Week 31 - Progressing Apace

Life goes on here at Pieceful Harbor.  I went back to work last week and even started driving myself on Thursday.  I'm not as relaxed as before, cause I am constantly on edge in case I need to mash on the brake unexpectedly.  But as my knee heals, I'm sure I will become more relaxed.

We continue to progress on the knee...I evidently injured a muscle on my ankle last week and it's caused me to walk unevenly, thereby resulting in inflammation to several other, much used tendons/muscles and thereby some unexpected pain.  Sigh!  So PT concentrated on trying to loosen some stubborn tendons/muscles today and John gets to use a rolling pin on my thigh this evening to reinforce what PT did earlier.  Sounds worse than it, hopefully, will turn out to be in reality.  (She said with a great deal of hope in her heart!)

When I drove to work the other day, Beast was up at the corner of our property, grazing.  He is a really beautiful steer. He weighs about 1100 pounds so that means he will probably yield about 500 pounds of meat. He goes to Freezer Camp on September 1st...then John will transport him to a halfway point between here and Salt Lake City and Young John will drive to that point and meet his dad to pick up the meat and take it home.  We love being able to supply meat to our son and his family...our daughter-in-law clearly admits they are spoiled for store-bought meat!  No contest between ours and the market!  We win every time!

Speaking of our son, we got some fabulous news yesterday.  On August 28th, our son will be starting a new job.  He will be the CEO of the Utah Technology Council...a true step up for him.  He's been groomed for a CEO position for the last 10 years and it's truly his time to shine!  We are so proud of him.  He will be traveling a bit less and will still be able to perform his duties with the Utah Legislature.  Honestly, it's a Win/Win for everyone concerned.  Way to go, John!

Thanks for stopping by!

Week 30 - Back to the Grind

Sorry for the delay in getting this blog post done...I have no excuse except to say that Sunday got away from me...pure and simple.

Yesterday was my first day back to work in 4 weeks. I'll admit I was nervous to see how much work had piled up in my absence.  I was quite surprised to see that there was not as much awaiting me as I'd feared. I suspect with diligence on my part, I can get back to normal in less than a week.

One of my co-workers brought me a lovely vase of flowers and a hug to welcome me back.

While pink is not my favorite color, these flowers just made me smile all day long.

I'm still not driving yet...having to rely on my office partner/neighbor to pick me up and take me home...but I've been practicing and I think it will be soon that I won't need to rely on folks to drive me everywhere.  A bit scary, I'll admit...but sometimes one must do the scary!

Sorry for the short post....will try to post a longer missive soon.

Thanks for stopping by.

Week 29 - Giggles

Sometimes the smallest things can make you laugh, or even just happy.  On Friday, the whole family went to the beauty shop for various reasons.  Mom and John got haircuts, I got a shortened version of a pedicure (I got my nails cut!)  Ali, the girl who does our hair, puts mom on a booster seat to wash her hair.  It made me giggle.

Physical therapy on my knee is coming along.  Not a quickly as I want, but all the medical folks on my team seem to be happy with the progress.  It continues to amaze me that while the actual PT is hurtful, sometimes to the point of making me cry, when I leave, I have no residual pain. I went in this morning for my session at a pain level of 0 and left 45 minutes later at that same pain level.  And he worked me crazy hard. 

I go back to work a week from today...can't say I'm looking forward to it, but it will be a nice change to my current routine.  I still am not driving yet, but that will come soon enough.

Sorry for the short post. I really don't have a lot to say this week.

Thanks for stopping by.

Week 28 - Continued healing and a blue ribbon!

Sorry this is a day late, but I had my 2 week orthopedic checkup this morning and I wanted to include the results in this blog post. 

Most of the bandages were removed...some of the steri-strips will just peel away with time.  The scar is scabby and gross  but I'm told it looks wonderful! My extension and flexion are evidently further than most people at the 2 week mark. My emotional and physical symptoms are normal and will go away over the ensuing months.  I am cleared to go back to work when scheduled - July 24th. Physical therapy is still kicking my butt, but as I told Michael, my main therapist,  I don't hate him yet!

Yesterday was my first outing since my surgery.  We took mom to lunch and then went over and picked up my entry in the Webster County Fair.  I had entered a pair of socks I knit during Sock Madness this year.  I give Twisted Madness:

Yep, another  blue ribbon and a whopping big check for $3.00.  As John always says, it's better than a sharp stick in the eye! 

I may have overdone my first outing...after we went to the fairgrounds and John picked up my entry and my check, we went to Walmart...all I can say is Thank Goodness they have benches throughout the store...I may have checked out several of them while John and Mom finished up their shopping.

After a nap and a pain pill, I was feeling good enough to try my hand at making a simple supper for us all.  Now, remember,  I don't cook normally, that's John's purview.  But I had seen this recipe for Taco Lasagna on the internet and it looked fairly easy and quite tasty.

Honestly, I didn't change a single thing about this recipe and it came out so yummy...Mom and John both said it's a keeper and they want it again! With a side salad, you end up with all the ingredients for tacos but in a different form. There was enough in the 8 x 8 pan for one more dinner later this week.

Well, I'm off for a short nap (I'm not sure I want to go back to work...I'll have to give up my naps). 

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Week 27 - A New Beginning

It has been a week now and so much has changed.  The biggest change is that my right knee is now bionic.  Not really, it is just a new knee and we are still getting all the kinks out - literally!

The doctor was so proud of his work, he even initialed it!

Foot squeezers and an Icing machine...icing machine came home with us and it's ours to keep.

The best way to make sure the staff is always coming to your room?  My friend Lisa gave me the key - Candy!

I was almost never alone...and my pain issues were quickly addressed! One of my nurses told me that a couple of the pharmacy guys asked her to go into my room and get them a piece of chocolate...she told them if they didn't go in and introduce them selves and get their own candy, they got nothin'!  I left the balance of the dish with the nurses when I left...They were amazing, with and without candy bribes.

I hadn't been in a hospital in a long while so this may be something that is normally done but I was quite impressed...each time a nurse shift came on, someone came in and wrote down the names of my nurses.  They made note of exactly when I was due for a pain pill.  They even wrote down my PT measurements and future goals.

My traytable was quite large and still had room for knitting and my cell phone along with my icing machine...

Today has been my best day so far...Except for right after my exercises, I haven't needed the icing machine all day.  I've been able to walk a little extra today, put away some clothes, and sort laundry.  I've spent a lot of time in the recliner, and periodically sleeping, but all-in-all, I'm proud of my progress so far.  Tomorrow I start formal PT...honestly, I'm a bit scared of this part of my rehabilitation...I really don't do pain much and I know PT hurts...again, I think the icing machine is going to be my very best friend for the near future.  It seems to nail the pain almost immediately.

My best nurses since I've come home is John and my mom...they have saved my sanity in all this.  John's been training mom in how to set up and run the icing machine...and how to hold the chair so I can get out and into it.  John has taken the brunt - mostly at night.  I have to get up at least twice a night and I need help getting unhooked from my machine.  So I have to wake him up and disturb his sleep.  I feel bad but there just isn't any other way to do it.

My other best nurse is the G-Man!  Gilligan spends a few minutes each day checking out my heartbeat and making sure I'm fine.

I hope to have even better results next week...as long as I continue to improve, I'm one happy girl.  And so is my family.

Thanks for stopping by.