TKR Recovering in Western North Carolina

[Organist]

Hey Becky!

I hope you are feeling better and looking forward to church tomorrow. I have been away for a bit. My 42 year old nephew died from lung cancer! Cigarettes :( :(

I tried hard not to do too much while I was away and I managed to stay fairly pain free. My precious sister was taking care of me!

I got back in time to make it to my doctor's appt for 6 week check up. X-rays showed everything aligned the way he wanted! The Incision is healing properly and he is happy with my progress. I told him I like him a lot better than I did 2 weeks ago! I don't go back for another month. I will start water exercises this week. No more PT. I am using the little bike pedal thing that sits on the floor for at least 30 mins a day. It is small and portable so I was able to take it to my sister's. I think the best thing is walking. I haven't measured distances but I walk at least 30 minutes at a time. Sitting for more than about 20 minutes starts that achey breaky feeling back up! So, I get up and walk around for a few minutes. The 2 hour ride to my sister's house was interesting!! I am still not driving because I am taking the pain meds. Thank you Lord for children and grandchildren!!

Here is to recovery from all infections and a future with happy knees!

Patti, sorry about your nephew. One of my sisters has been a smoker since college days, and has multiple health issues. That's such a powerful addiction, and it's hard on the family too -- watching and not being able to do anything. You and your family will be in my thoughts and prayers.

Congratulations on the good 6-week follow-up visit and the progress you've made. It sounds like you've got PT covered with the water exercises and the portable bike pedal thing.

"Amen" to your wonderful quote -- "Here is to recovery from all infections and a future with happy knees!" I like that. :yes 4:

 

[Organist]

FYI -- I'm about to head out to an Episcopal Church Woman's retreat at Kanuga Retreat Center outside Hendersonville, North Carolina. It's a Southeastern jurisdictional event. I might get to post while I'm there. They DO have computers that we can use -- as they're available. I'll have plenty of time to relax this afternoon and evening, and tomorrow. Only the delegates to the July National Convention are coming today -- meet and greet. All of the other retreat participants will register tomorrow afternoon. So there is NOTHING on the schedule tomorrow until late afternoon.

Talk to you all later.

 

[Janet2012]

Have a great trip with your new knee. Take it easy!

 

[DogLady]

Very glad to hear she has come through well and is resting now. I'll be glad when I am to that point too.

 

[Jacky48]

Becky, It sounds like you're in for fun time! I hope your leg treats you well while you're away! Enjoy the ladies retreat! Have a great time Becky!

 

[Organist]

Sorry that I haven't updated in so long. It's been hectic with one thing and another.

I had a wonderful time at Kanuga. I had specified on the registration form that I needed a room in the inn rather than in one of the cabins (much more walking on uneven ground and less privacy) because of “recent total knee replacement surgery”. They booked me in one of the two “handicap accessible” rooms at the end of the hall close to the dining hall – and on the same floor. The room had 2 double beds and the shower was fitted with a hospital-type bench with grab-bars and a detachable shower head. The only thing that it lacked was a grab bar for the toilet, but to my joyful surprise that was no problem for Magrat. NO PAIN ! That also meant that when I got back home we moved from the guest bedroom back to our bedroom with a platform bed and a step-stool on my side. We also dispensed with the raised toilet seat. YEA ! ! ! I still wake up a couple of times during the night, but am much more comfortable and don’t end up changing position so often that I wake up Liam.

My last PT appointment was this past Thursday. I thought I had been doing out-patient PT for 6 weeks. It turned out I had only gone for 4 weeks. However we decided that I was doing well enough to continue at home with exercises, mall-walking, etc.

There have been a “couple” of other problems, but I’m "over" all but the current one. The 2 antibiotics for the sinus infection cleared that up, and I finally got rid of the resulting yeast infection. I had athlete’s foot on my left foot several weeks ago – 1st time in my life. Using the spray Tinactin got rid of the athlete’s foot, but the can had a tendency to spray and occasionally fizz more than the affected area – even with a piece of cloth between my fingers and the spray and can. So my hands peeled for the next week, looking like I had some contagious disease and being very sensitive to touch. That’s cleared up now too. The main problem left now is that I have a slight infection (diverticulitis) which started a few days ago. So I’m on 2 kinds of antibiotics again for 10 more days. I’m thinking that if “catching it in the early stage” felt this bad while taking Hydrocodone and Oxycodone for my knee, I’m glad that the pain meds are helping. Anyway, that’s getting better now. I’m also taking cranberry capsules and pro-biotic pills to ward off another yeast infection until I get off of the antibiotics. The 2 seem like they’d negate each other, but the pro-biotic pills are much easier to take than eating yogurt several times a day. I like yogurt, but not that much.

Other than that, Liam and I are sharing the organ bench on Sundays (since last week). My energy level still doesn’t quite make it through the entire service. I play for the first past, and he plays for the last part. It’s working well, and everybody enjoys hearing both of us playing. Time for bed now. Pleasant dreams.

 

[Janet2012]

Hi Becky! Glad you had a nice trip and am really glad to hear you are back playing the organ! I've been too drowsy to keep up with the threads since surgery and am just perking up enough to start feeling normal. I'll try to drop by more often!

 

[1ELISEA]

Hi Becky
Let me also say that it is great you are back playing the organ. Good for you!

It has been a long day, back in my own house taking care of myself now, and I am soooooo tired, wish I could chat more.

 

[Morning Glory]

Becky,
I’m glad you’re doing so well. Getting to go away, move back into your bedroom, back to playing the organ! It’s great that you’re doing so well and getting your life back to normal.

 

[Organist]

Janet, Elisea, and Morning Glory -- thanks. As for being drowsy, not having much energy, and taking naps -- I'm still there too. I can make it through the days better, and can delay bedtime until 10 pm more often -- rather than 8:00 or 9:00. However it still depends on the day and how Magrat and I both feel.

How is your recovery going, Morning Glory? Do you have a thread "on the other side?

Take care, y'all. Hope you have a good weekend.

 

[Jacky48]

Hi Becky, glad to see you had a great time away and you got a room that suited your needs! Sorry to hear about all your other mishaps. Hopefully it will all clear up soon and leave you a lone for a while.

 

[Organist]

Thanks, Jacky. My room was WONDERFUL. It was at the end of the hall -- only 2 rooms on that side of the intersecting hall (one on each side) leading to the dining room. Between my room and the intersecting hall were the linen "closets". So I could nap, sing, chat with myself out loud, read, putter, play with paper and glue (quilling or paper filigree), snore, enjoy a cup of coffee, or whatever -- and it bothered absolutely nobody. I even had a bird singing outside my window on the last morning, and finally recognized the music from the 1st six notes that it repeatedly sang -- a morning song about "the morning sun lights up the skies..." I was already awake and gently stretching and relaxing on the bed before getting up. After singing for me, it went away -- I think to sing for other people. When I ventured out briefly to get a cup of coffee in the dining hall to bring back to my room for some more leisure time before breakfast, I started talking to a man (with another retreat that started after ours), and told him about the bird and the song (which happens to be a hymn in the Episcopal hymnal based on Gregorian chant). He said that he was going to sit with his cup of coffee, pray "morning prayers" and might sing some Ralph Vaughan Williams. As we parted, I found out that he's an Episcopal bishop in a nearby state. Oops. Their retreat (SE section of the USA -- Province IV) started on Tuesday. As I went back to my room, I thought, the bird singing a morning chant might become a brief example of something in one of his sermons -- the crazy lady with the Gregorian chant bird at her window. The retreat was a good one -- and mixed with lots of relaxing times.

The rest of the stuff (not related to Magrat) has either gone or is on the way out of my system.

 

[Jacky48]

LOL! Way so relaxing! Love the singing birds, they have such a story to tell. ;) Glad to hear that your system is getting back to normal.
Have a great evening!
Still can't find the " smileys".

 

[ladyj]

Had your knee done, been on retreat, and lots of Vaughan Williams....................jammy devil

 

[bottomshollow]

Becky, for your information, when you want to tag a member you type @UserName(spelled correctly) then a semi-colon. When you Post Reply, the name will turn to blue and the semi-colon will become a colon. Then the member will get an alert. I happened to stumble on your attempt to tag in Elisea's thread because I read almost everything on the forum. I'm just a glutton for punishment LOL!

 

[Organist]

Jacky, Jessie, & Judy -- thanks. The bishops were in their own separate retreat, so we really didn't see them except in passing or in the dining room for meals.

Judy, thanks for tagging tip.

The weekend was more tiring than usual. Saturday evening, we (Liam and I) were “going through” the music for the next morning when my energy level “bottomed out” before I finished playing through the music for the first half of the service. I looked at Liam and said, “Did you say that you're going to play for the last half of the service tomorrow?” He replied, “I suppose I did.” Then we switched places. Sunday morning I was SO glad that we were sharing the playing of the service. When we got up Magrat and I were feeling soooo good that I decided to wait until “she” started getting uncomfortable. Well, during choir practice Magrat started complaining – about using my right foot to help the left foot play the pedals – not achy or sore – pain. It wasn’t terrible pain, but it got my attention. So as soon as we finished rehearsing, I headed to the parish hall to take a pain med. That worked. However during the last hymn I became slightly light-headed. So I sat back down to sing. I’m glad that Liam was playing at that pont. It wouldn’t have been very good if I had slid onto the organ pedals. A friend of mine in college days accidently slipped off of the organ bench during her organ lesson. Talk about LOUD and scaring everybody. That would have done it. Sunday afternoon was a great time to take a nap.

 

[Jacky48]

Becky, Naps are a great recovery tool! I love that tool in the tool box! Sounds like you know your limits! Good for you!

 

[Organist]

Magrat surprised me today. We weren't doing much of anything today. So I "delayed" taking my pain med this morning. This is the FIRST day that Magrat has been fine all day. I don't expect this to be a regular pattern for awhile, but it was a nice break. I'll take my pain med tonight before I go to bed -- to make sure that I don't wake up during the night with Magrat fussing at me. Maybe Magrat was "sleeping" today.

 

[Jacky48]

Sounds great Becky! Maybe Magrat is getting use to her new life and she won't need anything heavy soon! Congrats on your great day!

 

[Organist]

Thanks, Jacky. That would be a wonderful step forward.