The Big M...

That would be Methotrexate... a drug I've been avoiding for two years. That's how long ago my Rheuma doc recommended it. The time has come. I can no longer avoid at least trying it and hoping that it works without too many of the side effects.

Those who know me know I have been struggling with RA and Psoriatic Arthritis for many years now and have already lots both hip joints. My feet and toes are affected by this disease also and now it's attacking my knee and my finger joints. I has become very painful to go up stairs and knitting hurts. I've done a couple of courses of tapering Prednisone and I'm trying one more time before I actually start the other drug in the hope that I'll have a few more months of peace but I don't hold out much hope.

My Rheuma doc also seems to think that just possibly this drug will help with my bowel issues. They are still hanging in there and she thinks it is inflammatory bowel disease in the small bowel which isn't visible with a colonoscopy. Since I've had every test going she's fairly certain.

I have decided that I'm going to start Methotrexate on Sunday night. It's a once a week dose and I'll spend Monday's just hanging out hoping I won't be too sick. It's a chemo drug and very potent with too many side effects to write about. I'll need regular blood tests to make sure my liver can handle it too which is the scary part. My choices for avoiding this stuff have run out, I don't want to have knee replacement and I'll do anything to avoid it. Wish me luck...

Two Out Of Three

The three things that have not worked out so well for me in the past where the gallbladder surgery, the cataract surgery and the foot operation. Very slowly things are beginning to change for me. Just before Christmas I had a procedure known as ERCP where a camera goes down the throat to the pancreas looking for whatever is causing grief. In my case it was a gallstone stuck in the bile duct. It was removed and I'm really happy to report I haven't had a single pain in the gut since that day.

The second problem was the cataract surgery. I had many arguments with the Ophthalmologist prior to the surgery regarding lenses and he overruled my wishes. He kept telling me I'd be very happy with the outcome. Very slowly over the last six months or so I noticed my vision getting cloudy and blurry. I was really lucky to find a new Optometrist who referred me to a new eye surgeon. This morning I had a laser procedure known as posterior capsulotomy. I must admit to being nervous since my biggest fear is being blind. I am happy to say that it worked and my vision is brilliant, truly. Blacks are black, colors are bright and I can see things very clearly. I will still need reading glasses but even with those I notice a huge difference in clarity. The whole procedure from start to finish took about an hour and a half this morning. We even made it to the IKEA store for the one buck breakfast.

The third thing, well that has to wait a while. That would be my foot and the surgeon I saw in October who is rated the best in Ontario has a huge wait list and I think I have about a year to go before he operates my foot. I'm willing to wait.

Meanwhile I have been doing some knitting...


The pattern was for mittens ... From The Yarn Harlot.


I decided I wanted to try gloves...



They are just a little big but since it's the first gloves I've ever knit I'm happy. Now I think I'll make the mittens, that pattern is addictive...

Oh yes, almost forgot to mention, I'm getting a kitchen makeover. Some new cabinets have been ordered for an area that had a wall table and new granite counter is also on order. Next week things will start to happen. I've also sold my huge dining room table and chairs that were always too big big for this house and we've bought a smaller round table. Now we are still looking for chairs and I'm partial to leather parson style chairs. I'd like beige but my husband wants black. We will have to work this out, stay tuned...

Where Has The Time Gone

Time has gotten away from me and I really didn't realize how long it's been since I've posted. Now most of you know already that we are home since I've been visiting blogs and commenting. I'll try to recap my life since end of September.

Our trip home was uneventful with the slight exception of the wonderful (tongue firmly in cheek) people at the Air Canada check in counter in Athens. Now, we went to Greece with three suitcases and decided to return with only two. Mostly because I didn't feel like paying 50 Euros ($70. Cd) and also because I left a lot of things there for next year. I packed very carefully and distributed things evenly or so I thought.

Turns out I was wrong. One suitcase was two kilos under the allotted weight and the other one was 4 kilos over. Those 4 Kilos were going to cost us $70 Euros. Yup, you read that right. An extra suitcase that can weigh 22 kilos costs 50 Euros and the 4 extra kilos in an existing suitcase costs 70 Euros. So there I was on the floor (I'm beginning to get used to this), opening the offending suitcase and removing the 4 kilos to stash in my carry on. The next problem was that they didn't like the size of my carry on even though the weight was easily within the limit. Seems that the measurement was wrong by one inch in the length and 3 inches on the height.

I did what I normally do when stressed, I started to cry.

Once we got home I just about immediately went to my family doctor to discuss the ongoing problem I had in Greece. I was tested for Ecol i, Listeria, Parasites and C dificile. All came back negative and an emergency colonoscopy was arranged. I had that about a week ago and it showed nothing, not even a teeny weeny polyp, zip, zilch... The problem continues to plague me. I've also had an MRI of my upper GI tract and the Bile Duct. Next week I see the surgeon for some kind of resolution. I cannot live this way.

In case you think I've just been sitting on my bum doing nothing, not so... I've been knitting.



A cardigan for Elliotte in my favorite color. I ran out of yarn with just 16 stitches left to cast off. Talk about stress.



I searched in my knitting basked and found this...



Believe it or not, there were just enough little pieces left to finish casting off. Wow, that was close, now the hunt for some pretty buttons.

On my next project I did the same darn thing again, cut it really close. This is the Ishbel Shawl that I've done before and really liked.



Again, look how little yarn I have left over. I have to calculate things better in future.



There are also socks I'm working on but no finished pairs as of yet, just a lot of singles. Attention deficit strikes again. Oh yes, before I forget. When I got home I also had an appointment with a foot surgeon. This is the same surgeon that I waited three years to see and out of sheer desperation found another one to operate (ruin) my foot. He is the best in Ontario I'm told and he said yes absolutely he would fix the foot. He will operate but wait for it, the wait will be somewhere between one and one and a half year! Oh joy...

I only offer one excuse, I really really feel like crap, pun intended...ciao

Where Do I Begin?

It really has been a long time (again), me bad. I probably have many excuses but I won't bore you with them. I'd say that mostly I'm just plain lazy recently. I have been very seriously thinking of ending this blog and completely deleting it. I came awfully close to hitting that delete button one night. I may still do it, who knows.

I've been to many medical appointments none of which have offered a resolution to my wonky hip and I'm pretty much at the point of giving up. Problem is though that will probably turn me into a druggy so really, I'm not giving up.

I've had two appointments with the "wonder" surgeon. The first appointment went really well, the second, not so much. During the first appointment he explained to us what he thought the problem might be. He suggested the the "cup" implanted is meant to move but in my body it seems to catch somewhere. He sent me or blood work to be certain there was no infection and gave me another appointment for March 17th. He was very clear that he would take care of me and explained how this problem would be solved surgically and which parts he would replace.

I also out of courtesy and because I have a long history with surgeon number one, made an appointment to see him. He did a fresh set of x-rays and told me her saw absolutely nothing wrong with the hip. He suggested and MRI which will of course happen sometime in the distant future, this being Canada. I told him I was getting a second opinion and he said he'd arrange one with another surgeon in the same hospital. I let that hang...

My second appointment with the "wonder" doc didn't go quite as well as the first one. This time he said he could see no real reason why the hip was hurting as much but thought that maybe the cup needed to screwed in instead of being left to move. He told me that this particular prosthesis causes pain for some patients and it's not always visible on x-rays. He suggested I go back to my original surgeon for whom he had a lot of respect and who he considered to be a wonderful surgeon. So what the heck happened in that one month between appointments? He did let slip that he had sent a letter to him which kind of freaked me out. I can only guess that they know each other and communicated about me.

So now I'm doing nothing, I'm seeing a chiropractor twice a week until my money runs out and I'm signing up for a Pilates class.

Other than that I've done nothing but knit and watch the disasters in the world unfold. We live 20 kms from a nuclear plant and even though they tell us that what is happening in Japan cannot happen here is does concern me somewhat. Oh yes, I also celebrated another birthday one day during the last month...

Where Have I Been?

Here actually, the whole time here. Reading blogs, watching news and battling the mid winter blahs or possibly a depression, who knows.

I've been doing some knitting, lots of knitting actually and spending too much money on yarn. It's just too darn convenient to order on line.

Socks, yes always sock on the needles and this is a pair of Jaywalkers.



Also finished is a Silky Alpaca Lace Scarf but I used Merino and Silk.



This is one honking long scarf.



A vest that is knit from the top down is starting to take shape. I'm using Noro Kuryon for this one since I really love the colors. This pattern is from the Interweave Knit magazine Fall 2009 issue.



In honor of our blizzard it had to go out and check out the snow. Since it was still snowing the colors are not as vivid as they really are. I am starting to see some definition where the sleeves will be. I'm not really sure what I'm doing here so I'm really trusting the pattern and my ability to read it correctly.



I also knit some man mittens for my sweetie who always gets cold fingers whilst shoveling snow. At first he wasn't convinced he'd like them but now raves about them. All leftover yarn with double yarn so they are really warm.



And one more thing for me, a nice warm tam.



I've also been trying to figure out what to do about the hip with my regular ortho surgeon telling me that there's nothing wrong and the physiotherapist telling me that it's not supposed to hurt where it hurts. The pain plus the clunking that I hear when I walk is making me crazy.

My wonderful GP has referred me to another ortho surgeon who I'm told is known for fixing bad surgeries. If I can believe what I've read about him on Ratemd.com the man is a God. Better yet I thought I'd have to wait a couple of months to see him but luck is on my side and I have an appointment for February 17th.

I've also been watching and reading the news and tweets out of Egypt and a blogger that I follow is now fearful or his life. It would be a very scary time to be living in that part of the world.

So that's about it for now and hopefully I won't stay away so long...

Some Recalls Are Worse Than Others

The world is full of recalls these days. One day it's lettuce from California, another time it's contaminated peanut butter or once in a while it's a car that does strange things that it's not supposed to. While annoying these kinds of things are fairly easy to deal with. But how do you deal with a recall of a hip? How do you take that back easily? What does one do, walk into the hospital and say here, take it...give me a new one?

Now I don't know for certain that this is the hip that I have, just a gut feeling that it is. I base this on a couple of things. First, the hip never worked quite right, there is pain where there isn't supposed to be any, I can hear it go clunk or click from time to time and almost three months of serious physio therapy have not helped.

There was a news report a couple of days ago and the symptoms being described by the woman being interviewed were the same as mine. I have been complaining about the same symptoms but no one is listening. One thing I know with certainty; I can't take another operation, I just cannot and will not. Where's the Prozac...

I Hate Our Hospital

I have in the past had a problem with blood pressure. I also thought it was under control. I haven't needed any pills for a couple of years and my blood pressure has been textbook. Since returning from Greece it has been running just a bit on the high side. I'm not sure what's causing it. Maybe it's the stress of worrying about my hip, which is still painful six months post surgery or maybe because we've just spent a lot of money on a new car. In any case yesterday when it hit 176/106 I decided a trip to the ER was in order. I was also feeling lightheaded and headachy.

The charge nurse didn't seem to take me very seriously and after waiting almost three hours I bailed. I just couldn't take any more waiting. This morning my husband took me to the walk-in clinic at my doctors office (he was not available, personal emergency) and when I told them my symptoms I was seen immediately, no waiting, none at all.

The very nice doctor gave me a prescription for a beta blocker and now two hours later my blood pressure is 120/80. I see my doctor next week to discuss what might be causing this. Meanwhile I'm going to sit and work on this really nice tam using two strands of yarn. It's not something I do regularly and some concentration is required but it's turning out to be fun and a relatively quick knit. I'm not just sure who is getting it.




Friday morning I get my new vehicle (of course it's for me), while my sweetie gets to drive the old van. Isn't that cool? I'm getting a nice spanking new Ford Escape to bomb around in while he gets the old one. Of course the old one isn't nearly as old as the 91 Astro van that's heading to wherever old cars go. It has served him well and he's a bit sad. That's life I tell him, my older van is safer, at least it has airbags. The good thing is that after lots of shopping around we stuck with a North American built car. Hope it serves me well...

Oh The Joy!

What you might wonder has brought me so much joy today. Something as simple as taking a bath. Not just any bath but a bubble bath in my 22 inch deep tub. I had my six week post surgery checkup yesterday and all restrictions have been lifted. That means I can bend the hip past the 90 degree mark without risk of dislocation. It also means I can do things like sit on a normal toilet without that dam booster, a regular chair without a 16 inch cushion to raise it, drive my car again and the absolute best part, get in the tub.

I have been reminded gently that I've been a bit quiet over here but that's because I've been seriously concentrating on getting better. I exercise a lot, walk a lot and when I'm done all of that I have little energy left for blogging. I also think constant updates on how I'm doing are boring to my readers. There have been challenges along this road but it's not stuff that I need to share on a daily basis.

I would like to say that with all of this stuff happening my sweetie who is definitely my anchor, tends to forget about his own health but I remembered to book a colonoscopy for him before I went to the hospital and he had it this morning. He now has a clean bill of health after having a scare three years ago. He had pre cancerous polyps and had three follow up tests in the first 18 months. Now he's good for three years and I couldn't be happier. It is definitely a life saving test for colon cancer which if caught early is very curable.

This weekend for the first time this summer we are going to the cottage where Steve can do a little fishing and I will spend some time knitting again. It doesn't look like we will be going there too often this summer since my offspring and family are coming from Calgary in early August. After that I need to get packing again. Oh yes, the annual trip to Greece has been booked and for the first time ever I'm treating me and the hip to first class.

Happy weekend all...

P - Is For Prednisone

I have five weeks to get through to the Hip Replacement surgery with a quick stop at another hospital for Cataract Surgery in two weeks. I'm not sure I'll make it.

I saw my Rheumatologist this past week who insisted I go back on Prednisone. Both my knees are swollen and stressed from limping around especially the left knee. She hopes the Prednisone reduces the inflammation and helps with some of the pain. I am living on codeine based pain meds the last few weeks and I'm terrified of turning into a drug addict. The pain is especially bad at night and wakes me every hour or so. To say I'm in a miserable mood these days is an understatement. Sadly it is the one person who is my greatest champion, my DL who is getting the brunt of most of my anger. The "why me" syndrome has kicked in big time. Is that a syndrome or am I just making that up?

I have decided that once this surgery is done and I am well healed I will take the one step I have been avoiding for the last year. I will take the doctors advice and go on the drug Methotrexate to treat the RA and hopefully save whatever joints I have left. It is a drastic step for me and I'm not taking it lightly. I can already feel my left hip, which was replaced in 2004 hurting me.

I'm going to have to chill out a bit since we are going to our friends cottage for a week. My sweetie is helping them with renovations and I know that Liz will take really good care of me. She spoiled me rotten after my foot surgery. There will be no internet for me for a week and I hope the weather is nice so I can go for some walks. There should be no bugs yet which will be a treat. I hate black-flies with a passion but they love me.

I'm taking my knitting and a good attitude and will be back next weekend. I wish all of you a lovely week.

I'm Tired Of Hospitals

And yet there is another one in my immediate future. Not counting the second Cataract surgery coming up on May 3rd, there is a hip replacement in my immediate future. May 25th to be exact, I will get my second new hip.

What was so shocking to me today was how quickly by Canadian standards this is happening. The usual wait list here in Ontario is anywhere from 6 to 8 months and I was already Googling this surgery in India where it could have been done immediately at a cost of U.S. $12,000. I had pretty much decided that if my wait was more than two months that I would seriously consider India.

My Orthopod knows me well and knows my generally high tolerance for pain. When I told him I could no longer tolerate the pain, that my DH on occasion had to carry me to the loo at night because I couldn't put my foot down, that and the x-ray results was enough for him to put me in the first available spot. He also told me he would try very hard to get me two weeks of rehab although he couldn't guarantee it. The thought of coming home after four days and trying to negotiate the stairs in my house scares the bejeesus out of me. With my first hip I had two weeks in rehab and I was pretty terrific. It makes all the difference in my view.

My friend in Germany had one just recently and spent nine days in hospital and three weeks in rehab. I think the German health care system is one of the best in the world. I think if I ever win a lottery I would move there in a heartbeat. I've pretty much had it with Canada...

Should I Or Shouldn't I???

That is my dilemma this morning and it concerns having a CT Scan. It has been widely reported in the news these past few days that CT Scans can cause cancer.

My doctor highly recommends I have the scan of my bile duct. The suspicion is that there is a gallstone stuck in there somewhere that wasn't seen when I had my gallbladder removed. The ultra sound only showed a dilated bile duct. He says it's important. Why am I worried and am I worried for nothing? That is the question of the day...

Getting Old Sucks - Big Time!!

It's been really hard to sit down and write something on this blog. There are many things I could write about and the usually come to me just as I'm about to drift off into blissful sleep. Of course getting up at that point is really not an option.

Point is, I seem to be unable to concentrate on anything other than health issues recently and that really pissses me off. When all you can talk about or write about is the crappy foot or the blind eyes maybe it's time to pack it in.

The good news of course was that I didn't have retinal detachment and the bad news is that both my eyes have cataracts, one worse than the other. I was warned about that back in March when I had the retinal surgery. I was told that the small cataract that was there would grow more quickly than normal and would probably have to be operated within a year. Well it didn't make it to a year. The eye started going fuzzy in early October while we were still in Greece and is probably the reason I fell. I just simply didn't see the curb. So next week I go for pre op and in early January I will have that surgery. Because this Ophthalmologist likes to do both eyes and because there is a small cataract on the other eye there will be another surgery in February. The good news here is if all works out I will be able to throw my glasses in the trash forever.

I also saw the foot surgeon and had a few choice words for him. I lay the blame sqarely on the technician who removed the pins from my toes for the infection. I blame the surgeon for messing up my foot so that my toes no longer bend. He says there's no reason the shouldn't and can't understand why they dont. I think I figure it out. He straightened them too much, pulled the tendons too tight and that's why they don't move. He also told me that they would probably never bend again. Hah... he doesn't know me. I have started a rigorous program of soaking the foot in hot water and manually bending them a couple of times a day. I'm at the stage now where I can pick up a pen off the floor with the toes. I dont give up easily. I did tell him that he should never touch another human being again, ever. He didn't book anymore follow up appointments with me.

Since I have become so deconditioned by not being able to walk properly for such a long time I've also devised an exercise program for myself which includes a few miles on my stationary bike, some dumbbells and some balance exercises. I am so determined that I will some day hike Mount Indefitigable in Alberta.

And then there's my abdominal pains, mustn't forget those. Since I had my gallbladder out two years ago I have had about six attacks that feel just like a gallbladder attack. It's bizarre and I asked my doc if maybe they'd made a mistake and it was still there. The suspicion at this point is that there might be a small stone hiding in the bile duct. I had an ultra sound last week and will know by the end of next week what the score is. Hope it's nothing bad, that darn ultra sound woman was totally non comittal.

So there you go. If you made it this far into my rant you deserve a medal. Hell, I deserve one for being able to see enough to type this. All my knitting is on hold, there's no reading happening and I don't spend a lot of time on line because it just bothers my eyes too much.

I am though, seriously looking forward to the trip to Calgary even though it's a freezing -27c there at the moment. I'm hoping for a chinook by the time we get there...

Good News And Bad News

The good news is that the cast is off and the pins are out. I won't bore you with a photo of my foot, it looks pretty bad. The toes look like little stuffed sausages and the tips of my toes are bandaged to stop the bleeding, but below is a photo of the pins. The longest is over two inches long and the shortest is an inch. I was told it wouldn't hurt but they lied, I almost passed out by the third pin.

The bad news is I won't be driving for at least another two weeks maybe longer. So I still have to depend on my sweetie to get me out of the house occasionally. There is a slight healing issue of the wound and that's because the cast was a little loose and rubbed every time I walked.

I have been assured it will get better though and I'll be able to get on a plane in September for the annual trip to Greece. The doc warned me though that there would be no mountain climbing or even castle exploring for a minimum of three months, sigh... I guess I'd better take lots of yarn to Greece, I have a feeling I'll need it.

Single Sock Syndrome

I have never had a single sock, ever... I always finish what I start, eventually. But not this time, I must admit that this little pair anklets that I started way back when did not get finished and will never get finished. I found the pattern tedious and badly written.

I've now found a use for that single sock.

Socks in July! Yes, absolutely... it is unnaturally cold here with temperatures under 20 Celsius most days.

There are ten days left before this beauty comes off and I have a feeling it's going to be a very hard ten days. The cast has started to loosen and with every step I take it moves rubbing the wound underneath and hitting the wires that are still there. There were many stitches in the foot and just a thin gauze was wrapped around my foot before the cast went on. There is a strip of foam going around my ankle but it has stretched as well. I've tried sewing it up a bit on the sides to tighten it but heck, it's foam and we all know what happens to foam.

I am getting a bit depressed altogether and missed a couple of important occasions. I forgot to call my two grandsons on their birthdays last week and my offspring was getting a bit concerned. Being stuck in the house is the pits and with the weather not cooperating, sitting out in the yard is not even an option.

We are entering week four of the garbage/civic worker strike here in T-dot and thus far a resolutions doesn't appear to be imminent. The big Caribana week is coming up and some of the events are up in the air. That would really be too bad as it's Toronto's premier summer festival.

Back From The Wild

It was a peaceful five days just hanging out listening to the birds, watching the chipmunks play and waiting for the hummingbirds to visit. They didn't, it was too cold and rainy. Out of five days I think it rained of and on for three of them. It was also cold, in fact the coldest July 1st long weekend in recent memory. The temperatures rarely went above 15 Celsius and this morning we woke up to a chilly 4 c, brrr...

Nevertheless, I did get some knitting done. These will be socks someday soon, as soon as I can decide on a pattern. I started and ripped back three times and still haven't made up my mind. It's pretty yarn though. There was some more knitting but I'll put that on my knitting blog tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the boys (Steve invited a friend and his son) were out fishing just about every day, all day and brought home dinner every night. They even cooked it and I did pretty much nothing except sit with my foot propped up. I sure knew how to milk it...

The star of the weekend, Michael caught the biggest fish. Not bad for a 6 year old...

And my foot...seventeen more days and counting. I can hardly wait.

Prettier Than My Foot

No more pictures of my foot. I wouldn't subject my poor loyal readers to such a sight. Suffice it to say it looks pretty bad. Friday was the day I thought the wires were coming out. Wrong...one more month. Either my husband misunderstood the grumpy nurse or she intentionally gave him the wrong information. I can't say myself since I don't remember much post op. My memory seems to have flown the coop.

So Friday we did have to go to the hospital for a 1: 30 appointment at the Fracture Clinic. The waiting room was overflowing and when asked how long the wait was we were informed that it would be anywhere from one to three hours. Three hours later on the dot I was admitted to the cast room where a very lovely young man removed it. He also took out the gazillion stitches and told me the wires were staying. My foot looked like chopped liver, truly, and I almost made me ill looking at it. My husband who was with me, took one look and turned decidedly green. He had to leave the room. I got a new lime green cast and we were on our way. Total time spent at the hospital, over four and a half hours, yuck.

That's our system boys and girls, everyone waits. Meanwhile on the same day, a baby born 14 weeks premature in a Hamilton hospital found no room at the inn. There was not one neo natal bed available in all of Ontario. This infant had to be flown to Buffalo, New York for treatment. Unfortunately due to the new American border regulations where no one without a passport can enter the country, her parents were not allowed to be with her. Reading that story put my long wait at the hospital into perspective but I do fear for our future health care system.

The pretty peonies are dead, they didn't survive the horrible wind and hail storm of last Thursday. Oh yes, almost forgot...we are entering week two of a city wide garbage strike. So far so good for this household. What can't be composted gets stored and all food scraps are being collected in the freezer for when the strike is over. I hope the city doesn't cave for once, they really do earn enough money and the city is broke.

Recovery - Day 3

It's not going as swiftly as I had hoped. I suppose I thought I'd be up dancing by now. Life's not like that is it. The fact of the matter is that this foot is a big huge pain, literally. I wake up every couple of hours with shooting pains in the toes that is worse than any pain I have ever had. Even the hip replacement wasn't that painful post surgery.

In desperation I phoned the wonderful anonymous Telehealth people we have here in Ontario for advice. I was told that the wires touch on nerves that cause the pain and to just medicate. Problem is that the pain meds given to me make me deathly ill. I can't take percocet without puking my guts out. I have some tylenol 3 that I'm taking but it isn't really strong enough. They put me to sleep for a couple of hours and then I'm watching the clock waiting for the next dose. I'm told when the wires come out next week it should get easier.

Tomorrow we are supposed to go to a friends cottage for 3 days. This was arranged long ago and I'm quite frankly dreading the trip. It's a three hour car trip and I'll be in the back seat with my foot propped on pillows. Once we get there of course it will be lovely. I'll be catered to and spoiled the whole time we are there. It is a lovely, remote spot in northern Ontario with a gorgeous lake view. The weather is supposed to be in the 30's so that will make it even nicer. I think a change of walls and view might be good for me. In spite of how lovely this room is and how beautiful the view of my yard, I'm getting tired. I just want this week to pass quickly, get the wires out of my toes, my cast changed and off these drugs.



There won't be any posts since there is absolutely no Internet were we are going. Back Thursday...

It's Done - Hope It Was Worth It

From the last three surgeries I've had since December 2007, this has been by far the worst. Part of the reason is the hospital and partly because I had a very bad reaction to the anesthesia this time, first time ever. Maybe it was the combination of things, the I.V. had Prednisone and Antibiotic in it. Then I got a fair shot of morphine and a couple of hours later two Percocet. Let's just say that the plastic bag they gave me for the trip home came in very handy and a bucket was by my bedside all night. Not a sip of water stayed down my throat.

It didn't start well either. I was given a check in time of 11 AM and arrived promptly. I changed into a flimsy hospital gown, got hooked up to the I.V. and was directed to sit in a very uncomfortable chair. Compared to the other hospitals (the previous three were all different hospitals) were they had very comfortable recliners and you were immediately covered in a warm blanket, this was maybe a one star joint. After a two hour wait my husband finally told someone I was freezing and they finally brought me a blanket.

At 1:30 I went into the O.R. but my surgeon was no where to be seen. Only his assistants who kept the conversation flowing until the good doctor arrived. Things got underway just before two and around five I awoke again.

I have decided that this hospital has the most unhappy nurses. I thought that when my Mom was there for seven weeks when they tried to put the blame on me. They said at the time, I was too intense. But now having other experience I believe that this particular hospital can't be a good workplace. What you don't need when you wake up is someone crabby and that's what I got. Sadly it is our only real neighbourhood hospital but my husband knows that if push comes to shove, never to take me there. This time I went because of the surgeon. I hope I got it right and the foot does well.






Meanwhile, I'm just chillin out and a little drugged out. I sure hope they get those wires out painlessly, I'm already worried...

24 Hours

Tomorrow by this time I will be in the O.R. having this food fixed. Two years ago while my Mom was hospitalized I broke it and didn't do a thing about it. That decision has come to cause me a lot of pain in the last two years. The surgeon now has to re break the bone, shave off some spurs and fix the toes. I will be in a cast for 6 weeks. I do have a plan as to how I'm going to spend my time. Lots of knitting...


I feel very confident about the surgeon doing this operation, what I don't have is confidence in is the hospital. My reasons are purely emotional, it is the hospital where my mom died from what I thought was pure neglect and a general dislike of elderly people. I witnessed many terrible things in the six weeks my mother spent there.

This is my fourth surgery for different things since December 2007 and hope it will be my last for a little while.

For Leonard Cohen Lovers

Here's a link to the complete London Concert. I adore Leonard Cohen so I've watched this twice now.

I don't want to write about the ridiculous panic over the swine flu, I find it just a bit over the top how the media are handling this thing. I do have a supply of Tamiflu on hand though, just in case. I had occasion to go to two different hospitals this week and there seem to be no special precautions in place other than the usual hand sanitizers which I tend to use out of habit anyway. I also wash my hands often.

The first hospital visit was for an annual checkup on my left hip replacement. At the same time they did x-rays for the right hip and both knees. Then I saw the ortho surgeon who asked me did I want the bad news or the really bad news. Bad news is that both knees are going fast and really bad news is the right hip will need replacement soon. Meanwhile to buy me a little extra time I'm having a cortisone shot in the hip joint Monday. I'm told it may or may not work and it's going to hurt.

My second hospital visit (different hospital), they did have someone sitting at the front door asking had I been to Mexico recently. I shook my head no, sanitized my hands and was on my way. More x-rays this time on my foot. The good news is that the surgeon thinks he can fix my foot. He will break the bone where it healed badly, insert a steel plate and also fix my two hammertoes at the same time. Bad news, six weeks in a cast, good news, he can do it June 17th which gives me enough time to heal before heading off to Greece in September. Bad news, not much cottaging going to happen this summer and I still have all that unglazed pottery to be finished, grrr. Guess a girl can't have it all so overall, I'm happy, kind of...