New iPhone!
With no sign of my missing iPhone all week, we finally decded to go ahead and buy a new one. I had the old one long enough that it was out of contract, so we were able to get a new 3Gs for a pretty reasonable price.
It's been a good day today with out recurrance of the awful pain of Tuesday night.
Stopped at Red Robin and had a bowl of onion soup -- I was even able to eat almost half. ;-)

Painful Night, Quiet Day

I was restless when we went to bed last night, tossed and turned, couldn't find a comfortable spot etc. Then about two am my incision area started to hurt and I had pain all down the left leg (the side that didn't hurt before surgery...) into the calf. I quickly took some pain meds, then in an hour took some more along with the muscle relaxant, got all caught up with what I could legally take. Didn't seem to even faze it. Finally called the on-call doc for the Ortho group about six AM. He didn't seem to think there was anything more that I could do and suggested that I wait until the office staff arrived at 8 AM and call again.

Managed to get back into bed, but at an angle and didn't want to move again. Poor Forry ended up sleeping the rest of the night on the couch as there was no room for him in the bed...

Finally talked with Dr. Powers, ruled out anything having gone wrong with the surgery area or incision. He suggested that today should be a VERY quiet day and that I keep the pain meds up to maximum dosage all day. So that's what I've done. It was easy to sleep a lot because I hadn't slept much last night. Might not be as easy tonight. I feel as I've turned my nights and days around.

Pastor Terry stopped by on his way from Spokane for a short visit. Bonnie and Terry were going to bring the babies by after work, but they all woke up with snotty noses and (thankfully!) decided I didn't need to be exposed to colds, so they're going to try again next week..

Day 11 Post Surgery

I keep checking the days off and each day things seem to have improved a bit. I noticed tonight -- when I thought there had been NO change today -- that I did not need any help to lift my left foot into the Jeep. A little thing, but another sign that I am stronger.

We were awakened before seven this morning with a phone call from Fed Ex wanting to know how to find us. They had only the General Delivery PO address in Cheney and didn't think that would get them to us with the box they had to deliver. They actually showed up about 2 PM to deliver a box of the most gorgeous pears -- looks like maybe four different varieties. They are all colors from a pale yellow to a bright red. Thank you to my youngest (all be it taller) sister Roxy and her husband Rich! We will certainly enjoy them!

We decided to go over to the nearby Iron Skillet this evening for dinner. It's kind of a shame in some ways as I only seem to be able to eat 5-6 bites before I'm full. But, now I've got a nice take-home box of leftover chicken-fried steak for lunch tomorrow. And I got outside for a short bit!

From Miserable to Great...

Woke up miserable, chilled and hurting this morning! Amazing what a hot shower & drugs can do for one's disposition...
Have laid low the rest of day, just healing.... Forry went into Cheney and picked up the mail. Lots of cards and a care package from Sister Sherry -- NICE!
It rained most of the night and a good share of the day. I sure hope the ranch is getting a good share of it!

Foggy Sunday Morning at Ponderosa Falls

It was sunny but partly cloudy when we got up this morning, then the fog came creeping down the hill into the park. It's lifted a bit, but still has that hazy Fall look.


I had wanted badly to go to church this morning, but re-thought the idea after reflecting Dr. Powers comments about just spending my time resting and healing. I'll catch up my farming on Facebook this AM, read for a while (started an interesting new series with a book (The Patriot Witch) that Curt and Sarah brought by when they came to visit at the hospital. I started writing "thank you" cards yesterday, but couldn't seem to even get one finished without falling asleep..) I am getting very good a dozing off mid-sentence!

I actually had a pretty good night's sleep. Forry had bought me a frozen Mac and Cheese dinner that he doctored up a bit with crumbled saltines and pepper. I was actually able to finish almost half of it, so will have the rest for lunch today.

Hard day today (I keep picturing that old ad with frying egg that says " this is your brain on drugs") that seems to be what today was like...

Let's Try It Again!

Well, let's see if my fingers and my brain are a bit more coordinated this evening. They certainly haven't been up to this point! I've tried various times to write in my blog, but it just has NOT worked!

On Friday, October 16th I had a Posterior Lumbar Interbody Fusion. I was in the Operating Room at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane a little over five hours... (Part of the soreness I am currently having is across the front of my body when the various portions of me rested facedown for this long spell on this fancy table with its cutouts for body parts.) Basically Dr. Powers made an incision atop my lower spine, inserted wire cages to hold apart the vertebrae of lumbar 4 and lumbar 5, then fused them together with sacral 1. Next he put titanium rods from L4, L5 and S1, holding it all together. Then he harvested bone marrow from my hip bone used it to "paint" over the whole contraption in order to promote new bone growth.

I've stuck in a couple of pictures at the end of this blog that show what it looks like. If you've a squeamish stomach, you may not what to look there!

I came home to Auntie Violet on Monday afternoon with some pretty potent pain meds I'm taking every three hours. It's been tough trying to keep the pain under control without becoming so zonked I can't walk or talk.

The stitches are almost internal -- what you see on the outside are steri strips which will gradually peel off.

Can't seem to keep my eyes open -- guess I better quite while I'm ahead.

NO Brain Hand Eye Coordination!

I thought I could sit down at my computer and write a nice long blog about what has happened over the last four days, but it dorsn't seem to work! Guess I wait another double of days. We did get to come home this afternoon.

Much love and thank for the love and prayers that have been coming our way!

Hooray, doc said I can go home today!

One day post- op.

Up out of bed; brace on; sitting up in a chair; phone calls; down to x- Ray; iV out; catheter out; walked down the hall to new room Busy day. Daughter Mar y Mae and Forry here most of the day; son Sean here. Long day. Time for bed! Only hope this makes some sense!