Procrastinating...

I have been busy, but have also been procrastinating about posting. I went to see Dr. Weir (orthopaedic surgeon) on Monday, October 27. I have met all the pre-surgical requirements and am a go for Nov. 6. My surgery is at 8 a.m. and I have to be at Covenant Cooper in Saginaw at 5:15 a.m. My surgery should be complete by 10 a.m. or sooner and I will be out of recovery by noon or sooner. I will go to my room as soon as they have a bed for me. They only have 35 beds on the 5th floor, so they push us in as they push someone else out. I will most likely be there 3 days which puts me out on Sunday, November 9. Some people go home on post-surgical day 2, but I am going to hopefully stay 'til Sunday. You see--with my surgery being on a Thursday, I will only get physical therapy twice on Friday and once on Saturday and hopefully one on Sunday, but I was told I would have to put in a request for a Sunday pt. They don't schedule on Sunday. If my surgery was on Tuesday, let's say, I would have pt twice on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. Oh, well--that is the first date I could get in November.

The other news I learned from Dr. Weir--via MRI report--I have osteo-arthritis in my right shoulder, bursitis as well, and a 50% thickness tear of the rotator cuff. I was not happy at all to learn this news. So, I will be getting therapy in about 3 weeks or so. He is going to schedule it at the same time I go for my knee therapy after the home pt ends in 2-3 weeks. Whoopee! I wonder just how frozen this blankity blank shoulder will be by then. I think it will be a blast to work on the range of motion I have lost--NOT!!!

So, Tues., Oct. 28, I took Mom to Ramasamy. He says that the bleeding in the back of her eye has stopped, but that the swelling is only about 80% reduced by the injections. He recommended two more injections so that the swelling is hopefully totally reduced and does not recur for a long time. She goes again on November 24.

Wed., Oct. 29, I took Dad to Lafia for his heart check-up. He has been having chest pains and taking more Nitro than he had been. Lafia has scheduled a Persantine (sp) stress test on the 12th for Dad and a follow-up visit on the 21st to discuss the findings. Mom is planning on driving Dad to these visits as I will not be driving yet at that time most likely.

Becky and the kids arrived from NY on the 29th as well.

Thurs., Oct. 30, I had my teeth cleaned as Dr. Weir instructed. He does not want me to have any dental work at all for 3-4 months after my surgery and I will have to take antibiotics each time I go to the dentist for the rest of my life, just as Ray does for his artificial hip.

Fri., Oct. 31, Becky and the kids and Maddie and I all went to the Detroit Zoo this morning/afternoon and had a great time. We finished about 3:30 and headed back to Orion where we supped on pizza and prepared for the Trick-or-Treating. Got some cute-cute pictures. Becky & I took Raven, Lexie, Abbey, Brayden, Chase and Trent. Jaime & Jeff & Maddie stayed back at their place to distribute candy. The kids were great and the weather was perfect!!! Plenty of loot was given out, so the kids are content.

L to R: Abbey-7, Raven-9, Maddie-2, Lexie-9

L to R: Trent-4, Chase-4, Brayden-6

Lexie, Abbey, Brayden & Trent are Becky & Jay's.

Raven, Chase & Maddie are Jaime & Jeff's.

Then all seven kids road back to Grammy & Grampy's house for a sleepover with their cousins and a playdate on Saturday. They did extremely well, so we kept them all on Saturday night as well. What a blast to watch all seven cousins interact and play. This is definitely one of the greatest memories I have ever had. Jaime came to pick up her three on Sunday morning and Becky & the kids spent the day with the Huffmans. Becky and the kids left around 9:30 or 10 Monday morning. Becky stripped all the beds and washed the sheets and made the beds before she left. That was very nice of her as she knew it was something that I would have had to do before my surgery anyway. The house looked just as it was before they all got her when they left. I didn't have to lift a finger to get it back in order.

Well, time is running out and I had my pre-surgical class at Covenant today. They spent 1 1/2 hours going over everything we have to know for our stay. Then I dropped off my laptop for service and used my JoAnn's coupons and grabbed the few groceries I needed to make the goulash for Larry & Jeanne tomorrow. She is still recuperating from her 5 shoulder surgeries last week!!! So, I am taking them dinner tomorrow. I got home just in time to throw some homemade chicken pot pie in my mouth and then the medical equipment supplier was here to set up my CPM (continuous passive motion) machine. She set it up and went over all the controls and then had me try it out. I'm good to go for 21 days following surgery. If I need it longer than that BCBS will most likely not pay for it--thus--I will be doing my 4-6 hours per day on it religiously so I can be free of it while it is still covered by my insurance.

So--I guess that brings you up to the present. I have done every bit of laundry including stripping Ray & my bed and so tomorrow, I have nothing I have to do. No appointments. No housework. No laundry. I cleaned the floors after Becky and the kids left on Saturday, so--I think I will sit and knit and go visit my parents--oh--and do all the exercises that I am supposed to do pre-surgery. There ate 5 that you have to do 5 times a day. Plus I will get up in the a.m. and do the 4 that Dr. Rao taught me to do 2 years ago for my knees. Can't ever do too much.

I will not be posting again for quite a while. Hope all is well with all of you! God bless!!!