Beware of Sudden Dropoff
You know when you are at a new beach, enjoying the waves, and you take one more step out and the ocean floor drops off and you are suddenly treading water to keep your head up? Well, it seems that Day 4 of recovery had its own sudden dropoff! Didn’t mean to leave you all wondering if I ever woke up from my drug-induced coma! It was a rough week with added complications of a throat infection and the stomach flu. There’s nothing like throwing up through a severely infected throat with a broken leg that prohibits you from kneeling in front of the toilet!
Anyway, as of last Friday, I am MUCH better. Since I couldn’t keep any pain meds down last weekend, I decided to just stop taking them. I’m now taking Tylenol once during the day and once before bed. Sometimes I can walk around (with one crutch) quite a bit. I made a Trader Joe’s run with Tyler the other day! Mostly, I sit. I’m doing physical therapy 4x a day at home as well as with a therapist once a week. I have one exercise that includes bending my knee 50 degrees - that is exciting and a little bit scary!
The kids are off at Sports Camps and swimming lessons throughout this week. They’ve had lots of fun adventures while I’ve been recuperating. Trips to the beach, Knott’s Berry Farm, movies, fishing, hiking, swimming, and spontaneous playdates with friends… They might want me to be hurt more often!
This week I’m sure I’ll resume regular programming with some fun pictures and stories rather than the chronology of my misery. 
Day 3
The fun has begun! I woke up with a lot of pain despite the pain pills. Later in the morning I learned what not to do. I decided to go to the bathroom at 10:15 - pain meds were to be taken at 10:30. I should have held it longer and taken the trip AFTER the meds. There were several disasters including me getting overwhelmed with nausea and needing to throw up. Yep - can’t kneel or anything… Fun!
I just made it back to the recliner and settled in for a while. I talked with Dr. Ryu and he is having me increase my Benadryl dosage to combat the itchiness. I’ve also increased my Percocet dosage. Hopefully that will work. I’m pretty loopy so excuse any errors in my posts right now!
Here’s a pic of knee without the bandages on. Click to enlarge if you have the stomach for it.
I’m having a hard time keeping my eyes open right now, so I’m going to give in and take a nap.
Day 2
This morning I had a post-op appointment. The doc changed the bandages and put plastic over them. This means that so I can shower. Yay! He also emphasized strongly that I shouldn’t be using my leg at all for lifting.
Afterwards, he sent me back to the surgical clinic for another nerve block. They gave me an IV and then the nerve block. I had expected it to be painful but it wasn’t really. By the time I returned home, I was wiped out and in need of pain meds. I stayed on the couch for the rest of the day. The kids visited a few times -that was fun! We had a yummy dinner of veggie enchiladas from Angela and Andy. By the end of the evening, I could tell the nerve block was wearing off… Surprisingly I slept 4-5 hours. Not bad.
Until tomorrow…
Day One of Recovery
The surgery today went smoothly. The only time I was a little nervous was in the OR before I fell asleep. There was a lot of action, and I felt like I had Superman hearing. I could hear instruments clanking around, the bed wheels squeaking, gas hissing, etc. Once I was positioned properly on the bed (boy are they picky!), they wrapped me up like a burrito. I wasn’t really expecting that - not being able to move is not one of my favorite things! Then I had some IV sleepy meds and Nitrous Oxide gas. It took longer than I expected to go to sleep. The last thing I remember is the doc telling me “I’ll be praying for you during surgery.” How sweet is that??
I woke up pretty easily with little problems. Thanks for praying for that! We made it home at 10am. The doc gave me a video and photos of the surgery! Here’s one for you. If you look closely you can see the size of the break.
Doesn’t it seem odd that one of the screws goes ALL THE WAY THROUGH my bone??
Anyway, I’m doing ok here at home. They gave me a nerve block before I left so the front side of my leg is numb. I’m also taking Percocet. I can still feel pain, believe it or not, but it is tolerable. I sure am thankful for the nerve block and Nacho Libre for taking my mind off of it!
Tyler has been awesome! He’s diligently swapping out my ice packs, feeding me meds, bringing me snacks, and scratching my feet. 
Jeannine has Elie and Myles today which is another blessing. They came by a few times at just the right moments when I was fairly comfortable (another praise!).
Current prayer requests:
- The side effect of itchiness would stop.
- The nerve block would last until my next one tomorrow morning.
- Good sleep tonight - protection for my mind as thoughts/dreams are weird on meds.
Thanks!
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Phil. 4:7
A Date with a Knife
I usually look forward to dates, but tomorrow I have a date with a knife. I’m having a pretty intensive knee surgery. First, they will scope my knee and do a few ‘normal’ procedures. Then I have open surgery to correct a misaligned patellar tendon. That is called a Tibial Tubercle Osteotomy. I don’t recommend ‘googling’ the images on that one. (I wonder how many of you will not be able to resist…) They will be moving part of my tibia and reattaching it with screws in its new location. Fun!
Myles says that tomorrow I’m going to wake up with “The Freaks.” (Otherwise know as “I’m going to be nervous.”)
Elie says that there are many things I can’t do while I’m “decomposed.” I assured her that decomposition wasn’t the plan for tomorrow, but I’d certainly be indisposed for a while!
So… pray for me!
The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts in Him and I am helped. Ps. 28:7
Separation of Church and Beverage please….
I visited the new Long’s today and saw this…
Mother’s Day
My morning began with breakfast in bed made by my two little munchkins!
Myles designed a plate for me. Please note the clothing (or lack thereof).
Elie designed a tray for me, bought me a pair of earrings, and gave me several poems. Here’s my favorite:
Mother’s Love Mother’s love is expressed with arms Mother’s love is caring and kind Mother’s love is loving words Mother’s love is not easily broken Mother’s love is not upset and mad Mother’s love is affectionate and true Mother’s love is encouraging words Mother’s love is delicate and easy going Mother’s love is joy filled in her heart Mother’s love is gentleness and peace Mother’s love is patience and self-control Mother’s love faithfulness towards me Mother’s love is all I needI can truly claim Prov. 31:28 - Her children rise up and bless her. I am very blessed today!
