1. My pre-op nurse let the nurses nickname for my doc slip, it was funny both the nickname and the fact that she left it slip. The nickname is cute.
2. My newest surgery knee was worse than my old surgery knee. Sadly I cannot recall what the doc said more than that, I will get the rest of the store at my 1 month recheck.
3. Oddly my pre-op BP was 107/77...low.
4. This time I was awake enough to look around in the OR and watch them strap my arms onto the table but not awake enough to experience them place a seatbelt across my waist.
5. Mom and Dad were great helps. Dad cleaned the gutters, caulked the tub, installed the xm in my car and a few other tiny projects. Mom scrubbed my kitchen floor - a huge project as well as served supper, lunch and picked up meds.
6. Marjean was awesome, taking me to surgery at 6:30am and taking me home again. AND having a half and half iced tea waiting for me in her car when I walked out of the surgery center. AND AND she is feeding me tomorrow and all I am to bring is whipped cream.
7. Trena drove me to and from my hair appointment today. On the way home I treated her to a snack at Dunkin Donuts.
8. Karin let me borrow her ice pack thing, awesome.
9. Many people called to see how I was doing, thanks!
10. I have really good friends.
11. As usual, post-anesthesia, I could not sleep when it was time to go to bed. Even with vicodin on board.
12. Today I napped a few times, no vicodin assistance.
13. My knee feels better tonight than it did this morning. Hopefully each day is better than the last.
14. Mom and I ordered shoes for Christmas, she ordered leopard ones like mine for her and flat black leather ones for me.
Happy Thanksgiving all!
This knee was worse than the other knee and my previously operated on knee was more swollen than the knee operated on yesterday. Told the doc that a week ago I had taken a crash in the alley while walking the dog around and likely fell on my knee. Then 2 days after that at the dog park, a few dogs ran in to me hitting me on the side of my previously operated oin knee.
I am hoping a week of rest will help both knees.
Marjean took me to the surgical center at 6:30 am and took me home at 10:15am. She even had some half and half sweet tea from McDOnalds waiting for me in the car! Rock on Marjean.
Mom and Dad were here when I got back. Dad was cleaning out the gutters. Mom went and did some errands and picked up my meds. Mom is planning on a Mini Thanksgiving dinner today! That was a nice surprise. Mom and Dad brought their fake Christmas tree for me to use this year.
My Pre-op nurse let the nurse's nickname for me ORtho doc slip - he is a handsome young guy was great bedside manner. His nickname is his last name with "cakes" attached to the end. I told here I would not say a word.
Will post pics of the inside of my knee later.
Scottie is a foster dog at Marjean's. His story will come later.
Random notes from this week:
I picked up my orthodics and so far I love them!
Ruby had her first official therapy visit on Monday night. She did very well with the obedience demonstration and square dancing.
Christmas projects finished: pottery, Christmas card addressing, and all the shopping is done except for sock presents.
Christmas project to be finished: felted coffee cup coozies, framing pictures and possibly photo necklaces... maybe.
Will find out tomorrow afternoon the time for my surgery. The next few weeks will be filled with physical therapy and rechecks.
The book is finished and ready for sale through Blurb.
I am not sure if this will work but if you order before the 24th and use the code BLURBTREAT you can get 20% off and free shipping on up to 5 books.
A friend told me about this Bible verse and I am so making a bumper sticker with this saying on it, you will understand why after reading the story.
History: One particular Amish client only wants the boss for his routine monthly herd checks. He is OK when the other vet or I are there for sick cows or emergencies.
This morning he called at about 6:45 because he had a heifer calving and wanted someone to come out.
The conversation:
A: I have a heifer who is trying to calve. I reached in and can feel the head and the feet are curled back. I think it should be a pretty easy calving. I hurt my shoulders and I do not want to fight with her. She will be in the back box stall...
Me: (interrupting him) Someone will need to be there to help me with the calving.
A: We are going to church.
Me: You can call me when you get back. (obviously not a good choice)
A: I think it would be better to see her sooner than that.
Me: I agree and will need someone around to help me.
A: Can you be here in 15 minutes?
Me: No, I live about 40 minutes away.
A: Well we are going to church.
Me: I will need help, plus I am having knee surgery in a week so it would be good to have help. (hoping this will encourage him to have someone there)
A: The boss should be on if you cannot do these things yourself.
Me: The boss does not do calvings alone and he has hurt shoulders as well.
A: Well just get here.
Click.
OK, none of us do calvings alone. It is dangerous from the stand point of injuring our shoulders if they do not stay still, whip their rear end back and forth or try to lay down. Heifers are likely to move around more than a cow. Additionally most of the equipment we use to help with calvings require two people to use them safely and properly. And finally if the calf is dead and the head needs to be cut off so the feet can be brought up and then the calf removed, two people are most definitely required.
When I got there the son of the dairyman was there to help. In usual heifer fashion she wanted to swing her butt back and forth and try to lay down. I had the son tie her up shorter to make that situation better. I did get the feet up and then we needed to use the calf puller to help deliver the 1 month premature dead calf. The calf puller is a long metal pole with grooves and a ratchet system attached. Another tool requiring two people to use.
After we were finished the son went inside, cleaned up, came back out in church clothes, hitched up his horse and drove off to church.
I am fairly certain he will not go to hell for helping me with a calving and arriving at church an hour late.
The calf jack is the metal thing pushed against the butt of the cow...
Also I am on call the first weekend of December, the following weekend is Christkindel/baking/carmel corn making weekend. The weekend after that will be spent in NYC with Mom and Dad. Likely I will be assisting Dad with the Mother present as well as doing some sock present shopping.
There you have it.
Last night I went to dinner with a friend and her co-worker friends. They are all in the human medical field. The work stories they tell are way funnier than my work stories. I ordered a seafood pizza which was delicious. I ate about a third of it and boxed the remainder to take home. It made it home but not out of the truck. UGH, I was so looking forward to having it for lunch today.
Conversation with this same friend earlier in the week.
J: You should boost up on vitamin C and Zinc prior to surgery.
Me: Well I am already on a multi-vitamin, calcium, vitamin D, prescription vitamin D, and glucosamine/chondroitin.
J: It sounds like you are an 85 year old woman!
Excellent friends I have wouldn't you say?
My Christmas cards have arrived and they look spectacular!
The oven ready buzzer just went off so I should go put the sweet potato/cranberry turkey meatloaf in the oven...this is the dogs meatloaf. I think I might need to make one for myself.
Slinky!
I got a massage, a birthday gift from Marjean. This was my first massage and I doubt it will be my last, it was lovely.
Trena and I went to the "Stroll Thought the Arts" event in Lewisburg. There was snacking, purchasing and looking.
Saturday was the Christmas card photoshoot. Trena was a good help. Here are two out takes.
Today I took a bike ride- 8 miles with some little hills. My surgery knee is still sore and not as flexible as I would like it to be. During post-surgery PT the physical therapist said elliptical machines are not so good for people with knee issues. I am going to sell my elliptical and purchase a bike trainer and/or rowing machine.
Me and a curious cow.
Mom and Dad are coming up next weekend to help me with a few projects.
I am really trying to get the yard work done before surgery day. This week I put up my leaf fence.
My neighbors divide their time between Florida and here. The left in September and are due back near Thanksgiving. This has been the usual procedure for the past 3 years. The boro picks up leaves that are placed at the curb. They do this till about the first weekend in December. In previous years because my neighbors do not pick up their leaves in a timely fashion, their leaves blow into my yard and driveway so that I have bag the leaves and pay the trash pick-up service to haul them away. I am tired of picking up their leaves and given my future surgery I decided to put up the leaf fence.
Just call me the grouchy neighbor!
And exactly how would one tell if dogs are on vacation?
This was my favorite time of day.
Gracie's page.
Sunday Gail, Alice and I went to the NC State Fair.
Hush Puppy samples.
Aliens
Pig Licker - chocolate covered bacon..not too repulsive but not good enough to buy again.
Ice cream from the NC State Creamery. Way good!
Random fair photo - it was chilly.
Poor marketing... these guys were pimping out "Tai Slim - bye bye belly".
New parking deck at the vet school. Seems like the vet school has been under construction for years.
Callie, one of MeMa's dogs.
Sunday night we went to hear Bonnie Raitt. I could not sneak my camera in so this is the best I could do with my iphone. We did manage to sneak food and wine in to the venue. Alice tucked the bag of wine into her pants- a pseudo colostomy bag! It was quite funny!
Monday morning I stopped byBojangles and picked up breakfast for Gail, Alice and myself. Ruby and Sheldon played. Then it was off to Hilton Head.
Gracie and Ruby on their first beach walk of the vacation.
Gracie enjoys the tide pools.
Ruby and some dangerous seaweed.
Sis, BiL and I took a ride on the beach using the beach cruisers left at the house.
Tuesday morning the dogs and I went for a walk.
Ruby encountered killer seafoam.
This was my favorite time of day.
On the way down to Hilton Head I purchased Ruby a 20 foot training lead. We practiced off lead commands, mostly recalls, with her dragging the leash. She did very well even with all the distractions, birds, people, bikes. She had a great time running free.
Dad and I rode to South Beach to visit the Salty Dog Store. There were no dog sweatshirts so I came away empty handed. Though we did see some gators and long necked birds. Bike rides were referred to as gator hunts.
After we got back, I walked the dogs again and went out on another gator hunt.
My aunt and cousin came over for dinner Tuesday night.
Wednesday morning the dogs and I went on another walk.
Walking back to the house.
Mom, Dad and I rode up to Harbor Town. Mom did some shopping and I took some pictures.
When we got back, Sis and I did a big ride to the thrift stores and back.
Waiting at the crosswalk.
No feeding the gators.
Sis's husband met us on our way back from the thrift stores. Instead of riding the bike trails home, we rode the beach home. Hilton Head has an enormous amount of bike trails, I mean anywhere you might want to go there is a trail that will take you there. Tons of Beach Cruiser Bikes. Also Tons of people riding with their seats too low. We always wore our helmets except when we took this picture.
That evening we met our cousin and aunt for dinner. Later that night, like 9:30 pm, Sis, BiL and I went for a night ride on the beach. We each had a light source. It was fun though one had to be on the look out for kid made holes, driftwood and sand villages.
Thursday morning it was another walk on the beach with the dogs. Then sis and I went for a trail ride.
My horses name was Thersea.
This is the house we stayed at...
I left for Raleigh and returned home Friday afternoon.
Other than the red-headed stop child first day and a half, it was a nice break. I really enjoyed having the dogs along. Watching them play in the water was just great. They are still pretty tired from the adventure.
The bedroom set up is as such: two master bedrooms with their own bathrooms, one is on what is essentially the first floor while the other is on the second, there are two other bedrooms with twin beds, one has a bathroom attached to it, this bathroom also has a second door suggesting that this bathroom is to be shared with the other win bed room. Mom and Dad have the first floor room, Sis and husband have the other Master bedroom. Sis's Mother In Law has the bedroom attached to the bathroom. Mom/Dad decided that I should share their bathroom and not the one that Sis's Mother In Law is using. So if I have to pee in the middle of the night I have to either go to the powder room near the kitchen or go into Mom and Dad's room to pee.
OK.
I brought an extra dog crate to set up in the house. I wanted to put it in the family room. Mom immediately killed that idea which is when I suggested that I could stay in a hotel instead so my dogs would not get in trouble. When Dad saw where I set up the crate, he thought it was fine. In fact later that day, Mom put sis's dog's dog bed over there. The house has gates that can make the kitchen separate which is great for keeping the dogs in one place.
Last night I was sitting on the floor against the fireplace hearth. Dad suggested I sit on the couch to which I declined because the dogs would want to sit with me. They had been watching DVD movie the night before, everyone had fallen asleep and missed the ending. They decided to finish watching the movie last night. So I took the dogs and went upstairs and watched baseball.
This morning Mom and I went to the store to buy things for tonight's meal. (Last night Sis's mother in law made dinner). We went to Fresh Market and picked out some turkey sausages in three flavors. I do not like green peppers so I suggested we skip that flavor, Mom was OK with that. Next it was on to the salad ingredients. We bought the usual and I asked if we had any cheese for the salad to which Mom said we do not need cheese on the salad. It was my job to make the salad and I suggested we leave the ingredients on a bowl so people can choose what they want. Mom said no and that the salad would be put together, I told her I was not a big fan of mushrooms in the salad, she said pick them out and give them to someone else. It did not matter that I contributed half of the money for tonights dinner. We also bought a pie because my sisters husband and dad like pie..even though Mom just got done saying we had enough food at the house and she really did not want to be taking a bunch of stuff home. But cheese for the salad was out of the question....
We then went to Starbucks for a to go drink. Mom bought me an iced tea. When we got home, Dad and I took a nice bike ride to South Beach. We saw gators and long necked birds on the way.
When we came back I took Ruby and Gracie to the beach for another walk. Mom was at the beach already. We stopped to say hello. She had some pretzel snacks and fed Ruby two and Gracie one, Gracie only got one because she is getting chubby. WTF- Ruby is half the size of Gracie!
Later in the evening I was putting the salad together and Mom criticized the fact that I was using all the lettuce we bought in addition to that which was leftover in the fridge from another meal. That made me mad. So I put some of the new lettuce back and finished putting the salad together.
It is totally the Sis and Son in law show. My aunt and cousin came over for dinner tonight. They thanked Mom for dinner to which she replied that it was Dad because he is the money maker. As an after thought she mentioned that I also contributed to tonights dinner.
After our guests left, I took the dogs for a walk and then up to our room. They had spend the evening in the crate and were ready to get out. I am trying to make my dogs as little of a problem as possible...Sis's dog can do no wrong.
So tomorrow is another day so I will see what happens.
2. Saturday I have for Raleigh followed by Hilton Head. Mom and Dad are renting a house that is dog friendly. Gracie, Ruby and I are spending a few days there next week. Sis, husband and Mother In Law are also coming down. A real family vacation.
3. Yesterday Mom told me she bought Ruby a new toy for vacation. I thanked her and told her Ruby would really enjoy playing with her new toy. Mom then added and I am sure your brother-in-law will enjoy playing with Ruby and her new toy.
4. Yup, I can see how the vacation is going to go...sis and husband will be sporting the golden fleece while I will still be sporting the black fleece.
5. Working on a quilt. I pieced it together the winter after I graduated from vet school.... yes that long ago. Part of the delay was not knowing how to machine applique. I have decided to hand applique it because after seeing some needle work at the Grange fair and talking with Marjeans sister, I figured I could to it! Here is the first part..
A duckling and some chicks.
Wednesday night I had a special visitor, a Flickr friend - Brooklyn Hilary. she is traveling across the country (Couch Surfing) as a Ford Fiesta Agent. You can read more about her and her adventures here:
http://hilarymchone.blogspot.com/
And her photos from the visit.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hilabean/s
I made tomato soup, salad and grilled cheese sammiches for supper. Following supper we went to Amy's for Dusty Miller Sundaes. Then it was off to Lewisburg for some live music with Burgess, Mitchell and Seal.
The Fiesta and Hilary.
Elsie made a new friend.
Had my post surgery follow up appointment last Wednesday. My doc agreed to scope my other knee. Surgery happens the Monday before Thanksgiving.
Karin...
and I went to the Blooomsburg Fair friday night.
Really my head is not that much larger than theirs...
Tired goaties.
In line to auctioned off.
Sheep
Cows, I know these cows.
This is odd and disturbing. One can pay fifty cents to see dogs in cages. We did not go in but from what we can see, it appears that breeders bring dogs in for display and presumable to make sales or contacts for future sales. This is not right and is likely quite stressful on the dogs.
Rooster
Bun- a big bun, like 20 pounds of bun.
And the weirdest bird ever...
I am so not making this up.
Gigantic pumpkin - not making this up either.
It was a great fun night. We missed most of the rain though it did start pouring as we were purchasing our big sticky buns to take home.
Sis, Bro-In-Law and I took a bike ride Saturday afternoon.
After we finished the bike ride, we took a boat ride with the puppies.
The next day we took a day long boat ride to Westport and back.
Lock-keeper and his dog, Molly.
Seaplane
Monday morning I took Ruby for a little walk.
Monday Tini and I walked the dogs and then went for a bike ride on Wolf Island.
A little Tim's for the ferry ride over to Wolf Island.
The island has tons of wind mills that just started generating electricity.
Taking the ferry back to Kingston. There were 2 or 3 semis on the ferry.
The night before our ride we were talking about poutine, a dish created in Quebec. It is fries, cheese curds and gravy. We did a bit of internet searching for poutine in Kingston. A reviewer said that Small Fry, a chip truck on the campus of Queen's University had great poutine. So we found it...
Tini went for it while I watched the bikes.
Yummy.
It was a fun visit. Sadly with all the biking and walking my knee, the nonsurgerized one, became very swollen and sore.
Bison.
More Bison.
No Smoking? Really?
One evening Cheryl and I met Jim, a Flickr friend. He drove into town to meet us and do a photo walk. Sadly he and a huge thunder storm arrived at the same time. So we photo walked around the hotel.
The rain never let up all evening. Thanks Jim for braving the storm for a short Flickr meet-up!
Meeting pick-me-up.
Fun and games with reflections.
Bike
Omaha
Reproductive exam on a bison times two.
View from inside the Quest Center.
Cheryl and calf.
The meeting was good, brought home some good information for the practice.
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