KatClaws going under the knife

Thanks all! :)

I just got back from getting Kat a present- a basket for her walker. How romantic! :rolleyes: She's been bedridden for a little more than one full day and she's already stir-crazy. I can tell I'm going to have my hands full. ;)

She really liked your idea Esav! :thumbup: Now she can shuttle some things around with her without too much difficulty. She desperately wants to be "useful" so she worked on paying some bills earlier today.

The pain got pretty bad last night, which is to be expected. I told her the first two to three days after major tissue disruption are usually the most uncomfortable. The meds seemed to help enough for her to fall and stay asleep fairly well. She can probably expect some other, odd or unpleasant sensations to come and go while she is on the mending path.

I'm struggling with trying to convert back to "dayshift" hours again, just so I can adjust back after next week. I hate naps, but I'm finding them necessary to stave off that unfocused, groggy feeling. I was awake for 26 hours yesterday, and have only snagged an hour or two of sleep here and there since. This must be what having a new baby is like. :eek: Please don't think that Kathy is that demanding- it's just that her basic needs and my usual schedule are not meshing well yet. :eek:

She seems to be adapting very well, and I believe that I will be able to return to work after next week if we can come up with a way for her to stay with her Mom overnights. I wouldn't mind taking the whole month off for her, but FMLA doesn't pay, and we're just starting to work our way out of my reduced income while I was off on medical leave. Been quite a year in the MacHete household, huh? :D

Thank you all again!
 
Acinonyx said:
Smoke up for total and speedy recovery!

And, I'm sorry if this is too forward, but what is the «little old lady menace»?
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Not at all. :) Kathy originally hurt her knee two years ago when an 80-something year old woman ran her down in the crosswalk in front of a grocery store. :mad:
 
Well Hell!!! :mad: I'm sorry I didn't see this earlier but better late than never as the old saying goes...
~~Smoke~~ and ~~Song~~ going up for both Kathy and you Mac!!!:thumbup:



.
 
Somebody was jolly nice to me today: I think I'll "pay it forward" with the best wishes that I can offer!
 
Thanks, guys! :)

Kathy had a pretty good day yesterday. She was finally allowed to bathe and we changed the dressings on her incisions afterwards. I bought one of those bathtub benches that wedge across the rim of the tub for her to sit on, since she can't stand up for a shower. We discovered there are some definite techniques involved in this process. It's gonna be a looooong month for her. :rolleyes:

The incision sites were clear and closed- no inflammation. The swelling is still pretty severe but I guess, with all the rummaging they did, is to be expected. We are still elevating and icing frequently. :thumbup:

She hates the walker, and got mad at me for not bringing her the crutches. I told her the Doc was very specific about the walker, and if she wants to use crutches, she can ask him about it during her follow-up visit on Thursday. She is quite eager to leave the house- she'd probably be excited to go to a hardware store about now. ;)

The physical pain isn't too bad for her, but the aggravations and limitations get her down a lot. I read your replies to her, and we both are very grateful for your thoughts and prayers. :) I'll never get tired of saying it- You guys are the best!
 
give her my best please. To kill the hours what about an online game? Not too expensive and some of them don't require killer hardware. I played World of Warcraft for a while and it was OK. I also played City of Heroes and found it a nicer community on the whole. Others may know of different games she could play.
 
MacHete said:
She hates the walker, and got mad at me for not bringing her the crutches. I told her the Doc was very specific about the walker, and if she wants to use crutches, she can ask him about it during her follow-up visit on Thursday.
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That sounds like real progress, especially clean incisions.

Walkers are inherently frustrating because they are so slow. But they are stable. You have no idea what clumsy feels like until you tip over forward on crutches, moving too fast, can't dump them even to get your hands out to brace for the fall ... stick to the walker. Indoors it isn't even much slower, practically speaking.
 
Kathy starts therapy today. She is excited, and I am a little apprehensive. I'm afraid she's going to try to do too much, too soon. She is allowed to walk and drive today, so we are going on a "practice run" when she gets up later. We've worked out an agreement: She has to drive us to breakfast, and if she does alright, I'll let her go to therapy later on her own. If she has any trouble, I'll drive her, and her mother will have to pick her up. (It'll be way past my bedtime.)
Thank you for your good wishes, and please keep them up- she's wanting to get back to work next week :eek: before school is out.
 
More smoke up, Mac. Tell her to take it easy on herself. I tried to do too much too fast when i damaged a tendon in my finger....long story short, I have a pinkie that won't go straighter than 90 degrees:(
 
Slow and steady wins the race. Hope she listens to the doctors and Physical Therapist, sometimes it feels like they are there to torture you but it really is good for you. If they say "Take it slow" Listen!!

Heber
 
Continued smoke and healing energy up.
Sometimes the therapy seems to take a long time, take it easy when you can:)
You guys will get feeling better.

Mark and holly
 
Thanks guys! :)

Well, this morning Kathy elected to venture out with a cane borrowed from her mother, rather than with a walker or crutches. The front steps and the short walk to the car provided a lot more pain and discomfort for her than she expected. (Even though I warned her. :p) She did fine driving, though, so she got to take herself to therapy. :cool:

I woke up this afternoon and she wasn't home. :eek: After a very brief flash of such thoughts as, "Ohmygosh! -she couldn't brake and hit a tree somewhere!" I noticed that one of her crutches was missing, and that she had left me a cup of coffee- so she had come home and left again while I was sleeping. Yep- fully exploiting her new mobility priviledges, she had gone out to lunch with her mom and sister. ;):thumbup:

When she got home she told me about the therapy session. Her therapist has bridled her ambitions a little bit, and she is re-thinking her return to work date. Bottom line- her overall condition (strength and flexibility) is very encouraging but, with better information from her therapist about the healing process, her expectations are now a little more reasonable. :D

Thank you all again very much for your thoughts, prayers and friendship. :)
 
When ever I hear a guy speak of the woman is the "weaker sex" These types of notes just make me smile!! ( know many men who would sit on their tookis and cry the blues after having done what Kat had.... Heck.. they do that when they get the flu!! :) )
Good on ya Kat!!! I am so Happy to hear she is up and about.... and I know that she must have been thrilled to have her independence back a bit ( I know I miss driving alone... one thing my Dr. said is a no-no due to lack of range of motion with the neck, so every so often I drive with Ed if it is a long run with no need to make turns)

Don't let her rush back to work (though if she is like someone I Know she will push to prove to Herself she can do it)

Let her know that I continue to send Strength and positive energy her way.

Blessed Be!
Willow
 
Kat will be returning to work today. That's a little ahead of schedule, but she really wanted to get back before the kids were out of class. She'll still have about a week and a half of administrative "teacher stuff" to do after the kids are gone, so things ought to be a bit easier for her then. She's been walking without aid most of this past week, but still has to be careful on steps/stairs of any type. She'll continue her therapy for another two-to-three weeks and then she's on her own- except for me, of course. ;)

I am very proud of her determination and progress, and we are both very grateful for your kind support. :) It is my hope/goal for her to be able to join Code and me on walks up the hill behind our house before summer is over. I got her some trekking poles for Christmas a couple years ago, so those should help make that happen. :cool:

Thanks again, everyone, and we hope you all are headed for great summers of your own! :thumbup:
 
Good news! Thanks for the update!
I know how good it feels to be able to take advantage of the warm weather.
 
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