Doldrums

Yes, knee replacement recovery has serious doldrums....they come along moving in to the 4th week. It happened when my other one was done 8 years ago, and here they are again.
I cannot drive so am in the house day in and day out. There is only so much I can do. Cleaning is done, wash is all folded and put away and all pending paper work and phone calls have been attended to.  Kitchen counters and dishes are done, too. 

I have daily exercises to do and they can only take up so much time, THEN, it is time to sit, elevate and ice.  The chair gets really boring and uncomfortable after awhile.  I have watched a lot of movies, read books, played solitaire ad nauseum.

When I see the surgeon in a week, I am so hoping he will release me to drive and go to outpatient PT.
If the ice ever melts, I will be able to go and see my beloveds....LM and MS G. I miss our routine time together so much, it brings me to tears.

 The knee is coming along pretty well, and I am able to stand more time each day. The pain has subsided greatly, especially at night, so it allows me to sleep normally complete with tossing and turning without a lot of discomfort. At first it felt that my leg weighed 100 lbs. My incision has healed beautifully, and daily massage along each side has softened the skin and brought down any swelling.

So progress is slowly coming along. I just need to make it for another week.  With a little luck and good weather, LM will come and take me for a ride and to do some shopping on Saturday.

Love to all.......

Sunday Morning

My usual Sunday morning begins waking up next to LM and with Ms G draped over some parts of us both!  My favorite morning of the week! These days, as I am continuing my recovery at home, I wake to the patter of Teddy's feet through the hallways. Today, I slept blissfully until 8:30 am and after making myself downstairs to retrieve a little breakfast and  my morning iced tea, I headed back up to my sitting room to watch CBS Sunday Morning, knowing LM was at home watching it "with" me.  It is no small feat, with my new knee, to accomplish all this, but sure feels good when I finally settle in to my recliner with an ice pack on the knee, to enjoy my breakfast.  Shortly after a long sigh this morning, Teddy appeared in my sitting room to tell me the following, "Nana, just to let you know, today is February "clean everything" day and you have a job to do this afternoon.  You will be  buffing the wood floors in the living room, dining room and the foyer.  I will show you how to run the machine."  No one has any idea how he came up with this plan but we shall see what the afternoon brings. He is always a boy with a plan.

So now, Teddy and his Mom, Alison, have gone out to swimming lessons at the "Y," snow is falling, yet again, and they have several other errands to do, and I have the house and "Sunday Morning" to myself.  Guess I better hustle and get myself ready for the "clean everything" event, although it could be well-forgotten by the time he gets home, I know enough to be prepared, and hope my chores can be done before the Oscars come on this evening! Although we have not gotten out to see many of the great movies this year, I do love watching them celebrated, or not.

VIEW FROM MY WINDOW NOW:

Happy Sunday..........

Confinement Continues

The weather continues to be a huge factor in my schedule during the knee replacement recovery.  Going outside for any length is too much as the temperatures are so low, wind biting, and walking treacherous.  That's OK with me, and I am using my walker to go up and down the pretty halls here at home. Teddy helps by making sure my walker is lined up just right for me each time I get up.

This morning I had a lovely long shower and did my hair. Although the process exhausts me, it feels so good. Life's little treats!

I'm loving the light that comes in the large windows. The reflection off all the snow is blue white and clear.  It will fade away as this day passes and another storm approaches, but that is OK, too. Teddy and I took some time to look at the archives of my blog this morning and we came across photos taken 3 years ago on this date. They found, LM and I walking through the woods near his house on a sunny, snow-free day. Hope soon to be back walking trails and seeking out new experiences in nature.  After all, that was my main reason for having my knee done.

This afternoon Alison and I are going to make a nice roast beef dinner. Jason should enjoy that after a long day of working outside in these harsh conditions.

So, with these little snippets, you can see, that life is on a very small scale these days, but I do love that I am free to savor it all, with no time constraints and have the time to do little things with Teddy. He's always got a list of questions for me and we have a lot of laughs. Later we have a recorded episode of PBS' "Nature" to watch about owls.

Things will change when Teddy goes back to school on Monday, and also, that is the day Alison starts her wonderful new job. She'll be working as director of a memory care facility at a beautiful new assisted living center in South Plymouth. She'll also be doing  marketing for the facility. It is close to home and will afford her much more time at home and with Teddy. Happy times.

Happy weekend to all.......

Healing

My new knee will be 3 weeks old on Monday!  So far the experience has been very smooth and not nearly as painful as when the right knee was installed 8 years ago. I have been home a week now, and am receiving so much love and great care from LM, Teddy, Alison and Jason. They are keeping me supplied with lots of ice and Teddy has been so helpful in retrieving whatever I might need. Although, he seems to have developed a limp and is in need of a walker for assistance, just like Nana. Mmmmm.  He's so funny.

The weather has been very challenging for everyone, and today it is particularly severe with wind chills at -20.  LM came and took me to a doctor's appointment this morning and I must say that the air felt good for a few minutes. I hadn't been outside in so long. The snow was blinding in its beauty. A good health report was received along with caution to not overdo with the knee.

So life is pretty quiet right now and will be for a few more weeks. It is a time to read, do my exercises, and dream about long, pain-free walks, and contemplate how fortunate I am to be able to recover with no work-related pressure, and so much loving care.
Teddy and I have been talking about what must be going on in the world under all our snow....we envision, worms turning, many little hibernating creatures enjoying their long naps, and buds beginning their journeys through the earth to bring us lovely flowers in April and May and beyond.

Love and peace to all.....

Ground Hog Day

Barring any weather complications, I will arrive at Cape Cod Hospital tomorrow morning at 6:15 am and have knee replacement surgery within 2 hours. I can hardly wait for it to be over.
As soon as I can, I will be back to let you know progress. LM will be with me all the way.

Of course, we are expecting another fairly serious winter storm overnight but LM assures me he can get me there on time. Now, we just need the surgeon to arrive on time, and the Patriots to win the Super Bowl, too!

With a lot of prep - all the mandatory physicals and tests, acupuncture, massage, aura balancing, exercise, meditation and rest, and so much love around me, this can only all be a success.

Much love to all  my family and friends, near and far, I will be back as soon as I can.