Today was my last therapy! In fact, I didn't even stay the whole time (though she was willing to give me a workout if I wanted). I honestly think I can do better on my own by swimming, so I said no. She said the therapist's goal for me was to get to 130, and I did. I also did stairs, the seated stepper, walking without a limp and everything else she needed to document. The actual therapist wasn't there today, but he will call me tomorrow if he disagrees that I should be done. I don't expect to hear from him. :) So I can expect a bill for $125 at some point for the copays they haven't been making me pay each time.
I swam on Friday and again yesterday. Yesterday I was probably there a total of 90 minutes, 30 of which was swimming (the rest was stretching, warmup, cooldown, etc.). Today my knee feels really great - very loose and pain free, so it doesn't surprise me that I got a good measurement.
This morning I went to work to get my flu shot, went by the post office to mail the other Jen's car key back to her. I confiscated it from Chad some time ago, but she never let me know how/when she wanted to get it back. I sent it with a tracking number so that, if necessary, I can prove that it was sent. I really hope that will be the end of her, though the new Jen is no prize, either.
OK, time to shower and get back to the home improvement place, this time for work!
Monday, October 27, 2014
Saturday, October 25, 2014
Making Progress
So I had therapy yesterday, and I fully expected they would tell me I was done.....but they didn't.
I was there on Tuesday, when they measured me at 117, which I told them couldn't be right, so they measured again - 120. (She said that that could just be a measuring difference between 126 last time, and 120 on Tuesday.) The steri-strip had come off just that morning, which was sooner than I thought it would be, but it seemed fine. I didn't have any problem with anything they asked me to do, but they sent me home with some new exercises and a strip of latex to use as a resistance band.
On Friday, they had me go up and down stairs, do some calf raises on the machine and some balancing. When she did the stretching, she said my range of motion was really good, but when she measured, it was 123. Disappointing, since I thought it felt exceptionally loose, but it's really subjective, anyway. I mean, they can't tell just exactly from what point they measured before. Afterward, I went home, got my suit on, and went swimming.
It was one of those days when the water was absolutely perfect. The hot tub had been fixed (just the day before, I was told, so that means it was only partly working for close to two months), and there was hardly anyone there. I did a lot of soaking and stretching in the hot water, then got in the pool. I didn't plan to actually swim, but I felt so good that I just went for it. Somehow, hot or cold, water is just so.....healing to me. I can go a long time without wanting to swim, but somehow when I can't I just get desperate to get in the water. Even when I was doing laps, it just seemed that I could go forever without needing to breathe, without getting tired. I really only stopped after 20 minutes or so because I was afraid of overdoing it, what with therapy and all. I did a lot of cooldown walking and some treading water before I showered and left. I felt really good afterward, and had plans to go back today.
During the night, my plans changed. I don't know what caused it (probably a combination of things), but I woke up in the middle of the night with my legs just aching all over. I had to get up and take some Advil but it was still some time before I could get back to sleep. Therapy, swimming, and being on my feet for four hours at work was apparently juuuust too much for one day.
So instead of going today, I plan to swim in the morning. Sunday mornings have always been a good time to go - not very populated. Tomorrow night is Lynda's birthday dinner and I might be expected to go to a concert of Braden's in the afternoon, so I have to allow some shopping time in the early afternoon (the mall is still open tomorrow, right?). My next therapy is Monday afternoon, and my plan is to blow them away with how much better I am by then. :) Wish me luck!
I was there on Tuesday, when they measured me at 117, which I told them couldn't be right, so they measured again - 120. (She said that that could just be a measuring difference between 126 last time, and 120 on Tuesday.) The steri-strip had come off just that morning, which was sooner than I thought it would be, but it seemed fine. I didn't have any problem with anything they asked me to do, but they sent me home with some new exercises and a strip of latex to use as a resistance band.
On Friday, they had me go up and down stairs, do some calf raises on the machine and some balancing. When she did the stretching, she said my range of motion was really good, but when she measured, it was 123. Disappointing, since I thought it felt exceptionally loose, but it's really subjective, anyway. I mean, they can't tell just exactly from what point they measured before. Afterward, I went home, got my suit on, and went swimming.
It was one of those days when the water was absolutely perfect. The hot tub had been fixed (just the day before, I was told, so that means it was only partly working for close to two months), and there was hardly anyone there. I did a lot of soaking and stretching in the hot water, then got in the pool. I didn't plan to actually swim, but I felt so good that I just went for it. Somehow, hot or cold, water is just so.....healing to me. I can go a long time without wanting to swim, but somehow when I can't I just get desperate to get in the water. Even when I was doing laps, it just seemed that I could go forever without needing to breathe, without getting tired. I really only stopped after 20 minutes or so because I was afraid of overdoing it, what with therapy and all. I did a lot of cooldown walking and some treading water before I showered and left. I felt really good afterward, and had plans to go back today.
During the night, my plans changed. I don't know what caused it (probably a combination of things), but I woke up in the middle of the night with my legs just aching all over. I had to get up and take some Advil but it was still some time before I could get back to sleep. Therapy, swimming, and being on my feet for four hours at work was apparently juuuust too much for one day.
So instead of going today, I plan to swim in the morning. Sunday mornings have always been a good time to go - not very populated. Tomorrow night is Lynda's birthday dinner and I might be expected to go to a concert of Braden's in the afternoon, so I have to allow some shopping time in the early afternoon (the mall is still open tomorrow, right?). My next therapy is Monday afternoon, and my plan is to blow them away with how much better I am by then. :) Wish me luck!
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
It's Wednesday, and I am not working tonight.
My appointment at the doctor on Friday was good. The larger incision had leaked recently, but when the PA put a new bandaid on it, it didn't leak again. He showed me pictures of the white, fibrous, ragged-looking scar tissue in the joint before they vaporized it It wasn't even very gross, and it was interesting to see how clear the area was in the "after" pictures.
On Monday, I had my therapy appointment to remove the stitches, It wasn't looking all that good, still bruised, irritated-looking. He decided to wait until today to take them out, to give it a couple more days to heal. Before I left, we set up four weeks (weeks!) of therapy appointments. I reallllly don't want to do therapy for four weeks. For one thing, it's a $25 copay every time. And I really don't think I need it, seriously. My hesitation in moving/stretching it was because of the stitches. I always have this baseless fear that I will rip them open. When I had my knee replacement I had a huge row of staples. When the therapist first stretched me and I flinched, he said, "Do you think that if I bend it too much all of the staples will come pinging out one by one?" When I said that was exactly what I had pictured, he said that he had been doing that job for 19 years and it had never happened. Didn't make me feel any better, though.
Today was my second therapy appointment. I started with six minutes on the seated stepper, and I went full-out. I tried to stay close to 120 steps per minute. :) Then he took out the stitches before stretching me. He said it was healed enough not to need a steri-strip. My bend had been 110 degrees on Monday - today it was 126! He mentioned a bump I had noticed near the larger incision but didn't really know what it was. He stretched me a few times, then turned to make some notes in his computer. When he turned back, he said, "Well, you know, I think I'll put a steri-strip on that after all". Turned out, it had started to bleed all over - but the good news was, I no longer had a bump by the incision. It started to puff up again, and he was concerned enough about it to call my doctor's nurse, but they never called me back, so they must not think I need antibiotics or something. So now I have a steri-strip (the glued on kind), and he suggested I call off work tonight.
I really don't know if I did the wrong thing going back to work on Monday. Maybe it was too soon for being on my feet for four hours. I have been icing it tonight and I will see how it is tomorrow. I really need the money, so I hate to call off again, but I would like this to heal. I don't go back to therapy until next Tuesday, so that gives it several days to heal before we try again.
My appointment at the doctor on Friday was good. The larger incision had leaked recently, but when the PA put a new bandaid on it, it didn't leak again. He showed me pictures of the white, fibrous, ragged-looking scar tissue in the joint before they vaporized it It wasn't even very gross, and it was interesting to see how clear the area was in the "after" pictures.
On Monday, I had my therapy appointment to remove the stitches, It wasn't looking all that good, still bruised, irritated-looking. He decided to wait until today to take them out, to give it a couple more days to heal. Before I left, we set up four weeks (weeks!) of therapy appointments. I reallllly don't want to do therapy for four weeks. For one thing, it's a $25 copay every time. And I really don't think I need it, seriously. My hesitation in moving/stretching it was because of the stitches. I always have this baseless fear that I will rip them open. When I had my knee replacement I had a huge row of staples. When the therapist first stretched me and I flinched, he said, "Do you think that if I bend it too much all of the staples will come pinging out one by one?" When I said that was exactly what I had pictured, he said that he had been doing that job for 19 years and it had never happened. Didn't make me feel any better, though.
Today was my second therapy appointment. I started with six minutes on the seated stepper, and I went full-out. I tried to stay close to 120 steps per minute. :) Then he took out the stitches before stretching me. He said it was healed enough not to need a steri-strip. My bend had been 110 degrees on Monday - today it was 126! He mentioned a bump I had noticed near the larger incision but didn't really know what it was. He stretched me a few times, then turned to make some notes in his computer. When he turned back, he said, "Well, you know, I think I'll put a steri-strip on that after all". Turned out, it had started to bleed all over - but the good news was, I no longer had a bump by the incision. It started to puff up again, and he was concerned enough about it to call my doctor's nurse, but they never called me back, so they must not think I need antibiotics or something. So now I have a steri-strip (the glued on kind), and he suggested I call off work tonight.
I really don't know if I did the wrong thing going back to work on Monday. Maybe it was too soon for being on my feet for four hours. I have been icing it tonight and I will see how it is tomorrow. I really need the money, so I hate to call off again, but I would like this to heal. I don't go back to therapy until next Tuesday, so that gives it several days to heal before we try again.
Thursday, October 9, 2014
Bandaids
Yesterday when I woke up, I found that my big bandage felt hard, like a cast. I thought that was strange. Then when I went to remove it, I saw why. Fluid had seeped through the additional wrap, particularly on the back side of my knee, where I didn't notice it before. The actual surgical dressing had been completely soaked, and had dried and hardened. I had to cut it with scissors down the only spot that was dry, then peel it off. As I showered, it seeped a little, and I covered it with a gauze pad held down with a bandaid (and put a bandaid on the other, non-leaky, incision).
By the time I got home from the movie, the gauze was soaked, though I hadn't really walked much and kept my leg elevated at the movie. So I changed it and kept an eye on it for the rest of the night. It didn't bleed through again, so maybe it was just icky because I had removed the bandage, I don't know. We will see what happens when I change it in a bit. I go to the dr tomorrow for a followup.
It does seem looser. I'm just hesitant to bend it much, not because it hurts (it doesn't) but because of its tendency to leak. For the same reason, I haven't really tested it on stairs yet to see if the pain is gone, but my guess is that it is.
By the time I got home from the movie, the gauze was soaked, though I hadn't really walked much and kept my leg elevated at the movie. So I changed it and kept an eye on it for the rest of the night. It didn't bleed through again, so maybe it was just icky because I had removed the bandage, I don't know. We will see what happens when I change it in a bit. I go to the dr tomorrow for a followup.
It does seem looser. I'm just hesitant to bend it much, not because it hurts (it doesn't) but because of its tendency to leak. For the same reason, I haven't really tested it on stairs yet to see if the pain is gone, but my guess is that it is.
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Knee News
So yesterday was my knee surgery to loosen up/remove scar tissue. I had to be there at 8:30 for a supposed 9:45 surgery, but it was actually after 10:00 by the time I went back. I was home by about 12:30. At this moment it is still heavily wrapped up, but I can remove the bandages tomorrow, and switch to bandaids. On Friday I have a followup appointment, then on Monday I have a therapy appointment where they will remove my stitches and evaluate whether I need any actual therapy.
I noticed late in the evening that it had bled through the ace bandage to an extent that was more than they told me was OK, so I called the answering service, who paged the doctor and he called me back. They had obviously woken him (it was 10:15), so I felt a little bad, particularly when he said that kind of surgery usually has a lot of fluid, and to just overwrap it. It didn't leak any further after that. It hasn't been painful, though I can feel the stitches pulling a little. While I am looking forward to getting rid of the big bandage, I'm not looking forward to having to see the mess. I am eternally grateful that there are people who want to be doctors and nurses, and who want to deal with that kind of stuff, because I just don't. I will do it, though.
I had a really terrible night. Part of the problem might have been the pizza with onion I had for dinner (maybe I wasn't ready for onions), and the G2 I drank during the evening. It is kind of salty, and part of my problem was that I was really thirsty and my eyes were dry. I probably used my expensive eye drops four times during the night. I was taking hydrocodone on schedule and it made me a little loopy. I felt like my heart was racing and I couldn't breathe if I was lying on my back, but didn't know how else I could position myself. I tried two pillows, but that didn't really help. I felt like I was just dozing, not sleeping, and I kept waking myself up snoring or talking or drifting in and out of weird dreams. I was probably up about every hour or so. I skipped the 7 a.m. dose of hydrocodone and finally fell deeply asleep until 9:30, then laid in bed intending to watch a movie but I couldn't get the DVD player to work (or maybe the TV - it said it was in DVD mode, but it wasn't showing the movie). I ended up dozing off again until almost 11:00. I used Dad's cane when I got up last night, but otherwise, I haven't used crutches or anything.
I spent today watching a movie, three episodes of an old Amazing Race season, and part of another movie. With all of the bleeding last night, I was trying not to put much stress on it today. The surgery center called this afternoon to check on me, but I really haven't had any problems or pain. And though I can't really bend it yet because of the bandage, it seems a bit looser already. The doctor told me that he uses a machine that vaporizes the scar tissue, and it should not redevelop. I am really anxious to see how it will be painwise, like on the stairs.
Tomorrow, once I take off the big bandage, it will be back to real life. I am going to a movie with Mom (it's Wednesday). Dad is still in the field helping with harvest so he will be busy. Then I have NCHS Alumni Foundation at 7:00. Friday night is the Homecoming game, where I will be helping man the alumni table. And next week I work M-F 5-9 again.
I noticed late in the evening that it had bled through the ace bandage to an extent that was more than they told me was OK, so I called the answering service, who paged the doctor and he called me back. They had obviously woken him (it was 10:15), so I felt a little bad, particularly when he said that kind of surgery usually has a lot of fluid, and to just overwrap it. It didn't leak any further after that. It hasn't been painful, though I can feel the stitches pulling a little. While I am looking forward to getting rid of the big bandage, I'm not looking forward to having to see the mess. I am eternally grateful that there are people who want to be doctors and nurses, and who want to deal with that kind of stuff, because I just don't. I will do it, though.
I had a really terrible night. Part of the problem might have been the pizza with onion I had for dinner (maybe I wasn't ready for onions), and the G2 I drank during the evening. It is kind of salty, and part of my problem was that I was really thirsty and my eyes were dry. I probably used my expensive eye drops four times during the night. I was taking hydrocodone on schedule and it made me a little loopy. I felt like my heart was racing and I couldn't breathe if I was lying on my back, but didn't know how else I could position myself. I tried two pillows, but that didn't really help. I felt like I was just dozing, not sleeping, and I kept waking myself up snoring or talking or drifting in and out of weird dreams. I was probably up about every hour or so. I skipped the 7 a.m. dose of hydrocodone and finally fell deeply asleep until 9:30, then laid in bed intending to watch a movie but I couldn't get the DVD player to work (or maybe the TV - it said it was in DVD mode, but it wasn't showing the movie). I ended up dozing off again until almost 11:00. I used Dad's cane when I got up last night, but otherwise, I haven't used crutches or anything.
I spent today watching a movie, three episodes of an old Amazing Race season, and part of another movie. With all of the bleeding last night, I was trying not to put much stress on it today. The surgery center called this afternoon to check on me, but I really haven't had any problems or pain. And though I can't really bend it yet because of the bandage, it seems a bit looser already. The doctor told me that he uses a machine that vaporizes the scar tissue, and it should not redevelop. I am really anxious to see how it will be painwise, like on the stairs.
Tomorrow, once I take off the big bandage, it will be back to real life. I am going to a movie with Mom (it's Wednesday). Dad is still in the field helping with harvest so he will be busy. Then I have NCHS Alumni Foundation at 7:00. Friday night is the Homecoming game, where I will be helping man the alumni table. And next week I work M-F 5-9 again.
Catching Up
The drive back from Florida was fine, except for a standstill traffic jam in Atlanta and about ten minutes of absolute pouring rain in the mountains of TN (my absolute least favorite place to have rain). I got back right at 12:15 a.m., which wasn't too bad considering the slowdowns. A couple of times during the late morning and midafternoon, I got really sleepy, so I had to stop a little longer and walk around at rest areas (which, coincidentally, had geocaches) to perk up. The weather was perfect (except for that tiny stretch in TN) and walking around for a few minutes really helped.
The next week I worked 35 hours, which was kind of a shock after a week off. It was inventory week, which didn't involve me at all. It was supposed to be my first week on weekday team for real, but the first day and a half I was still outside. I had to work with Skeeterette both of those days, and she said not one word to me. She did come out and talk to Kevin (the other waterer) and ask him about his weekend. She pointedly ignored me. It annoys me, but in reality I am glad I didn't have to talk to her.
The next week (last week) was my first full week of weekday team. I worked 5-9 M-F, which is OK for now, but just can't happen during tax season. I need to find out how to change my availability so that they have adequate notice that I can't do nights after November. The real problem is that now that I am permanent parttime, I can't just quit and be able to get unemployment, so I have to keep working until I start having tax place income. My plan is really to work minimal hours at the home improvement place during tax season, then start back fulltime when garden season starts again. Of course, it would be good if Skeeterette were gone by then.
The next week I worked 35 hours, which was kind of a shock after a week off. It was inventory week, which didn't involve me at all. It was supposed to be my first week on weekday team for real, but the first day and a half I was still outside. I had to work with Skeeterette both of those days, and she said not one word to me. She did come out and talk to Kevin (the other waterer) and ask him about his weekend. She pointedly ignored me. It annoys me, but in reality I am glad I didn't have to talk to her.
The next week (last week) was my first full week of weekday team. I worked 5-9 M-F, which is OK for now, but just can't happen during tax season. I need to find out how to change my availability so that they have adequate notice that I can't do nights after November. The real problem is that now that I am permanent parttime, I can't just quit and be able to get unemployment, so I have to keep working until I start having tax place income. My plan is really to work minimal hours at the home improvement place during tax season, then start back fulltime when garden season starts again. Of course, it would be good if Skeeterette were gone by then.
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