Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Prudent Choices in Ambulatory Recovery Process

Note To Self... regarding appropriate timing of crawling as a choice in ambulatory process: While 'crutching' has been proven effective yet tiresome, and 'hopping' has been proven to cause leaks, crawling has emerged as the form of transportation of choice. Having said that, there are times and situations where it may be prudent to use one of the remaining other options... such as when the UPS man delivers a package - (one must know at this point that I have a completely clear glass front door.) Never mind the embarassing encounter as the UPS guy tries to open my front door with his muscular forearm as I try to pull myself to a standing position, lose hold of the bannister and basically fall at his feet. Rather, focus solely on the fact that my son arrives home at around the same time and has this day, decided to bring with him, three of his friends, whom, upon seeing said brown shorts clad man apparently molesting his mother at the front door, run screaming adolescent obscenities at aforementioned male, who then, in self defense, turns on my pack of defenders with his apparently patented karate moves.

You can't make this shit up!

Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Still Recovering

When I told friends that I was having foot surgery, they all had the same reaction: 'Oh the PAIN!' When my husband brought me home and lovingly arranged me and my pillows, he also made sure I took the prescribed pills, because of the PAIN! Well, I'll tell you, the worst thing about this ordeal has NOT been the PAIN - it has been trying to get around! Yeah, I've got crutches - new fangled crutches - the stainless steel kind, with the bands for your arms instead of those armpit centered ones. But my 'good' leg gets really tired, and you can't do anything without leaning the crutches up against something to do it, and they always fall, oh, and try going to the bathroom in a small bathroom accompanied by two crutches - good luck! And you certainly can't carry anything on crutches! The other alternative is hopping. I've gotten pretty good at the hopping thing, heck I can even carry a few things (if they have lids, and if I don't have to go too far). The only drawback with the hopping thing is... well, it's the fact that I'm an almost 50 year old woman with an almost 50 year old bladder, which, when shaken, tends to leak. That's when I discovered - Crawling! It's brilliant actually. I can get anywhere, I mean look at babies! I can carry anything because I don't actually need the front two hands for abulatory purposes. I can even carry things AND push other things along in front of me. The only drawback of this method, so far, seems to be the knees. There's not much padding on the old kneecap. But then who says my soft pink padded piggy scuff slippers need to be used solely for feet?

Sunday, March 11, 2007

Day Two of Recuperation

I can choose to either have my brain and pain in my foot, or take my pills and have no pain and no brain.

I dozed and watched TV all day yesterday until night time. At that point I chose to not take the pain pills and see how much my foot hurt. Surprizingly, it didn't hurt that much so I hobbled around on my crutches for a while. This only serves to make the other leg hurt.

I actually went all night without taking the pain meds and slept better than I did the night before. This morning, I got up and down a couple of times and didn't take any pain pills untill late morning. It was much nicer without the pills, since I was clear headed, but my foot started throbbing so I gave in and took two.

I'm thinking that I'll just take one from now on, because the two seems to make me feel like it's hard to breathe. Plus it takes so long to wear off. And it's not even a fun high. It does sedate me though and keeps me from trying to get up and do something, which I guess is the point.

Downtown Dad and both the kids have been just great! They are doing laundry, and making meals and they even got groceries.

Tessie has an assignment that involves making her own soundtrack for Romeo and Juliet. They just rented the 1968 version which I probably haven't seen since I was Tessie's age. She's asked me to help but, my brain is so mushy, I don't know how much help I'll be!

I'm so glad I had this done! And the timing seems to be just great for the recuperation process.

Saturday, March 10, 2007

Day One of Toe Surgery Recuperation

What could be better I ask you, than doing nothing but sitting with my feet up, with my laptop, my cell phone, the TV remote and my family to wait on me?

Well, it would be better if pain wasn't involved, but then there are the drugs! And it would be better if there was a better selection of movies on TV.

Yesterday was the actual surgery. I actually don't remember much of it... again the drugs! We left at 7:30 a.m. and were done and home by 5:30 p.m. My foot was numb until about 2:30 today when I started to feel some real pain.

I can't put any weight on it at all, but so far all I've had to do is make the 5 foot journey to the bathroom.

Well, the oxycodone has taken, along with the pain, any ability to think creatively. Maybe I can think of more to write tomorrow.

Monday, March 5, 2007

Highly Recommended!

The whole family has post play depression! Just So was a fabulous success! Maybe it was because we were all involved in some way from me sewing costumes, and carpooling, to Tessie being a backstage assistant, to Downtown Dad building sets - and Bearly's singing and dancing debut as Rhino, but it was a great way to spend those winter doldrums!

Just So, is Rudyard Kipling's take on how all of the animals in the jungle got their unique shapes and colors after starting out all the same. It starts with all of the animals being fed up with the giant crab who rules the tides, alternately causing droughts and flooding. The Eldest magician, meets an elephants child, who ceaselessly asks questions. The magician pairs him up with a flightless kolokolo bird who knows everything. After learning that the giant crab favors the mouth of the great gray green greasy limpopo river as his feeding spot, the magician sends the two sailing off to politely ask the crab to stop playing with the sea. Along the way, they meet several animals who are in the process of becoming themselves. A giraffe and zebra, are tired of living with boring wildebeasts and running from a lascivious Leopard and Jaguire, who just want to take the ladies out to dinner. The girls pick up their hooves and trot from the high velt to the jungle, and in the process the jungle light changes their skin so they can better blend in. Unfortunately, the Leopard and Jaguire follow them and their skin is also changed, so the chase continues. In their travels, the Elephant's Child, who does not yet have a trunk, and the flightless Kolokolo Bird, who has not yet learned to fly, come upon a deserted island, inhabited by a reclusive Parsee Man and his beloved Cooking Stove. The Parsee man is sad because due to the unpredictable tides, he has no ingredients with which to bake a cake in his marvelous cooking stove. Also on this deserted island lives a very bad mannered Rhino who's skin, while thick, is very smooth. Rhino, a combination of Elvis and Jackie Gleason, accompanied by his posse of birds wonders if anyone can think of something nice that they can say about a Rhino. While fully aware of his lack of manners, he is very proud of his thick skin. He laments the lack of cakes, and the Parsee Man's stingy nature. The Koloko Bird and the Elephant's Child pursuade the Parsee Man to bake one of his world famous cakes using his emergency rations. The rations sing and dance as the Parsee Man teaches everyone to walk the Parsee cake cake walk walk. In the midst of this, the Rhino smells a cake being baked and returns. Just as the cake is finished baking - he steals it - thus angering the Parsee Man. Another creature they encounter is the Kangaroo who tells them both the story of how he once had a shape like all the other animals until two yellow dingo dogs chased him all over Austrailia, causing his legs to grow in leaps and bounds. The journey progresses, and the Kolokolo bird tires of the Elephant Child's questions, so she goes off on her own, only to be taken captive by the Jaguire and the Leopard. The Elephant's Child saves her, but again she runs off. This time she sees other birds flying and we learn that behind her know-it-all attitude, she is very afraid - mostly of flying. While she is away from the Elephant's Child, he again encounters the Parsee Man, The Cooking Stove and the Rhino who are still fighting. Now the Rhino's smooth skin is baggy and wrinkled. The Elephant's Child being curious, asks how that happened. The Rhino tearfully relates the story of how on one fearsome hot day he took off his skin to take a dip in the river. As he was cooling off, The Parsee Man, filled the Rhino's empty skin with cake crumbs, all that was left of the cake that was stolen - so that when he put his skin back on it tickled and itched so that he stretched and scratched and pulled his beautiful skin all out of shape. Despite this tragedy, the Elephant's Child and the Cooking Stove are able to mediate a truce between the Parsee Man and Rhino and they become best friends. The Elephant Child realizes that he has found the great gray green greasy limpopo river at last! He asks the first creature he sees to help him find the crab. That creature is a giant crocodile who tries to eat the Elephant's child. His head stuck in the crocodile's jaws, the Elephant's Child cries out for the Kolokolo Bird to help him. The Kolokolo Bird, having at last learned how to fly swoops in and pulls the Elephant's child out of the Crocodile's mouth, stretching his nose into a trunk.

All of the animals gather and help the Elephant's Child convince the crab - who is not giant after all - to quit playing with the sea, and everyone lives happily ever after.