Hangin' in there

This morning I got myself in the shower.  That was huge for me as I've been afraid of standing on my bad leg to step over the shower rim. Thank God I have a walk-in shower!  Jenni got up at 5:30, made sure I was okay until she came back from showering at home and dressing for work.  I thought I would surprise her and see if I could be in the shower myself to save her some time.  Small steps mean a lot to me right now

I went off Prozac as the doctor thought it was contributing to the nausea and throwing up I couldn't seem to shake.  It took me away from trying to focus on physical therapy as it was making me so miserable and weak.  I'm a little shaky this morning but it's 7:30 and I managed to shower, dress, walk to the kitchen table, eat breakfast, have coffee, and start blogging.  My usual routine was to go straight to my recliner.  And I will head there once I finish this short blog.

My knee is sore but I'm hoping as I continue to walk more, the discomfort will ease a bit. The p/t is coming at 1 pm and I'm hoping to be able to perform better than I did last week.  Right shoulder continues to throb but I think it's less than it has been and for that I'm thankful as it was making me leery of using the walker as much as I needed to.

The home health nurse came yesterday to take more blood, urine, and check my vitals. Blood pressure was still low but they think perhaps the Prozac might have been causing that too.  I'm just in the hands of whoever can take care of me at this point.  Life lesson is that I'm not as tough as I thought I would be in bad health.  Course I think I always knew I was a big scaredy cat; just didn't realize how vulnerable I was.

When I'm laying in bed I force myself to not think about surgery or the rehab. One day at a time. I let my mind roam to the things I'm going to do around the house and yard.  Will take me a while but I intend to downsize in a big way.  Too much junk around here! Much more than I need....cds, books, games, puzzles, knickknacks, etc.  We'll see.  Maybe I'll look at things differently when I'm up and moving.  Saw Brian Williams of NBC news just had a knee replacement and he talked about how helpful it was to hear from others who had the operation and did well afterwards.  Heaven knows I've altered my activities a lot these past years because of bad knees/back.

Food still has little interest for me but I force myself to eat so I don't feel sick.  This may be the one bright spot in this whole ordeal.  I have a renewed confidence that I can change eating habits.  The new knee will appreciate it, I'm sure.

My list of appointments for Sept seem daunting.  I see my primary care doctor on Tuesday and myh surgeon later.  Have to check into what I need to take to the nursing home too.

I haven't had the energy to open any bills or look at my bank balance but I hope to get things in a little bit of order next week as Jenni helps me online.  Thank you Barb Shaw for sending me my first
check for book sales at Don's Pharmacy.  It raised my spirits sooooo much!

Spread the word out there.  I have a lot left here at home to mail out.  $12.50 to mail. Address is 1822 W. 15th St, Port Angeles, WA 98363.  $10 if you buy at the drug store in downtown Port Townsend. I think you'll like the book.  I have to sell 100 to recoup my printing costs and then the second 100 will be my profit.  Ha!  The dentist will probably take that.  I haven't opened his bills yet. Too afraid.
Here's a picture Jenni took of me last week as she was wheeling me into his office.

Kind of sad about the things I'm missing out on right now.  Was suppose to visit my cousin, Ann, in Tacoma on Sept. 15th for her birthday. Planned on staying overnight.  Next year maybe.  My cousin, Jimmy, is in town and I planned to drive in to visit him. I was really disappointed about that but we talked on the phone. Missed the two county fairs, missed my class picnic, and will miss my cousin, Susie's wedding in PT on Oct. 11th.  Very happy for her and I so wanted to go.  Best wishes Sue!

And thank you to Carol Wilson Colby for the nice surprise in the mail of  a bathtub, sink, and toilet for my collection. I just love them!

My first chuckle today (and there haven't been that many chuckles in this house lately) was Jenni's comment to me as I hobbled from the shower back to my bed to get dressed.

"You're so Grandpa", she said.  "You're moving along with your tongue hanging out the side of your mouth and you had to stop and turn off the bathroom light to save electricity."

And while I haven't been posting much on Facebook, I do want to say hello and I'm thinking of you to all those who are going through health problems, who have had birthdays, anniversarys, and who are planning weddings.  Congrats to my cousin, Cindy, who is basking in the joy of both her children marrying.

Well, I've  worn myself out sitting here so time to move to another place to sit. Ha!  I can answer quick emails on my phone. Just too hard to write long conversations.

Jenni will be proud of me that I posted this morning.  She said:  "Good for you for heading right to your computer this morning. You have got to let people know how you're doing so they won't quit lovin' on you."  Hee Hee   She's such a joy to have.