Today was....interesting. Solo in the ED

 Summary: took myself to ED to get my right leg checked for possible blood clots. Mostly clear, minor surface clot back of the knee. Up blood thinner for a week and wear compression socks.

Backstory: I have had restless legs for several weeks and have a med that seemed to be working. Just before going into the hospital my right leg didn't seem to be responding as well. Knee jerks, foot twitches and then recently after surgery my calf was feeling cramped but not painful.

I haven't been able to have a good nights sleep in days because of this and last night was the worst. Couldn't get settled despite laying down and feeling very cozy. Leg would start twingeing and etc so I had to get up and down up and down so I didn't wake Jon (not very successful with that, he came out of the bedroom to use the bathroom a few times). Between 11pm and 5 I may have gotten about an hour of semi conscious sleep. 

I then realized that my right calf and thigh were semi-crampy and then I connected the dots. Possible blood clots? Not wanting to take any chances on this since I've been off the blood thinner for over a week, I decided to call for a Lyft and take myself to the Grossmont ED. Grossmont is much closer and still in the same system. I had to wake up Jon though, let him know what was going on, speaking in slow small words so his sleep fogged brain could understand (not a slight on him at all we've all been there). Ordered up a Lyft for less than $15 (due to time of day and distance) and go to the emergency entrance a little before 6.

First off.. security. I forgot they have a more strict security system and the guard rifled through my small knitting purse and said I couldn't take my project with me because the needles could be used as a weapon. 

SIGH all right. He took my little sock project and bagged it then gave me a receipt to pick it up when I left. I checked in almost exactly at 6 am and let me tell you, I have never seen an emergency lobby that empty.

Yes, it was the dreaded 'Q' they have a superstition about mentioning how quiet it is and then they get slammed so I didn't say anything. The last time I was there was with the vertigo and it was packed. This time it was quiet as a baby nursery to the point I could hear the tv's all the way at the other end of the waiting room that were in a side room with more seating. 

Triage almost immediately, relatively speaking and then being taken back to an actual bed in another fifteen minutes. Like everything, time moves slower in the ED, They did an ultrasound of my leg, thigh joint to calf  and then waited another hour or so for the doctor to actually look at the images.  Uncomfortable, in shorts cotton blankets weren't very warm when the young male nurse brought them to me, then I realized my side was kind of damp.

If I'm going somewhere with an extended wait time I always bring a bottle of water. Well, apparently I didn't close the lid tight enough and then was leaning on my bag. Bag got soaked, shorts and my shirt in the area got soaked and I realized my keys (electronic car key included) were in the bag, as well as charger and cord for phone. Yikes! Everything was okay thankfully but on top of it being cold and me wearing shorts, half my bottom was now damp.

Superficial clot behind the knee not big enough to be scary and it was close to the surface not the deep ones they really pay attention to. The doctor supposedly ordered more of my eliquis because I'm supposed to double up on the dose for a week and she felt I would run out.. Haven 't gotten the message from the pharmacy probably because it looks like an incorrect order. I have enough for the double dose at least and then some.   When I pick that up I will look at compression stockings for my calves as well. She noted there was some serious swelling and the socks will help with that as well. 

Total time in ED almost 6 hours. That's not bad at all. Discharge papers were printed at 11:20 am and I think I walked out around noon. 

Stopped at Trader Joes for some oranges to make carnitas in the crock pot tomorrow because the plan today was going to be scrambled eggs with salsa, cheese, bacon and sour cream for breakfast and then throw the pork into the crock pot with appropriate seasonings and cook that all day. Lunch was shrimp stir fry with extra broccoli and mushrooms. At least lunch got done. It was delicious and now it's time to try and take a nap.

Adventures! 

 

 

 

Progress is forward as long as it's two forward and one back

 The weather is still absolutely furnace level outside. We had to run the AC all night again because, despite it being in the low 70's outside, pulling that cooler air inside or pushing the warm air out at a high exchange rate is impossible. So I did not sleep well at all until after the sun came up and my body settled down.

This was day before yesterday, basically the same since then.  It's supposed to cool down over the weekend and turn tropical with possible rain. Right. It's kind of breezy outside from what I can see out my window but as I said, it's still a blast furnace.

I am still uncomfortable but managed to feel good enough to wash my hair yesterday and my arms with a washcloth. Wearing an actual button up shirt and shorts for a while today as well.  So very much more feeling human-ish. Can't WAIT to get to the doctors on Friday and hopefully get some of this binding and the drain out. I'm not supposed to drive but have no choice. A little bit itchy going on which is good because that means things are healing and shifting. I should be back to relative normal by Thanksgiving. Lord willing and the creek don't rise, as my dad used to say.

I really wanted to make the Shrimp and Bacon chowder and have everything but the green onions. I've passed on them the last two times because they were so thin and scrawny it wasn't worth it. They normally are about the thickness of my little finger but the last bunches were the size of a pencil.  Anyway I decided to use a free delivery coupon for the grocery store and after working out the list vs the cart I had about $50 of groceries, salsa fixings, some canned goods, crackers and cheese but the one thing I failed to double check.... green onions. 

I need to find the Charlie Brown frustration gif. The ONE thing I purposely wanted in that shopping cart and I didn't get them. Have to go back anyway because the delivery guy substituted onion and chive cream cheese with 'low fat' whatever cream cheese instead. I wanted the flavored kind because I bought some Ritz crackers for snacks. At least I got the extra sharp cheddar so that works out. We have food enough and still money left over.

I almost forgot to pay the SDGE bill though. Was supposed to do that on Thursday when I got the money but other things were on my mind and didn't remember until day before yesterday. Supposed to pay for Costco before the end of the month as well. At least I've got the car insurance paid, which btw is going to be less after this month, yay! And got a letter from CalFresh that our monthly food money will be upped by $26 (314 to 340) so we'll have a bit more money for food for the next year. It all balances out right?

Jon once again didn't get moving or I slept in more and by the time he got himself together it was already 98 outside. So no walking to the pharmacy again. I'm gong to have to see about getting him up early on purpose so he can get his prescriptions and nose stuff. 

We have both filled out our ballots and have them signed and sealed. I know mailing them is still safe and Ballot Trax will notify us when they are received but was considering finding the closest drop box just in case. The reason why I mention it is the post office is half a block down the street from the pharmacy so very convenient.

Okay time for nap which means moving Rocky from his comfy spot on my side of the bed. He then either settles on the bed or heads to the kitchen and lays on the rug in there. Jon's already napping so my brain is definitely feeling the afternoon nap fog.

 

 

 

It's not a lot of pain but still.Ramblings

 It makes it difficult to move from sitting to standing and all that but mostly it's the fact I'm essentially wearing a binder on top and a girdle on bottom. If you've ever recovered from surgery, you know the feeling. 

That was at 11:20 or so this morning it got a bit warmer and currently at 5 pm it is 103. Needless to say we had the AC on low all night with the bedroom door closed. Front half of the apartment even with door and windows open never got below 84 and since the thermometer in the kitchen is next to the west facing window it gets up to 90 in that corner. I shifted the small but mighty turbo fan so it blows across the blinds and reduces the heat collecting there.

Part of my brain is thinking, 'why am I so stiff? I shouldn't feel this bad right?' My brain can't comprehend the toll even 'non-invasive' surgery does on an older body. Any body for that matter right? I keep thinking, 'come on how hard can this be to recover from just an overnight stay in the hospital?' I guess I'm going back to January when I had that serious bout of imbalance and almost bounced back immediately. Well not bounced back but more mobile than I am now. Considering I had double boob adjustment (reduction on left and minor increase on the right) and liposuction for the right side for the increased padding. That's considered 'non-invasive' but let me tell you my body is screaming 'invasion!' 

Just had a wonderful bowl of Chedder Broccoli soup with bacon bits thanks to my forethought shopping on Thursday. Got the two pack of soup and the big pack of pre-cooked bacon. Jon picked up a two pack of clam chowder (that's all his). I had a sausage egg croissant sandwich this morning for breakfast, lunch was BLT's and then the soup just now. So we're eating well and speaking of that, got the official letter from CalFresh that our monthly allotment will be upped to $340 from $314. I have no idea why it keeps going up and down like that when nothing has changed. Maybe it's the increase in utilities and the medical extras but I won't be amending anything at all. Just have to remember all my answers next time and then whatever else happens between now and then. We only spent about half of our money on Thursday so with the food we have and me not cooking much for the short term we might come out ahead next month (and since I said that will end up short or zero ).

Sleeping is the biggest inconvenience. I don't have a travel neck pillow, no extra pillows other than the mostly flat ones from the sofa, so I can fall asleep maybe for an hour or two and wake up almost more sore than before. Jon was entertaining the idea of getting a pair of recliners instead of the sofa and it just isn't going to work right now. All sorts of things need to happen before that can even be considered to rearrange everything in the front room. 

I have said before I'm not fond of my surgeon, he's not very amiable, doesn't offer a lot of information, always seems like he has more patients than he can handle so doesn't remember what I think are important details. When he came in to see me before I was discharged it was ::shake the hand how you doing, let's see how things look, everything looks good, when is our next appointment, Friday then will see you then shakes my hand:: and then he left. Didn't tell me what happened, how long the surgery was no details at all and I just felt like he was going through the motions. Would have been nice to say 'the reason why you're bound up like this is..' Oh and I'm not even seeing him personally on Friday, I'm seeing one of his assistants. Not a bad thing because they are more personable than he is by far. I do hope I don't ever need to see him again.

So day two post surgery, slow to heal haven't had a soda since Thursday but am holding off on that as long as possible because I'm not as dependent on them as before so if we go out to have food next week I might have one. Going to storage after the appointment is right out. I've barely done any knitting for that matter, the way I've been sleeping (ending up sleeping on that hand in an odd position which aggravates the tendonitis) and the hand-eye coordination being off from surgery just not good for knitting.

Okay that's all for today. No idea what we're having for meals tomorrow but I do know we have options.
 

Home and semi mobile

 Yesterday was pretty much a blur especially after surgery. I was slurring my words, couldn't move too fast and surprisingly got dizzy and nauseous if I did. That's the anesthesia of course I was fine about six hours later. I think. Definitely better in the morning but was still getting up a few times overnight to pee.

 First full meal. Bean and cheese enchilada and did not choose wisely with the potatoes and gravy. Enchiladas 8 out of 10, potatoes 2/10.  But I had orange jello and chocolate pudding and tortilla soup 8/10 but was mostly full by the time I got to it. The Sharp Memorial Hospital for Women and Children does good with their meals. Good portions and good tasting choices, no microwave meals for them.

Slow going right now for movement, bound top and middle but more on that later. Just wanted to check in and say I'm alive and recovery is progressing as much as it can.

 

Not as much anxiety

 

I thought Jon understood what is entailed with me taking a Lyft to get to the hospital by 5:30. Apparently I overestimated his thought process again. I mentioned how I was feeling kind of anxious about having to stand out on the curb and wait for my ride at 4 am and it took him two hours and a nap to come in and say, 'what did you say about waiting for your ride?' I told him I have to check in at the hospital at 5:30 so the ride would be here around 4:30 or so in the morning (it's not that far, the ride is only about 20 minutes so quick estimate was me getting there around 5 just to be sure). So I said I'd double check with Amber to see if she could do it and that came back negative (as I expected and not holding it against her). So he said he'd get up and go to the hospital with me. 

Ooof. 

Poor guy is going to try and nap on the waiting room couch or chair for three hours. He's going to need something to eat and coffee from the cafeteria. We'll have money by then so not much a problem but still, he'll be ready to go home by lunch time. Rocky is going to get fed really off schedule poor kitty, he's going to think we've abandoned him. Just normal me worrying about everyone else because I've got my stuff handled.

Still going through list in my head of what to bring, what not to bring and all that. Oh good news though, I was waiting for the 'official' notice of Medical renewal, hoping that all my info was good and finally got the letter saying I had been renewed. YAY!

My  hand is feeling better since I got a more rigid wrist and thumb brace at the pharmacy. Wearing that at night is helping a lot. The soreness is still there and have to be careful not to bend my hand down too far or it 'pulls' painfully.  Not the only position that's painful and the tylenol is helping but would likely be better if I could take a NSAID. DOH! Totally forgot to message surgeon office about the two prescriptions they were supposed to send to the pharmacy! Dangit, will have to do that in the morning. At least I'll be on some good pain drugs in the hospital so that will be the least of my worries for a few days.

Trying not to knit too much but that's my go to for keeping my brain and hands busy in anxiety.  

The other night I wasn't feeling good, my hand was hurting internals were not working well and then Rocky was out in the front room and annoyed Jon who threw a half full water bottle at him. Welll that startled me and  I got pissed so I went and threw the bottle back out in the living room but it hit the ceiling  making it even louder. I stormed back into the bedroom and slammed the door shut. 

Jon came in and apologized, I told him it startled me is all but I was really upset. He was being all quiet and sorry and I vaguely realized that was one of his early childhood triggers getting stuff thrown around by his bully of a dad. 

I didn't understand why I was so upset until much later.  My hand was hurting to the degree that reminded me of getting my other broken wrist set at the hospital. They had to pull on my thumb which was extremely painful but in a dull but persistent way and I was crying at the time. Same thing this time. I was overdue for Tylenol this time and I got that in me and didn't do much else until Jon came in to change for bed. He apologized and said he'd never in a million years would want to scare or hurt me and I said the same thing and we hugged hard.  It was not a good night but was better in the morning when I explained why I was so upset other than being startled.

We truly love and respect each other but we are human and our emotions sometimes get in the way. We're both anxiously waiting for money to hit the bank, I have so much to get done on Thursday it's ridiculous. Groceries, pharmacy, washing bedding and a nightshirt, possibly shopping for a new nightshirt that's a bit more comfy and button up, a meal out for the day and get enough groceries for quick meals for a week as well as restocking.  Wooof, a lot to be done in one day.

Will see how that goes and report back. 

 

Birthday money spent, pre-surgery anxiety settling in

Still not sleeping well for all the various reasons so kind of grumpy today with the weather looking like it should be raining. But it's 86 and muggy instead.

As far as the anxiety is concerned it's just making sure I have everything set, hoping money hits on the first and trying to figure out how to get Jon to the hospital and back home the day of. Simply because I'd like someone to be there when I wake up and get trundled up to my room. I think he and Amber were there the first time (a year ago) and then left after I came out of surgery. Honestly I don't remember that trip as much as the one in January with the busted phone. I really don't remember at all, Amber likely picked me up with Jon but other than that it's a total blank. Need to look back at my posts to see what happened. August 4 last year. Ah yes, technical difficulties with phone and ipad chargers, Jon stuck around and got a sandwich then Amber took him home later on, surgery was closer to midday last time. 

Depending on Amber's schedule with schoolwork she will likely pick him up and bring him over once I'm out of surgery and then she may have to skedaddle and come back later. It'll all work out one way or another.

I was a bit peeved earlier because for whatever reason Jon wasn't considering any of the leftovers we have. I made a huge pan of the 'tex mex pasta' which was delicious and figured he'd use some tomato sauce and make soup out of it. Nope. So we've been eating out more than usual which is one reason but now it's over the '3 day rule' he has and since I'm not going to be eating it much, it can't be frozen at this point so have to toss the casserole dish size food out. He's pretty much a ' one and done' with home made food unless there's no other option and it's within that window. We also have a full rice and beans pre made pack in the fridge that he realized wasn't as tasty as he thought it would be. So that unopened food has to be tossed as well. 

Just so frustrating with costs of food and me cooking something to try and stretch a few days and it's all being wasted. This time around it's mostly my fault but eating out is so rare for us I took advantage of the opportunity. I've been thinking about those 'souper cubes' the silicon cube trays for freezing soup and other things in it to keep handy in the freezer. Two problems: 1. where do we store the actual trays and 2. We don't do soups that often, I'm getting less and less inclined to do things like broth and soup from scratch and we don't have a lot of freezer room. 

Sizing down recipes for me is more difficult than you would think. All my hamburger is frozen in 1 lb portions, chicken is pre-portioned in 2-4 pieces depending on whether it's a breast or thighs. I prefer the quality at Costco and that's the way it goes.  Usually he's a a prodigious food hound but not so much anymore. On that note, he's lost almost ten pounds since he's on all his meds for various things. As soon as he gets a new pair of shoes we'll be going to the mall to walk for ten minutes as often as we can but minimum once a week according to the doctor.

He's now trying to scrape out the oven pan I used for the chicken today because I forgot we didn't have any foil to line it.  You put soap and baking soda in, add hot water and let it sit for an hour or so, that will loosen up the majority of the stuck on stuff instead of scraping with a plastic spatula. We don't have any metal utensils because of all the non stick we use. He's got no patience for cleaning like that.

Okay enough ranting for now. Will probably update on Thursday night/afternoon when I'm totally losing my mind. This isn't nearly as bad as packing for a vacation but still nerve wracking.

 

Call is done, early birthday fun money

 I didn't sleep very well and missed about two or three hours so when I woke up around 6:30, stayed up until Jon woke up about an hour later then went back to bed. I intended to sleep only for about two hours. well that turned into three because I woke up around 11. Realized I needed to take my morning pills and proceeded to wake up as quickly as possible, grab a bowl of cereal then remembered I had to be awake and alert by noon to take the pre-anesthesia call. 

So, about that. Got my headset connected to phone instead of computer, told Jon to go get his shower because I had to wait for phone call. 12:30 rolls around, 12:40.... Jon is out of the shower and getting dressed, I'm still waiting... he goes out to the front room and finally around 1 the call comes in, does not connect to headset so have to use phone to my ear. I wanted to have hands free so I could read my notes for meds and stuff on my phone. Oh well. 

All the usual questions, the nurse on the other end was very cheerful and engaging so very much of a bonus.  Call only took about 20 or 30 minutes and I was very much ready for my shower.  Looked out in the living room and Jon is slack jawed asleep so I just hop in the shower. I got an early birthday gift of money so we were going to our favorite Mexican place for late lunch. Funny how when we get extra money the first thing we think about is eating out. 

Late it was for sure. We didn't get there until about 2 pm but it was still delicious, even though I can't eat a big meal like that anymore. Have to remember no combination, just rolled tacos or two beef tacos no rice and beans. Stopped at the store on the way home and picked up a chocolate mouse tuxedo cake and then had to hit the bathroom as soon as we got up stairs. Curse you Crohn's!

So we're on the final countdown for surgery, slowly gathering things to put in a small bag for overnight, picked out loosest of my Hawaiian shirts and will wear sweatpants home. Nurse mentioned bring a robe or whatever I need. I have a 'robe' but it's more like a knee length flannel shirt I picked up off the table downstairs. Not as roomy as I'm going to need so I'll see about looking for one at Walmart or someplace.

Another development is related to my knitting. I've been getting pains in my right wrist and thumb due to working on tiny yarn and needles too much. So I got out my wrist brace about a week ago (which is no where to be found now for some reason) but thought maybe that was too restrictive and got a more elastic 'support' glove. Doing research thinking I had 'knitters thumb' (which from all the descriptions is just aggravated arthritis in the joint) but my pain is further up the arm just behind and including the wrist bump.  Turns out (according to webMD and other orthopedic sources) it is a very specific form of tendonitis. 

DeQuervain's Tenosynovitis. There are specific wrist and thumb braces for it which I will look into but for now, have to not knit as much, keep the thumb and wrist stable as possible (that wrist brace I had would be great!) and ice the area to reduce inflammation. Typical recovery time when that is done properly, 4-6 weeks. Well probably longer in my case since I need to do something with my hands in the hospital and other places. Photo is my attempt with an ace bandage to stabilize thumb and wrist over the half glove I bought. Partially successful and completely immobilized my hand which made it impossible to type or do much else with that hand. So experiment done, took it off.

The other things I am getting with the birthday money are rather mundane, a two pack of one of my favorite deodorants, some new tips for my apple pencil that are soft or at least more 'paper like' traction that actually are the nibs not covers. Tired of having the little silicone cover disappear when I move my pencil on the bed or it gets caught in a shirt or something. Will see how that works out and then a sock knitting book I don't have even in storage. Contemplating some yarn as well but am trying to be careful with spending this extra money. It's 'fun' money and sure, I could have used it to pay the sdge bill but this money is on paypal and the sdge is set up for bank account only. I'm not late on paying it and will be able to pay it when it's due so I'm not worried about it.

Windows and door are open for the evening, Rocky is pacing from bedroom to front door to go out on grass time but I need to hit the commode before anything else.

'It's the final count down.....'