Weekend's comin'

Saw my surgeon this morning for my 17-day post-op visit. She's pleased with my progress and how I'm walking with a cane already.  I mentioned to her that my shoulders were causing me a lot more grief than my knee so she scheduled me for an x-ray on Monday.  She thinks it's very likely I injured my neck/shoulders in the fall, and told me again that the knee was a real mess when she opened it on the operating table.  Once I can get a handle on the shoulder pain (it's causing me to lose sleep), I know I'll heal even faster.

Wednesday I start physical therapy with an outfit downtown.  I'll ask them to work with the shoulders as well as the knee. Luckily, I was released to drive so I can get myself around a little easier now and not have to rely on Jen or Sue.

Stopped at Safeway after my doctor appt this morning to practice using one of their motorized carts. Wouldn't you know....I walk in and there's none available.  Grrrrr....

One of my goals today is to try and connect with medicare (or AARP?) to see about signing up for prescription insurance.  So hard to get through on the phone so maybe I'll try online and see if I can figure out what I need to do.

Was watching the food channel the other day and saw Sue in her store's commercial.  It's only on locally but it was kind of fun to see her.  Stepped on my scale this morning and it said I was down 25 pounds.  My scale has always been a little off from various doctors' scales but I'm saying mine is close enough.  My appetite continues to lag but I'm fine with that.

Mary,Andy, and Catie are coming over tomorrow and will spend the night. I was able to unload my treadmill (thanks to Facebook) so I think I'll have Mary help move my sewing stuff out to the kitchen area.

Well, I guess I'll head into my motion machine for a couple of hours and give my knee the exercise it needs. I'm more comfortable sitting in this chair with a tv  table to get online but I still can't sit for too long.  All in time, I suppose.
Have a good weekend.

Trying out a new place to sit

It's been so uncomfortable to sit at the kitchen table that I haven't been able to get online for more than a few minutes on "good days." Yesterday, I had an especially bad day because of both upper arms/shoulders/rotater cuffs.  It's been ongoing since the fall but I assumed it was caused by me using the walker incorrectly.

Well, I'm using the walker a whole lot less now and the pain is only increasing.  My guess is that the walker was not to blame and I most likely injured my shoulders when I fell.  Google says to rest, ice it, heat it, and see your doctor.  Getting in to see my doctor is next to impossible.  Her first available spot is Oct. 25 so I signed on to see a P.A.  Doubt she'll be able to help but I can get my yeast infection checked while there too (if that's what it is).  Yeah, this has been one fun journey.  Cut lip, 4 dead teeth, root canal, infected kneecap, shoulder injury, panic attacks, urinary tract infections, yeast infections, difficulty sleeping, constipation, nausea, and oh yeah, the only good thing -- loss of appetite and weight.

I'm sure had I gone into this knee replacement healthy, my body would have improved sooner.  But I manage to do things the hard way.  Yesterday I had about three crying jags. Mostly because one of the knee exercises (bending the knee) was so painful, I wanted to die!  I had purposely not done that particular exercise as often and as strong as I should have.  Now, I'm forcing myself to bend it, hold it, cry it out, cuss it out, and pray.  Lots of praying going on around here.

My physical therapist told me to use my cane using my left hand and not the right. I'm also focusing on not using my right arm to reach for things or to lay on it.  I knew my recliner was causing me difficulty because I have to push hard to get the handle up and I have to push myself up using the arms of the chair.  Now I've transferred to a upright chair (my old computer chair with arms but no wheels) so I can sit to watch tv  and get up easier afterwards.

Not as comfortable but necessary.  I moved the laptop over here on a tv tray and I think it's allowing me to type longer than I could at the kitchen table.  At least for now.  Maybe I can even get back into my crossword puzzles.  I had Jenni take a picture of me walking yesterday.

Oh my, here comes the rain again.  Actually, I don't mind the rain or the storms when I'm housebound. Makes it easier to cope.  Friday morning I see my surgeon for my post-op appointment. Am hoping I won't have to go back again but I probably will as I'm still kind of broken.

Sure am thankful I signed back up for cable channels.  Now, I'm watching a whole lot of stuff I couldn't tolerate before. Funny how that happens.  Watched The Barefoot Contessa on the cooking channel yesterday.  A lot of those recipes are unrealistic.  You need more money (and energy) than I have to afford the ingredients, the applianes, the dishes, and the pans.  Fun to watch, though.

Oh dear, I hope I didn't miss The Black List last night.  It's one of the few new shows I really like but I can't remember what night it's on.   Way too much attention being given to that spoiled brat, Miley Cyrus. I can't use my remote quick enough when she appears.  But I won't walk down that road today.

I'm off to my bed to do my exercises and I think I'll start off with the one that hurts me the most. At least I know what to expect and maybe this time, I can cut the tears off at the pass.  I'm such a baby.

Sunday

Uneventful day. Jen and Wayne had a good time at the Bon Jovi concert with the twins. Sammy waited patiently for them to return.  Wayne and Hunter came over to cut my lawn and trim the tree out front.

I've been watching the second season of Homeland.  Great show by the way.  Nothing much on my agenda this week. Physical therapist tomorrow. Follow-up doc appt with my surgeon on Friday.  And with that....well....I got nothin'!

Taking it easy

Physical therapist came by at 9 a.m. and I had her show me again exactly how I needed to do each of my bed exercises.  I had a feeling I was a little off as they hurt like hell.  She added one more routine to the mix as well. Basically, you just sit in a chair and slide your foot forward and backward on the floor.  Not that easy when the knee doesn't want to bend.

Definitely seeing a huge improvement in being able to walk, though. She didn't feel I was quite ready for a cane yet but I'm getting there.  Having more knee pain but I think that's to be expected as I increase my exercises.  Ice packs are my friends.

The p/t told me she had another client who tried out Crestwood first and she only lasted two hours.  Somehow that was comforting as I felt my overnight stay was above and beyond my endurance.  I am thankful daily that I'm recovering in my own bed, my own recliner, and with my own tv set and activities.

My upper arms and shoulders continue to cause me pain.  I suspected it was using the walker but I've been using the walker for weeks and the arms are only getting worse.  Either my neck and back are out because I'm walking lopsided or maybe I even knocked something out of joint when I fell.  It was definitely a hard fall and neck and back injuries are easy to experience.  I'll worry about it later.

Called my old neighbor, Yvonne, who has moved to Olympia so we could compare health notes.  She's in the middle of really bad chemo and we marvel at how our health paths both went down nasty roads along the same time.  She's thinking of moving back into her house since it's not selling.

Jenni stayed overnight with me last night. Was so much fun catching up.  She fixed me a baked potato with broccoli and cheese on top.  Yum!  She does make me laugh.  She helped me change the bandage on my knee but we were too afraid to take off the final gauze strip so the physical therapist is coming back at 5 to do it for me.

Jenni and Wayne are taking the twins to a Bon Jovi concert tomorrow so Sammy is coming to spend the night at Gramma's house.  And that is about the extent of my activities.  Mary Norton is coming by to visit in the next half hour so I'm looking forward to that.  More later...

Had a nice long visit with Mary catching up on news.  Therapist came to change my bandage. Jenni and I were afraid to take off the last bit next to my wound and she said it was a good thing as they had to stay on.Said they were steri-strips and were supposed to be left intact.  Okay. This is getting boring...even to me.  Guess I'll head into bed early.  Wish Wheel of Fortune would call my number. I could use that $5000.

Learning as I go

I think I need to do my bed exercises, THEN get on the motion machine for two hours.  It hurt like hell this morning to do every exercise (6 of them). I even cried but nothing new there. I've done a lot of crying these past weeks.  Am definitely walking better. Just use the walker most of  the time for a little balance.  Now if I can just find a way to sit at the laptop that doesn't hurt.

Yesterday was my 50th anniversary of meeting my ex.  Ha Ha   The things that stay in your memory.

Fixed myself a poached egg, bagel, hash brown, and coffee for breakfast so my appetite is improving.
My mail lady retires today. She invited me to her potluck party at the moose hall Saturday night but I'll have to pass.

Also going to miss my cousin, Sue's wedding on the 11th.  Another disappointment.

Am looking forward to getting my book marketed but I can see it's going to have to wait a few weeks yet.  Be prepared for Facebook and email postings.

Well, back to my machine. Golf is on and I'm enjoying that.

GMA was a big disappointment again this morning. Giving more air time to stupid Miley Cyrus. They're so pathetic!

New physical therapist

So happy with the Home Health p/t that came today. She instructed me on what I was doing wrong with my knee machine, what I was doing wrong with the bed exercises, and eliminated some that weren't helping.  Also set up my machine on the bed so I don't have to worry about moving it each morning and night.

Gave me lots of confidence about what I'm able to do already and feels I'll be done with the walker in no time. Was especially pleased with the new way to exercise.  The others were hurting me so much, I couldn't hardly stand it.

Only sad news is that I paid bills today and balanced the checkbook.  Found a prescription bill at Safeway for over $300 which is a pill I take for a month at bedtime.  Jenni didn't tell me 'cause she said I was to fragile to deal with it.  Wish I had prescription insurance but I'll rethink that later.

Finally found a way to sleep on my back and fall asleep quicker.  I put a pillow under my bad leg (the full length of the leg; not the knee only).

Well, that's it for now. Can still only sit a short time at a table or the laptop. Time to head back to bed and do exercises.  I'm on the machine for close to 8 hours a day and I do the exercises four times a day. I also walk "the circle of the kithchen" a few times.  I'll probably have to go to physical therapy downtown for a couple of weeks once the home health lady signs off.  Got to figure out how to get a driver to take me there.  All workable.  I hope.   Maybe paratransit.

This physical therapist knows her stuff too. In the 70's she was a sports p/t for several pro teams, including the Rams and Dodgers. She also told me that Blankenship is a well known name in physical therapy. I'll have to google him.

It's October

Today will be better. My special passive movement machine (forget what it's called) is arriving this morning and I intend to spend a good two hours in it immediately to get my leg loosened up.  Two different people in two phone calls within an hour of each other both told me that knee replacement surgery rehab is much harder to get through than hip replacement.  I would have thought the opposite.  Both depressed me and gave me hope that the pain I'm suffering while doing these exercises is to be tolerated and expected.

Night sleeping is still difficult because of both shoulder and upper arm pain but I know that will end once I get off the walker or learn how to use it better.  Home health rehab guy should be coming one day this week and I can ask him exactly how I should be doing the exercises I am doing.  I knew the pain wasn't going to be insignificant but I'm a tad surprised at how much it does hurt.  Whine....whine....

On the plus side, I signed up for cable starting today and I'll have Discovery and History and HGTV to take my mind off things.  Sue is excited too as she misses watches The Bridge.

GMA is running a story on this couple with too much money who are building the biggest house in the country.  Does anyone really care?  They're going to use Sedgeways to get around inside the place. That's disgusting!

My mail will be resumed today too so that's something else to look forward to. Mostly, though, I'm eager to use my leg machine.

Watched The Blacklist yesterday that I had taped. Good show.  Sorry I missed Breaking Bad but I can catch up in reruns.  Same with Sons of Anarchy.

By the way, I've got a treadmill to give away if anyone wants to come pick up the heavy sucker. It's electric, works fine. I need the room for a sewing area again.  Will keep my exercise bike, though. I'll have to remember to take a picture and post it on Facebook.  The treadmill,that is.

Had to laugh yesterday.  Jenni fixed me some hash browns with a poached egg and a couple pieces of fried spam.  (I've always loved spam)  Anyhow, Sue came in and I asked her if she wanted a piece of Spam.
"Are you kidding?" she said. I never eat that stuff.
"Hmmm..  I didn't know that. Jenni doesn't like it either."

Sue:  You fed us that stuff all our life and I haven't eaten it since I left home.
Jenni:  Hey, Mom...don't you remember a food your dad fed you that you hate now and won't eat?
Me:   Yeah.... Velveeta cheese.

We all laughed.
 Well, off to my recliner to take my pills.