OP
OP
Ollie
member
United StatesChecking in!! Been busy posting to other threads so thought I'd get me updated. First - not about me, but about some local tragedies. There have been a lot of wildfires around where I live; have even made the national news. A good friend's family lost two houses - her parents old house and barn, and her brother's house both were lost to the fire. Winds moved it quickly down from a high ridge and they got out by about fifteen minutes. Several small towns have been completely evacuated, and the call has gone out for not only Red Cross donations, but also emergency animal boarding. . . Has been pretty scary. A very small fire burned to within 1000 yards of where I live, but it never was a threat to me; that fire was between lots of local access roads and controlled very quickly. But right now, there are three fires burning in timber and grassland - is crazy.
So my drama pales in comparison . . .
Have been feeling pretty good; ROM is 104/3 and slowly increasing. PT is getting a bit more challenging and I have to be vigilant not to over do. Have gotten the go ahead to start going up and down stairs in a normal stride - as tolerated a few steps at a time. I can get up my porch steps easily (3 steps) and do the same 3-4 steps indoors, but those down steps. . .Much More Apprehensive!! I have started a short quad push up/ standing extension; standing on my left (surgical) foot on a 3 inch block, I touch my non operative heel down to the floor and push up only with my new leg. It takes a slight knee bend and then extension with out pushing up off heel. These new movements have me sore but not in pain so I am glad for that. I can ice for my knees and a warm pack for my (still) sore quad!!
Am sleeping good, too. 8-9 hours most nights!! Still not always very hungry and am satisfied with much smaller portions. I also have been feeling sort of grumpy and icing my knee helps that; I am sure it is a form of pain, as Jo would say, so ice and Tylenol really make a difference when I feel like that. I have been saving my dilaudid for night time and using Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or naproxen during the day, depending on how I'm feeling. My knee is not so hot/warm to the touch now; it is after PT, but once that gets calmed down, it is much closer to normal. My ice packs don't need replacing as fast!! My main area of tenderness is right over my kneecap; main swelling is just below align the joint line. I watch out for these areas the most before and after PT.
I am going grocery shopping tomorrow. Was my task prior to surgery and Kim is gladly letting me do the small trips - she really hates shopping!! I am looking forward to it - and to getting us back on a regular meal routine!! The whole meal thing has been surprisingly hard; I've not been very hungry and there has been no real schedule. In the first couple weeks, several times I had to remind Kim to feed me; I am not kidding!! We weren't necessarily eating on the same schedule and she forgot that while I napped, she had lunch, or she had a late lunch and forget that I needed something for dinner . . . I didn't need much, but there wasn't much I could do for myself at that point. Once I got desperate and hobbled to the kitchen with my walker and got a banana and a box of crackers (these were easy to get to on the counter) and hobbled back to my recliner. She heard me and popped in from the laundry room and saw me looking pitiful with my banana and crackers - and realized I hadn't eaten yet. Half a wonderful ham sandwich materialized along with some sweet grapes. I cried.
We've had lots of sandwiches, some hot dogs, pasta salads, easy things for Kim to prepare. . . OH - And the occasional pizza
but I am sort of tired of that kind of eating. . . But it is summer and who wants to cook hot meals inside? And I am the grill chef. . . so the easy and tasty grill meals we normally have in the summer. . . Nope. So . . . Groceries and transitioning to real meals again!! Yippee!!
Ollie. LTKR June 10, 2014
So my drama pales in comparison . . .
Have been feeling pretty good; ROM is 104/3 and slowly increasing. PT is getting a bit more challenging and I have to be vigilant not to over do. Have gotten the go ahead to start going up and down stairs in a normal stride - as tolerated a few steps at a time. I can get up my porch steps easily (3 steps) and do the same 3-4 steps indoors, but those down steps. . .Much More Apprehensive!! I have started a short quad push up/ standing extension; standing on my left (surgical) foot on a 3 inch block, I touch my non operative heel down to the floor and push up only with my new leg. It takes a slight knee bend and then extension with out pushing up off heel. These new movements have me sore but not in pain so I am glad for that. I can ice for my knees and a warm pack for my (still) sore quad!!
Am sleeping good, too. 8-9 hours most nights!! Still not always very hungry and am satisfied with much smaller portions. I also have been feeling sort of grumpy and icing my knee helps that; I am sure it is a form of pain, as Jo would say, so ice and Tylenol really make a difference when I feel like that. I have been saving my dilaudid for night time and using Tylenol, Ibuprofen, or naproxen during the day, depending on how I'm feeling. My knee is not so hot/warm to the touch now; it is after PT, but once that gets calmed down, it is much closer to normal. My ice packs don't need replacing as fast!! My main area of tenderness is right over my kneecap; main swelling is just below align the joint line. I watch out for these areas the most before and after PT.
I am going grocery shopping tomorrow. Was my task prior to surgery and Kim is gladly letting me do the small trips - she really hates shopping!! I am looking forward to it - and to getting us back on a regular meal routine!! The whole meal thing has been surprisingly hard; I've not been very hungry and there has been no real schedule. In the first couple weeks, several times I had to remind Kim to feed me; I am not kidding!! We weren't necessarily eating on the same schedule and she forgot that while I napped, she had lunch, or she had a late lunch and forget that I needed something for dinner . . . I didn't need much, but there wasn't much I could do for myself at that point. Once I got desperate and hobbled to the kitchen with my walker and got a banana and a box of crackers (these were easy to get to on the counter) and hobbled back to my recliner. She heard me and popped in from the laundry room and saw me looking pitiful with my banana and crackers - and realized I hadn't eaten yet. Half a wonderful ham sandwich materialized along with some sweet grapes. I cried.
We've had lots of sandwiches, some hot dogs, pasta salads, easy things for Kim to prepare. . . OH - And the occasional pizza
but I am sort of tired of that kind of eating. . . But it is summer and who wants to cook hot meals inside? And I am the grill chef. . . so the easy and tasty grill meals we normally have in the summer. . . Nope. So . . . Groceries and transitioning to real meals again!! Yippee!!Ollie. LTKR June 10, 2014
Oh well. . . Soon!
And my dinner salad was wonderful. Is simple mixed greens, dried cranberries, pecans, apple slices, bacon, avocado, and Litehouse blue cheese dressing (has to be Litehouse!). Add a couple toasted baguette slices and. . . Was Great!! I'd made an apple crisp but we were stuffed, so will get to have our dessert today!!
Also, we love grilled stone fruit like peaches and plums, or nectarines. Same thing with them - the grill char gives a smoky flavor, the heat softens the fruit a bit, and served with marscapone cheese (or whipped cream) and sliced or slivered almonds makes a simple dessert. If the fruit is sweet, you won't need added sweetener. If you have a sweet tooth, then you might want to sprinkle with sweetener of choice!! Oh, You have to watch the fruit on the grill, though. It can go jam- soft fast and make a mess!!
