Outdoors

I've not done a lot of stuff outside recently. Sitting in the patio is a big excursion for me, so yesterday was a stellar event. My neighbor took me to the nail emporium and I had a manicure. What a great adventure. To start the adventure I walked to her house, something I've not been able to do for the past few weeks...but I did it. Then I hobbled to her minivan and figured out how to get in it (YAY). She drove us to Rio Nails and I figured out how to get out of the minivan. I walked to manicure station number 4 and had a manicure.

 

Look at my snowflake, something every desert dweller needs! I walked back to the minivan figured out how to get in and then out.

 Once home I sat down and rested. I was a wee bit tired. Nevertheless, I did it. My first big outing in a long time that was not related to a doctor visit. I'm a happy camper.

Huge thanks go to my neighbor for making this happen.

Wheels Down

I'm grounded. In simple words I cannot drive. That's a bummer. The upside to this dilemma is wonderful friends who are helping us. We are so blessed to live in this neighborhood. I grew up in a neighborhood, yet I've never lived in one since then. As a kid, I knew that everyone on the block would help me if help was needed. I'm no longer a kid, but I have the same feeling in this neighborhood. If I need help, help is nearby. Yesterday my neighbor asked if he could put up my Christmas lights. Another neighbor called and asked when my next appointment was so she could put it on her calendar and then take me to my appointment. Another brought over dinner for two nights. People are calling and texting asking if all is well and what can they do to help me out.  I also know if I ask for help, help is nearby. My wheels might be down but the love of my friends is close. I'm ever so thankful to live in this wonderful place. Thank you one and all.

Black Friday

Traditionally, today is the day when stores "broke even" for the year...hence they were finally in the black. I hope that happens this year...but alas I will not be helping in that equation. Yesterday we went to a wonderful Thanksgiving Feast with our friends and neighbors. It was great fun and it wore me out. I arrived via golf cart limo and left the same way. I stayed about two hours before I pooped out. There was no energy left in me.  Once at home, I collapsed in my chair and slept till 10 PM. The party started at 2 PM, I left about 4 PM and I slept for about 6 hours. I think I'm on the mend but I'm not quite back to normal.

Since I'm grounded from driving and since I have limited energy, I'll miss the Black Friday blowouts and enjoy walking around my home every hour or so. Someday soon I hope to  walk on my own without boot and walker, but for now, that's the way it is. I'm thankful I can do as much as I can do.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. What are you thankful this holiday? It might sound strange, but I'm thankful that I can get around even a little bit while I 

recover from surgery and a broken ankle. 

We wish you and yours a good "turkey day" and happy shopping on Black Friday.

(Graphic courtesy of Lucianne.com)

One Day at a Time

Since I have adjusted the boot, I've tried to adjust my attitude too. I'm trying not to focus on a hurting ankle. I've developed a routine that is based on "one day at a time" but I'm calling it "one hour at a time." I need to wear the boot during every waking moment of the day. I take it off to shower and drive. There is a collection of recliners in the house, so I go from one to another throughout the day. My office is a sunny place and offers a good view of the east side of the house. I sit in my chair, look at the view and work on something. Every hour or so I get up and do a lap around the house then select another room where I can put my leg up and rest. In the living room, I sit and rest and look at something o the big screen TV. When I'm tired of the view I retreat to the master bedroom and sit in the recliner there and take a nap. Three times a day I do a series of exercises that are supposed to strengthen my hip and ankle. One hour at a time, I'm healing. That's my mantra. 

I  help a little bit around the house, but the bulk of the work is done by the other DrC. One hour at a time, and this too shall pass.

Melting Point

The search for the heat gun did not take long. I called my wonderful neighbor Karen, and asked if she had one and she told me she did. However after looking for it she couldn't find it. She asked neighbor Rick if he had one. About 15 minutes later, my doorbell rang, and there was Karen carrying a heat gun in a box. Rick's heat gun had never been opened.

We "decanted" the heat gun, removed the plastic wrapping, the twist tie from the cord, and went to work. I determined where the boot was hitting my ankle in the wrong place, and marked it on the boot. Karen who has used heat guns before knew exactly what to do. She slowly heated the area and I pressed the area with a ball peen hammer. In a few minutes the plastic started to relax and stretch a tiny bit. We turned off the gun waited for the boot to cool, and then I put it on. It worked! The boot is still heavy and awkward but now it does not hit my ankle bone the wrong way.

I love my new neighborhood. 

Das Boot

That's German for "the boat" but for me it just means "the boot." The blasted boot. The stupid boot. The painful boot...and a few more boot-i-ful expressions that I won't repeat. I'm sure that folks who have had a boot feel the same way. While the boot will help the healing process, it's not for sissies. Thank goodness I have a great husband and good friends who are keeping watch over me. 

My next task is to find a heat gun to relax a small portion of the boot that rubs on my ankle. A hair dryer does not get hot enough, but a heat gun does. According to my cousin Wes, who lived in a boot for 1 year, he made his boot more comfortable by slightly stretching the plastic around the ankle bone. The doc said I could do it.  Watch this space to see what happens next.

Driving with Two Feet

The boot problem might be solved. It's still a nuisance to walk around on stilts supported by a walker but the alternative is a broken ankle that hurts all the time. Now my challenge is relearning how to drive. It's more of a process than it was. Before it was sit behind driver's seat, start vehicle, point safely in the correct direction. Now I have to think about it.

Getting into the vehicle is the first problem. I cannot stand for long periods of time on my right leg. That means point bottom toward seat and sit down. If the vehicle fits me well that's easy to do. If the vehicle is my four wheel drive TALL pickup truck it's harder. After sitting down, swivel body to get feet in correct location and then scrunch over on seat until somewhat comfortable. The rest is relatively easy from there. Exiting the vehicle is just as difficult. Thank goodness we live in a community of golf carts and geezers. I have to do this without my storm trooper boot as there's no way I can fit in the vehicle with that huge boot. Once the boot goes on, I'm quarantined in my home.

If I plan to get out of the vehicle, I need someone to stow the walker. That means I cannot be alone. Thankfully, the other DrC is a willing participant in this little game of driving. So far I've been to the store and the post office. I've driven both of our vehicles. It's not going to be a daily occurrence as it's just a huge hassle. 

All is not bad. 

Yesterday my wonderful neighbor brought the other DrC his favorite, pineapple upside down cake, for his birthday; and we had a little party. 

Life is good, even if there are a few bumps along the way!

Baby Steps

The ankle-hip saga continues. I saw my doctor yesterday and he explained how my ankle was broken. He also said, he has not had a broken ankle while doing hip replacement surgery in about 2 years. I was his "first" in a long time. He apologized and we went on with how to solve the problem. 

First and foremost I offered 2 solutions: a walking cast or a tall boot. With a walking cast I would have more comfort but would not be able to drive. With a tall boot I would be able to drive, all I needed to do is take the boot off when driving and put it on again when I returned home. Since I'm the driver in the household right now I opted for the boot. I was given a tall ankle boot that covers me from knee to toe. Instead of the "perfect" size for my foot, he recommended a larger boot to give me a bit more room by the "ankle bone" as the shorter boot was rubbing the ankle causing more pain. He gently placed the boot on my foot and he put it on in a different way from the first boot. I stood up and it was doable. Not perfect but I was not in pain like the last boot. I said how do you even up the feet of other patients who have a boot...and he said he did not do that. I asked why? He said no one asks. I find that almost impossible to understand.

It still looks like the first model, but it's longer and heavier. I hope it works.

Once home, we checked the mail the Amazon package had arrived. The other DrC put the device together and fitted it to my shoe. I put on the shoe and I suddenly both legs were the same length. WOW. I took a few tentative steps and I was not limping. I felt a little precarious, but  I was was not hurting when I walked. The lift was doing its magic too.

The lift works. The reviews for the lift are all positive but the one that caught my attention said the lift was not a fashion statement. That is true. It will not win any fashion prizes, but it does allow me to walk in my tall walking boot while my ankle heals. I will be in the boot for at least another month (my next appointment is December 14). I need to wear it when I'm awake but the doc said I did not need to wear it in bed. I should be able to get some sleep now.

The boot is still awkward, tall,  heavy and cumbersome. The lift is not super sturdy but it should last a month to 6 weeks. Keep watching this spot for progress. The news today is better and I'm taking baby steps to full recovery.

Guess What?

In the continuing saga of my hip, there's another twist. This twist started with trying to walk with a high foot and a low foot. One of my neighbors, a nurse, said I needed to have a prosthetic designed to fit my shoe and I should be able to get that from my doctor. I called the doctor and was given the merry run around saying they never heard of any such thing. I found a prosthetic store and called them. They told me they needed an Rx from my doctor to get the perfect lift, Easy Peasy! Since the doctor's office had not heard of such a thing, I thought this was going to be interesting.

That conversation led me to Amazon, the store that has everything --I wondered if they had a lift? I looked and I found one.

They have a device that fits over a running shoe that can provides lift from 1/2 inch, 1 inch and 1 1/2 inches. I ordered it and it's supposed to come today. This might be a big help. I'll let you know.

Much later in the day, I get a call from my doctor's office. I'm told I was given the wrong boot and I will need to be re-evaluated ASAP and can I come to the office tomorrow at 1 PM. Needless to say, I'm going to see my doctor and find out if there have been any more mistakes. The same doctor replaced my other hip without any problems. I'm wondering why so much has gone wrong this time???

My Storm Trooper Boot

I feel like I have a Star Wars Storm Trooper boot attached to the bottom of my leg. It's tall, awkward, sturdy and hurts when I wear it. I hope it's doing its magic of healing my broken ankle. Yesterday I had the boot on for 11 hours and discovered the 15 pound boot gave me an additional 2 inches in height on one side of my body. While I've always wanted to be 5'9", this is not how I thought it would be. My normal foot is 5'7" off the ground and the 2 inch differential is quite jarring. We went looking for shoes that would even me out, but alas, I do not have one. The limp is throwing my back and hip out of alignment. I need to find a device to even my legs  out. If you have any ideas, please help me out. 

I also discovered that the boot seems to become heavier as the hours pass. I swear, it was weighing at least 900 pounds by the time I took it off last night. Kudos to all those folks who are wearing recovery boots. I'm proud of them for walking, talking and recovering without a whimper. I need to learn how to do that.

Collateral Damage

There's an adage that says-- for every action there is a reaction. The same happens with surgery. I've had several surgeries in my lifetime, and while the surgery has solved the problem at hand, another problem pops up as a result of the surgery. Sometimes the reaction is tiny, other times, not so tiny. This time...not so tiny. 

On November 2 I had my right hip replaced. That surgery worked quite well. My hip does not hurt any more; in fact, it has not hurt very much since the I was taken out of the recovery room. I was prescribed a huge vial of pain pills and I've taken about 5 of them. That's the good news. My hip does not hurt and I'm beginning to walk evenly (with the help of Johnny, my Walker). The collateral damage happened before the surgery began, in the prep-room. To start the process, the surgical team needed to clean the site and they used a "soap" (for lack of a better word) called Betadine. As soon as they put Betadine on my skin, my nurse said my skin started to "fry" indicating I was allergic to it. The team removed the Betadine as thoroughly and quickly as they could and used another cleaning compound, and went on with the surgery. About 3 days after the surgery, I noticed the wound site was red, hot and swollen. I brought this problem up with my home nurse she agreed and recommended I see my doctor and I did. I had an infection. For the next few days I took a penicillin-type drug to cure the infection. It is now gone.

However, that's not the only piece of collateral damage that happened before the surgery. Apparently, to replace a big bone like a hip, the leg needs to be manipulated to a specific position. My right foot was put in a stirrup on the operating table and turned in such a way to present the hip in that perfect position. That however did not go so well. Somehow the end of the fibula was broken when that "twist" was made, unbeknownst to anyone. When I woke up from surgery I asked why my ankle hurt more than my hip. The nurse noticed a largish purple bruise on the outside of my ankle, and I was told how that was done. The team indicated that bruised ankle was not uncommon and it would heal in a few days.

In the following 11 days, I've been complaining about the pain in my ankle more than anything. It just hurts. Yesterday, I had my post-op visit with my doctor. The wound site was inspected and about 15 staples were removed. No infection and a good looking scar were in place--that was the good news. The ex-ray indicated that the hip was replaced correctly and all was proceeding to plan. That's when I asked about my purple swollen ankle. The doc felt my ankle and I cringed (and gave a rather large YELP too)--so another ex-ray was ordered. Sure enough, there is a very small fracture of the ankle...to put it in medical-ese, the distal fibula is broken. It's not a big break...it looks like a small jagged shadow on the ex-ray, and it HURTS. I was given a choice...I could wear a boot for 6 weeks while it heals, or I could have it cast for 6 weeks. The catch...I could walk in the boot, but NOT in the cast. Since walking is part of the recovery process for the hip, I opted for the boot and that's where I stand (no pun intended) now. 

I have a newly replaced hip that needs PT to get it working seamlessly. I have a newly broken ankle that needs PT to get it working seamlessly. However the PT for both maladies is different. Today, home PT is going to re-evaluate my situation. IF I'm going to walk (which I must do to keep my hip working properly, not to mention my life) I have to keep moving. Every time I'm on my feet I have to wear the boot. When I'm not exercising my hip or foot, I need to elevate the foot and not mess up the ankle. Like I said, for every action there is a reaction. I'm optimistic that this too shall pass. I'm a bit bummed too. Around Christmas time I will be able to dance again. YAY!

Veteran's Day

In honor of our veterans..a small homage

. 

To my brother in law, father in law, his brother and my mother in law's sister and brothers. Just a few who served our country. Let's not throw their honor away.

Totally Hip Replacement

On Thursday I had my right hip replaced at our local hospital. My surgeon was the same fellow who replaced my left hip about 18 months ago. I've been prepping for this surgery all summer by going to physical therapy two days a week. The therapy worked as by the end of summer, I was not in pain. I wish I could say that now. I'm in pain...but it will pass. In the meantime, I have home health care as well as home PT. I'm walking using a walker but mainly I'm the sit down queen doing exercises from my chair with the hope that they are working. I have two wonderful helpers and a phalanx of neighbors who are providing food and moral support. I'm blessed. 

Needless to say I'm busy. I'm crocheting kitties and trying to figure out a most complicated afghan pattern.