Surgery...

Let me start by saying that I am doing well now... I had surgery at the beginning of April on my ankle (see previous post from February). It was a day surgery and I woke up amazingly fast from the anesthesia. I had a horrible night that night. I knew that the leg would swell after surgery but I forgot that they told me to loosen the bandages. I cried so much that night that I thought my DH was going to rush me to the hospital just to get them to knock me out. We called the doctor on call and he told us to take some Motrin in addition to the pain killer that was prescribed. The next morning, the surgeon's nurse called and told me to loosen the bandages and what a difference that made. I was in that wrap and partial cast for one week.

After one week, I went to the doctor and they removed the wrap and partial cast and I got to see my Frankenstein stitches for the first time. It sure felt good to uncover my foot, it was numb and dirty looking. I discovered that you can't do anything when you can put weight on your foot. I could not walk with crutches so my grandmother gave me a walker to use. That was hard to hop around with. I ended having to get a wheelchair to get around when I left the house. That was a funny site. I have a drop off on the porch and had to get my DH to lower me to the ground and then put the walker in front of me so I could hop to the truck to go to the doctor. He then had to load the wheelchair and walker into the truck so I would have it at the other end.

Then I got a real cast (pink) that was supposed to stay on for three weeks. They told me I could shower if I covered my cast with plastic bags so I tried it. I can't stand to be dirty. This cast lasted two days. I got it wet with my first shower because I didn't have the strength to stand up and I slipped and drug my foot across the shower floor ripping the bags. We tried to dry it but I could feel the moisture around the stitches so we had to go back to the doctor and get a new one.

I tried the shower thing again sitting down but kept sliding on the tiny seat in the shower so I gave up showers and took sink bath's and had to get my DH to wash my hair in the kitchen sink. This cast (purple) lasted one week. I felt something in my cast that was putting pressure near my stitches so I called the doctor and they had me come in. They took off the cast and there was nothing there. The only thing they could figure it that the batting wrapped around the foot, shifted and made me think something was in the cast. So I got cast number three...

This cast (green) would only stay on for a week, because I had to go back three weeks after surgery to have the Frankenstein stitches removed. They gave me alcohol to wipe my leg down and then put on a new cast (black) that I had to wear for three more weeks. I forgot to take a picture of that cast.

This was not an easy time for me. I had to sleep with my foot elevated on a bunch of cushions and pillows because it swelled a lot. Then it started to itch. I made it through these three weeks.

I got the black cast off and was told that I had to wear a pneumatic boot for four weeks. I could take it off except when I needed to walk. It was like learning to walk all over again. I was weak and tired easily. When you spend three weeks on your back its hard to start over. I had five weeks of physical therapy and that was hard too.

When I was finally released from everything it still took weeks to get my stamina up. I still have swelling in the foot that can occur for one year and it is still numb on one side. I do fine now unless I do a lot of walking.

I am alive...

I know I have been gone for a long time. We had so much going on in our lives that blogging went to the back burner. We had to deal with Doodle's dance, then I had to resign from my volunteer work, then I had surgery and a long recovery, then I had to readjust to going back to work, then I traveled for work for two weeks and ended up getting sick when it was all over. I will create separate posts for each of these items.

8th Grade End of Year Dance

Doodlebug went to the dance. She didn't go with a guy, she went with her female cousin, "C". She had a new "boyfriend" but he went with someone else, since they had already decided to go together before Doodle came into the picture. Doodle danced with her new boyfriend some and danced with her friends. She even had her picture made with the new "boyfriend".

You would have thought this was a high school prom instead of an 8th grade end of year dance. All these kids decked out in fancy outfits, limos, huge crowds of people. You had to drive up and drop them off at the door and everyone was standing outside so they could see everyone arrive.

It took forever to pick them up at the end. We blocked a main highway for a mile waiting to turn into the location for the dance. They had a good time but it was an awful lot of money spent for a short period of time. I now have a $300 dress that is hanging in a closet gathering dust.

Doodle Bug's New Dress

Well, all the prayers worked... we found the dress with a minimal amount of bad attitude. It took going to three stores and then going back to the first one. My mom went with us and she actually picked this dress. This dress is the only one that stunned us when she put it on. Several of the other dresses were nice but just didn't "wow" us. When she put this dress on, my heart stopped.

Doodle Bug had her heart set on one of those puffy, fairy princess dresses but they really didn't do anything for her. I wanted her to wear one of those skinny, slinky dresses that shows off your figure when you are skinny but they didn't work either. This is a compromise, form fitting at the top, and puffy at the bottom. It has crinolines made into the dress.

What do you think about it?

Now, we have to find shoes, get the hair cut, nails and toes... does it ever end?

Superhero

I found this on On The Verge and had to try it! I made my own superhero here!

Pray for me!

Saturday, I am taking my 14 yo daughter shopping for a dress for the 8th grade formal. My daughter has expensive tastes and no concept of where money comes from. She also has a bad attitude when she doesn't get her way. Typical teenage girl. We have been looking online at dresses and she really wants one of those that is really puffy at the bottom (tulle). They are, of course, the most expensive ones. I asked my mother to go with us so my daughter behaves better. The formal is in two weeks so we have to find a dress tomorrow. We also have to find shoes and all the other accessories. Then, of course, she said she has to get her hair done and her nails... where does it all end?

Her brother went to the formal years ago but he was much cheaper. I think the tux was $99. I should have had two boys! But then again they are not as much fun to dress up as girls.

Lazy Day

I stayed home from work today. I woke up with a sinus headache, sore throat, stuffy nose, etc. We have had a lot of rain the past few days and it always messes with my allergies. I had the same symptoms this weekend. I spent the day in my favorite outfit... baggy pj bottoms, tank top, sweat shirt and my DH's socks. I sat in my DH's favorite chair, surfed the internet and watched TV all day. I feel bad that I was not at work but its really hard to work when you have a bad sinus headache.

Last night after work, I picked up my DH and we went to the retirement home that we volunteer at. We call Bingo for a group of seniors. We have the best time doing this. When we were done, my DH dropped me at the hospital where my BF was in the emergency room. I waited with her until they released her and then drove her home. I finally got home about 9:30pm. I was too tired for much of a dinner so I ate a bowl of cereal and then went to bed.

What is your favorite outfit to lay around the house in?