes to and eat all the food just as he does. Even when he's tasting brains or kidneys or the spiciest carnitas, I want to take a bite right along with him.
Then I watch "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" and vicariously enjoy every bite the chefs take. Maybe it is not so terrible if I don't actually eat anything but just watch other people eat it. That's it, I'm a food voyeur. Especially when they are eating my favorites, like chocolate or ice cream or probably just about anything edible. So maybe it's not so masochistic, but is more like therapeutic as long as I don't get up off the couch and head for the kitchen.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
HGTV
I'm watching too much HGTV again.
I want to be able to do all those repairs and construction things, but I think I'm overly ambitious. Maybe twenty or thirty years ago, I could have done these things but I'm not sure now that I can.
One of my goals in having my knees repaired was to enable myself to be able to get out in the yard and do some of the gardening again. Also I want to be able to paint a room again and do many of the things I used to do. Maybe that's why HGTV is so seductive to me. They make everything look simple and easy enough for me to do.
It's doubtful that I'll ever be able to install a new shower in place of my old tub or turn my basement into an income suite, but this summer I'm definitely planting some flowers in my front bed.
I want to be able to do all those repairs and construction things, but I think I'm overly ambitious. Maybe twenty or thirty years ago, I could have done these things but I'm not sure now that I can.
One of my goals in having my knees repaired was to enable myself to be able to get out in the yard and do some of the gardening again. Also I want to be able to paint a room again and do many of the things I used to do. Maybe that's why HGTV is so seductive to me. They make everything look simple and easy enough for me to do.
It's doubtful that I'll ever be able to install a new shower in place of my old tub or turn my basement into an income suite, but this summer I'm definitely planting some flowers in my front bed.
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