With snow, I don't Go

Not even out of the house. It seems to be a scary place out there. Ice hides under the snow and I am not the steadest on my feet yet. Better yes, ready to test my ice skating talents. No.

Oh, well again an inch of snow brings us to a halt. Not a new story for Seattle.

Progress is being noted

None of this is dramatic. I have learned that it does not take too many steps forward to require a very very long step back. It is so hard to know how much to do. I have to figure out how much is just a bit much so that progress can be made. I have been walking more, trying to bite the bullet and doing more stairs with my right leg and remembering to be careful at the same time. (stairs really really hurt, in a muscular sort of way.)

I have done a bunch of research and even though they do almost 300,000 hips a year, there is no set way to deal with the post surgery rehab. It is all over the board. Some say no weight bearing, some say a bit. Some say immediately go to PT, others say wait and just walk. Some say bike, mine said no..... Oh, well I will keep working through this process. I would like to ditch the cane. Not for vanity reasons but just that my hands get cold when I walk because I can't put them in my pockets. I guess I could get some gloves and then remember to put them on. I think I should just work on not needing the cane.

I guess that is the worst of it. You feel great in one way and have the 'DON'T DO ANYTHING THAT WILL DISLOCATE YOUR HIP' Now that is certainly clear...... The thing is I tweaked my hip while I was in the hospital and will not be repeating that any time soon. I guess we will go with the walking. Today the dogs and I tried to walk around Green Lake. Now I never intended to go all the way around. I fully intended to walk a bit and then return. I should have counted the benches to see how far I had progressed. My upper body was given the Sadie and Tucker work-out. I am thinking of taking up dog sledding. They could pull one if there is a squirrel or duck in their line of sight.

Mom and Dad got the 6 inches of snow we were expecting. I was glad to know that it went somewhere. It made today here great. Sun, warm patches of earth and the ability to get out in a reasonable way. I wanted to work in the yard but settled for going to the grocery store and being able to bring all the bags inside and put the stuff away. I know that the task sounds simple but it has been a long time since I have been able to do all parts at the same time.

Maybe Mom is Right

Mom says I do too much. It makes me more tired than I need to be. Maybe Mom is Right. I sort of did nothing yesterday and seem to feel much better. I am on my way to the basement right now to do laundry. We all know I never expend too much energy on that project.

Learning to Walk again....

CAN I SCREAM...........IT ISN'T EASY. We think those babys and toddlers are just ill mannered. They are frustrated. It looks easy, it was easy for them (all those people that are just walking around) but it is not. I have a few new challenges. Lots of muscles that are beginning to rebel because they have just been sitting there contracting and doing nothing in the normal way for a long long time.



I made it around the block. Several stops, I have done my PT exercises, such as they are and I am going swimming tomorrow. I guess that is what I can do for now. I just want to get up and walk!!!!! That will come with time. I am sure.



Just so everyone knows, the Hillary Hoodie is ready to be washed. I think that is a good thing.

Trip to the Doctor..............

Mixed bag. Hip great, I can start to put more than 75% of the weight on it, I can go to the pool, I can get on a tread mill, I can not get on a bike, yet. I have to go back in a month but I am done with crutches and walkers and can start to test the limits on the movement. Yeah...... I love Dr. Crutcher. He is a great guy. I told him that I was doing Bloomsday and he said that was a good goal. He did not even say "NO" to me today. I love that.

I also was able to see my new hip. Nice and shiny and very long..... I might take a digital camera next time to get a picture for the blog. The even better news is that the other hip does not seem to be the least bit upset and willing to work with the new one.

Then the other part. My INR is supposed to be between 2.0 and 3.5. We have zipped past that mark to hit 4.6..... Back to square one.....
Now they are sure I am going to bleed to death...... Oh well, no rat poison for a couple of days and then a normal person's dose.

This should be interesting......

It just Takes ssooo longggggg

I just can not hop out of bed and get ou the door in 30 minutes. Every thing takes so long to do. Showers, dressing, making coffee AND getting it to the place I want to sit and drink it. I just have to be patient. Today I am going to the hospital for a blood draw and to see Dr. Crutcher. I am hoping to be released from some of my restrictions. I am hoping for the pool.

I have been told that I should confess all my sins, driving.... going to work..... I am sure there must be more....

Oh, My Hillary for President Hoodie has arrive. I intend to wear it today.... Hillaryshop.com is the source for all you Hillary needs.

Things you can depend on....

1. The FED -X man will come just as you are getting into the Shower.
2. If Safeco moves into your building and you need Hines, the management company to upgrade the bathroom to a REAL ADA toilet, they will not do it.
3. After you have managed to make coffee find your cup, get the coffee into the cup, there will not be enough cream in the carton in the fridge.
4. Sadie will get out and try to beat up the big dog that is walking down the street.
5. No matter what, there is always laundry
6. Each day your leg will feel a bit different but in a good way after surgery.
7. Starting to drive again is scary but makes you feel like life is getting back to normal.
8. Life is good.

Firsts all over again.

Drove for the first time yesterday. It was quite a feat but a doable one. I am going to try and drive to the office today to do somethings. An attorney lunch and then some work.

I hate being stuck. It is not my nature. I have done everything my mom told me to do. Watched a couple of movies. Read a book. Now I get to leave the house by myself, to drive to work. We shall see how that all works.

Could be an adventure to report or a disaster reported on tv. Oh well.....

First day home

Progress at home has not been mentioned. I was released on the 28th of December. 12 days after checking in for a 5 day stay. I was itching to be released. I had run out of things to do with PT and OT. I was still hooked up to a pole and had to have help getting back to bed. I was not able to lift my leg. Getting stronger and much more cranky as the days went by.

I had managed to keep my sense of humor. I learned I could Pre-order my triple short latte. I learned that with some creativity a Meat Loaf sandwich and sherbet float could be had from the kitchen. Have a craving for pasta and veggies and salmon.... Just order the parts and put it together yourself. I was ready to go.

Going home is scary. What if the bed does not work, what if the bathroom is too small? How will there ever be a shower? Do we have what we need? Will any of it hurt? will the walker be a problem? The answer to all the problems is yes there will be problems but your own bed is so worth it. Real sheets, lots of pillows, lots of problems with the walker and your itty bitty bathroom.

When you get home you switch to problem solving mode. They send you home with enough pain pills to start a new side business. They have given you enough practice to know what you can and can not do. You have acquired the tools of the trade, arms for the toilet seat, grabbers, sock puller oner. Everything that can make your life manageable.

There are some deficits. Grabber is no always where it is needed. Walker does not have a cup holder. The bathroom is so very very small but with some adaptations it all works.

The first few times in and out of bed are dicey. Note to self. Gravity is your friend, the higher the bed the better. It is going to take your leg a while to want to go to bed it's self. I was able to get my leg into bed by the 2nd of January. It seemed to work well by then.

Up and down the stairs, easy. Transporting the walker from the top to the bottom or vice versa, not solved yet. I am thinking about going forth with just crutches but that is a bit awkward.

Never leave the house without your 4 inching cushion or you will be spending your time standing...... Chairs in this world are not made to accommodate the Rule of 90.

All in all it works well. I can do lots, want to do more. I am now looking at the car and wondering if I can drive yet. I might just go and sit in it tomorrow....... What harm could that do.

LIfe and the Walker

My appreciation for those that have mobility challenges grows each time I venture out into the "World". It is the small things. Heavy door that no one opens, eiles that don't fit a walker. Just the rough surfaces and the transitions between them. These are not easy challenges. Macy's at the mall has this beautiful rock flooring. The wheel get caught. Nordstroms has great marble, slick.... The carpet is hard to go on if it is not laid correctly. Lots of little tiny obstacles.

The bathrooms are a nightmare. The toilets are too low to the ground and the bars were placed by those that do not use them. It is a silly thing but it is something that I have learned to think about. While my bad hip made my world smaller, the needing to use the walker puts the world in a different perspective. I go places, I just need to pre plan for the events. I am so glad that is short tern and not a forever event.

"Your able to go home Orthopedically but...........

Friday the 20th of December and I am not going home....

The only real consolation is that Mr. " I was up and walking without anyone with me Guy", is also not going home yet. Good. I am not competitive, only making sure the world is a good place.

So new blood tests. They are now looking at two numbers.

PTT- some sort of clotting factor that is run by Mr. Heparin IV. That number needs to be some where in the 120-125 range. Not any more or any less.

INR that is the clotting factor that is altered by the rat poison. In order to go home I have to go be within 2.0 to 3.5. My numbers look like this.

12-17 .7 (normal 1.0)
12-18 .9 whoops
12-19 1.1 progress
12-20 1.2 okay....
12-21 1.3 This is getting to be a drag
12-22 1.4 are you getting the idea.
12-23 1.5 I want to buy some blood from someone
12-24 1.7 I order DeCon Sprinkles on my salad. Kitchen refuses
12-26 2.2 Okay, let me out...
12.27 2.1 Dropping, not good but then to be expected
12.28 1.9 We are letting you go but.......


I was trapped in the hospital until Friday the 28th of December because my INR would not go up. My Boxing Day present was at INR of 2.2 with the knowledge that I had to stay there for 24 hours! I was way to familiar with how the hospital worked and the staff. I was in the hospital long enough to know everyone and all the problems with the staff and their favorite colors. I think the only reason that they let me come home was because I was testing paint colors. It seemed the thing to do given that I was going to be there until I turned 87.

The Day of Many IV's Day 4 in the hospital, POD 3.

So, morning dawns. During the night the world has made some decisions. My dad is sending Dr. Crutcher a stetha-scope because he never listened to my chest. The Blood is being ordered since I have bottomed out on the red blood count and then in comes the Herprin IV.

I was visited again by the IV lady. She came in to "restart" the IV. They don't restart anything. The do a whole new one from start to finish. Did anyone remember that I am needle phobic? First the lidocane, that takes a needle, then the big poke then the ....... I don't know I never watch.
Then Mr. Herprin started. Drip, Drip, Drip. 20 ml an hour. It is the doctors form of slow water torture.

Heprin imediatly begins to thin your blood. The idea being that if your blood is thin, then you won't have any more clots that go to places such as your lungs, hearts, brains etc. But because they were happy that I was being pumped, no matter how slowly with blood thinners I was back in action. Walking with oxegen, being able to get up and use the bathroom and even having a chance to take a shower..... It was a great morning.

They came to do another blood draw and had the chance to let me know that Mr. Heprin line could not share with Mr. Blood Transfusion line. They had to be different.

She is doing great if she does not Throw an Embolism........ John Lanham to Mary Lanham on Day 2.

Wednesday December 19th

So...... See, Dad was in town. He was spending time at the hospital and was watching the whole event unfold. He went with me until they wheeled me into surgery and returned on several occasions. He was very pleased with all the progress that was being made but did mention the "E" word on Tuesday to Mom. In his experience, he knew the danger of a blood clot or a bit of bone marrow floating around the blood system. (No one mentioned that one to me.) So here is the rest of the story.



Wednesday morning came as usual. I was up and out the door. I was upset when I saw someone walking without supervision with their drain hanging out. It was a sure sign that he was not supposed to be alone. I began to comment on it and the world started to go dark. I did not faint but almost. They managed to get me back into the room without falling. Things became dark at the edges and sound seemed to be coming from an echo chamber. My oxygen saturation had fallen from 97 to 78 and my heart rate was over 130. I felt nothing but was very aware of my labored breathing and the sound coming in and out.



Back to bed........ Do not pass go, do not get out of bed, do not get off the oxygen, call the doctors.......



Bit of confusion but the long and the short of it was I was finally seen by a "real" doctor. Not to be confused with an orthopedic surgeon. Different types of people. Sort of like Lawyers and Accountants....


No one would let me out of bed for the rest of the day. I did manage to sneak into the bathroom a couple of times because of course the catheter was gone. It was not my favorite day. I was not even allowed to play with Valerie the vicious OT maven. Oh, well. No more PT. No more hall strolls. Just waiting. I was sort of wondering so I called my own Doc. Maybe he could help get something done.



10:00 p.m. I was seen by a real doctor that ordered an X-ray and then a CT scan. The IV nurse came at me again. The IV I had from surgery was not up to the CT standards. When two attempts with the 18 gauge needle failed, I suggested, in only the kindest of ways, to figure out another way.

2:00 a.m they arrived to transport me for a scan after deciding the IV's I had were enough and they would work with what I had.

Short story, scan completed. Bed plug broken while trying to cram a very big stretcher into the room to take me for the scan.( I refused to be put on another stretcher and insisted Mr. Transportation guy go find a wheel chair, even if it was upstairs!) Bed was fixed by maintenance and all was good with the world

Post Op Day 1. Really day two but then I don't get to be the boss of everything.

Tuesday December 19th

It was an interesting night. I slept like a baby. I did have to sleep on my back.(Something that I have to get used to doing) Every time the pumpy things went on, I felt like I was fighting Tucker. I was feeling pretty good by morning. I must say that everyone is very cherry in the A.M.



I was greeted with way too much energy. I was able to roust myself enough to say good morning. The first task of the day was a walk. Repeat of the same process. It felt so so good to be out of bed. A bit of a struggle getting up. The old muscles around the new hip were a bit reluctant. They simply do not cooperate the first day or so. So I am told. Fine, I will drag that old dead leg out of bed and down the hall.

It feels so good to get up and start to walk even with all the friends that are coming with me, The IV with my friend the drug dealer, the drain, a catheter bag. I don't have a picture to share so you must use your imagination. It was not a pretty sight. My hair was in great form.....

Out of my room, down the hall to the nurse's station and back. I went back to the room and Sue wrote 60 on my board for everyone to see. It was a very proud moment. More exercises and reminder that I could not put my hip at more than 90 degrees for 90 days, like I can even move my leg 2 degrees but then I listen with great concentration.....right......

Some quiet time, some napping, then Valerie comes in. She is the occupational therapist. Short spikie hair, mean disposition. She is there to wean me away from tall the dilly dally devises that the hospital provideds to make it easier to get around. This is the tough love session. No side rails, no bed that moves up and down, no high bed. Just jump out and start marching. I just kept hitting my "friend" and trying not to worry about what SHE had to say. "Out of bed" up no bending, no stopping........ Now lets learn to get dressed. Now lets see, I have a drain on one side, two IV's and a catheter bag. You are right. Putting on pants seems like a laudable goal.

Then more resting and in comes Ms. PT..... more exercises, more walking. Life is good. Now to sleepy land.