2 weeks post-op

I am starting to get the hang of being mobility challenged.  I can do things, I just have to allow MUCH more time to do them!

I went back to see my surgeon last Wednesday.  She was well pleased with how my foot looked!  They put the temporary cast back on until this coming Friday.  Then they will remove the staples and put a "permanent" cast on for another 3 weeks or so.  She doesn't want me to put any weight on my foot for 6 weeks post-op.  I am still not having much pain.  I rarely have to take even an ibuprofen...mostly just if I've been out too much.  I started riding in the front seat of the car, which means not elevating my foot.  I think that wasn't a good idea on Sunday.  After riding to Highway (about a 20 minute drive), we went to Weatherford with the group to celebrate Bryan Wells' birthday.  By the time we got home, my foot felt like it was swelling...it was definitely hurting!  I guess for long rides like that, I will still need to ride in the backseat and prop up my foot.

I'm now sleeping in my bed, which is WONDERFUL!  I just finished my last antibiotic after lunch today, so no more having to stay up to midnight and setting my alarm for 6:00 am.  I can cook my own breakfast and have even helped with supper a couple of times.  I can do some light cleaning.  Carrying things is a big issue!  Plus having to move about in tight places!  I love my little scooter, but it can be quite hard to maneuver in certain circumstances.  Dennis insists on getting me out of the house at least once a day, so we have eaten out several times.  I was apprehensive at first, but it has gone quite well.  I'm trying not to be self-conscious! 

Dennis has been a great caregiver during all of this!  It was very frustrating, at first, to have to rely on him for EVERYTHING.  I've always had a pretty independent streak, so I haven't been the easiest patient at times.  I'm enjoying NOT having to rely on him for so much now.  He is still solicitous and always ready to help with any need, but he has finally gotten more comfortable with going about his regular routine.  He keeps his phone on him at all times, in case I need him while he's out in the shop.  I even scooted out to the shop one day.  It sure surprised him when I knocked on the door and he found me standing there!

Sheila and I went to visit a couple of our kiddos on Saturday.  I knew that the little boy would be intrigued with my scooter!  Sure 'nough, he made a beeline for it first thing.  He kept trying to climb up on it.  I was using it to elevate my foot, and one time he tried to push my foot off and crawl up onto the seat!  It was so cute!

Well, it is official now.  Shepherd is the legal child of Stephen and Mandy!  He still has to wait for his passport and medical exam before he can be brought home.  Praying that all of that is done quickly!  I can't wait to meet my youngest grandchild!

I've finished my crazy quilt pillow and also made another pillow using an old doily as decoration.  I'm happy with how they both turned out.  They add a nice touch of color to my guest room.  I've also completed 7 knitted dishrags.  I still have a lot of yarn to use up, so if anyone of you need one, just let me know.  I like to keep several on hand to give away as opportunities arise. 

The ones that look orange in this pic are actually a pretty peach color.  Don't know why that color doesn't show true!

Take care now, y'hear!

Ups and downs

Well, I am now 8 days post-op.  Things have gone very well.  The pain pump finished on Wednesday, and I had to start using the pain medication.  I have been off of it for 2-3 days now (although I did have to take one Sunday night).  I'm getting around better and better all the time.  I even cooked my own breakfast this morning!  I'm able to shower and dress without assistance, which is great!  I still spend about 75% of my time in my recliner with my foot elevated, but I'm getting up more and more.  I'm able to sleep on the couch for about 6 hours a night, which is really helpful.  I go back to the doctor in the morning to get my staples out and have my cast refitted.

It has been a very emotional week for me.  Part of it is probably from the surgery, but there have also been some events going on that have me on the verge of tears a lot.  Stephen and Mandy are currently in Ethiopia.  We've been receiving pictures of them with Shepherd.  That opened a floodgate!  I can't wait until he gets to come home and we get to hold him.  He is so precious!  His big, beautiful eyes just melt my heart!

We also received word over the weekend that my Uncle Billy was being put on hospice.  He passed away early this morning.  He was my mom's twin.  None of us expected him to outlive her by this long (9 1/2 years).  They were SO close!  He ended up in the ER the night Momma died, and his health has steadily declined ever since.  He was a big sweetie that you couldn't help but love.  He will be greatly missed!

Sheila came over Saturday afternoon and spent the night.  It was really nice having her around.  I was able to get out Sunday morning to go to church services.  It was REALLY nice to get out of the house...the only time that I have been since my surgery.  It did take a toll on me, though.  Either the extra activity or riding in the car (or both) irritated my foot a lot more than I thought it would...hence the pain pill that night!  I'm hoping after my doctor's visit, she will give me the go-ahead to get out more and do more.  She really wanted me to spend this first week sitting and sleeping most of the time.  I don't do well with the sleeping part.  I have to be REALLY sick to want to sleep more than 7-9 hours a day.  I have tried to keep busy (with the sitting part) as much as I'm able.  I've read 2-3 books and knitted several dishrags.  I haven't yet started back embroidering on my pillowtop.  I take that by spells, and I just haven't had one yet!  Those first 2-3 days, I couldn't do any handwork.  I was too groggy and clumsy, due to the pain meds.  I tried a dishrag during that time and ended up having to rip it out about 2/3 way through.  I try not to turn on the TV until around suppertime, but it sure makes the time go by faster!

Well, just wanted to give a quick update on how I'm doing.  Again, I want to thank all of you who have been praying for and checking on me!  It means more than I can say!

Surgery

Well, we got our car out of the shop Friday afternoon.  Woo-hoo!  Lee's Collision did a great job, as always.

We drove to FW to have lunch with Sheila on Saturday.  I needed to stock up on my favorite cotton yarn and Ezekiel bread before being incapacitated.  I expect to knit a lot of dishrags while I'm recuperating.

My surgery was scheduled for 2:45 yesterday, but the surgery center called me about 9:30 to say that Dr. Karpati was wanting to start earlier.  So we gathered up everything and made it over there (in Keller) by 11:15.  They took me in right away and did all of my preop stuff, including inserting a pain pump.  It's job is to bathe the nerve in anesthetic for 2-3 days to help eliminate post-op pain.  I think it is my new best friend!

The doctor provided us with some cool x-ray pictures of before and after surgery.  I didn't realize that there were 2 areas that needed to be removed:  the actual spur, plus the huge bone buildup that was causing so much stress on my Achilles tendon.  If you look closely in the "after" picture, you can see the screws used to re-attach my tendon to the bone.  My first "hardware"!

My surgery started about 1:00 and ended at 2:30.  Daddy and Bobbie came in to visit for a little while after I woke up, but things moved very rapidly, so they couldn't stay long.  They had me dressed and out of there in no time!  We were home and had me settled in my recliner by 6:00.

Poor Dennis is being run ragged, taking care of me!  We were having to ice for 30 minutes on, 30 minutes off.  Every time I iced, I had to get up and go to the restroom first, which is no easy task!  My little scooter is working out great, although it took me several times to learn to navigate sharp corners.  Dennis ended up running out to get me a riser for the toilet to make it easier for me to get up.  That extra 4" is a life-saver!  It is amazing how such simple things are hard to manage with only one leg.  I had forgotten how anesthesia makes my bladder sluggish, and had been drinking prodigiously to try to rehydrate, which made for spending a lot of time in the restroom!  Things are finally starting to wake up a little better now.  Whew!

I told Dennis to take a break during the night, so we went for about 4 hours between icings in order to get a little sleep.  While doing my 4:00 icing, I decided to tweak my medicine schedule a bit to get it more in line with our "normal" routine.  I'm having to take my meds every 6 hours around the clock, with food.  So we'll push my next round back an hour, which will make it fall closer to mealtimes.  I certainly don't need to be eating 2 hours before every meal!

Thanks to the nerve block, I am not in any pain right now.  I'm taking ibuprofen, instead of pain pills, to help manage the swelling.  The nerve pump should work for another day or two.  I'm really hoping the pain with be manageable with just the ibuprofen after that, but I have the "good stuff" on hand...just in case.  (I REALLY don't like to use it, though!)

Well, I just wanted to give everyone a little update on how I'm doing.  I very much appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers!  I have a good nurse taking care of me, for which I am also very thankful!  The next few weeks ought to be an interesting experience.  :)