Monday, March 31, 2014

March 31, 2014

It's still cool here in Houston.  Wonderful weather right now!  It's been a colder than normal winter.  I can only hope we will have a cooler than normal summer - right, dream on!

On Saturday morning my friend, Bert and I went to the Near Town Little League parade.  Bert was one of the founders of this league.  Looking at all those little boys made me nostalgic for the days when my sons played little league.  I can only hope that Kevin will move back to the US and I can watch my grandson Kenny play ball.  Or, Andy could find someone and make me some grandchildren that live here in Houston.

I was freezing Saturday morning as a cool wind whipped around the ball field.  In the afternoon I was sweating at the doggy event in Bellaire.  I took my beautiful pink poodle to this event.  We collected some freebies, had our photo made and met lots of doggies.  So many silly people ask me if Sweetsie is naturally pink.  A photographer from the Houston Chronicle took our photo.  So, watch the papers for our  picture!


Wednesday, March 26, 2014

March 26, 2014: Getting much better!

I've been using arnica on my bruises and it really works.  I've attached a photo that I took last night after only applying it once yesterday morning.  The photo on the right I took at the doctor's office the day before.
My leg feels much better today.  I have also been mostly behaving myself and keeping my feet elevated.
03/25/2014 evening photo
03/24/2014 morning photo

Monday, March 24, 2014

March 24, 2014: Unveiling the Mummy Leg

ready for the new bandage
Today I returned to Dr West's office to get my bandages removed.  Above is the photo that doesn't look too bad.    The doc said the surgery was a success and that I wouldn't get phlebitis in these spots anymore.  This will save me a bunch of money by not forcing me to buy first class airline tickets.

I'm still getting tired easily and I can't stand for very long.  My biggest limitation is having to keep my leg elevated.

I have an ottoman under my desk at the office.  Hopefully none of the faculty will have big old books for me to copy.  Then it shouldn't be too bad.

Here are some of the other worse looking photos.  These won't show up on the blurb on facebook.

pulling off the old bandage

before  getting cleaned up

my new bandage

Saturday, March 22, 2014

March 22, 2014: my mummified leg

After the vein surgery my leg was wrapped from the bottom of my foot to mid thigh with ace bandages. When I first stood up in the hospital my leg bled through the bandages and was patched with what looks like a diaper - lovely, isn't it?

There isn't much pain at all as long as I keep my leg elevated.  Yesterday my neck and abdominal muscles hurt.  I don't know what the doctor was doing with me that I had these unrelated aches and pains.

Today I feel pretty good.  I have to keep reminding myself to rest.  I did some hand sewing while I watched TV.

Monday the bandages will be changed and I get to see what my leg looks like.  I didn't see the doctor after surgery so I don't know if he was able to just use the laser or if he had to do several incisions.  I wish doctors would take an extra five minutes and jot down a couple of notes and give it to their patients and/or their families.  I did call the doctor's office yesterday but the nurse didn't know the answers to my questions.

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

March 19, 2014: Vein Zapping tomorrow

Last summer I returned home from Hawaii with a case of phlebitis in my right leg.  The damned airplane seat was so squashed that there was scarcely any leg room.  I got up and walked around often, did leg exercises to no avail.  I lost a week at work and spent many boring days with my legs up.

So, tomorrow I'm getting the saphonous vein in my right leg zapped.  Dr Charles West will use a laser unless he finds that he needs to do surgery.  I had vein stripping the old fashioned way back in 1988 but my doc says that they missed this big old vein somehow.  I know there is more air travel in my future since Kevin lives in Tokyo.  The zapping will help prevent a recurrence.

I hope I'm through with needing to have anesthesia for a few years.  I had an endoscopy at the end of January.  It weakened me and I ended up sick with a cold/asthma.

This time around I will make myself take it easier.  I don't want to get sick again.  The problem is I hate sitting around recuperating.  The weather is very pleasant now and there are just so many things I want to do!

Yesterday I walked to the student center for lunch.  I admired all the azaleas along the way.


Friday, March 14, 2014

March 14, 2014: Mom Update



My mother was supposed to have surgery to repair her broken leg on March 12, 2014.  I met her and one of Bedford's aides, Mark at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital at 5:30 AM.

We were put into a pre-op room around 6 AM by one of their CNA's.  He told Mom to get undressed and get on the hospital bed.  I told him that we would need help lifting Mom onto the bed because she couldn't put weight on her foot.  Then he disappeared.

An RN came in later.  She spoke a kind of baby talk to Mom, like people do to little kids.  I told her we needed help getting Mom into the bed.  She took some vitals and brought that first male CNA back into the room to help.  He and Mark got Mom into the bed.  The nurse took off Mom's top and put her into a hospital gown.  Mark left and said he had to go to work.


Another nurse came to put in an IV.  I told him that Mom would be difficult to stick, especially since she had not drunk anything in 12 hours.  He tried and ended up getting a bunch of blood but couldn't get the IV in.  They used the blood for her blood tests.

The surgeon, Dr Harvin came in and spoke to Mom.  Then in came the anesthesiologist.  His assistant tried to put an IV into Mom, too.

Dr Harvin came back in later and said that he couldn't operate because Mom's thyroid levels were too low.  The anesthesiologist said it would be dangerous to give her anesthesia for a long time with these low levels.

My cell phone couldn't get a signal so I had to use one of the hospital phones to call Bedford's managers.  I got to Linda in time and she sent Mark back in.  His taxi had not come yet.

Dr Harvin returned and said he would cast Mom in the hospital, in an operating room.  They were going to give her some gas so they could get the IV into her.

When she went into the operating room I left for work - around 8:30 AM.  The doctor called and said she did fine.  He was able to rotate her leg a bit to get the bone back into a better alignment.  She is supposed to go see him again in 2 weeks.  Mark took her back to Bedford in a wheelchair taxi.

I went over to check on Mom around 4 PM.  The cast is huge.  It goes over her knee.
Her sole has dead skin on it (see the black in the photo).  It's covered by the cast so it will just get worse. 

The doctor may decide to try surgery again after he checks how her bone is healing.

This has been a major ordeal for all of us.  Mom has to stay in a reclining wheelchair during the day.  Bedford is trying to get Medicare to approve an air bed for her to help prevent bedsores.

I have the burden of trying to determine what is best for her since I hold her medical power of attorney.

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

March 11, 2014: My poodle phones are on CraftGossip.com today!

I was very happy to see that my pink and blue poodle phones were on CraftGossip.com today.
As their mommy I think they are just as cute as can be.  I'm glad CraftGossip thinks so, too.

Here is the link:  http://craftgossip.com/?s=poodle+phone