Scar High Beans and Recouping well (246)

Three weeks ago today I got my new knee, time does fly and I am getting along well with the recovery rehab process I have going. And now walking well enough without the walker or cane to moasy across my soybean fields today to check for weed presence....And I noticed that my beans are now taller than the scar on my knee...so I guess I got "Scar High Beans before the forth of July", and off to the right here you see my corn is also pretty darn tall for it still being June 29th. But the corn is ready for Sex in the Corn Field here next week...the tassels are coming out, that the males and the silks or the ear is emerging from the stalk, that is the female...and next week the two of them will do their little mating muster and corn will be the result of all that oohing and aahing out there...

Am doing my exercises for the knee 3 to 4 times a day as my therapist tells me at Unity I need to do...Yesterday I went in for my bi weekly appointment with him..he put me on a bike and told me not to worry that I could not make a full revolution but to stop and go the other way until it hurt again...He left for a bit and by the time he returned I had gone over the top and was making the full rev's on the bike and it felt good...I tried my real bike today but am not quite ready for that..it hurt a little and just did not want to make it all the way around...am content to wait until it is easy, then I will resume my bike riding maybe as soon as next week I hope. I mowed with my riding mower today and that went real well probably mowing about 2 acres getting ready for the 4th of July celebration here at the pond...

Cooler temps have hit the midwest today and the AC is off and windows open again...I think it will last a day or two or more we will see..
I may wrap this up here and slip on my swim gear and try a swim in the pond, probably good for the old knee and the new one also...

Shopper Chopper and Great Grandson Grant (245)

Well there I am to the right side here, my Shopper Chopper idling in the Express Lane, as I wait to check out with my grub. I sure hope it was my first and last ride on one of those. Lots of places in my store where they are not 'chopper friendly'. you get manuering between end displays and some times you find you can not continue on and have to back out. I have seen people on these backing up with disgusted looks on their faces, now I know why...But all in all it was good to have as I had several items to pick up. But I hope next trip I am back to the pushing cart.

Had a good fathers day, my kids all stopped by with food in hand and we ate some of it and now I have "must goes" to enjoy the rest of the week. Grandaughter Mandy showed up from Georgia with husband Naval Officer Eric and my new Great Grandson Grant in tow....was good to see them, especially Grant as it was our first meeting....We hit it right off, and things we like to do in common...Like setting and grinning at each other, we were big on that, my bad dream the other night about him taking all the doors in my house off the hinges, were slightly premature I guess...he ain't even crawling yet so until he shows up some day wearing a 'tool belt', I am just going to relax.

Babies kind of look a little bit like everyone it seems, so just for fun the picasso of pictures off to the right will include one of myself taken a long long time ago...I think maybe a gene or so may have showed up in this guy, but you never know for sure till they get grown up I guess. Looking ahead to the day he catches a bluegill in the pond and swings off the rope into the water but not wanting it to happen real soon, time flies fast enough all by itself. Don't be afraid to click on the pictures of Great Grandson Grant and Great Grandpa to enlarge them for a better look at this handsome pair...

GOING HOME (244)

Yep tomorrow noon this "ressy", is out of here....It has been a good stay at the Creasy Springs 'brand new' Nursing Home. My brother and my sister in law and sweet pea, and her dog 'buddy', and Jeff all visited tonight and as they were leaving my bro Larry said why was it that years ago something was 'brand new', like a car for instance...I suggested well sometimes people would buy a demo maybe with 5000 miles on it, still to them a current year new car, no one knew if they did not look at the odometer...but if like my dad it was not a demo then it could be labeled 'brand new'..or in some cases you could even add that it was 'brand spankin new', now that my friends was 'NEW'and I mean new...

Ok back to my happy day tomorrow, I do think I am ready...tonight I graduated my self from my walker to a cane, kind of like the one Grandpa Lahrman had back in the 40's, I bet he had a bad left knee too but they did not fix them back then you just hobbled around and glad you still had your leg. Anyway I took a lap down the hallway past a few rooms turned around and made my way back with the cane. Yep I test drove it and things went well so I do think I am ready...I could stay 6 more days on Medicare and help with the stimulus but the helping would cost the tax payers an equal amount, so what would we have gained...Oh my gosh it just dawned on me that our Presidents genius stimulus idea does the same dam thing...spends it but then we tax payers pay for it...gosh don't make a whole lot of sense does it now?

Well anyway on the way home I need a prescription filled and some TV dinners so for the first time I will get to ride in one of those electric shopping carts...wow I am looking forward to that...hopefully my first and last time I will need those things. I see a lot of people using them, that I sometimes mumble to myself that they probably don't really need it and may actually need some exercise to boot...but I know I am sometimes wrong in that judgment call...Then Susan will drive me past a couple of my fields of corn and beans and I will marvel at how they have grown the last 11 days I have been 'away'......

My leg is still swollen and bruised but I think I am 'as expected', and will continue to do better each day. I will be able to shower as I have done here by myself, dress myself, the main challenge will be to not over do it and not allow myself the proper 'healing time'.........Also I will miss the pampering that the staff here has offered me and I will even miss seeing some of the residents I have come to know.....But, all in all we all know there is "just no place like home"...

Obama says Gulf Coast needs Tourism? (243) and landing on the Hudson

Doing better today in my role as a "Ressy" (Nursing home Resident)...I learned a lot the last couple days. Enough that I think I will leave here soon and recoup at home. But what I learned the last couple days are 'my boundries', that I have them and what they are. Two days ago I got to feeling pretty good, and I dropped the ball, I kind of forgot of what I had done to get me there...I quit elevating, putting on ice, even took relatives on tours of the Premo Nursing Home here...that night and yesterday I paid for that mistake. Yesterday was a day of starting over from square one and again today, I am trying real hard to stay alert as to what I should and should not do...So learning these important lessons I think I will move myself to the graduation phase and save Medicare a little money and check out of here soon. Sorry to say I am still bound to the "slow learner" label...Once I get it, I am good to go, but it seems I always have to "get it" first, I always have to learn the 'hard way'....It's just me and I am satisfied with that, better than never getting it.....ha

So I have been lying here thinking now that of the Mr. Obama repeatedly saying that the best thing Americans can do is get on down there to the gulf states and enjoy a vacation...And I lie here and wonder, if that is so why are we not seeing 'very special' offers on vacations there...and why is not the media telling us of such offers???? It seems as though the Hotel, the Airlines, all of those who benefit would be all over this...Do I have to think of everything???? Double Ha....

And lastly today is kind of some excitement for you...off to the right or just clicking on today's title will also take you there...It will take you to a birds eye view of the excitement that must have been felt the day that plane hit those birds and then landed in the Hudson river....Go ahead I promise it all comes out OK, click on the link and take a ride with the good pilot that saved the day and many lives...

Being Cautious and slower and my therapist "Darshan Patel" (242)

Did not realize it till last night after Sharla and Jeff had dinner with me that I may have done a couple things wrong yesterday. 1. I may have overdone the mobility yesterday. 2. I for sure under done the care yesterday. I did not elevate at all yesterday and today the cooling machine and elevation is going to be my game plan. By doing so I expect to feel a lot better this evening and tomorrow perhaps. I obtained this advice from my trainer in therapy and from a couple phone calls I made to friends...and it just feels good doing it, so why not? I just got a little careless yesterday, hopefully with advice I am today on top of the situation. Just finished a half hour on my 43 degree water machine and keeping it elevated I am just resting and may be tempted to take a little nappy poo here just anytime...so if you see something here like ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// well its not code blue here at Creasy Springs its just little boy blue slipping away to some zzzzz time....

I like my therapist Darshan Patel, he is a native from India. He is pretty good, his English is pretty good also. When I stopped to snoop this place before coming here I asked to see the therapy room since that is why I am here basically...He was there and our first couple exchanges were not great, my lazy ears did not quite pick up what he was saying. I worried about that mentioning it to sweet pea that, "maybe I would luck out and not get him for therapy".

Well as you see, and actually I "did" still luck out, and I got Darshan for my therapy work. Good pic of him here and since he is today's topic that is all that needs to be. Darshan tries really hard in his work, his English is actually very good, he has it pretty well mastered, once I got my lazy ears paying attentions and then used to the accent that he does have. So we can communicate and his abilities in this field of therapy I believe are pretty good. Now I realize I don't have a lot of comparison to base my assessments on, but I do know this his heart is in the right place, he tries really hard to assess each day what I have going on and need for improvement...So one at this point maybe a novice, but I think he will do just fine....He is busy too I have seen him handle 2, 3 or even 4 of us at the same time and stay focused on what we were up too...I think Creasy Springs here made a 'good hire', the day he came on board....

Putting and recoverying at Creasy Links (241)

Well that may be a bit of stretch but there is a putting green here and believe it or not I did sink this 12 foot putt that you see happening. Warren my therapy manager's ball followed mine into the same cup...Life goes on....

Matter of fact I told Warren just today, "if you want this place to really rock you need a beach"...he thought my idea may even have merit or at least he humored me and listened...Yep I can see it right now take a commons area out there outside that is just boring rock and shrubs and add a couple tri axle loads of beach sand..Maybe a sign saying "no diving", room for a couple beach lounge chairs in the sand...Maybe add a little pond with water lillies, couple frogs, hey maybe get USDA over here and declare it a "wetland"...Although that, probably not a good idea, you get government involved and then flexibility free thinking is out the window...Yeal better to keep it private and just let your imagination run, but can you not appreciate the marketability of saying, "come to Creasy Springs Health Campus, where on a good day you can not only sink a few golf putts, but even go to the beach"....and all that on top of premium dining and care....

The Rehabing of the new knee (240)

I have now landed in a upscale nursing home here in Lafayette. Creasy Springs if you click on the title above it will take you directly to the website for them. It is just across the road from the hospital where I had my knee work done. The food is good we had prime rib for lunch, topping that off with a small dish of chocolate ice cream. But actually the hospital spoiled me...it was nicer than this in that you ordered from a menu also but a wider range of entrees....but its pretty good at least there is choices and some nursing homes are more like Marine Corps chow halls in days of old where everyone got the same thing..

Needed a nap right now so will finish this later on maybe...
OK Dinner over, Jack is Back...........I think they got me on something called Percocet and it is a great pain pill...When I pop one of those my pain is pretty well gone and I can just really get into a good sleep...The kind of rest one dreams of when one is run down and loaded up with things going on. And the best part of it for me is there is nothing here to do so no reason not to just really get into this rest and recouperation...Nice generous thundershower moving through the area right now. I see all next week in the mid to high 80's so we are going to have yet another "happy corn week" coming up...No doubt about it corn will be tassled out by the 4th of July, should be a good corn year and a great sweet corn year to boot.

I had two therapy sessions here today one on the knee area and one upper body weight work...it felt good and allowed my two therapist to dip into the Medicare till. I get the day off tomorrow so will work on some exercises on my own and then Mon through Friday I will be doing two sessions at least each day.....by end of the week I should hopefully be showing some signs of recovery....

Lastly today notice the putting green here that sold me on coming here...not that I am a big golfer, not even a little golfer but telling people my nursing home has a putting green area is just pretty cool...look at the pictures to the right, there I am trying it out right after "check in".............

Half Effort and half attitude.....I like that (239)

Some good soul left a comment on yesterdays blog to me about rehabilitation...I like it saying that recovery is half physical and half attitude.....Gosh I think it is so true, you can not get around it, no pain, no gain...I know it will be painful and get old doing all the stuff they want you to do but I also have been tipped off by my GP Doctor Watson that a successful joint replacement surgery is 10% surgery and 90% therapy...so I am ready and welcome what ever they want me to do for however long I need to do it...I want a new knee not a mess and I think I got my moneys worth on the 10% part with great doctors. Now it is up to me to attain success with my effort and I think my friend is right on the money about that 90% maybe being 45% effort and 45% attitude....

So today off to the right is a scar to be proud of don't you think? No wimpy scar here, he said I had a 'big' knee to remove so I guess it took some manuvering room to cut that baby out of there and install the replacement. The scar needs to be big enough to do the job right...and notice those black lines drawn perpendicular to the scar...is that not smart or what...he drew those on there before the cut was made so when it was time to staple it together that it all lined up....I liked that too, otherwise you could end up with extra stuff on one end maybe....

Today therapy had me walk all the way to the end of the hall...it went well they even complimented me by calling me an over achiever, at least I took it that way.
The cooling machine on my knee is great for holding down swelling circulates 43 degree water around the scar most of the day...I take it off now and then for maybe a half hour or so...sleep with it all night....

The new hospital here is plush, love ordering my meals from the menu anytime I want...sticking to healthy stuff though, although tempting I do know what is good for me...I like the menu as it has carb scores by each thing you can order..helps a dummy like me.. I get to stay two more nights here and then they kick me out, but wait till you see where I am going next...it will make an interesting blog story...
Well got to hit the bathroom and then order my delicious dinner...so far me and knee are getting along just great, getting to know each other one step at a time....

An eventfull Marvelous Day (238)

I slept like a baby last night, cool outside windows open, slight breeze, AC OFF, you know you go to sleep counting nickels being saved and looking forward to a "new knee" tomorrow.....

Well tomorrow came and it was instant stress when I realized I had not taken my two coumadin tablets that are needed before surgery...I took one Sunday night but just plain forgot about the two for Monday night...I called the hospital they said with 5 hours to go before surgery take them now with a little water...down the hatch they went, stress was gone. Reported to St. Elizabeth hospital at 10 with all my gear, and by maybe 10.30 they had me relaxed in surgery prep room...at 11 they were done with 2 hours to wait before the old knee goes bye bye and the new one says, "here I am Jack, lets roll"....

Dr. Daluga, Lafayette's very best joint replacement surgeon came in the room to talk to Susan, Sharla and I at about 12. Probably had done maybe 3 already and headed for lunch..He said see ya soon...Well what he meant was he would see me, as I kind of went out fairly soon after they gave me something to relax me, yeal right...
Oh almost forgot Dr. Fisher Lafayettes very best anesthesiologist, came in maybe a half hour later...wanted to know if I wanted to go to sleep or stay awake with a spinal block? I thought about it for bit and then said, "would I be able to watch TV"?, he said "probably not,but you will hear all the sawing noise", so I chose to get knocked out...Daughter Sharla remembered that I was a half lung short of two lungs which I had kind of forgotten, he then fished out of me that I may have a little gas reflux and gave me something for that...Then he had the prep room nurse slip me the mickey and I never saw either one of them again....

But these guys are artist as I woke up in recovery about 3 not the least bit droggy or sick....moved to my nice room on 3rd floor at about 4, had a great dinner and conversations with my sweet pea and Sharla and Jeff...Got a great nurse Jacob whom I forget and call Jason at which he calls me John instead of Jack....Took a walk with my walker down the hall and into the bathroom twice so far...I tell you this day has just been up hill all the way since I got permission to down the coumadin tabs....

Tomorrow may bring some pain but not today it's near 10 PM so maybe I better post this and get some shut eye....But so far, things have went marvelous, prayers I think were answered and Healthcare has been delivered to me on a Silver Platter......

Going Under the Knife (237)

Soon I will be under the knife and my old worn out knee will be removed and in its place will be a shiny new stainless steel I imagine replacement. At least that is what the one I played with in the Doctors office looked like while waiting on his appearance in the room. I am looking forward to the operation and the recovery from it in days ahead. My GP Doc tells me that the surgery is only 10% of the procedure not to take anything away from the surgeon for sure but what he was stressing was that the effort I put forth in the recovery process is maybe 90% of the total outcome...

So that in mind I will work hard and welcome the pain and deal with it if it comes. No pain, no gain they say and medications I guess will help a lot with that. God willing this will all go well and I will be in better condition for years ahead because of it....

But I am not going in alone. My laptop and my camera are accompanying me along this journey and I will try and do a post or two from the front lines of health care being delivered to me, good or bad I will report it. The crops are all looking good no more weddings or reunions until late July and August so the time is right to repair damage and get ready for more good things ahead. I recall of late my dad saying many many times when I would jump off a loaded hay wagon instead of climbing down carefully, "Son someday you will wish you had not done that". And I guess he was so darn right. He was always so darn right, cause he cared as we all do about our kids and grandkids. But one thing never changes, young people think they pretty much have it all figured out and don't really count what parents say for much. I wish I had of I guess but on the other hand if I had I would not be headed for this experience and this unexplored source of blog stories....Prayers are always good..thanks..................................