More Questions

So far I haven't been really bored, thanks largely to the wonderful people who have spent time with me and helped me out.  I've really enjoyed my visitors.  When no one else is here I can read or play games on the tablet or watch videos.  When I don't feel like doing any of those things I just close my eyes and go to sleep.  Ahhh!  Better living through chemistry.

I wish I could be outdoors paddling or something like that while we are having such nice weather, but at least I have my sunroom and my window seat and can look out at the birds.  Tomorrow the weather will change and will become cool.  By the time it warms up again maybe I'll have a nice chair with a footrest that I can put in the yard.

Although I feel pretty well most of the time, I started running a fever yesterday afternoon and had a terrible headache.  I thought I was past that.  One reason I am writing this blog is so that others undergoing the same procedure will know what to expect.  Of course, there are so many variables that no two individuals will have identical experiences, but it would have helped me to have just a little more knowledge of the experiences of others.

Tomorrow I go for my first post op appointment.  I am eager to see what the incision looks like.  There is a good chance that I will feel a bit lightheaded when he starts taking off the bandage and removing stitches.  I know I have in the past under similar circumstances.

I started out taking Percocet for pain and switched to Vicodin.  I am taking one every 5 hours.  If I am up and about too much the ankle starts to ache, so I am spending a lot of my time flat on my back with my foot propped up on pillows.  One of the things I am uncertain about is the pain medication.   Would I be better off taking more or taking it more frequently?  Or would that just make me more wooly headed?  Where are the guidelines?

Looks as if I have some questions to write down before my appointment tomorrow.

Nice flowers from my neighbors Jessica, Michael and Elizabeth.

Hardware and Gadgets

The implant I have is the Wright Prophecy Inbone.  It's a very sophisticated device that is specifically designed for each recipient.  Hope these photos of the X-rays are clear.

 

On the left is a front view, and on the right is a side view.  Pretty serious stuff.

Here is a photo of my  cast/splint.  I will keep this until March 12 or perhaps longer.  At that time I will have a boot.  I will be non-weight bearing for 4-6 weeks.

Some of you may recognize Smokey's chin sticking out over the top  where he is helping pad my shin bone when I ride the scooter.  Ouch!

Now is the time when I am feeling pretty good, but only so long as I spend lots of time lying down with my foot above my heart.  I'm trying to take less pain medication, and that means being very quiet and still.  Boring!

Finally, here is a photo of some of the paraphernalia accumulated to assist me during my recovery.

4 days post op

Today is Sunday.  I think I am doing pretty well.  Of course there is pain, but if I keep my foot elevated it isn't bad at all.  There are about a million side effects to oxycodone, and I am experiencing about half of them.  My face is splotchy - oxycodone.  Headache - oxycodone.  Night sweats - oxycodone.  The list goes on.

I will include xrays of my implant in a later post, as well as a picture of my cast.

Home

Home from Mercy Hospital in Charlotte with a new ankle.  Now I feel like the Bionic Woman, or at least I will when the swelling goes down,  I am out of a cast, and there is no more pain.  More tomorrow, including photos of X-rays of  my new ankle, the Wright Prophecy.

Tomorrow is the Big Day

My surgery is scheduled for 1:15 tomorrow and should take about 2 hours.  Unless there is a problem I will be released at about noon on Thursday and allowed to come home.

The implant that will be used is manufactured by Wright Technologies and is called the Prophecy.  It is custom made for the patient - very hi tech stuff!

Counting down

I know I will go stir crazy during my recovery, so I made sure that I got outside both Saturday and Sunday. Saturday I volunteered on the Congaree canoe tour.  The park is littered with fallen limbs from the recent ice storm, and there are numerous portages and difficult spots on Cedar Creek, but spring is on the way, evidenced by the flowering of the red maples.

                                  

 


Stumpy Pond where I paddled on Sunday is different every time.  Yesterday the water was very high due to the release of water from the dam.  Previous times when I have been there the rocks were visible, and the water formed small pools around them.  This time what we saw was whitewater!  The banks of the pond look pink from a distance with the red maples sporting buds.

This afternoon I will pick up my knee scooter, and will be almost ready for my surgery on Wednesday. I have lots of clean towels and underwear.  Tomorrow I will make a quick trip to the grocery store so that there will be something here for my care givers and me to eat.  Bit by bit items are being crossed off my to do list, and although I am constantly thinking of more things I need to do before the surgery, the list is getting shorter.

Good Friends

If I ever doubted my friends and family, my experiences lately have restored my faith in friends, family and humanity.  People have been so kind, thoughtful, and generous.  Several wonderful people have volunteered to spend time with me during my recovery so that I will not have to be alone, and others have offered to help me out with rides to the grocery store and such.  I have also received what will surely be delicious homemade dishes to keep in the freezer and heat up as needed.  Last night my Aquafit students brought me a beautiful bunch of flowers that is brightening up my kitchen, and the scent of the stargazer lilies is perfuming the entire room.  (And I am not even sneezing!)  Thanks, everyone.

Here is a photo of the flowers.

I know I will go crazy being inactive and unable to get out like I'm used to so for the next few days I will be doing as much as possible to enjoy my independence.  I may be very tired by the time I have the surgery!