S Time

Tomorrow at this time, I will be coming to in my room at the hospital - at least that's what I'm hoping for! To say that I'm nervous is understated. The nerve this time aren't for the recovery. I am going o think this one will be just as good as the other. So without the worry about recovery, I can focus on the fact this is a major surgery.

I can, like I said, only hope for the recovery I had last time. I just hope I'm not held prisoner for five days this time. I know the doctor doesn't work weekends. I learned that last time. He didn't show until Monday morning. DIL pointed out that this Monday is a holiday. Geesh! Good, I'm finding lots to worry about. Can't have any calm thoughts around here!!

I am going to try to be sure G brings the computer Thursday. I had it last time, and I know I will feel like using it. I know they say don't bring anything valuable, but... I think it will be OK. It was last time.

Anyway. This is it for a while. I am going to be glad in that the right knee has really been screaming the last few days. It will be a relief to be rid of it. I am concerned with the left however. There are some pains with it. I guess when I start re-habing the right I will work on the left again.

Peace be with you.

What's the deal?

I'm getting ready for the trip to have my right knee replaced. OK, so it's another surgery. No big deal really. But it is. I am beginning to have some anticipatory nerves. As the time grows closer, the knee hurts more assuring I am doing the right thing. But knowing what a major surgery this is still makes me worry. The last one was five hours - this being from the time I left the prep-room to back to recovery.

But, enough about that. No one wants to hear all that stuff. I also get really obsessive about getting things done around the house. The closer the time to admittance, the more obsessive I am about setting things straight around here. I guess the change in my thinking is "of, I've always got tomorrow" when life is normal, to "I've got to do _______, and _______, and ... Just fill in the blanks. I guess I want things to be perfect if something happens to me. Don't know.

Anyway, to make a long story into the real subject, we spent Saturday transplanting everything we could think of (well it seemed that way). Son, DIL, and Wiggle Worm gave me a Satsuma orange tree for Mothers Day. They included a pot, and the offer to help transplant it. Well, we knew we could do it. That was about project 1. When I looked at it in detail yesterday, it has a fruit on it! I was amazed. It is after blooming time for the tree, so I thought I would have to wait a year.

Then we re-potted a whole bunch of things. I am so proud of it all. I will have pictures tomorrow - I hope. The only thing I am worried about is the wheel barrow G wanted to plant in an aesthetically pleasing piece of yard art. He bought plants that would like morning sun. I thought he wanted it planted on the other side of the tree. They get afternoon sun. Plus, instead of FLATS of said plants, he bought six packs of them. They look very anemic. He did say he would see about different plants. But that won't be for a while.

So today I will turn my energies more on the errands I need to run. I really want a long gown or lounger to replace hospital gowns that cover very little. I want to get out of those ASAP! I bought some gowns the last time, but they are short - too short. There are several items I need to get. I don't know how many I will actually get.

I may have my shopping curtailed because I think I am to have Monkey Boy this afternoon. He will be with a friend this morning, and I think I am supposed to get him later. I don't know. Daughter hasn't told me of the real plans yet. She is assuming I know. I don't like this feeling. I like to have things all set firmly out. The how, who, where and when all set out. It's not like that right now.

Anyway, I'm off to get some things done before I get her phone call with the plans that will take effect ten minutes after the call!!

Peace be with you.

Hmmmmm

To say I', in such deep doo is an understatement. I feel like it isn't really all my fault, but isn't that the way we all feel? I know Daughter feels the same, but none the less, I am in deep, deep doo.

When she was having her house remodeled, I wanted to use the plumber. He is used by her contractor, and is well thought of. Remember, our houses are a mile apart - from driveway to driveway. She kept forgetting to mention to him to come to my house when he was in the neighborhood. In fact, I never even got his number. She was going to take care of it.

Well, the remodel is done, and I am three working days out from knee replacement. I called the contractor to get the plumber's number. He was in the neighborhood today. He could be here at nine. I was happy.

Well, there was a conflict I forgot. I remembered Monkey Boy's "graduation" from the Bridge program yesterday. Today I was supposed to be at the elementary school for Lady Bug's power point presentation on Wyoming. Guess what I forgot when I made the appointment with the plumber? Yep,you got it.

I let Daughter know yesterday afternoon. Did she tell me that the plumber always running late? No,. She said she would call him. I said no because I didn't know his history. This morning, she rubber it in more.

I feel like I am just a millimeter above dirt right now. Lady Bug is really my favorite kid. She is 9. That is an age I really enjoy more. She is bright and interacts so well. To hurt her feelings just kills me as it is.

Anyway, I am in deep, and I feel so bad about it. All I am trying to do is get things ready for my surgery and recovery. I wanted the shower head changed out because when I use the shower stool the water hits me square in the face. I HATE it. I don't know what crack head installed the head that was there, but it wouldn't match up to anything to replace it. It was a 35 year old nightmare.

Well it is fixed, and I will set about trying to make things right.

Peace be with you.

Yesterday was the day for the final lumbar injection. I really don't know if they have helped. It also seems like once you are a patient of a Pain Clinic it is sort of like a black hole. You are in - forever.

I was supposed to get my "drugs" yesterday, but that didn't happen. It was marked on the form, but it didn't work. I guess I will call my friendly, neighborhood "dealer" to see what happens. I only have the next few days before TKR (total knee replacement)day.

After yesterday's anesthesia, my brain is still on vacation somewhere. I had several ideas for a post in mind. They have been blown out. I can't think of anything about anything. I really should write ideas down.

Peace be with you.

Peace for now

Time to report on Sunday Dinner. It seems there is peace in the family - at least for a few moments on Sunday.

It didn't seem that there were strained conversations. It was at Daughter's house. DIL seemed to be relaxed, and I really hope it was true.

Wiggle Worm seems to recognize me. He will come to me - some times. It breaks my heart he won't know us, G and Daughter's family as well as his mom's.

I will say that Lady Bug won't let him forget her. She is so outgoing. She makes him laugh all the time, and it is amazing to see a 9 year old play with him like she does. I guess it is simply part of her personality. Everyone at her school knows who she is! I think it began with her head of curls, but they she opens her mouth.

I pulled a real boner this morning. I thought I had a 9am PT appointment. I got up early. Had a light breakfast. Got in the truck and went there. When Paola called me back it was to tell me I had the wrong date! She said we "could" do it" but her schedule was full, and her real 9 O'clock patient was there. I felt so stupid! And tired. I could have slept longer.

I won't be around I don't think tomorrow. I am getting my last injection. I really hope it works. I am going to come home and go to bed when I get home to see if that keeps the medicine in better. Then next week is the KNEE!

Have a good day, and make sure you ave your appointments on the right day!

Peace be with you.

Blown away!

Saturday I had a bit of a quandary. It was Lady Bug's first swim meet. It was Son's vocal recital. I have bailed on Son before, so I chose his recital.

Of course the weather was terrible, but since DIL and Wiggle Worm weren't going, he picked me up. The place was a near-downtown Houston church. One of the really big churches that attended by the upper crust attends. I need to write a bit about the church. My great grandfathers were a big part in establishing the big Lutheran church in down town San Antonio. A new sanctuary was built in the 30's. This church I was in on Saturday was so muc like that church - it was like the San Antonio church had been re-built here in the 90's. It was beautiful!

Anyway, the singers at the recital were absolutely fabulous. Their teacher wrote brief bio's on each one. The youngest was in 6th grade. Her voice was remarkable. It was hard to believe she was that young until you looked at her. '

Son was the only male singing. He was nervous because he was going to accompany himself on one song with his guitar. I know I am slightly swayed, but he was fantastic. He sand a duo with the teacher. Wow! Then his two solos were wonderful. One was a rather contemporary. The other was an Italian classic.

I have attended so many of his country western shows. I know he is great there, but I saw a completely new side of him on Saturday. I am so proud of him to say the least.

Peace be with you.

It is really official now

I am old. In the what seems like daily messages from the Social Security Administration I found my Medicare card. I didn't expect it so soon. It isn't official until July 1, but it's a Medicare card for goodness sake!

I called up my bank on line to check my balance, and there, posted on May 3 was a new deposit. It was my first Social Security check. It is official. I am old.

I am so foolish!

Last weekend, as I have said, we were at the SSB. Daughter and Son in law had some items that they thought would be good there. G was all for them. He was all for renting the trailer -since passing the "troop carrier" on to Daughter, our little F-150 is a lot smaller than we thought. So we were space and weather dependent on moving those things.

When they added a "game" room onto the house, they had an overstuffed chair that just would not fit up there. It has a lot of life left in it, and the chair that we bought for $99 six years ago was shedding the faux leather skin, AND its mate broke last year, I/we thought this large chair would be a good replacement before we really needed it. G agreed. Let it be known now, he DIDN'T agree to the ottoman.

Daughter and SIL had a gas grill then didn't use any more. I know they would like to have it there. Using charcoal is a pain. G agreed to that. We use out gas grill a lot. We have always used gas grills a lot. So we added the grill.

I really wanted furniture for our beautiful new back deck. So I ordered a set from the store that has a big red circle for its trademark. It came in pieces, but it had to go.

Daughter had some shelving that was basically free from her company, and G wanted those for the "barn." So that went.

Everything but the grill was in the trailer. The grill was supposedly anchored in the bed of the truck.

All was well for about 200 miles. Then the grill fell over. The strap was worked loose, and finally fell off. That precipitated the first temper tantrum. I was informed that he didn't know why we were taking their cast-offs. Huh? I thought you agreed. You knew what we were getting.
So when we finally arrived (a total of 5 1/2 hours), his mood was really foul. As we were unloading, it got worst.

I decided I didn't need his help. But he insisted for a while. I ended up on the weighted side going up the steps of the deck. The rationale here was I didn't have to go backwards. So we got the chair and ottoman out of the trailer and on the deck. The chair's history went back to when their cats were alive with claws. The back of the chair had been clawed. But you put the cushion on and it isn't visible. A fit was had over the ottoman, and it was well pointed out he didn't approve of that.

When it came to the shelves, he KNEW they were a little rickety to begin with. We have two of them at he SSB already. Well, being on their sides and riding seven miles on unpaved roads meant that a lot of the nuts and bolts worked their way out WHen he moved the trailed over to the "barn," he pulled his immature act and just threw them on the ground.

So back to me. I have had the two injections and eleven PT sessions at $35 a pop. Right? So I pulled my old trick. I would move the chair and ottoman in. I pushed the chair to the sliding glass door. The chair was wider than the door. I was told "well, you've finally done it - it's too big." If that blasted chair went through a normal 36" door, it would fit a sliding glass door. With that, I lifted and turned the chair on its side. I slid in one half, turned it and slid the rest in. Problem here is the word "lifted." Should. Not. Have. Done. That. But I went on as if nothing had happened.

But it did. I could feel the pain all the way to my toes. I think in my 15 minutes of anger, I undid a month and a half of therapy. I am still in pain. I am still in therapy. I have my last injection next Wednesday.

Have I learned a lesson? Probably not. I will probably do the same thing in the future. I tell Daughter to stop doing these things, but me? I continue to be stupid and abuse my body. So I really was so foolish.

Peace be with you.

What an experience

(side note - yesterday's pictures were, if you didn't know, taken at the SSB)

Today I went to WB hospital to pre-register for the knee replacement. Now I am not as familiar with this hospital as I am with NCMC, but I thought I knew the routine. Was I ever wrong!

I pulled into the parking lot and found a handicapped parking place. I was so happy. Things were good. As I have mentioned (griped about) before, it is a mile walk to get to anything that you really need - registration, elevators, the rest of the hospital/offices. I marched up to registration, presented who I was, and was told I had to go to the north part.

This is the brand new part of the hospital that was just opened. I thought it was all settled. Nope!

Back to the adventure. The clerk at the registration table suggested I DRIVE to the north addition. Well, Ok. I started my trek back to the car. I covered that mile again. While I was doing this, my thought was the hospital is encouraging good health. You certainly have to walk to get anywhere.

So I drove, probably a half mile around the hospital to the north addition. I drove too the front thinking there would be handicapped places. Yep, there were - about 6. Do you think any were open? If you guessed no, you were right. I found a parking place in Outer Mongolia.

Since I am driving the F150 truck, I really like to find either handicapped or places that have one open on at least one side. When I found the spot that I ultimately used, I saw open placed on the next row - a lot of them. So I drove down to turn to that line. It had a gate. Reserved for Valet Parking. What?? Where? I saw no valets.

So I once again set out hiking, only this time to the hospital. Once I got in, I went to the information desk. I was directed to a one person desk that was already occupied. It wasn't long, and I was able to begin the pre-registration that went well. Not fast, but well. And I had my hospital wrist band.

It is now noon. I got there at 10:30. I was being sent BACK to the "main" hospital. The doctor wanted x-rays. There was a handicapped space. This is the part that gets a little strange.

I knew I had to go to the registration desk. At least I am pretty sure I had to. The woman there didn't really know what to do I think. I got put back in their registration. She ran more paperwork which I thought was strange, but who knows these days. Then she was going to put (another) wrist band on me. She saw the one I already had, and took me straight back to radiology waiting room.

The waiting room was full. There was one open chair, and my heart sank. I thought it would be hours before I would get out. Then they brought another patient there. The clerk made the announcement for those who are not patients to leave, and go to the atrium. Three people got up.
They called the next patient to the x-ray room, and all those family people came back. It reminded me of shooing birds away, and then they come right back.

I was finally zapped and sent on my way - with the x-rays. I don't think that is what my doctor wants exactly, but we'll find out on the 26th! At least I don't have to be there earlier to have them taken the day of surgery - like last time!

Coming tomorrow - my adventures at the SSB last weekend!

What I TRIED to post yesterday

This is a shortened version (meaning fewer pictures) of what I did for Mother's Day. Children and naturally grandchildren were with the other mothers - enough said there. The day was OK, but made better by these views from my front deck. The flowers are changing from bluebonnets to other flowers. It was really beautiful - weather and all.

Hope yours was great.


Click on the pictures to enlarge to really see the beauty of the flowers.

Clinic Day

I had PT today, and I was expecting a fairly relaxing time until I realized it was clinic day when I pulled into the parking lot. Well, there will be some interesting people watching.

Now I know I am drugged about to the max. I have caught myself slurring when I talk at times. Today was a BUSY clinic day. It was filled with people who slurred when talking.

On clinic days, there is quite a cross-section of humanity there. There was one lady, with a walker which is not unusual there, who was very talkative. I don't know her age. I thought she was in her late 80's. I was wondering where her "keepers" were because I really didn't believe she could live alone. She had a walker all decked out like the ones I saw when my dad was in the assisted living place.

They have added a TV (damn it all) to the waiting room. Some were trying to watch the program, but the older woman was continuing to talk. I didn't really pay much attention, but it was difficult to avoid. She was talking about having been married for 63 years when her husband died. So that galvanized my feeling about her age.

When she was called back, my attention went to a snippet of conversation. She was talking about having talked to her attorney. Attorneys are big there. A lot of the patients are also in law suits!

The guy next to me had argued with them about the payment. I don't know if he had insurance or not, but he was saying that was the fee they agreed on, and he paid $100, would pay $100 today and on and on. Then he sat next to me (it was crowded!) talking about being disabled since he had the insurance. He, like me at times, was slurring

Now the kicker to the story. I was riding the bike that goes nowhere, I looked up. The little old lady was out of the office. She was driving herself away. I don't know how I will be in about 20 years, if I live that long, but this little gal didn't appear to have the faculties to still be driving. Let's just say I was glad to be off the road.

Peace be with you.

Post Sunday Night Family DInner

Please note - this is a whine post! Hurt feelings will be aired here. If you don't want to read, that's ok, see you tomorrow!

I am about to stop these family dinners. There are more hurt feelings after them than they are worth! I hate to lay blame, but DIL is the prime one who gives out the hurts like she is a political candidate who is handing out paraphernalia.

She had been with her family (mother and aunt) all weekend, and so she was in rare form. She was just a cold fish all night.

I know she doesn't like SIL. He doesn't really care for her, but makes a valiant effort to be sweet to her. It's not returned.

When the kids all get together, she is really a b%t*c. I know Wiggle Worm is the youngest. I worry about him with the other kids, but she lets him get right in there. The next one is Doodle Bug. She is 2 1/2. She isn't usually around little ones. DIL expects them all to share toys. Well, it doesn't happen, and DIL gets even more icy.

We were discussing (outside) a party for SIL who is turning 40 this year. We were trying to determine if Son would be available. DIL piped up saying "you have something." She will find some excuse for them not being there.

The real problem is I miss my son and his son. I've said this before. "A son is a son until he takes a wife." I see it in all sorts of families. I think it is very unusual for a son to remain closer to his family after marriage.

I'm just really sad about it all this morning. My feelings have been hurt - a lot. Every Easter, they spend in Louisiana. We have no chance of having them with us. Lip service is given to the other holidays. They o the SSB - when she knows we won't be there. My grandson doesn't know us. He knows their friends better than this family.

I'm sorry to unload like this. Just needed to vent to someone. Thanks isf you made it this far!

Peace be with you.