harddraver (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} harddraver) wrote,@ 2008-05-06 10:20:00 |
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So much has happened since I last posted.
My father had heart failure in the gym where he works out the friday before my surgery. Using the defibrillator packs that are now standard lifesaving equipment at this facility, 3 bystanders managed to defibrillate him 2 or 3 times and got him back. The angiogram (done concurrently with my preop appointment, and the floor below) showed no coronary artery blockage, so I don't really understand what happened. The nurses mentioned that electrolyte imbalance might be a possibility, but that's usually a side effect of certain prescription drugs that Dad wasn't taking. He had surgery to implant a defibrillator, about a week after my surgery, so for several weeks Mom was driving back and forth between hospitals, visiting us both. Her brother came down to visit, and they both came out to the farm to check on me a couple times. The three of us planted a new baby cherry tree beside our deck. Looking foward to fresh cherries someday!
The day before my surgery T.B. took me out for dinner at Brownie's. It was fabulous! Lots of friends, great food, and Ravenswood wine. I've decided I like that stuff.
My surgery was April 10th. It seems to have gone well, and at this moment I think my arm might be whole. I knew when I broke it exactly what happened. When I fell off, they asked if I was all right, and I said I'd broken my humerus 2" above the elbow - which I had. Its been broken for over 2 years now, so that seems normal. I think I am being hopeful that it might have started joining, so am willing to believe that I can feel that, too. Who knows? Time will tell if I am right. I was in the hospital only a few hours - they sent me home that evening. By 7pm I was using J's grandmother's cane to gimp my way about the house. The pain from the bone graft donor site was pretty bad. I threw up from the pain when they moved me from the guerny to the hospital bed, and again the first few times I got up to walk to the bathroom at the hosptial. J was extremely attentive the whole time.
Oonagh, the barn cat had kittens in the insulation in a wall in the darkest part of the barn. I didn't think, and left them there for several weeks. As a result of the darkness, I don't think their optic tracts developed properly. They can see light, but they don't track objects like cats can't help but do, if they see. For a week or so, I opened the nearest door so they could get light. Then, one morning, all 5 of the fuzzy wee things vanished. We think she's moved them. It was in the middle of a cold spell, where overnight temperatures were below 0. Having them near an open door wasn't a good idea, I guess.
This past Friday night I spent socially, with J.A., an old SCA acquaintance who is rapidly becoming a good friend. I came home to find that J had tried riding the new horses, and had fallen from Stirling, wrenched his back and bitten through his tongue. That made Saturday a write-off as far as work went (it was raining anyway) and we managed to get a bunch of party invitations out. I got a call from the neighbour on Saturday afternoon to come watch the Kentucky Derby at her place. We walked to her place (me waiting periodically for J to catch up, gimpy as he was)and watched the race on her tiny static-y TV while her infant racoon chittered from his bed on the recliner. The horse I was rooting for (named Dennis!) came third, Eight Belles came second, and Big Brown (named for his UPS affiliation) came first. I was appalled by the death of Eight Belles during her gallop-out at the end of the race. I had noted her similarity to Ruffian (ie a black TB filly) during the parade.... Ruffian, btw, was filly who is now buried under a flag at Belmont track. She, too, died as a result of breaking a bone during a head-to-head match race with a colt in 1974. She, too, was a champion and a credit to her gender. We walked home afterwards a bit subdued.
We managed to get a great deal done on Sunday - put the decorative gravel by the back door, arrange the firepit area, dig out an old pair of what I'm calling herb gardens... it was all quite tiring, and I was wiped by the end of the day. J managed to keep going, and he ripped out all the rotten boards of the deck, reinforced the supporters, and started replacing the boards with new.
We're getting ready for the housewarming party at the end of the month. 79 confirmed guests so far....
My father had heart failure in the gym where he works out the friday before my surgery. Using the defibrillator packs that are now standard lifesaving equipment at this facility, 3 bystanders managed to defibrillate him 2 or 3 times and got him back. The angiogram (done concurrently with my preop appointment, and the floor below) showed no coronary artery blockage, so I don't really understand what happened. The nurses mentioned that electrolyte imbalance might be a possibility, but that's usually a side effect of certain prescription drugs that Dad wasn't taking. He had surgery to implant a defibrillator, about a week after my surgery, so for several weeks Mom was driving back and forth between hospitals, visiting us both. Her brother came down to visit, and they both came out to the farm to check on me a couple times. The three of us planted a new baby cherry tree beside our deck. Looking foward to fresh cherries someday!
The day before my surgery T.B. took me out for dinner at Brownie's. It was fabulous! Lots of friends, great food, and Ravenswood wine. I've decided I like that stuff.
My surgery was April 10th. It seems to have gone well, and at this moment I think my arm might be whole. I knew when I broke it exactly what happened. When I fell off, they asked if I was all right, and I said I'd broken my humerus 2" above the elbow - which I had. Its been broken for over 2 years now, so that seems normal. I think I am being hopeful that it might have started joining, so am willing to believe that I can feel that, too. Who knows? Time will tell if I am right. I was in the hospital only a few hours - they sent me home that evening. By 7pm I was using J's grandmother's cane to gimp my way about the house. The pain from the bone graft donor site was pretty bad. I threw up from the pain when they moved me from the guerny to the hospital bed, and again the first few times I got up to walk to the bathroom at the hosptial. J was extremely attentive the whole time.
Oonagh, the barn cat had kittens in the insulation in a wall in the darkest part of the barn. I didn't think, and left them there for several weeks. As a result of the darkness, I don't think their optic tracts developed properly. They can see light, but they don't track objects like cats can't help but do, if they see. For a week or so, I opened the nearest door so they could get light. Then, one morning, all 5 of the fuzzy wee things vanished. We think she's moved them. It was in the middle of a cold spell, where overnight temperatures were below 0. Having them near an open door wasn't a good idea, I guess.
This past Friday night I spent socially, with J.A., an old SCA acquaintance who is rapidly becoming a good friend. I came home to find that J had tried riding the new horses, and had fallen from Stirling, wrenched his back and bitten through his tongue. That made Saturday a write-off as far as work went (it was raining anyway) and we managed to get a bunch of party invitations out. I got a call from the neighbour on Saturday afternoon to come watch the Kentucky Derby at her place. We walked to her place (me waiting periodically for J to catch up, gimpy as he was)and watched the race on her tiny static-y TV while her infant racoon chittered from his bed on the recliner. The horse I was rooting for (named Dennis!) came third, Eight Belles came second, and Big Brown (named for his UPS affiliation) came first. I was appalled by the death of Eight Belles during her gallop-out at the end of the race. I had noted her similarity to Ruffian (ie a black TB filly) during the parade.... Ruffian, btw, was filly who is now buried under a flag at Belmont track. She, too, died as a result of breaking a bone during a head-to-head match race with a colt in 1974. She, too, was a champion and a credit to her gender. We walked home afterwards a bit subdued.
We managed to get a great deal done on Sunday - put the decorative gravel by the back door, arrange the firepit area, dig out an old pair of what I'm calling herb gardens... it was all quite tiring, and I was wiped by the end of the day. J managed to keep going, and he ripped out all the rotten boards of the deck, reinforced the supporters, and started replacing the boards with new.
We're getting ready for the housewarming party at the end of the month. 79 confirmed guests so far....
