To Omaha

I've got some sort of infection in my abdomen. I have 3 areas that have broken open and are oozing some nasty gunk. I'm going back to Omaha to get them fixed.

Ever since my hernia repair when they put mesh in to hold things together, I keep getting these infections. The first time, in 2005, the mesh was infected and they had to remove it and put in a different kind. More infections, small repairs, one big repair with yet another mesh put in, small repairs, and here I am again. GrrrrRRRR! Anything foreign increases chances of getting an infection, but I've had my fair share already. Enough, already.

I really don't want to risk either of my knees getting infected, so I'm going to the best surgeon I know to get this taken care of. I saw a surgeon locally, and was not impressed. In fact, his lack of knowledge scared me a bit. My Omaha surgeon specializes in abdominal wall defects and hernias, among other things. He'll take good care of me. Leaving Sunday, surgery Wednesday, hopefully home on Thursday.

The knees are doing well. The left one still hurts and there is some swelling, especially by the evening. I still think my recovery is slower with this one than with the right. It wakes me up when I move it some way it doesn't like.

I'm still learning how to walk correctly. :-/

Day 23 PO

Well. Who knew? Apparently I do not know how to walk. Funny, I've been getting where I need to go.

There's more to getting the legs straightened than I realized. PT Becky says I will have to concentrate really hard on each step I take for at least a month, and then it will start to come naturally. Walking correctly, that is.

Oh, joy. Until I get the hang of this, I sort of list from side to side like a drunken sailor. I almost tilted off the patio steps last night and came close to giving The Groom heart failure.

The pain is better. I'm still very swollen and using my ice machine.

Post-Op Day 20

I've finally turned the corner with the pain. It's much better. Whew. Still lots of swelling, but at least I don't want to cut my leg off now. I'm taking half doses of pain meds. I hope this continues.

I went to an outdoor soiree yesterday, had good food, iffy wine, and met some new people. I was out and about for 2 hours. My leg was really swollen when I got home, but I enjoyed showing off my straight legs. The Groom is getting tired of me talking about being straight. I guess if you haven't had crooked legs all of your life, you can't really get it. ;-)

Eighteen Days Post-Op

Ouch. This still hurts pretty badly. About 2 a.m. this morning, I was wishing I'd never had this knee done. I know it will get better. Soonly, I hope.

PT Bruce made his last visit today. My knee bent to 115 degrees, which is what I could do before surgery. Maybe I should slow down with the movement and exercises. I'm way ahead of where I was at this point after the right knee surgery, and I wasn't hurting this much. Ya think skipping the walker and the cane has something to do with it? Maybe.

Day 15 Post-Op

BEFORE and AFTER

I looked at my legs for the first time today, and I made The Groom take a picture. My legs look normal! Well, still a little swollen, but straight. :-) I notice my left foot still turns outward. We'll have to work on that in therapy.

Staples are out, and I'm going to outpatient physical therapy starting on Monday. I am bending the knee at 113 degrees.

How Far Out Am I?

I've lost track. Monday will be 2 weeks, so there you have it. I took a hot bath today. I love my baths. :-) I get the staples out on Monday. PT Bruce gave me a pass today. When he called, he said he was very busy and that I knew what to do, so he didn't feel bad about not coming by. Works for me!

I saw the plastics guy yesterday. I walked more than I should and drove for the first time. It went ok, but by 2 a.m., I was using the walker to go to the kitchen. Today I was able to get by with half the pain meds, though, so there's no rhyme or reason to the pain. The swelling is still about the same.

I don't know how far I am bending the knee. PT Bruce left his measuring thing at his previous client's on Wednesday. He guestimated it was past 100. I'm more concerned with straightening the knee. I don't know if I'd ever in my life been able to completely straighten my knees before surgery. It's haaaard. But it's worth working at it. My right knee straightens and bends like it is supposed to, so I'm sure I can work on the other one and get it straight, too.

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Speaking of plastics, I have a blog for that. Nothing will happen until the end of the year, so the posts won't be on topic for several months. Anyway, it is girls only. No boy cooties allowed. Not even Groom cooties.

A girl's got to have a place to gather with other females, right? And if I ever decide to post before and after pictures, well... it ain't gonna be a pretty sight. My girls out of the bra right now are not a look I want burned into my husband's retinas, able to pull up online at any given moment. *shudder* He can see the afters all he wants.

And my arm wings are horrendous. A good West wind, and I could fly to my mother's easily. So drop me a line if you want an invite. I doubt it will be of interest to anyone except those who have gone through it or who are planning to go through it, but I'm game.

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RIP, Tim Russert. He seemed to be a truly nice fella.

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I use the word "so" a lot. (At least I don't write "alot.")

One Week Since Surgery, Day 6 Post-op

I am 6 days post-op, and my knee bend is at 100 degrees. Ta-da! With the other leg at this time, I was only at 93. It has been a long day. I still hurt. INR-1.6. PT-15.8.

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Monday, June 9, 2008: The day I became old.

Nurse Lynn came by early this morning to do her thing. Bloodwork is good. Knee is good. Pain is still here.

We were discussing my pain, and she looked right at me and with a straight face uttered these words: "You're not a spring chicken anymore."

I want the complaint department! This just can't be. Me? Old? No way. Why, I'm only 52. That's young, right? Old is like 95 or something. I think she just hadn't had her coffee yet and was a bit rattled because it is Monday. Yes, that's it.

Day 5

OUCH. I don't know why this leg hurts so much more than the other one did. There was no report of having to remove a bunch of things as with the right knee. If this were a western, I'd be bellied up to the bar taking shots of whiskey.


The left leg is really swollen, and I still have staples in, but it is straight. I'll need to retrain my left foot to walk correctly. That's part of physical therapy.

Day 4 Post-Op

Ouch. Still hurts, 7-8/10. PT Bruce came today. We only did a few exercises. I am bending the left knee at 80 percent. (Right knee is 120+.)

Nurse Lynn came again, this time to do blood testing. My PT was 15.6, INR 1.6. No change in my coumadin. Dawg really likes her. I'm trying to get him to go home with her. :-)

I raised the notches on my walker up 2 places. I really am taller. I noticed while walking down the hall that my knees don't touch when I walk. That's good news. I told The Groom that there is now space between my legs from my woohoo all the way down to my feet. I think that is normal.

Day 3 Post-Op

OUCH. I've been on my happy ass most of the day, only walking when I need to go to the restroom or get something to eat. I'm hoping tomorrow will be better for it. I'm keeping ice on the knee except when I am up walking.

The nurse came today, not my regular one. This one hugged me before she left. I'm not really into touchy-feely stuff. Dawg liked her though, and only barked once when she first came in.

PT Bruce will be here tomorrow. I don't think there are enough drugs in the United States to keep me from hurting when he tortures me, so I'll just do it and cuss later.

Day 2 Post-Op

I am home. Ouch. I need to go back and read my first posts here and see if my right leg hurt this much.

There isn't anything to report. The surgery was fine, recovery fine, nothing new. Oh, there was an 86-year-old woman next to me in physical therapy today who was able to kick her operated-on leg almost up to her ears. Grrr. She made the rest of us look so bad. I can barely lift my heel up off the surface. My straighten/bend measurements are -10 degrees and 77 degrees today. They like to have us at a 90-degree bend when we go home, but I was discharged anyway. Physical therapy and the home health nurse will be here tomorrow: PT to torture me, the nurse to draw blood for a PT/INR because I'm on coumadin again.

I'm moving slowly around the house with my walker, and cursing when I have to lift my leg up to get into bed or when I sit and have to hold my leg up off the floor because I can't bend it too far yet. I just keep telling myself that it will get better very soon. I'm using the ice machine - I now own 2 of them. I'm taking my good drugs. I'm planning to sleep well tonight in my own bed. I missed The Groom. It's nice to have him next to me again.

Oh, I am finally about an inch taller. I can tell, because my walker needs to be adjusted. It's too short now. My left knee is still very swollen, so I can't see the results yet. I'll get pictures this weekend and see if I can see how much straighter the leg is.

One Day Pre-Op, Nine Weeks Post-Op --- Give or Take

Wow. These last 4 weeks have gone by quickly. I've been doing my exercises most days. There is almost no pain in the right knee now. No swelling. I have no complaints at all.

My left knee, however, has been aching like crazy. I will be happy to have the replacement over with and be into recovery so the pain is lessened.

Surgery is at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow. *yawn* We have to be there at 5:00 a.m.

So, here we go again with the pictures. My left leg is really crooked! I'll post when I get home, probably Wednesday.

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One of our lovebirds, Rob, died. His mate, Laura, seems to be doing ok. She has been very vocal, and I think she's attaching herself to a chewy strip thing hanging in her cage. I caught her napping next to it yesterday. We need to get her a stuffed bird for a mate.