That was one of the headlines in the Patriot News yesterday. After 3 months, I'm still waiting to be set free. One thing they got right was that "Replacements become common but are still a major undertaking." No sh** Sherlock.
Interestingly enough, the doctor I originally saw here in Harrisburg said that while 20 years ago it was rare to see anyone younger than 60 who needed a replacement, today they see quite a few baby boomers getting them. Yes, that would be me, and he was pretty adamant when I saw him last fall that he didn't want to do surgery because I was too young.
The article got it right that a substantial commitment of time and energy is needed to recover and rehab the knee. They stated that, "Patients need to be able to take two months out of their lives for surgery, physical therapy and home exercises and be committed mentally and physically..." I've done pretty good on the physical side but sometimes battle with the mental side of it. Nobody can say that I haven't worked my tail off, and it's been a struggle the whole way.
I called Nate, my physical terrorist today and he's going to do a measurement on Thursday evening. Brent took a measurement this weekend but didn't seem very confident about it. Not to mention that 110 L and 120 R was exactly where I was a month ago. This would mean that I've spent a month back to work, exercising as much as possible, and making zero progress. If that's truly the case, I see a bigger mental struggle ahead.
Monday, August 30, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Woohoo for Padding!
My bike shorts came in yesterday and I had my firt chance to try 'em out this morning. What a huge difference. My nether regions are smiling!
Monday, August 16, 2010
What a Monday
I don't know if I just ate too much last night or that deep fried appetizer didn't sit right with me, but I had a horrible night. My poor stomach gurgled and carried on all night long and I was so nauseous. Just the thought of throwing up gave me flashbacks to a few weeks ago. Yuck, it gives me goosebumps just thinking of it. I think I was up all night and that is definitely not a good start to the week.
The good news is that I had a chiro appointment right after work. I always know I'm gonna have a good couple of days after that. Something to look forward to!
The good news is that I had a chiro appointment right after work. I always know I'm gonna have a good couple of days after that. Something to look forward to!
Another Weekend at Home
Although Brent's getting antsy, we spent another weekend at home. Somehow we managed to keep him busy enough that there wasn't nearly as much whining and complaining as last weekend.
Saturday he decided to smoke a turkey so we invited my folks over. While it was the best turkey ever, it wasn't ready until 8:00 pm. That's way late for my diabetic Mom and I'm hoping she had an okay night. Dad sprang for the 3B ice cream to take care of my raspberry cone craving. mmm mmm good.
Yesterday we headed for the pool at the gym for a change in my exercises. I was moving pretty slowly going into it but was pretty happy with the result. Brent stayed with me for the most part which is always so helpful. When I put on a floation belt to head for deeper water to bicycle Brent headed for an open lane and a little bit of training. Although it didn't seem like I was doing much, my knees sure felt it.
Dinner with Deb and Loren at the Texas Roadhouse was tasty and, and our waitress was a total hoot. The only problem was that by the time we shared an appetizer, had a salad and a roll, I was stuffed. I picked at my baked potato and ate a little of my chopped steak smothered in onions, muchrooms and cheese. Looks like Brent will have a good lunch tomorrow.
It's nice to do something with friends on a Sunday night. Takes your mind off having to go to work the next day.
Saturday he decided to smoke a turkey so we invited my folks over. While it was the best turkey ever, it wasn't ready until 8:00 pm. That's way late for my diabetic Mom and I'm hoping she had an okay night. Dad sprang for the 3B ice cream to take care of my raspberry cone craving. mmm mmm good.
Yesterday we headed for the pool at the gym for a change in my exercises. I was moving pretty slowly going into it but was pretty happy with the result. Brent stayed with me for the most part which is always so helpful. When I put on a floation belt to head for deeper water to bicycle Brent headed for an open lane and a little bit of training. Although it didn't seem like I was doing much, my knees sure felt it.
Dinner with Deb and Loren at the Texas Roadhouse was tasty and, and our waitress was a total hoot. The only problem was that by the time we shared an appetizer, had a salad and a roll, I was stuffed. I picked at my baked potato and ate a little of my chopped steak smothered in onions, muchrooms and cheese. Looks like Brent will have a good lunch tomorrow.
It's nice to do something with friends on a Sunday night. Takes your mind off having to go to work the next day.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Week in Review
The hospital bed is gone! Woohoo. We're starting to put the living room back to normal. In fact, it would probably be there if I could stay awake past 8 pm! I'm sure we'll finish it up over the weekend. I can do the heel slides on the couch. I'm moving the weights and the bolster up to the bedroom. Sadly, the spin bike remains in the living room.
There is some good news on the bike though. I was able to move the seat down another inch. It hurts like heck on the first few revolutions, but after they get warmed up, things go a little better. I ordered a pair of riding shorts and gloves tonight. The nether regions have done better since I was able to move the seat down a bit but the shorts should help too. I'm hoping that the gloves will help with the arthritis at the base of my right thumb. We'll see.
Walking has not been spot on this week. I got a long one in with Renee on Monday and Friday. Deb kindly walked 2/3 of a milewith me on Tuesday - we were long overdue to catch up with each other. Today Renee and I walked across the walking bridge to City Island. Renee tells me that it's .25 one way across. We walked along the river a bit and came up to the walkway at the end of the stadium. So, it was 1/2 mile with a little more, plus the distance to and from the office. My guess is it may have been a little over .75 mile all told. Not bad as my knees were a bit stiff today and yesterday (the rain perhaps?)
Speaking of my knees, I"ve been telling Brent for the last few days that my knees look bruised on the front. Tonight he agreed. Well, they are not bruised, they're just dirty. I know that because of the scars and the fact that my knees are still very tender that I haven't exactly scrubbed over them much. Sort of lightly around. How embarassing. I have dirty knees and not for any exciting reasons either! LOL!
We decided to fix Brent's hardshell craving by going to Giatti's on Wednesday night for their all you can eat hardshell crabs. Since it was his actual birthday, we invited mine brither to go along. Sadly, they weren't very good. Ok, I expected them to be small - all-you-can eat places always have small ones. But, they were overcooked to the point of smushiness. Yes, that is a very scientific word used only when discussing the texture of blue crabs cooked in their hard shells. I guess it was too much to think that an Italian restaurant would really "get" the whole hardshell experience, and it was amusing. They brought us each 6 crabs in a pasta bowl. We asked for a tray for the shells and got a regular dinner plate. We asked for paper towels and got more napkins. Geez, folks, what happened to paper covered tables with crabs dumped on them? Yeah, the sides were humorous too. A salad and a side of pasta were included. Pasta? No thank you, we'll have french fries! While the crabs weren't great, the company was and despite it all, we had a good time. Pretty funny actually.
I'm glad this work week is over. I've been in bed very early every night. Ah, these golden years, I'm loving them.
There is some good news on the bike though. I was able to move the seat down another inch. It hurts like heck on the first few revolutions, but after they get warmed up, things go a little better. I ordered a pair of riding shorts and gloves tonight. The nether regions have done better since I was able to move the seat down a bit but the shorts should help too. I'm hoping that the gloves will help with the arthritis at the base of my right thumb. We'll see.
Walking has not been spot on this week. I got a long one in with Renee on Monday and Friday. Deb kindly walked 2/3 of a milewith me on Tuesday - we were long overdue to catch up with each other. Today Renee and I walked across the walking bridge to City Island. Renee tells me that it's .25 one way across. We walked along the river a bit and came up to the walkway at the end of the stadium. So, it was 1/2 mile with a little more, plus the distance to and from the office. My guess is it may have been a little over .75 mile all told. Not bad as my knees were a bit stiff today and yesterday (the rain perhaps?)
Speaking of my knees, I"ve been telling Brent for the last few days that my knees look bruised on the front. Tonight he agreed. Well, they are not bruised, they're just dirty. I know that because of the scars and the fact that my knees are still very tender that I haven't exactly scrubbed over them much. Sort of lightly around. How embarassing. I have dirty knees and not for any exciting reasons either! LOL!
We decided to fix Brent's hardshell craving by going to Giatti's on Wednesday night for their all you can eat hardshell crabs. Since it was his actual birthday, we invited mine brither to go along. Sadly, they weren't very good. Ok, I expected them to be small - all-you-can eat places always have small ones. But, they were overcooked to the point of smushiness. Yes, that is a very scientific word used only when discussing the texture of blue crabs cooked in their hard shells. I guess it was too much to think that an Italian restaurant would really "get" the whole hardshell experience, and it was amusing. They brought us each 6 crabs in a pasta bowl. We asked for a tray for the shells and got a regular dinner plate. We asked for paper towels and got more napkins. Geez, folks, what happened to paper covered tables with crabs dumped on them? Yeah, the sides were humorous too. A salad and a side of pasta were included. Pasta? No thank you, we'll have french fries! While the crabs weren't great, the company was and despite it all, we had a good time. Pretty funny actually.
I'm glad this work week is over. I've been in bed very early every night. Ah, these golden years, I'm loving them.
Monday, August 9, 2010
Weekend Recap
What are the best kind of houseguests to have? The kind who strip the bed and put on clean sheets, then dump the sheets and dirty towels all into the washer. Wow. I was quite excited to come home and find that already done. Thanks Joe and Jayne! It was good to see y'all.
We enjoyed a great birthday celebration for mine brither last night at my folks. My Mom has been getting full tenderloins at BJ's lately. You could all but cut them with a knife. My Dad makes killer cheese cakes and Rick always gets a chocolate chip one for his birthday. It was yummylicious. I thought I managed a great birthday present and somehow I screwed it up. I'll make it right, I promise!
Today was my first full day back at work. By Noon Renee and I were on our way for our mile++ walk. By 1:00 I was tired of having my slacks rubbing over my scars. By 2:00 I needed a nap. By 3:00 I finally got my first knee stretches of the day in and I was more than ready to be home. It's going to be a very long week with very early bed times I think.
This morning I opted for the spin bike and the ice packs. It seemed to work pretty good because my knees stayed fairly limbered up until my walk at Noon. They swelled a bit during the walk and were tougher to bend. I wish there were a good way to ice them at work.
Brent was home and ready to help me through my afternoon exercises. Very helpful indeed. Although, I must admit that I have not been very diligent lately about the strength exercises. Lunges, wall squats, tip toes on one leg at a time, and side steps. Oh yeah, then there's the three diffeent kinds of leg liftgs with weights. But who's keeping track? Maybe I should do those at work. Things that make you say hmmmmm.
It's 7:51 pm, my knees ache and I'm sooooo sleepy. I'm thinking a few pain meds are in order. I'm afraid to go to bed this early though. Since I'm awake every few hours as it is it could be a very long night. But, my bed is calling to me and tomorrow is another day.
We enjoyed a great birthday celebration for mine brither last night at my folks. My Mom has been getting full tenderloins at BJ's lately. You could all but cut them with a knife. My Dad makes killer cheese cakes and Rick always gets a chocolate chip one for his birthday. It was yummylicious. I thought I managed a great birthday present and somehow I screwed it up. I'll make it right, I promise!
Today was my first full day back at work. By Noon Renee and I were on our way for our mile++ walk. By 1:00 I was tired of having my slacks rubbing over my scars. By 2:00 I needed a nap. By 3:00 I finally got my first knee stretches of the day in and I was more than ready to be home. It's going to be a very long week with very early bed times I think.
This morning I opted for the spin bike and the ice packs. It seemed to work pretty good because my knees stayed fairly limbered up until my walk at Noon. They swelled a bit during the walk and were tougher to bend. I wish there were a good way to ice them at work.
Brent was home and ready to help me through my afternoon exercises. Very helpful indeed. Although, I must admit that I have not been very diligent lately about the strength exercises. Lunges, wall squats, tip toes on one leg at a time, and side steps. Oh yeah, then there's the three diffeent kinds of leg liftgs with weights. But who's keeping track? Maybe I should do those at work. Things that make you say hmmmmm.
It's 7:51 pm, my knees ache and I'm sooooo sleepy. I'm thinking a few pain meds are in order. I'm afraid to go to bed this early though. Since I'm awake every few hours as it is it could be a very long night. But, my bed is calling to me and tomorrow is another day.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Another Busy Day
With back-to-back meetings today, I had no time to even think about doing stretches at work. I knew this work crap would hinder my ability to do what Nate directed. Grrrr. I have to make some decisions about my morning work outs. I usually spin, do the rolling chair stretches and the stair stretches. Unfortunately that doesn't leave me with time to ice the knees down. The result is that my knees have more inflamation than they should so they are quite stiff. The option is to just spin (as Nate suggested) and then ice my knees. Spinning really gets them loosened up so I don't want to give that up. Oh, and did I mention that getting up earlier is NOT an option. I'm getting up 45 minutes earlier now as it is.
My friend Renee and I walked twice this week. From the Market St. bridge to the Harvey Taylor bridge is 1/2 mile. So, round trip is a full mile. But, that doesn't include getting there. From my office to the bridge and then to my parking garage has got to be another 1/2-1 mile round trip. My already ailing knees are really stiff now, but I'm really proud of how far I managed to walk. I came home and iced my knees while I ate lunch.
We have houseguests coming this weekend. My friends Joe and Jayne are coming from NC. Yes, this is the same Jayne who gave up a week of her life to stay with me during my first week home. I can't wait to see them.
So now I have to change the bed sheets, clean the bathroom........but that will all come after I take a little snooze. When Brent comes home he'll help me with afternoon stretches and maybe I can talk the little bugger into taking me out for dinner.
My friend Renee and I walked twice this week. From the Market St. bridge to the Harvey Taylor bridge is 1/2 mile. So, round trip is a full mile. But, that doesn't include getting there. From my office to the bridge and then to my parking garage has got to be another 1/2-1 mile round trip. My already ailing knees are really stiff now, but I'm really proud of how far I managed to walk. I came home and iced my knees while I ate lunch.
We have houseguests coming this weekend. My friends Joe and Jayne are coming from NC. Yes, this is the same Jayne who gave up a week of her life to stay with me during my first week home. I can't wait to see them.
So now I have to change the bed sheets, clean the bathroom........but that will all come after I take a little snooze. When Brent comes home he'll help me with afternoon stretches and maybe I can talk the little bugger into taking me out for dinner.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Yawn
Man, I'm tired. I am so glad that I'm only working half days this week. Going back to full time next week - well, I get tired just thinking about it.
I've been getting up early and doing three of the four flexion exercises before hopping into the shower and heading to work. Leaving work at Noon gets me home around 12:30. I've been eating lunch and then hopping right into my exercises. The full program takes me about 1.5 hours and then I admit, sshhhhhhh I've taken a little snooze in the recliner.
Sitting at a desk, not to mention sitting in very long winded meetings, makes my knees stiffen up. If I'm at my desk, I've been able to use the little foot stool under my desk to do some knee stretches. But sitting in all these meetings is killing me....in oh so many ways. I hope I can do this job. I definitely have some concerns. hahaha. I just realized what I said. Having concerns must be the story of my life! LOL!
Today though I had lunch with my friend Sue - it was nice to catch up on stuff. When I got home I just couldn't face the exercises so I went out and mowed the grass. My hope was that if I got that done Brent could not only go for a run or something but then could help me get through my session. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough gas to get the whole thing done, but I think 20-30 min on the mower will wrap it all up. Pushing the clutch in took some effort and I didn't do the hilly areas where I'd have to shift my weight on the mower. But, I'm pretty happy that I was able to be a contributing member of the family for a change! The good news is that when I told Brent what I did, he was really happy and more than happy to help me. Sheesh, I'll be all out of excuses soon!
I've been getting up early and doing three of the four flexion exercises before hopping into the shower and heading to work. Leaving work at Noon gets me home around 12:30. I've been eating lunch and then hopping right into my exercises. The full program takes me about 1.5 hours and then I admit, sshhhhhhh I've taken a little snooze in the recliner.
Sitting at a desk, not to mention sitting in very long winded meetings, makes my knees stiffen up. If I'm at my desk, I've been able to use the little foot stool under my desk to do some knee stretches. But sitting in all these meetings is killing me....in oh so many ways. I hope I can do this job. I definitely have some concerns. hahaha. I just realized what I said. Having concerns must be the story of my life! LOL!
Today though I had lunch with my friend Sue - it was nice to catch up on stuff. When I got home I just couldn't face the exercises so I went out and mowed the grass. My hope was that if I got that done Brent could not only go for a run or something but then could help me get through my session. Unfortunately, there wasn't enough gas to get the whole thing done, but I think 20-30 min on the mower will wrap it all up. Pushing the clutch in took some effort and I didn't do the hilly areas where I'd have to shift my weight on the mower. But, I'm pretty happy that I was able to be a contributing member of the family for a change! The good news is that when I told Brent what I did, he was really happy and more than happy to help me. Sheesh, I'll be all out of excuses soon!
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Cha-Cha-Changes
Well, this getting up and coming to work is certainly a not altogether unpleasant change. It's nice to be out of the house and around people. In three weeks I'll have a much needed pay check. And that's about all I can say about it.
I'm glad that I opted for the half days during this first week back. I've been getting up early to spin for 10 min, do the rolling chair and stair exercises. The only flexion ones I'm not doing in the morning are the heel slides. They take a good bit of time, not to mention they make me cry. I can't be coming to work with red puffy eyes! I go home and do my exercises and I gotta say, I was one pooped puppy last night.
My cousin Memory and her husband Paul were passing through yesterday and it's always good to spend some time with them. With all the communication options available today I hadn't realized that we haven't seen each other in person in 2 years. They have been so good to me as I've been recuperating. Paul has one full knee replacement and one partial and has been great at listening to me and imparting some of his experience with this healing process. Memory has been really encouraging through the whole thing. There's nothing like people who have been through this crap. Patience, which I'm seriously lacking, appears to be the key. Sigh. It could be a long year.
I had a good time scrapping over the weekend and it was good to get away. Completing six 2-page layouts was great progress and I'm close to winding up this Disney with Gwen album. Like every album, by the time you get to the end of it you're just sick of working on the same topic with the same papers. Not that I ever get tired of scrapbooking about the grandkids!
I made some progress on the 6-week goals too. Eliminated the toilet riser. I need something to hang onto like the wall, the sink, the cabinet, whatever, but I can get there. Although I'm not completely sleeping through the night, the last two nights have been big improvements. Made it 4.5 hours on Sunday night. That's huge! I'm also down to one tramadol and one dose of tylenol at bedtime. So, while a few of these haven't been completed, I'm making progress.
I'm glad that I opted for the half days during this first week back. I've been getting up early to spin for 10 min, do the rolling chair and stair exercises. The only flexion ones I'm not doing in the morning are the heel slides. They take a good bit of time, not to mention they make me cry. I can't be coming to work with red puffy eyes! I go home and do my exercises and I gotta say, I was one pooped puppy last night.
My cousin Memory and her husband Paul were passing through yesterday and it's always good to spend some time with them. With all the communication options available today I hadn't realized that we haven't seen each other in person in 2 years. They have been so good to me as I've been recuperating. Paul has one full knee replacement and one partial and has been great at listening to me and imparting some of his experience with this healing process. Memory has been really encouraging through the whole thing. There's nothing like people who have been through this crap. Patience, which I'm seriously lacking, appears to be the key. Sigh. It could be a long year.
I had a good time scrapping over the weekend and it was good to get away. Completing six 2-page layouts was great progress and I'm close to winding up this Disney with Gwen album. Like every album, by the time you get to the end of it you're just sick of working on the same topic with the same papers. Not that I ever get tired of scrapbooking about the grandkids!
I made some progress on the 6-week goals too. Eliminated the toilet riser. I need something to hang onto like the wall, the sink, the cabinet, whatever, but I can get there. Although I'm not completely sleeping through the night, the last two nights have been big improvements. Made it 4.5 hours on Sunday night. That's huge! I'm also down to one tramadol and one dose of tylenol at bedtime. So, while a few of these haven't been completed, I'm making progress.
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