UGH!

That spot on my back just won't go away! When I had my hip surgery, I had some kind of reaction to the surgical tape they used on my back at the site of the spinal block. It blistered and burned pretty bad. We have been treating it and it has gotten smaller, but last week at my hip check up, the doctor referred us to a plastic surgeon because it really does need more help.

So.

The PS looked at it and said the big spot in the center is dead skin. He said it was the same as if I had a third degree regular burn. (this one is considered a chemical burn)

I have two options. One, keep cleaning and treating it and eventually it will clear up. Over the course of 3-6 months! With the danger of infection, which is a huge no-no with the new hip. Option two is to go ahead and have the dead skin cut out and patched with a skin graft (from my leg). The PS is contacting my hip doctor to get his go ahead to do the surgery while I am still recovering from the hip surgery. It would be a go in, get it done, come home that night thing.

I don't want to do it, but I know it is better this way because of the risk of infection if we take our time treating it. If my new titanium hip gets an infection around it, it has to be removed and I have to be hipless for 6 weeks before they put a new one in and we start recovery all over. And, by hipless, I mean nothing goes in that spot. My thigh bone would not be connected to my hip bone, totally ruining the cute little rhyming song, which I am guessing would mean being flat on my back stuck in bed for 6 weeks.

If we get the go ahead from the hip doctor and the insurance, I will have it done May 13th.

Alive and well

Before I get to me, just wanted to report that my cousin Sheli had back surgery on Thursday and is doing well. Check out her blog, http://whileiamwaiting423.blogspot.com/ to read up on the miracles that have led up to her surgery.

I'm still hanging at Dad's house. This tuesday will be 4 weeks since my surgery. I think I am walking better and better. But, I have discovered that I need to be careful not to overdo it or underdo it. If I walk too much, I will pay for it later and if I walk too little, the same thing happens.

I am now able to lift my leg in and out of bed and in and out of the car by myself.

I made myself a sandwich and chips last night for dinner and have started to be able to do a few little things here and there. Problem is, I can't really carry anything because of the walker. Hence, Papa had to carry my sandwich to my chair for me :)

I can sort and fold laundry, just can't get it to and from the laundry room or in and out the washer and dryer.

The surgeon said I was walking good and progressing good on Thursday, but he is sending me to a plastic surgeon for my back. It is still pretty messed up. The skin is tight and stings when I shift positions and especially when I first sit up in the morning. In fact, I usually take a pain pill when I get up and one a few hours before bed, only because of my back. I don't think I need them for my hip much at all :) I go on Monday to see what they can do for me.

Looking forward to lunch out with Robin and Stacy after church tomorrow.

That's all I got right now :)

True Love

This is the fireplace mantle behind the chair I have been sitting in during my recuperation at my Dad's house. I can hear the clock ticking most of the time and it still chimes out the hours. It belonged to one of my Dad's grandparents. I don't remember which one right now. Anyway, it is the kind you have to wind up every so often. A few years ago, it was broken and Dad found a place that could fix it. Cause, lets face it, it is so easy to throw broken things away and just get a new one. But this old clock wasn't just any old thing. It was a family heirloom. And it was worth saving. Now turn your attention to the other side of the picture. See that nice young couple. Papa himself said, "what a pair of greenhorns they were." It was taken in 1942.



Flash forward 67 years. That young pair of kids is still together. Papa (Dad, Poppy G, Ray, R3, Chef Ramone etc.) and Grandma (Mom, GG, Granny, Dorothy Mae etc.) are a rare find. When the going got tough, they got tougher. Is that a word? And look at Grandma's necklace. Papa got it for her for their anniversary. It is one of those where you hold it up to something and you can read the Lord's prayer in the center of it. She has good days and bad days. Tonight they sat together on the couch holding hands. She kept whispering "I love you dear" to him. And yes, eventually he realized she was talking, and she said it loud enough for him to hear.

Some things are worth taking the time to fix. Sometimes they just need a little winding now and then. Don't be so quick to throw things away.

Unless it is icky trash or you are a pack rat ;)

On the other side

Well, it is over and done with. I have crossed the river so to speak. Life will always be a little bit different now. I have a new hip. it has been 12 days. I had surgery on the 7th and came home to Dad's on Friday. Before I left the hospital, I had to "pass" physical therapy. I walked short distances several times, mostly to the bathroom (yay!) but the last day, they wheeled me down to a special room. And in this room was the "test." It was a mini staircase, three steps high. All I had to do was make it up the stairs. I did great. They showed me how to use the railing and my walker both to balance and pull myself up. I made it! I thought to myself as I reached the top, whew! I can do this. and. then. I. turned. around.
OOPS! I have to get down from here somehow. They showed me how, but I nearly paniced right there. It would involve bending my surgery leg in a way I hadn't been able to in I don't know how long. I questioned their sanity in letting me come up to the top. What were they thinking!?! Those PT ladies were so patient, they just kept encourageing me and somehow, after I fought through the panic, I made it back down.
WHEW!

So now I am at Dad's house. Each day I feel a little stronger and can tell I am getting more and more movement back in my surgery leg. Enough that I am starting to get restless. Most days, I get up, sit in my chair, walk back and forth to the bathroom or the kitchen and then it is time for bed again. Today was really nice out, sunny and mid 70's. I went outside and sat in a chair and watched my Dad clean out my car then we took a ride out to see my sister's property and the progress on the house they are having built. It was so nice to get outside in the fresh air.

I have taken a few pictures here and there and I have a few more things to share about my recovery, but they can wait for another day. I just really wanted to say I am still here And I am on the other side.