The Feast

Singular crumpets with raisins for tea

Lacy-clad strumpets to sit on your knee

Wine-swilling wastrels

and minstrels galore

Always returning for more

A great roasted boar is now

served with a flair

With flagons of ale to stave off despair

Impatiently waiting, the crowd bids the priest

give the blessing, and so start the Feast

Jugglers and Fools entertain for a price

Table scraps plenty for dogs, cats and mice

The revelry’s started, the Feast has begun

‘Twill last ‘til the rise of the sun

dljbinder ca. 2000

Terrific Tuesday

For the first time since my knee op, I drove the 40 minute trip to Chico for my pulmonologist appointment. I had done short trips in town but nothing that required me to sit in one position for any length of time. Going there was no problem, but coming home got a tad painful by the time I was on 149. But I did it and know it will only get better.

Rocking along with Robert Palmer helped, too. I was playing his ‘Addictions’ volume 1 CD. LOVED his music. He died way too early, only 54 in 2003. A great loss to music. He didn’t do drink or drugs but was a very heavy smoker.

Chico was lovely, as always, especially in Autumn. My favorite time of year. It just does not get any better. I really miss living there.

I did a breathing test at my appointment and the results were great. They were better than the last one in May, which was better than the one previous to that. Thank you Lord! The ILD is not progressing! I won’t have to go back to the Chico doctor for 6 months. Next month I will be going to the one at UC Davis to consult with him as well. It’s now been about a year and a half since I was diagnosed.

I had planned on going to Starbucks with Marv after my appointment since he works just across the street, but things got started late for my appointment and it was well after lunch time when I was done. So we went to Carl’s Jr. It’s always a treat when I’m in Chico to get to do this kind of thing with Marv.

After dinner that night was our Christ Care Bible study group. Our group has been going for many years and we are a very close, tight-knit group. Great fellowship of kindred hearts. And Jay always makes something yummy for snack. This time it was snickerdoodles. AWESOME!

All in all a great day. Again, thank you Lord!

Noting the Milestones

It’s been 7 weeks since I had my right knee replaced. There is still a lot of pain at times, but I’ve been pushing through it. The first few days were horrendous. I was kind of prepared for that, since that’s the way it was when I had the left one done 14 years ago, but WOW!! That pain!! I was trying to follow the instruction on the prescription bottle and trying to take as little as possible, but that just didn’t cut it. I was crying all the time. Once we figured out that I could actually take a fair amount more than was on the bottle, things went a lot better. I still watched the clock, though.

Progress seemed to take forever before I was able to do simple things again. Being able to get in and out of bed without crying was great. I spent a LOT of time in my recliner to get my leg as high as possible to get the swelling down. One thing that I did that wasn’t emphasized the first time around was WALK. Walk a LOT. If I wasn’t in my recliner, I was walking around the house. I think that was one of the most important things I did. The PT from the home health gal was incredible those first two weeks. Something else that was different from the first time. I was doing exercises every day.

When I started outside PT my goal was to really push myself. And I did. I surprised myself a bit with my determination. It helped that a good friend was with me, since she had to drive me there. We joked a lot and the sessions went very well.

I can now drive myself to PT, as it’s very close. Short distances are OK. It’s sitting in one position with my knee bent for very long that is the problem. You can’t get up and walk around a bit when you’re driving…

I was always able to dress myself, a bit awkwardly perhaps, but shoes were hard. I can now put on socks AND shoes AND tie those shoes ALL BY MYSELF! My range of motion when I started PT was 94. As of yesterday it was 115. Goal is 120. I know I can make it.

Basics:

The grace of God and Marv’s help was essential. I was so blessed that Marv could take a week off work to be with me that first week. And of course, God’s grace is ALWAYS a plus. Having a prayer chain on your side is pretty important, too.

Take the meds!! Stay on top of the pain, don’t chase it! Unless you already have a problem with substance abuse, you will not become addicted. Every time I took a pain pill I wrote it down. Every time. I had a clear record of when and what dosage. I’m down to a bare minimum now, but I still write it down. Even if it’s only ibuprofen.

MOVE!! Do as King Julian says and move it, move it. So important. At the hospital, PT had me up and moving the afternoon after my surgery. Then I had 2 sessions the next day, complete with navigating stairs, since there were steps into the house and into the family room. The result was that I did so well I was able to go home after only one night in the hospital. The usual with a knee replacement is at least a two night stay. I am really angry that this was not hammered into me the first time around. It was pretty much, ‘do the stuff, but if it hurts too much, stay in bed.’ And that’s what I did. It hurt, so I stayed in bed. The result is that I don’t have nearly the range of motion with my left knee that I have with my right knee at this moment. And I know the right knee will still improve.

So there ya go. It’s not a fun thing by any means, but I really needed this operation. It had gotten to the point of needing a cane even inside the house. And outside, forget it. I can go up and down the steps to the family room just fine with holding onto the rail lightly. I still take a cane with me in the car, whether I’m driving or not. Just in case something happens and I end up needing to walk any kind of distance, but I can navigate pretty well without it.

The biggest plus in my mind is that I will be able to fully function when Lia comes at Christmas break. When she was here this past summer, there was not a whole lot we could do together because of my limitations. She would even ask me “What’s your pain level on a scale of 1 to 10?” before suggesting any kind of activity. There should be no problem this visit.

Still…getting old SUCKS!! However, compared to the alternative…