Knee @ MindSay

So, my birthday was yesterday. I started out feeling groggy, figuring it would get better when I got to practice. My knee had been hurting for the last two weeks, and has started to hurt more and more recently. The day before my stomach started in on not wanting to function entirely properly. I figured it was PMS related. So, at practice, my coach decided to *lovingly* have me row in a single with my other friend who is about the same pace, against two coxed fours, and a double. We began to panic hysterically, as the coach told us that we would be doing two 30 minute long pieces, one upstream, one down, and that my friend and I were starting behind a 1/2 mile, and were expected to not only catch the bigger boats, but get ahead, and stay ahead. 30 minutes later finds us at the 9 mile marker, extremely tired, and over heating in spandex shorts and sports bras. On the way downstream, knee hurt bad, did not catch double until halfway through piece. never caught the fours because bigger boats move faster downstream, and they got too big of a head start. way too big. I tried to stay with my friend, so we could encourage and push each other- a good system. but we were so dead coming into dock. so, so dead. the first person, outside my family, to say happy birthday to me was my doubles partner. I got home, had to go out on my bike up hill to the grocery store for bisquik because my younger brother demanded pancakes, had to MAKE pancakes, and after eating two, felt like I was going to be sick on top of horrible cramps. the time being 11, i sat in front of a fan for 15 minutes trying to cool off, as I could feel the heat radiating off me. ended up falling asleep by 11:30, slept through lunch, and did not wake up until four, were upon I spent the next 2 hours before dinner in a daze, and still with stomach pain. I had been drinking ridiculous amounts of water all day. and I still had a huge headache. yesterday was pain overload day, seriously. after dinner and cake, I once again felt the strong urge to puke, but did not.

then my friends called, singing happy birthday into the phone. I was so happy for like, 3 minutes. the best 3 minutes all day. and then they began demanding that I get over to their side of the river, saying that they were too tired from walking around all day, and that they had no way of getting over to my house. after trying to explain that I had to ride over, which would be 20-25 minute drive, they tried to get me to take transit. this would involve a lot of painful, limping-filled walking. and a fourty-five minute bus ride just to get there. having tried to explain that I had not felt well all day, and that walking would hurt, they began to tease, and slightly plead. then I started getting yelled at. I tried my best to hold my voice over the phone, and, after hearing them say they'd call back later, we hung up.

and then I began to cry.
because I was angry at them for not listening.

Because they said they called multiple times, but their calls were not on the caller ID, which would have showed up if they had.

because my cruddy day was getting worse.

because For the first time in ten years, I was home on my birthday, and I might as well have not been, since no one called until it was too late. because my friends decided to do something without calling me and asking if I wanted to do something. because they sounded like they were having so much fun without me,

and I felt so alone, and like an outsider with my own best friends.

and I still felt sick. and my knee still hurt. and I still had a massive headache. and felt like I had a fever.

and then when i finally fell asleep, I kept waking up. In pain. I was awake more often than I was asleep. and today, my knee was even worse, to the point that a light touch hurt like someone had just broken something.

and when I tried to express my feelings about the aforementioned day to one of my friend, she just emailed back saying that she did not want to deal with my sudden "mood and behavior", without even saying why she was so upset.

I mean, friends tell each other when they hurt, and things go wrong, right? Now I feel guilty about sending her an email, but I mean, its not like they ever called back.

and the friend just... flew off the handle.

And I sincerely meant that I hoped she had had fun at a con, and that I had hoped that the three of them had fun yesterday earlier in the day.

I am so hurt, lost, and confused.

thankfully, my stomach functioned mildly better today, although holding down breakfast was a battle. and I go into the doctor tomorrow. :(

I just wish that I knew what was wrong.

would it be okay for someone to tell me for once what is going on so that I am not always the last one to know? I mean, how am I supposed to help my friends if they won't tell me what's wrong??

Got the kids to school-Check

Went to the doctor's-Check

Went to Dollar General-Check

Stopped at the town store for cigs and scratch cards-Check

Called and Updated Randy on Knee-Check

Waiting on Mail for Bonus Check-Pending

Mailed last of Holiday presents-Check

Cooking Lunch-Pending

Lots of Household Chores-Pending

 

 

Okay so that is some of what I did between 7:30 and now today.

 

I am pysched though.  Got my stitches out with only a lil trouble with the one that kept crusting over.  Sooooooooo glad I took a loafa sponge to that stitch this morning to get it loose!  The doctor came in bent my knee every which way, got the low down of what happened after surgery with it, and we discussed his uppity nurse and issues I had.

 

Doc Samulson was NOT happy when he heard that my surgery was switched from the Hospital Surgery Center to the New Surgery Center across the street WITHOUT my okay.  Nor was he happy that Peg gave me hell for cxling the appointment I did NOT remember agreeing too even if I did and attempted to chew my ass out.  He goes that explains why she passed off your chart to the younger nurse.  I said yep cause she didn't want to be in here when I was laying it out to you about her behavor.  She may be just fine with the older crowd of paitents but she isn't going to pull that crap with me.  I reminded him he wasn't affiliated with any of the Clinics or Hospitals in the area and I could easily move my knee issues back to my highschool knee surgeran even if I do NOT like his new facility and how it is in SD and away from all the hospitals.  And if I move my care over there so does my dad and so does my uncle (he is having knee surgery this month from via a different doc in same office) and he would loose a potintal paitent with my hubby's shoulder.  He apologized and said he will discuss Peg's behavor and she will NO LONGER be my nurse when I go.  Get uppity with me we will have issues.  I don't buy into I am a Nurse therefore I must know more than you bullcrap.  Kiss my ass!  My mom's a RN, my sister's an RN, I have multiple cousins that are nurses, paramedics, doctors, PA's, and physical therapist NOT to mention Vet's and Vet techs. 

 

Anyway I got clearance to hit the gym but no reistant weights on my legs-I am to use free weights where I can control the actual weight on that knee.  And I can go back to taekwondo with walk throughs and pivots but no jump kicking as of yet.  And I go back in a month to get final clearance and discuss periodic care of my knees as I get older.

 

Yay me!  Starting next week every morning I am hitting the gym after I drop the kids off-barring any other appointments!

*Probably going to be long ass blog!  Stop reading now if you don't like reading rambling crap about my life!*

 

Where to start, where to start!  Okay lets talk about that laptop I wanted to throw out the window!:D  That laptop is Luke's.  A foreman in Randy's company.  Randy is the IT/Comp Tech Support Guy also and Luke the idiot got a very nasty virus on his laptop by hitting porn and not so on the up and up blogging sites.  Randy took one look at the laptop issues and point blank informed his bosses that they best put a stop to the porn and other crap on company computers or they will get a nasty virus on the server and then will end up paying Randy out the ass to get everything back up.

 

So why was I working on the laptop?  Well Randy was home each night up until last night because he was traveling to area job projects instead of working on his own project and I was having surgery yesterday.  Randy also has 3 other new comps that he has to set up for one of the owners and two other foreman and didn't have time.  He contracted my serves out to his company and I am going to be paid 15 bucks an hour when I tech out any company computers and laptops now.  Luke's alone I made $180 bucks on cause Randy wasn't lying, Luke had a NASTY ass virus on his laptop.  But I got it up and going, free and clear of all viruses, all his work programs back on and updated, and Randy finished it out by setting up the company email.  This by the way was part of Sunday and all day Monday.

 

Tuesday, I packed the kids for an overnight at my parents house, kept callign randy in Orange City to make sure he was at the kids' school play (pictures and video to come later-same with DeLaney's sleep over) on time and to make sure he didn't run on Randy time.  Sometimes known as running on:  Indian time, Hispanic time, Pagan time, and Druggy time!.  That irritates the FARK out of me.  The kids' holiday play was at the St. Aug's church and it was packed!  K-8th grade were all involved and not only were parents and siblings there but lots of grandparents, aunties, and uncles.  My parents didn't go because my dad is still not getting around the greatest.  It takes about 5-6 months to get complete feeling back in his nerves and regain balance from Guilliam Barrer's syndrom.  Thus why I took tons of pictures and some video.  Did I mention that I figured out my camara has video!:D  After the play, where I ran into alot of highschool friends and their parents and a few of my sister and brother's highschool friends and parents, Randy took Coltin to my parents while DeLaney and I ran to the bar and got some food for all of us because we didn't get to eat before hand.  Micky, the cook that night, LOVEs kids and I had a hard time getting DeLaney and Micky to understand that we had to go.  He bellied DeLaney up to the bar got her a free Sprit, gave her a few dollars in quarters to play the bar video game, darts, and played a round of pool with her.  Then DeLaney mentioned she just turned 9 and the bartender that night, Cole gave her a bowl of maschino cherries and had Micky make her up some cheesy fries which they aren't suppose to do:D.  I finally got DeLaney and myself out of the bar 45 minutes later and took her to my parents, got the kids going on their food, talked to my parents for a lil bit, reminded my dad to pick the kids up at 1:30 on Wensday due to them starting Winter break.  I then took my happy ass home and crawled into bed.  Four thirty in the morning comes really early when your not use to it! 

 

Wensday I had to be at the Surgery Center at 6:30, which ment leaving the house at 5:30.  It is about 45 minutes to the hospital and surgery center, and since we do live in an area where a lot of folks start work between 5-6, we had to contend with morning traffic. I was soooooo happy, the X-Rays on my left knee showed a LOT of damange, possible damage to my ACL graft from highschool, and other ligaments needing repaired, the doc got in there (i was his first surgery of the day...woot!) and granted he took out a good portion of my cartilege and bone spurs, my ACL graft and other reconstruction from 15 years ago was still going strong! 

 

Since I was the first paitent of the day, we were home by 11 am, and Randy still had my dad go get the kids because I had a ruff go of coming out of anistisha this time around.  I was out of the surgery center faster but we aren't sure if it is because they have been inside this knee before or what, but I can actually say I am not getting around as well as I did with my last knee surgery.  They sent me home with lidocaine, darvest, and a small dosage of demoral.  I am to also take an asprin a day and take the ibrophine between the other pills.  I have such a high tolerance to pain meds and a high thresh hold to pain that none of this shit seems to be working.  Plus my mom and I didn't get a hold of Grandma Whitewater to get a hold of any of the local herbs for a pain killing type tea and now we are tryign to get a hold of her, which is hard beause she lives down bottom and no phone.  So I am having to deal with the pain as much as possible.  The animals are worried as hell and the kids actually jumped Randy's ass last night after I hobblied upstairs at 9 after taking a couple darvest with ibprophin about him being on the road till tomorrow night.  Randy is feeling very very guilty and has left a list of phone numbers and things for the kids just in case something shoudl happen.  My dad is also goign to hobble his ass up a couple of times today to check on me.  This go around, I am settling in one place and dayumed if I move my knee is that swelled and hurting that bad.

 

On the up note with Randy though, he felt so guilty about leaving this morning at 4 to be gone till Friday night, that my hosue is clean, the majority of the laundry is done, most of the presents are wrapped, he cooked dinner and he is going to try and get a hold of one of my friends to get my prescriptioni for more pain pills and my diabetic meds with out me having to leave the house and drive.  I reminded him I need to get grocieries and he got really upset with me and said I shouldn't because I am having more issues and I said well your not going to be home till friday and the kids are now on Winter Break I need to have some extra items in the house!  So the butt head called my mom an hour ago and asked her to take me shopping tonight and make sure I was in one of those old people scooters as he calls them and to take my van keys from me so I wasn't attemptign to ttake the kids to taekwondo tonight or tomorrow night! 

 

Thankfully my mom pointed out to him that regardless if I am in pain or not that I will run my house and get my errands done.  And also reminded him that I can deal with the pain, I just can't deal with my schedule going all to hell which if I am stuck home will.  But she did promise him, that my meds will be gotten by my friend and she would take me up tonight to go shopping and that I would have the pain management that I needed.  She also reminded him that the kids are on Winter Break so I will have to keep them busy this whole time and he needs to understand when Mom goes down, she doesn't actually go down, she can't, things just slow up some but I will have everything done.  I have a feeling that Randy is going to do all the cleanign when he gets home!  Yay!

 

So that is what has been going on here.  Winter Break for the kids and Pain Management for Me:D

Thanks to everyone for their prayers and comments. My mother is doing okay right now, but she has a very tough road ahead. She has had surgery on both of her knees in the past few years. Well, she tripped and fell yesterday on her trip home and basically destroyed her right knee. It got pushed up onto her femur which ended up broken.

 

The doctors say that the break is in a very bad place. They will have to insert a metal plate. She will have to be in a wheelchair for at least two months. I think she is going to have a tough time recovering from this because she has suffered from arthritis for many years. She is also overweight which doesn't help her knee.

 

I'll keep you updated. Thanks again.  

First let me apologize for how blurry the pictures are.  I don't care what man in my family takes my picture they can NEVER seem to get the lighting or a decent picture of me.  It is usually the females in the family that  get decent pictures of me when I consent to get my photos taken!

 

I had a GREAT doctor's appointment today.  It has been 12 days since my knee surgery and I feel good!  I am bursting to get back to taekowndo but alas my doctor said let's wait another month on that.  Which is fine because that gives me time to spend 400 some dollars on the kids sparring gear with out adding an extra 200 some dollars for my sparring gear!  Thank Daghda for payment arrangements!  I just don't know how my cousin Joe does it buying 5 bags of sparring gear to do tournements with!  We are spending that much money on sparring gear but it includes their bag that olds the gear and we plan on doing tournements so we have to have organazational approved gear. 

 

The nurse did have to take a scaple and tweezers to my incession points to get the last two stitches out because I had heal faster then they expected.  Especially with having diabetes.  The popping I still get occasionally with my knee is normal for having as much cartlege removed and how it is pulling and detiorating from the bone.  Next month when I see the doctor again, he will get me started on some meds to try and get the cartlege to rejuvinate to hold of total artho and an early knee replacement.  Next month is when we take all the MRIs and X-Ray's of the left knee to see if the doc has to go in there and do clean up.

 

I got the okay to start my walking program back up again.  And to gradually start jogging and jumping in a week or so!  Yay.  This Thursday I plan on hitting the gym since I could have started doign that yesterday as long as I stay away from squats and deep knee bends!  At least until he gives me the okay for that.  I just don't hae the time till Thrusday.  Over all I got good news and bad news.  Good because I can start resuming my activies in full and bad because my knees are just FARKERED!

 

Now for the pictures:

 

1.  A some what up close picture of my right knee.  Still a bit swelled but over all good and can't really see the incession points unless your upclose!

 

2.  A distant shot of my leg and knee to email to Randy to show that the swelling is coming down fast, the incessions are gone (can't really tell though) and basically to make him sweat a bit wanting my sexy legs!:D

 

3.  Me doing a typical family thing of getting a picture taken with my tongue stuck out!

 

4 and 5.  Me posing and looking cute but my dad screweded up and didn't have the lighting right.  Doesn't my mom's have some nice furnature?!:D  I get my bright color and odd color skeems from her!