Celebrate The Small Things -- Jan 30

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.  I am thrilled to co-host this wonderful blog!

This week I'm celebrating the fact that I took a shower all by myself today!  Now that I'm non-weight bearing (NWB) for the next several weeks, it's way harder to do the normal things of life that you don't even give any thought to...like showering.  It may have taken like three times as long as normal, but I did it!


I'm also celebrating being off all of my "hospital" meds...meaning all the extra meds they give you after surgery to help you be comfortable at home.  I made the decision two days ago, after really feeling very high and not at all myself.  I felt like I was in a total fog...and really out of touch with reality.  I've had many surgeries before, and have been on the same meds, but this time was different.  So I stopped and figured that I'll take my chances with the pain and then take it from there.  Well, withdrawl for the past two days hasn't been fun, but I have virtually no pain in my foot!  Amazing!  Only a week out and I have no pain.  This is a first!

Hoping to hop around as much as I can this weekend, but I'm still sleeping much of the day...my body is definitely trying to heal itself!  So forgive me if I don't visit you...I'll be back to normal blogging soon!

What are you celebrating? 

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, visit our wonderful host, Lexa @ Lexa Cain for more information.  And don't forget to check out her co-hosts:  LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge, and Katie @ TheCyborgMom
 

The old linky will be retired, please sign up at the new linky below: 

The Seated Scooter—Non Weight Bearing Option

As most of you know already, my whole body suffers from arthritis, and recently I've been having problems with my right thumb. When you are NWB (non-weight bearing), your upper body really has to do a lot more work than usual. There is increased pressure on your hands, elbows, and shoulders when using a walker or crutches to get around. In anticipation for my surgery next week, and having to be NWB for 6 weeks after my sub-talar fusion surgery, I ordered a scooter to help me get around and take some of the pressure off my upper body.

 This is what I ordered... Roscoe Medical Gemini Scooter With Padded Seat  I ordered it from Amazon (shocking, I know...seriously, I buy everything from this place!) for about $340, which is more than the wheelchair I bought a couple of years ago! Most people that have to be NWB for some time get knee walkers to make getting around a little easier. Here is an example of a knee walker: Roscoe Knee Scooter  Those are a great option for many, but because I've had my knees replaced, it would cause me a lot of pain to use one. This seated scooter is a similar idea, except it has a seat instead of a platform for your knee (fyi...my scooter has a knee attachment, just in case you want both options).  Many thanks to the person who originally posted about this option on my ankle replacement forum several months ago...wish I knew about it sooner!

So, fingers crossed that it helps! And if it doesn't, well, my son thinks it's the “best toy ever”, and has been riding it around the house for the past few days. The night my husband put it together (it took about 5 minutes—no tools needed), my son's response was: “This thing is epic! ...can I have one?”

You think he'll let me use it? You know, for medical reasons? I'm hoping I can get my wedge back...currently that's being used as a back prop for easier tv watching while in bed :)

Celebrate The Small Things -- Jan 16

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.  I am thrilled to co-host this wonderful blog!

This week I'm celebrating my new scooter! I'll be writing a more in depth post on it tomorrow, but the short story is that I ordered a seated scooter to help out after my foot surgery next week. I'm glad that it came in time and that I can fit on it! I'm a mini-person...at 4'9”...and was worried that my feet may not reach the floor! Luckily, I can reach, and it seems like this will be helpful in getting around the house a bit.

I'm also celebrating the fact that I can stay on all my prescription medications as part of my pre and post-surgery routine (click here to read about my pre-op medicine routine for my last surgery). One of the hardest things about my past two surgeries was having to come off my anti-inflammatory Celebrex a week before surgery, and wasn't able to take it again until about 6 weeks post op. Yowza! I hurt to even think about it!! So glad I don't have to go through that again.

I will probably be skipping next Friday's Celebrations, as I'm having surgery the 22^nd and will most likely be too drugged up to write anything that makes sense :) Hoping to be back the week after!

What are you celebrating? 

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, visit our wonderful host, Lexa @ Lexa Cain for more information.  And don't forget to check out her co-hosts:  LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge, and Katie @ TheCyborgMom
 

The old linky will be retired, please sign up at the new linky below: 

Ankle Update and Sub-Talar Fusion Surgery

About a month ago I had my 1 year check up for my right ankle replacement, and my 18 month check up for my left replacement. My surgeon says that the replacements have healed nicely and are doing great. Of course, this doesn't explain why I still can't be on my feet for longer than 10-15 minutes without being in an incredible amount of pain. My orthotics have helped some, but not to the extent that I was hoping for. I told him that my goal for the ankle replacement surgery was to go grocery shopping again. Something as simple as walking around the store for 40 minutes or so and coming back home and unloading my groceries isn't too much to ask. I really thought that the replacements would give me the ability to do this...that never happened. 

Apparently I have too much arthritis in my feet joints and bones (there are a lot of them in there!), and this is what's causing all the rest of the pain. The sub-talar joint is one of the large ones, and by fusing this, there is the hope that most of the pain I'm experiencing will be relieved. I'm very skeptical, mostly since I thought that the ankle replacements would be the solution to all my foot/ankle pain. Oh well, let's just all pray that this surgery isn't too hard on my body and that it really does help. I'm not asking to run marathons...I just want to go grocery shopping! God, I'm so easy to please :)

The biggest question (other than, “will this really work?”) was, “how much movement will I lose from the fusion?” Doc says that the sub-talar joint allows minimal movement in the foot and that any movement that I did have is probably gone due to the arthritis. Oh, goody. He said that I shouldn't notice a change in my gait or my walking, and, if anything, my walking should improve since I will have less pain. As it is now, I really feel like I start limping a bit on my right foot when the weather is bad or when I've been on my feet for about 10 minutes...pretty much whenever it hurts...which is often.

The surgery itself is a 20 minutes surgery, and isn't as invasive as my replacements were. That's the good news. The bad news is that I have to be nwb (non-weight bearing) for 6 weeks while in a cast, and then in a walking cast for another 6 weeks after that. Fuck my life. I hate being nwb. And I hate casts. And this is only for my right foot. And I'll eventually have to do this again for my left. Fuckshitpiss

Mini-rant over.

My son says I need an exo-suit. An exo-suit is an exoskeleton suit that allows people to move and have superior strength powers. Sadly, these are only available in the virtual world of video games! However, I think he has a great idea with this...medical community, ARE YOU HEARING ME? I NEED AN EXO-SUIT FOR THE REAL WORLD!

If anyone has any other questions that I haven't addressed, please comment down below. I have a public blog, so don't ever feel like you are prying. I want to get as much information out there in hopes that it will be helpful to someone someday!

Wish me luck, send me some good vibes, and keep me in your prayers!

 

Celebrate The Small Things -- Jan 9

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.  I am thrilled to co-host this wonderful blog!

This week I'm celebrating a new discovery...a Quest Lab that is right in my town!  Because I have medicines that I take on a daily basis, I usually need to get my blood levels checked every year just to make sure everything is okay with my liver, kidneys, etc.  For the past several years I've gone to the Quest lab that is a 15 minute drive from my house...not too far.  But last night, while I was Googling to see what time the lab opened, an in town address came up...there is another Quest lab only 5 minutes from my house!  I know it's quite early, but I think this is the best find of the year ;)  Leave it to me to excited about a shorter commute to a lab LOL

I'd also like to celebrate Vikki, our wonderful host of Celebrate the Small Things.  She will be stepping down as host, but will still be celebrating with us as much as she can.  If you get a chance, please stop by her blog @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author and tell her how wonderful she is :) Thanks for all you have done Vikki!

And many thanks to my other co-hosts for all of their efforts over the past year or so...  Diana Wilder, LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge, Me :) @ TheCyborgMom, and CaffeMaggieato @ mscoffeehouse.  Diana and Maggie will be retiring, and LG and I will continue to co-host.  Please visit them all and show them some love!

And please welcome Lexa Cain as our new host!  You can find Lexa @ Lexa Cain ...please drop by her blog and give her a warm welcome!  She is a wonderful person and I'm excited to be working with her.

What are you celebrating? 

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, visit our wonderful new host, Lexa @ Lexa Cain for more information.  And don't forget to check out her co-hosts:  LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge, and Katie @ TheCyborgMom
 

The old linky will be retired, please sign up at the new linky below: 

Celebrate The Small Things -- Jan 2

It's Friday and I'm Celebrating The Small Things!  Celebrate The Small Things is a weekly celebration where some bloggers have decided to post about something worth celebrating...no matter how big or small it is.

I'm celebrating the most wonderful "small" things in my life...my kiddos!  They both had two whole weeks off for Christmas vacation, along with my husband, so we've all enjoyed spending time as a family.  It's not all peaches and cream, living with a teen and a pre-teen, but they are the loves of my life and I love having these moments with them. 

What are you celebrating? 

If you'd like to Celebrate The Small Things, visit our wonderful host, VikLit @ Scribblings of an Aspiring Author for more information.  And don't forget to check out her co-hosts:  Diana Wilder, LG Keltner @ Writing Off the Edge, Katie @ TheCyborgMom, and CaffeMaggieato @ mscoffeehouse