looks like i'm 5% less of a geek than J...guess that's a good thing ;) one thing though, J, how do i become a card carrying geek? i MUST know!!! is there some kind of exercise i can do to bolster my geekery? TELL ME!
humph
lois is already asleep. although she has been able to put weight on the knee for much of the three weeks following the surgery, it still takes a lot out of her. she'll take a shower...and'll have to lie down. she does some laundry...and has to lie down. she goes out and waters the flowers in front of the house...and has to (you get the picture). luckily, she has changed her mind about being back at work and decided to take the next couple weeks off on disability.
i don't blame her. although my leg break wasn't pretty, i wasn't back at work for nearly four weeks after the surgery. she, meanwhile, troops on back to work a mere eleven days after getting her left knee replaced.
however, i was able to endure the first week with just a smatter of discomfort. she, on the other hand, nearly succumbed to excruciating pain the entire time during the past two weeks. i'm just leery about pushing it. after all, i'd never broken a bone in my life and wasn't about to rush into anything.
you'll be happy to know that i spent a couple hours today on both feet, without any crutches. after nearly ten weeks of varying degrees of immobility, my left leg feels about 85% normal. sure, it's still a noticeable hobble, but i'm gaining more and more confidence (and hopefully strength) with each passing day. this whole ordeal has been such a patience building exercise...that i NEVER want to repeat ;) WATCH OUT WORLD! NO MORE GOOSESTEPPIN' FOR ME!!!
i know i've been shitty about posting for nearly four weeks now. you know how you just get into those "I really don't feel like saying anything" funks...they hit me a few times a year. i always have something to say but not wanting to share it.
many things have transpired since my last post.
1) the leg is rapidly improving. i saw the surgeon on the 9th and he was quite satisfied w/ my progress. he told me that i could start putting more weight on the leg and eventually wean myself off the crutches. this week, i have finally started using just one crutch and actually put on BOTH shoes ;) it's a little scary because i get these crazy ideas in my head about falling down and messing it up even worse than the first time, but it's feeling good!
2) lois did get her left knee replaced on the 2nd and was in the hospital for four nights. initially, she was supposed to just be there for three but she developed complications...such as three blod clots in her lungs. yeah, not good. luckily, she had a nurse that was on top of things and had them diagnosed and treated quickly.
3) annie, our (nearly) 15 year-old silky terrier, had to be put down one day before lois was to be discharged. THAT was really tragic. poor thing. annie had already endured cataract surgery on both eyes in february...kidney problems in may...and during the last week of her life, she battled kidney and congestive heart failure. susie and i felt so bad that lois was away from her baby. we even slipped annie into her room to visit (what we thought would be) one last time on friday. it turned out that annie would see lois one more time on sunday, right before we took her to the vet's office, in a really serene garden area just off the physical therapy building at rose. lois spent about an hour holding, rocking, and talking to annie...sigh. we miss her terribly but are truly relieved that she's in a much better place now.
4) lois' sister, pauline, came up from texas to help us out w/ everything house-related for ten days. and was she a lifesaver! sure, we could have survived w/o her help, but it would have been a stress-filled and exhausting scene. people who are free of physical handicaps (temporary or permanent) never realize how lucky they have it. even though i have become quite of a daredevil in the transport chair, it's still a hassle to do many things in a non-handicap accessible house.
5) i've started a twice-weekly lunch w/ my mother. now that i'm getting around better, on tuesdays and thursdays after work, i pick her up and we head out somewhere, just so she can get out of the house during the week. sure, she's still perfectly able to drive and shop, visit, etc. but i know she feels pretty lonely. this week, we've gone to denny's for a MEGA-slam breakfast and to super star asian for their wonderful green beans stir-fried w/ homemade bacon!!! i think next week we're aiming for phô and either wendy's or kfc ;)
6) one more thing, what does donnny osmondd and his band of brothers have against my sanity anyway? during the end of july, just about the time i started to avoid my blog, i got this damn song stuck inside my head. how it even crept in there, i have NO idea. so i'm gonna blame the ol' toothy clan for my non-blogging. i just hope that coffee, liquor, and gelato will bring me out of the dark and back to consciousness again...
you'll be happy to know that i spent a couple hours today on both feet, without any crutches. after nearly ten weeks of varying degrees of immobility, my left leg feels about 85% normal. sure, it's still a noticeable hobble, but i'm gaining more and more confidence (and hopefully strength) with each passing day. this whole ordeal has been such a patience building exercise...that i NEVER want to repeat ;) WATCH OUT WORLD! NO MORE GOOSESTEPPIN' FOR ME!!!
