Sunday, June 20, 2010

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggety Jog



Well, I’m home—and thrilled to be here, believe you me. [g] I actually got sprung late afternoon on Friday, earlier than expected. Possibly because I was standing beside my bed, dressed in my street clothes, when the surgeon came in to see me (very funny; there was an RN and a LPN in the room at the time, and he apparently thought I was one, too. He glanced at the empty bed, then—startled—at me, and blurted, “Oh, you’re the _patient_! I didn’t recognize you.” No reason why he should, after all—I look quite different when out cold with my head in a bag).

Anyway, all’s well so far, but I’m not going to write much because I _am_ significantly Under the Influence of pain meds and rat poison. The knee is hugely swollen, of course—and was wrapped in layers and layers and layers of cotton batting and Ace bandage, as seen in the accompanying photo (my other leg is wearing an elastic compression stocking, to assist with circulation).

I got to unwrap it this morning, which was a great relief, though the underlying flesh is a nasty sight. (My husband took a photo of the incision-plus-steri-strips, but says I ought not to post that, as being too gross and indicating a tendency to egomania, assuming that people would be interested in looking at my gross knee. Now, personally, I’m always interested in looking at gross things, but I’ll bow to his better judgement here, since he’s _not_ on pain pills.)

Good to be home, though—and many, many, many thanks to all the kind people who’ve kept me in their thoughts and prayers!

38 comments:

  1. So happy to hear you're home and everything went well. I checked in at the compuserve thread and was relieved that the surgery wasn't as intensive as it could have been. Happy Healing!!

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  2. So glad to hear you are doing well.. and even better with the pain meds I bet. Take care...

    PS. I just went through "Davie Beaton's Closet" again for the first time in probably 15 yrs. For some reason one of my favorite chapters of all. I still love it.

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  3. Welcome home, Diana. So glad you made it through safely and without incident. Please take the time to recover. I'd rather you were hale and whole than suffering through side effects because you didn't follow doctors orders.

    You will stay in my thoughts and prayers (just in case you insist on being Claire).

    Sincere regards,

    Midge

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  4. So glad to hear you are home and doing well! I hope you have a really good recovery, take the time to relax and enjoy yourself!

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  5. Thank you for the update, its great to hear your doing well!

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  6. Great to see you are smiling & up and about! I'd actually love to read the stuff you write whilst medicated!

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  7. That's a Vicodin Smile if I've ever seen one! Glad you're home and doing well.

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  8. Heal well and fast. But do follow all dr's. instructions. I know from experience it isn't easy but we want you back to writing soon.
    Thoughts will continue.

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  9. Diana, you are SO funny! Speedy recovery and just take the time to heal properly. Thinking of you!

    Hugs,

    Judie

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  10. Hope you have a speedy recovery and take care of that knee..

    Sincerely,

    Jeena

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  11. Prayers and good thoughts sent your way for a speedy recovery. Do take care of yourself and do the dr's orders! Best Wishes, Karen

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  12. I'm glad they let you go early! Take care and follow the Dr's orders!! Don't over do it - with your knee. You may write as much as you want to ;)

    Hugs and prayers

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  13. They say it helps healing if you take your mind of it so feel free to keep writing ....

    Glad to hear you're home. Being snippy with doctors is always a sign of being better :)

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  14. Be careful with the pain meds, Diana. I had a surgery myself a couple of weeks ago and managed to throw my Droid in a glass of water while "under the influence". The narcotics habit can get expensive!

    I'm so glad you are back home and feeling better. Best of luck as you go through physical therapy. You'll be enjoying that brand new knee before you know it.

    -Lady Grey

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  15. Welcome Home! Those nights in hospitals are horribly long, I think 1=2. I think they prolly sent you home early because your shirt was waking up the other patients! *g* So glad the surgery went well, and you are back home to recoup with doggies and Doug.

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  16. So happy to hear everything went well. Take care and continued healing.

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  17. Dear Diana,

    Glad to see you are home and apparently doing well. I, for one, would have loved to see the picture of your incision. Of course, I'm the one who carries around pictures of my x-rays from my ankle replacement. Some people are easily grossed out - I'm not one of them.

    I can't, for the life of me, figure out why you are wearing boots in Scottsdale in June when the temp is probably 100+. I know blood loss makes one feel chilly but . . . really?

    DH says you have the best therapy in the world at your feet. (He's talking about your dog.) Please take advantage of all the healing rest, leg elevation, ice packs and service from your loved ones. If you feel the urge to write a page or two - or 40 - please do.

    Keeping the prayers coming for a quick recovery.

    CathyS

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  18. Glad you're home... and upright!! Keep moving, as I understand that's the best way to 'break' in your new knee. Hope you are up and around faster soon!

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  19. Diana,
    You are recovering remarkably well and so quickly! Take some time to rest. You deserve it after your schedule of the last few months. I hope all of your knee problems are now resolved.
    summerdawn

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  20. Yeah! Your home. Ok, start writing! Just kidding - feel better soon!

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  21. I think that you must have written that tendency of liking to look at gross things into Claire because when I read that about you, I totally thought of her there. lol
    Anyway, I really hope that your recovery is quick and as pain free as possible.

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  22. Rat poison?!?!? I think I missed something...

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  23. Glad you're having a speedy recovery and your sense of humour is intact, Cheers Diana from Heather

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  24. Glad that you are home. You can write when you well enough. Your health is more important. Although, I have to admit that I would love to read what you would write UID. Just to see what you would come up with. :-)

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  25. Dear Diana,
    It is so good to see you up and smiling with one of your faithful at your feet.
    Wish you a speedy recovery.
    As for nasty pictures, I would love to see them for one, I do not think it is a sign of egomania but a study subject. You can track how it heals, changes color, etc. Definitely a worthy thing to follow, who knows, it might come in handy one day in your writing and you won't even have to do extra research for it. Maybe Tom Kolodzi would have to do it or one of his suspects... Possibilities are endless. I am not sure Claire can use it in the 18th century, but then again shutterd knee and the healing process...
    The rat poison, did they give you warfarin or coumadin? Almost the same thing essentially. I hope you do not have the same side effects as I did on it. I felt nauseous taking it, almost like morning sickness when I was pregnant.
    I do hope they warned you about taking acetomitophen containing drugs while on warfarin/coumadin, that vitamin K and the foods containing vitamin K like kale, spinach and some other leafy greens, I think broccoli was also on the list.Vitamin E on the other hand adds to the effects of blood thinners, unfortunately, there so many foods rich in Vitamin E, that would be cereals, nuts and a lot of vegetables.
    It was quite a challenge to eat during the short time I had to take blood thinners.
    Again wishing you all the best in managing your recovery and diet
    Maria V.

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  26. It's wonderful that everything went well! :) You look pretty happy in those photos. The pain meds. woi;d explain that! ;) Always love your posts. Hope you are better than ever quite soon.

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  27. So glad everything went well! Sending you healing thoughts...

    Sandra

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  28. Diana - so glad to see that you were let out of the hospital so quickly (although it doesn't appear that the doc had much choice, did he?) and are up and about again. Make sure you utilize all that help around you - meaning Doug, Susan, Homer and JJ (although the latter two might only work for treats).

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  29. So glad you're home and all went well! Best wishes for a speedy recovery.

    Oh, and coincidentally, I like looking at gross things too. :) I grew up looking at my mom's medical textbooks and journals as she worked her way through a Master's in nursing. Fascinating stuff!

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  30. I'm so glad hearing that you are fine =)
    I send you some nice thoughts so you are getting better as soon as possible =)

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  31. Dear Diana,

    I "was" a newbie to your books until my own total knee replacement on May 25. I had just finished Outlander and read Drums of Autumn while in the hospital. One of the OR nurses in pre-op walked by and said, "You've read OUTLANDER!!!" and we had such a wonderful talk going on into other books (Andrew Davidson's "Gargoyle." The book addict I am, I bought numbers two, three, and four to make certain I wasn't caught hanging before I could get out to the bookstore. I am four weeks post op tomorrow and just finished Echo in the Bone today. As such, you have been in my thoughts through the entire journey.

    Wishing you all the best and thank you for the great read,

    Kate
    (Bath and Body Works Body Butter works GREAT for the leg cramps!!!!!!! Tell your own "Jamie" to massage the calf and your foot when the cramps start in :) )

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  32. Welcome home, Diana. Ah, the miracles of modern medicine. I am glad pouring whiskey down your gullet for anesthesia wasn’t an option and that ice machines take the place of leeches for bruising and swelling.
    Time passes and significant changes have occurred in treatment, although there is nothing romantic about modern surgical procedures…a completely sterile procedure, thank the Lord!
    Enjoy your convalescence, rest, read, and sleep, and if you find that you are bored you might write a page or two

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  33. Dear Diana,

    My dad had his knees operated not long ago, and he is a good example of how quickly one will get better. He was walking about in few days after the surgery.He says not to worry,your knee is going to be like brand new. :)

    All the best for you and get well soon.Hope you can get plenty of rest and good time with your family.

    Kind greetings,

    Marjo

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  34. Dear Diana,
    Thanks for the picture. Not gross at all! And there is nothing more healing that a doxie...ok 2 doxies laying by your feet. And a husband waiting on you... and pain killers... What a time we live in!
    Take care, heal well.
    Shannon

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  35. Hi Diana,

    So glad you're home and doing well. My mother had both knees replaced (we tell her she's "bionic") and it was the best thing she's ever done.

    Best of luck for a speedy recovery!
    Carol

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  36. All the best, Diana. Racovery time is a great time for reading if you can't write due to the meds. I saved A Breath of Snow and Ashes for two months when it came out so that I could read it when I was home after my hysterectomy. Then last year when my sister had hers, I sent her the whole series; Echo was just about to come out, so she had decided to reread the rest to be primed for it.

    Last week I broke my foot (tripped over a curb while walking backwards, but for a good reason! Really!). My reading joy these days is Sara Donati's Wilderness series, which I stumbled upon (figuratively!) and checked out because of your endorsement on the cover.

    Lynn from VA Beach

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  37. Funny, my Mother and Grandmother always said, "Home again, home again clickity click."... though I suppose "Jiggety Jog" works just as well. I send you my hopes for a speedy recovery!

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  38. Can't wait to buy the CD! This was beautiful and it also gave me chills! Love it!

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