Saturday, May 31, 2008

Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet Home! It is so nice to be home. Thanks to my wonderful husband and kids, Jess, Carina and Rick, the furniture is back in place and the new floor in the livingroom and diningroom looks amazing. It feels like a new house.

There is so much I would like to do now that I am home, but the most important thing is becoming more comfortable with my new knees. Every chair, the couch and the deck are all so much more comfortable than the hospital bed and any chair I sat on in the hospital. It is great to be home.

Tomorrow I will begin working on my book of excersizes because I know that the only way I will be able to cook, clean and put things back together will depend on my increased ability to walk and manage without a walker or cane.

Right now I can, with pain, go up and down stairs. I can use two canes around the house for short walks, but if I want to walk a little farther, I need a walker.

I am feeling quite impatient right now. I just want to be able to stretch and bend the way I would normally, but with swelling and bruising of the legs this will take some time. I managed to stretch my legs straight with a 2 - 5 inch distance to the bed which should be 0. I was able to bend my knees in with a 105 degree angle which is wonderful, but the pain was excrutiating so this needs a lot of work.

The pharmacy is now preparing my medications which are an array of pain killers, antibiotics, blood thinners,etc. I am hoping that I will be able to cut back on these significantly over the next few weeks, but I am told that it is better to stay on the pain killers in order to tolerate the excersize and thus become more mobile. What a drag!

The good news after all of this surgery business, is that befoe the surgery my blood pressure was creeping up, but since the surgery is over, my blood pressure is on the low side. I guess the pain and stress of arthritis and upcoming surgery is much more stressful than the pain associated with recuperation.

I received a lovely package in the mail today. Thanks so much to Yvette, Sheila and Roz for the beautiful nigthty and cover. It is exactly to my taste. I love it.

Thanks also to Debbie for coming to the hospital and packing me all up as I waited for Chris. We were all ready to go as soon as Chris and Jess arrived.

Thanks for the lovely blog messages from Sonia and Jane from Life-Bridge and from the Cauchi family. It was so nice to hear from you. I hope everyone else at Life-Bridge is doing well. I miss you all.

Until next time.

Marilyn
The first day home is awsome. Thanks

Yeah! Time to go home.

What a waste of time, The physio merely tested my ability on the stairs and measured the degree of my bend and then said I can go home todqy. I stayed for the extra day of physio but could have probably gone home yesterday as there was no actual excersize period today.

So I had my last hospital lunch and am waiting for Chris to pick me up.

I can't wait to see our newly renovated livingroom and diningroom, snuggle up with the doogies and relax in my own surroundings. No more schlepping down town for Chris.

Hopefully on Monday the St.John's Rehab will call to book my appt. and the recovery will begin. I can't wait.

Until tonight.

Marilyn

Home today?

Good Morning
It was another long night. It seems I sleep better in the daytime than in the night. So after getting ready for bed and all tucked in at 10:30 at 1:30 I was wide awake. Sleeping off and on from 1:30 until 5:00 was very frustrating. I could not find a comfortable position and my back was killing me as my doctor emphasized that it is best to sleep on my back with straight legs.

So this morning I asked if I could go home today. But they informed me it will depend on what the physio says.

Until next time.

Marilyn

Friday, May 30, 2008

Feeling much better - Yeah!

It is Friday night and I am feeling so much better. It took me about 5 hours to recuperate after physio today, but now I am washed, changed and ready for bed and feeling so much better. Thanks to Debbie's blankets and socks, I was able to ride over the awful feelings of cold and soar feet and legs. The cozy socks were a big help and the fleece blanket kept me feeling as well as could be expected.

I got two cards from Yvette today and one from Sheila and Arnie and a lovely phone call from Rozzie in New York and a call from my dear friends Lydia and Glenda today. Thanks so much for all of the kind thoughts. They are really helping me over the tough times.

So now that I know I am allergic to excersize I will not be so afraid to take pain killers.


Hopefully I will sleep past 3;30 p.m.

Until tomorrow.

Marilyn

Could you believe it is day 8?

Today is Friday and I had my third intensive physio therapy session. I feel worse today than I did a week ago. It appears that the side effects I am experiencing are not of the meds but are of the excersize. After each physio session my legs get extremely tight, tired and feel feversih and exhausted. Today I was able to bend my knees to 104 derees, I hope I am a able to contnr to. Only time wil tell. Have a wondrful week-end.

Until tomorrow.

Marilyn

Pain, pain pain!

It appears that the pain meds I have been taking are either no longer strong enough or the physio has caused lots of strain. Wichever it is, I am ready to try dilodin again (1 mg) along with a half of a gravol. Hopefully this will reduce the pain. During the night I could hardly turn over or get up to go to the washoom without acute pain. Not fun! At 5:45 I tried the additional drug. Let's see, I hope it helps. Stay tuned.
Physio at 11:30 again and I must be able to move.
Until later,
Marilyn

Thursday, May 29, 2008

A Very Long Day 7

Only one week after surgery and I am suffering through torcherous physio. The worst is the bending in. You would think they would lubricate these things before installing them.

Once again I woke up far to early, 3;30 am, and counted the hours until breakfast and my scheduled 11:30 am physio. Once again, the first bending excersize brought tears to my eyes. Fortunately the latter lunges, balancing and stairs were not half as painful.

A visit from Jess and Deb brought up my spirits and a yummy lunch kept my energies high. Thanks for the lovely warm socks and fleece from Deb, I did not get the uncomfortable chills that I had last night.

As I did not take the pain meds that cause me dizziness, I enjoyed dinner and a visit from Chris. We cleared up some of the stuff needing to go home as a visit from the doctor indicated the following:

1. I can go home as soon as I feel safe.
2. I should make an appt. for next Tues. to check how the blood thinners are managing - no clots.
3. If I have any chest or leg pain, I must go to emergency immediately to ensure no lung or leg clots as these are common on day 17 of bilateral knee surgery.
4. I should, once again reassess my pain meds and even take the ones I am allergic to with gravol, to ensure good mobility.
5. I should ask my doctor to refer me to a neurologist re the tingling/numbness on the balls of my feet.
6. Continue doing my excersizes at home but do not go to outpatient rehab as infection spreads at rehabs. She thinks I can do the excersizes fine on my own.
7. Wear my ped stockings for 6 weeks, day and night.
8. Come back and see her in six weeks to assess my progress.

So tonight Chris and I decided that three more days with my physio here would prepare me for returning safely to home care - means that I have all day Friday and all day Saturday to be pampered and to push forward.

So Sunday morning I will be packing up and returning home. I am really looking forward to seeing how our new livingroom and diningroom look after the rugs have come up, the floors stained and varnished and the rooms painted. Apparently it looks great.

Until tomorrow.

Marilyn

Video Update Wow!

Progress one week later

Last week at this time she was sitting in bed numb from the waist down and feeling no pain. It's hard to believe a whole week has gone by!

Check out today's progress...




Look at those crazy bruises on the backs of her knees!

Please keep writing quick comments - they're really motivational and now that she has her new toy she's checking frequently to see if YOU'VE messaged. :)

The new toy...

Look at the present her lovely husband gave her! It's an internet machine!

It's really cool. It weighs essentially nothing and it has all kinds of features like a webcam and messenger and all the other things she might need.

As you can see it's very small, and it doesn't hold as much as other machines do, but it has USB connections for any external storage she might need. Amazing!

Think she'll notice if I 'borrow' it for a while??

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Not the best day (day 6)

I'm expected to go home on Saturday or Sunday but can't imagine how that will happen. I slept fairly well during the night but once again woke up early - around 3 - and watched the hours go by. Hour after hour.

Fortunately the headache and the dizziness was gone and I felt up to taking a shower.

Physio was scheduled for 11:30 and I was feeling ready and confident. Didn't take long before I felt discouraged. The physiotherapist has the nerve to manipulate my knee, bending it to where she thought it should be! I think she got a clear message that I was not impressed when tears came pouring down my face. It was a pain that's hardly explainable. Each exercise requires ten repetitions and the first few are always the toughest. So it would have appeared logical to help me out by pushing me farther after the first five repetitions and not the very first one.

It turns out I am allergic to all the painkillers. Tomorrow a pain specialist will be meeting with me to hopefully come up with some new ideas. They tell me the only way to proceed with my physio and get things moving is to have good ain control. I hope we come up with a solution quickly.

A big thank you to Life-Bridge Child Care staff, parents, and children for the WONDERFUL fresh fruit basket. I can't even describe how huge the oranges are and how delicious it all looks. Definitely the highest quality fruit I've tasted, or so it seems after all this hospital food.

Another big thank you to the gang at Pangea for the chocolate, chocolate, chocolate galore! When I get my appetite back I'll be sure to try it. But the magazines and crosswords are perfect.

Also a big surprise.. I am typing on my new little ASUS portable computer from Chris. It's amazing! Now I don't have to borrow Jess' or his while I'm here. I can do all kinds of things on it.

I also had a lovely visit from Ewa our music teacher which was a total pick me up. She was so encouraging. Thanks Ewa!

And lastly but not leastly Carina, Rick, Debbie, Chris, and Jess all spent some part of the evening with me and for that I say, "thanks guys".

Several phone calls from Bri were also nice. If only Kwinter and Oli would show a bit of love and come by for a snuggle.

Until tomorrow I remain your friendly in pain blogger,

Marilyn (with some edits from Jess - my resident secretary, masseuse, and cheerer upper)

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Day 6 - update from Jess

I know my mom has already posted today but I thought I'd give you an update from my perspective.

She's seeing real improvement from a few days ago. She can now get out of bed and use the short walker to get to the washroom without any assistance. She can kind of reposition her legs in various ways so that she can lie on her sides, and she can sit in a raised chair for short periods of time with her knees bent-ish.

She is still suffering from quite a bit of pain. As she mentioned, she was experiencing dizzyness earlier so she switched to some different pain killer and this new one doesn't seem to be hacking it.

I think today it was pretty clear that the novelty of the hospital stay was wearing thin on everyone. She's tired of lousy sleeps and of being away from home, and we're tired too.

Happily, it's expected that she'll be able to go home this weekend sometime, Saturday the earliest I suspect. While she's been away my father has been busy supervising some renovations that have basically messed up the entire main floor of the house. There is certainly no room for a safe walker route, so that's going to need clearing up sometime soon. Gah!

Guess that's it for now. Hope everyone's well out there!

Know anyone who is going through or has been through knee replacement surgery? Share the blog! Might as well let these bionic folk help each other out.

Jess

Another Busy Day.

Hello again, I definately had a better night than last night but after waking up at about 1:30 pm. (slept from 9;30 to 1:30), I had trouble falling back to sleep for any exteded period of time. When morning finally came, I had a pleasant chat with my room mate Sybil who has since left, went for a chest xray, had some physio, enjoyed a visit from Betty and John from Ottawa, went for a Doppler Untrasoud on my legs, ate the delicious veggies and dip and fruit from B & J and had some more physio. I really do not know what happened to the day. Tonight Jess and Rick came and Chris is on his way as we speak.

The new pain killers definately helped with the pain but caused dizziness. We have therefroe decded on a difference pain killer which I will take every six hours. Hopefully this will do the trick withough causing dizziness.

Until next time.

Love, Marilyn

Monday, May 26, 2008

What a Day!

Hello Everyone, Thanks for all of the lovely comments and phone calls. It has really helped me push forward. Last night was a very stressful night. After Jess, Chris, Deb, Celia and Norm left, I got ready for bed and as I had done two sets of excersizes I was feeling very tired and ready for a good night sleep. So I was all tucked in at 9:30 and sleeping like a baby when at 1:30 pm I woke up to a night nurse's flashlight glaring at me and the nurse calling out "Oh my God, she's bleeding to death". Very unprofessional, I would say. I felt perfectly fine and wondered what was going on. The IV needle had gotten dislodged and poked me thus the combinaion of blood and IV fluid was leaking onto the floor, the linens and the cushion. Not a pleasant sight. He called for support staff, asked me to raise up my arm and proceeded to clean things up and assess the situation. Fortunately all was fine and I was not dying and all was fine. But of course falling back to sleep was difficult so I dozed off for an hour hear and an hour there and was finally wide awake with a headache to boot at 5:oo pm. The morning was rough. I felt weak and headachey and my knees were sooooo sore.

At noon, things started rolling. I was packed up and taken to the 7th floor, the rehab floor, offered a delicious lunch, sent for exrays, both standing up and lying down xrays and learned to use the low regular walker. When I returned to the room the physiotherapist was waiting form me and took be off to the gym immediately. By 4:00 I was wiped. Supper came at 5:00 and I wasn't very hungry at all. It seems that I can only stomach fruits and vegetables. I am bound to win the Biggest Loser Neuman Edition. Unfortunately I could not participate in today's weigh in. Mayb next week. I should be going home on Saturday or Sunday depending on how this week goes.

I am dreading the night. I hope I have a much less eventful night that last night and do not have exhasution and a head ache tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Until next time.

Love, Marilyn

Progress on Day 5!

Photos!!



She had a rough night again but is doing well today. I'll let her tell you about last night's adventures when she's back from having xrays. Dad brought his old laptop for her so she can write her own updates.

Sunday, May 25, 2008

Day 4 some more - update from Jess

When I last left you I had just talked to her on the telephone in the morning and she wasn't doing so hot.

I stopped by the hospital at around noon and she was sleeping on and off and feeling terribly. The physiotherapist had just come by and wanted her to do her exercises but she felt like she just couldn't manage it. Her legs felt so painful - something she attributed to the previous day's exertion.

I had to leave around 1 and when I returned at 6 she had completely reversed in her attitude and energy. She was feeling perky and happy, having received some visitors during the day and heard from a few of you out there in blogland.

She was so energetic that she was able to do her exercises and to use the walker to get out of bed and head to the bathroom - her first time up all day. The night nurse was firm and insistent that she get up on her feet which I found to be a real help in enouraging mom to push herself forward. She did great.
We hung out in the evening and she seemed to think that she'd have an easier time sleeping tonight so hopefully she'll feel better tomorrow morning than she did today.

The other interesting thing to note is there her appetite is very much affected by either the surgery or the medications or something. She has no desire at all for things that she usually quite likes, like two bite brownies and eclairs. She seems only able to eat every other meal; the other meals she skips due to nausea or disinterest.

Tomorrow she is scheduled to move up from the 3rd floor to the 7th, which they call the "FIT" floor. I'm not sure what that stands for but it's where they work on rehab more intensely and prepare the patients for returning home. She should be able to handle stairs and walking around on her own by the time she leaves in one week. That seems pretty har to imagine at this point but we'll see how it goes.

Thanks so much for all your words of support! They really mean a lot!



Jess

Day 4 - update from Jess

My poor mom isn't too happy this morning. I just got off the phone with her and it sounds like she had a rough night of sleeping on and off. The fever and the pain and the stiffness and the total dependence on others is starting to really get to her.

I can't imagine how it must be to be constantly stuck in your house or in bed day in and day out. She's only on day four and yet it seems she's really had enough!

We're trying to do what we can to keep her spirits high and one thing YOU can do is leave a comment here on the blog or send an email of support. You can write a comment by clicking on the bottom right link of this post that says "comments" and you needn't register for an account or anything else. Just a quick hello will make her happy!!

Thanks for all the support you have already been sending - it certainly does make a difference to know people are rooting for you and thinking about you! I can't wait, and I'm sure she can't either, until she's able to get up and get around by herself. That will really make all the difference.

Take care!

Jess

Saturday, May 24, 2008

Day three physiotherapy - update from Jess

The physiotherapist is here right now and she is doing straightening exercises with mum. She is counting to five while she flexes her hamstrings. It doesn't look painful or anything.

The therapist just got out a thing to measure the degree of straightness in her leg and it is two degrees which is negligible and great on the right leg. The left is actually less straight at seven degrees. She's saying that either people have trouble with flexation or they don't so it looks like mum's not going to have any trouble with this which is great.

The physiotherapist just said she's going to try to stand her up and walk her right now. Ahh! I'm a little nervous for her but the physio seems to think it's fine. She's gone now to look for the walker... She's back.

Now she's got her leg in a pulley that's hooked to a bar above the bed. Mum is to tug the pulley which bends her leg at the knee so she can practice bending. She says it's very sore and has just pressed the button for more meds. Her bend looks to be, oh, maybe 75 degrees.

"How does it feel, mum?"

"It hurts." [laughs] "But I want to bend it."

She's going for ten on the right side, smiling all the way, and while the physio is out of the room I sneak a measure with the measuring thing and it said 80 degrees. Not bad, not bad!

She's back now and measuring the bend herself and it's 69 degrees on the left leg and 80 on the right. Wow, I should be a physiotherapist with no training and such accurate bendy thing reading.

Okay, we're now at the moment of truth: her first walk. The physiotherapist is arranging the bed and all the clutter around it for the big event.

"Are you nervous?"

"No, I'm excited. I can use my arms on that so it's not that bad. It's really quite a good walker."

They strap the brace to her left leg, the one will less mobility, and lower the bed rail and the bed itself. Mom seems calm but I must admit my heart is beating faster...

She's asked to shimmy her bum to the edge but she can't really so the phsyio helps her swing her feet over the edge. No vomiting - an improvement from yesterday!

She pushes her bum forward and puts her feet on the step stool.

"Doesn't feel like there's a whole lot of strength in my legs," she says, laughing.

Still sitting on the bed, the physio asks mum to take a few deep breaths.

"So your goal is to use the bathroom, you say?"

"Yeah. I'd really like to be independent."

I was recruited to help with pushing the chair behind her as she walked.

She got up!! She held onto the walker and could support herself. She slid her feet across the floor and walked from her bed to the door of her room before getting tired and sitting back into the char. The chair, by the way, is one suited for toilet use so she was wheeled over and reached her goal! Yay!!!

The way back to the bed was kind of rough - she was very dizzy and tired out and just wanted to be back on her bed. But now she's there and glad.

"Thank you very much! I feel like I achieved a lot!" She said to the physio.

She's to try the exercises again this afternoon and the phsyio will back again tomorrow.

Great success!!!

Morning of Day 3

It's 9 o'clock in the morning on day 3 and things are going downhill daily.

Yesterday was nausea and today is fever. So, to make sure the fever's not serious, they are doing urine samples, blood samples, and chest x-ray.

My knees are not painful when I just lie still but when I try to move.... well, let's just say they are not comfortable.

Yesterday afternoon my doctor came and took off the bandages because she was too busy to come today. Usually it's on day three when they do that. It was very stingy when they swabbed it with alcohol. Then she put a long bandage on the top of my legs. Then the nurse came and with a less than gentle touch she pulled some tight socks up over my knees.

Nothing much else happened yesterday afternoon. I had a visit from Carina and Chris stayed until... oh wait... I have no idea. I lost track of time. I just called him and he left at 7:30 and then I watched TV and went on the computer until I went to sleep probably around 9.

I woke up at about 3 and stayed up for a little while before falling asleep again until around 6. The night nurse wasn't smiley or pleasant at all. You could see she was going through motions without really caring. My day nurse is much better.

Today the physio will come and hopefully I will actually walk. Jess is here now, Chris is coming around lunch and I think Rick is coming in the afternoon. Visitors are always nice to have and are a good distraction.

Today they're also going to take out the epidural and the oxygen and yesterday they took out the catheter... so slowly but surely I'll be on my own in this. Let's hope bed pans aren't as bad as they sound. I am determined to walk today so that I can make their use unnecessary.

That's all for now! Until next time...

Marilyn

Friday, May 23, 2008

Day 2

Hi everyone,

Last night I slept like a baby from about 9:30 with several interruptions from the nurse who came in to check my vital signs.

Today I woke up at 6:00 and my legs felt like stones. My feet feel like they're wrapped up, or like there's an elastic around each foot. This, I have been told, is the beginning of swelling.

At 8:00 I ate some breakfast of half of a muffin and some skim milk and then when I tried to sit up my blood pressure dropped and I got sick. :( Soon after the physiotherapist and her assistant came by with a high walker but because I got sick sitting up, we only got as far as hanging my legs over the side of the bed. It was very painful.

They've been asking me to rate my pain on a scale of 1 to 10 and it's been 5 or 6 so far today.

I then got extremely sleepy and slept through most of my visit from Shari and Jess, and by the time Debbie and Chris arrived I was feeling more alert.

I did manage to keep down a small chocolate and a freezie, at least for now, and I'm no longer dictating this post to Jess because I've fallen asleep...

Until next time,

Marilyn

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Pre-surgery Images

Here are the old knees, pre-surgery:



And this is her pre-surgery walking:





For the curious, they're in the process of pulling out the carpet in the living room/dining room and staining the lovely hardwood underneath. Wow!

Surgery Day Recap!

It's nighttime and we've left mum to rest and hopefully get a good night's sleep. She has been alert and happy all day long thanks to a lovely pain pump that kept her completely pain free!

Every few hours a nurse would come by to check her blood pressure and to see how much feeling she was regaining in her legs. They would test with ice from hip down to toes. By about 8 this evening she wasn't necessarily feeling the ice too low down but she was able to wiggle her toes and flex her feet, which is good. The surgeon came by and said that everything went very well and to expect the worst still to come.

Apparently tomorrow they will have her already up with a high walker so we'll see how that goes.

Another thing: she is restricted to clear fluids only for the next few days and the hospital food services got it wrong and brought her solids. When they realized the error they took the food away but never brought anything in its place. Can you believe that?! We asked the RN and she said they had nothing but juice in their fridge so we ended up going out to get soup, but man, I thought that was pretty terrible.

Word on the street is that the food is terrible at this hospital and that instead of flowers, friends and family really should send food. :) Food food food!

That's all for now. We'll be sure to let you know how day one goes tomorrow!

Jess

It's over!!!

Hi everybody!

The surgery was over at 11:30 and I feel perfectly wonderful, I can hardly believe it!

We arrived at the hospital at 6:15am. I was feeling very anxious. After changing, talking to the nurse, and reviewing my present health my surgeon arrived with some disappointing news. She had promised me the new and improved prosthesis which she had applied for and this morning she told me it was rejected. She informed me that in three months it would become available and though it's being used at other hospitals, this hospital doesn't use it as of yet. She said she had to tell me this for legal purposes but could not give me her personal opinion. I think that's really unprofessional to tell someone this when they're sitting ready for the surgery, but what could I do? I was mentally ready to do it now, and I want to be healthy for the wedding, so I decided to go ahead with it.

I was then escorted into the epidural room where they started with an IV in a very painless fashion.. first they froze it which was nice. I've had rough experiences with IV in the past so this was nice. They asked me to sit up and lean over with my shoulders relaxed and they proceeded to give me an epidural in the lower back. They had to do three tries to get it perfect... once was on the left, once on the right, and the third try was perfect.

The epidural worked instantaneously. I was then wheeled into the operating room where they transfered me onto a bed and began surgery.

I must have slept for a little while because when I woke up it was probably closer to the middle of the operation. I couldn't feel anything in my lower half, but I was aware and listened to the casual chit chat of the doctors as well as the hammering and sawing of the procedure. I felt perfectly relaxed with no pain and kind of happy that I wasn't out of it. There was a screen in front of me so I couldn't see anything, but I could see the lights and things around me. Nobody really realized I was awake, I don't think.

I was then wheeled into the recovery room where I was treated like a queen! Everybody hovered around me checking to see whether I had any sensation in my lower half using a bag of ice. And, I definitely feel nothing from the hips down. They warn you about all these things like getting my lungs working, the possibility of having a blood transfusions, etc. I needed none of it. My surgeon came by and said, "you really needed it!" And that it was fine.

After an hour in recovery I was wheeled to my room and soon after Chris and Jess arrived. The nurse came by to check my vitals. I have automatic pain relief and a little pump to give myself a top up if I need it. But so far so good. The nurse informed me that my particular doctor prescribes clear fluids only for the first few days so I'm bound to win the biggest loser contest this week!! Watch out family - I'm a force to be reckoned with!

Right now, a little twinge of pain in my left knee has just begun. The lovely yellow button has just been pressed. Who knows what I'm up for, but I have a feeling the worst is yet to come.

Send me your comments! I love comments!

Until next time!

Marilyn

Update from Jess

Hello everyone!

It is just about noon and my mom is still in either surgery or recovery. She and my dad got here to the hospital at 6:15 this morning and I believe she went in to surgery around 7:45am. I assume she'll be finished very soon, but I'm not sure!

I talked to her last night and though she seemed a little nervous, she was also eager to get this over and done with.

I'll update you again as soon as something changes!

Jess

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Last Day

Well today was a whirlwind of a day, trying to get last minute messages and important stuff done at work and trying not to think about tomorrow.

It is 11:00 p.m. and I am packing for my 10 days in the hospital. I got a call from the hospital today letting me know that my surgery is at 7:30 in the morning, the first one of the day. That suits me as I can only assume all the staff will be well rested and in top form.

Chris, Jess and I went to an info session this morning and met with other patients. We were given information to prepare us for what is to come. It was very thorough and there was even a volunteer who had had both knees done last year at this time and had nothing negative to say about the procedure, the staff, the hospital and the outcome. The only negative I can think of is that I may lose have of my blood and need a blood transfusion. Jess offered to be a donor but that is not allowed so I am at the mercy of the Red Cross - very low risk they say. As a result the most difficult aspect of the surgery is the exhaustion. Apparently the pain meds and the lack of arthritis pain make the healing pain seem like nothing at all. So I am geared up and ready to go.

I will just through my belongings into my bag and get to bed so as not too be too exhausted before the actual exhaustion sets in.

Thank you to everyone - family, friends, and daycare staff for all your good wishes. I know you are all there thinking about me tomorrow and it certainly will give me strength. I am sure to be in touch very shortly.

Could you believe the little David did not win American Idol. What a disappointment! What can you do.

Jessica will be logging on to keep you up to date for the next few days. I am sure she will keep you well informed. No gorey photos Jess, please.

Until next time. Here I go on my new journey - excersize, excersize and more excersize.

Marilyn

Monday, May 19, 2008

Surprise!

After a day of satisfying work, getting all caught up and ready for my departure, I picked up Jess and headed home for what I thought was a family BBQ. Yesterday we bought delicious looking sirloin grilling steaks and our first corn on the cobs for the season and I was so looking forward to it. "Pick up tomatoes on the way home" was Chris's request to make his favourite Tomato Salad so off to Longo's we went.

Arriving at home I declared "I hope Rick and Carina didn't take my parking spot" and lo and behold a red camry was in that very spot. "Hmmm, I didn't realize that Ana was coming tonight - maybe there is a surprise happening". But I didn't really expect a gang. Hmmm, Anne, Shari, Lynda, Lydia, Nathan, Arnold - "this is a surprise party? For what - Oh, my surgery - I am really having surgery! - It's a reality. Who ever heard of a going to the hospital surprise party? At first the reality put me into a sombre mood but then I put that behind me and enjoyed a nice buffet dinner in my own house with all our favourite friends - oh yeah Oleg and Nikki from Montreal, Marcia and Gary, Glenda and lastly Michael and Josh and a phone call from Ted in Buffalo - and no cleaning up, preparing and exhaustion of being on my feet all day.

Thank's Chris. You are the best husband! Apparently he has been planning this since the day I announced I was having surgery three weeks ago, and no one let on. I had absolutely no clue. I'm the one usually trying to keep a secret from my staff for Staff Appreciation Day. This time the secret was on me. Well done everyone. Thanks so much for being there. It gives me more courage knowing all my friends are going to be rooting for me on Thursday.

So it looks like there are small benefits to going under the knife. I am sooooo looking forward to the other benefits - being able to take a walk without pain. Yeah.....in about one month from now, I should be feeling the benefits. I can't wait.

Until next time.

Marilyn

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Time is of the Essence

Whew! A long weekend to get ready for next Thursday. There seems like so much to do and not enough time to get it done before I am unable to walk, drive, do housework, cook, clean, do laundry etc. etc. Poor Chris. It must be scarey for him to think of all the things he will be doing while I am incapacitated.

We made a list and got going early. Raised toilet seat, a long handled picker upper thing, groceries, flowers for the garden, cushions for the patio chairs, exchange the watch Jess and Chris picked out for Mother's Day, laundry, cleaners, ironing, hair dresser, the Bay for short nighties (which I couldn't find), and on and on it went. We got most of it done, thank goodness. I am feeling more ready and less stressed. Tomorrow I am off to work to finish up the last few things and be ready to leave with a clear head. Then I will finish off the weekend with ironing, ironing and more ironing. I don't understand how so many people I know are happy with just drying and shaking and hanging out their shirts. It just doesn't do it for me.

Tormorrow our wonderful children will help us empty the living room and dining room to prepare for the floor repair. Getting ready for surgery does not seem so bad when the end goal is getting read for a wedding. That's wonderful motivation! Thanks Carina and Rick. There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Only 4 more days. My knees were so sore today, I can hardly wait. The pain of healing must be well worth it, knowing the arthritic pain will be behind me.

Until Next time.

Marilyn

Thursday, May 15, 2008

A dry run

Today I had a dry run in preparation for my surgery. It was not planned but when at the dentist last Saturday for my regular visit and cleaning, I found out that after 57 years I have the first cavity I have every had. I couldn't believe it. So this evening I went to have it filled. First the freezing needle which felt much worse than I had expected. "Just a little pressure" RIGHT! Then the drilling. I imaginged myself being on the operating table frozen from the waste down and listening to the drilling, hammering and sawing going on and figured this was good practise. It is all done and the freezing is wearing off and I survived my first and hopefully last filling. I have always dreaded this day. Instead of my children asking me "Does it hurt to have a tooth filled?", I was asking them how it felt. That's role reversal for you. I am fine now.

Today was a very good day because I had the opportunity to train my clerical assistant in all the areas of my job which she will be responsible for, worked with my bookkeeper and showed her where to find all my files and info and hired a part time Supervisor to support the staff during my absence. On Monday I met with my two designate teachers who will also have a role in overseeing the smooth running of the centre so with this excellent team in place I can now relax and get well. Imagine, it will take 5 people to do the job I do on my own. What's wrong with this picutre.

Only 6 more days to go of which only 3 are work days. My next big job is to clean up my office so that my team of 5 can actually find what they need and get the job done. It looks like I might have to come in on the weekend to make sure it is all done. It is supposed to be a rainy long weekend, so nothing lost. I will be spending lots fo time resting on our deck in hopefully sunny weather so I can accept a rainy weekend.

Until next time.
Marilyn

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Only 9 days to go until the surgery. My life is really too busy to worry about it, but every now and then I get a sick feeling in my stomach when I imagine the idea of lieing there awake listening to the sawing and vibrations of bones and ligaments being broken, torn and repaired. I, however, also have visions of being very strong and determined and taking on the challenge after a few pampering the restful days after surgery.

My cousin Ricki wrote to me from Las Vegas where she lives and warned me of how much I may love being off work. It is true that it is summer time and the hectic and busy schedule of the daycare centre will behind me for a while. Even with the pain and daily physio, I will also try to take advantage of the nice weather, some good reading and daytime television to help pass the time go by. I cannot imagine being stuck in the house for too long. I will not be able to drive for several weeks as well so getting better will definately be the goal for summer 2008.

Any suggestions of good books to tackle during the summer? I am open to suggestions. What is your favourite most current book? I am always too tired at the end of a work day to read, so hopefully this summer will be a good time to catch up on some good reading.

Thank you to those of you who did respond to my blog announcement. I know communicating with you will make the recovery go by more quickly. When I get Jessica to help me figure out how to use our digital camera and post photos, I will add them to the blog as well.

Until next time.

Marilyn

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Brief History of my knee problem

For the past 10 years I have had gradual osteo arthritis in my various joints (elbows, toes, fingers, thumbs and now knees), however an anti cancer drug which I took last February 2007 was the culprit that put my knees over the top. I am now suffering from severe knee pain, requiring anti-inflamatories and Tylenol arthritis to function.

So in 11 days I will go under the knife and become the proud owner of two titanium knees. Wish me luck.

Any suggestions from anyone who has had both knees done at the same time?

Friday, May 9, 2008

Happy Mother's Day!

This blog is for you to keep track of all your experiences surrounding your upcoming surgery, and to share them with your friends and family.

Happy blogging!

Love,

Jess