5:45 AM - Wake up (Med time)
6:15 AM - Out for a walk/run for my morning break
6:45 AM - Breakfast for mom and me
It looks like a day that I will be spending in bed to keep the swelling down in my left foot/ankle. This VA Hosp doesn't have the white support hose that is put on surgical patients to prevent blood clots. I wish I kept mine from AZ because I really need them.
Ailbe is such a trooper. He's also devouring his food in the morning (2 cups) and doesn't have to go out to deliver a package for at least 2 hours after eating. We're now back on his former routine of eating and he's got more bounce in his step. He still gets the boogers in his eyes, but not as many as before. I think he had allergies with the Taste of the Wild and 4Life formula dog foods. The boogers are a sign of food allergies in dogs. Before all this mess that I put him in by switching he would only have the morning "sandman" crusty eyes. I think its going to take a month for his system to get back to where it was in June.
I did finish a couple of my shows this morning before laying down. Also, the pain in the right is getting to the point where I need less pain meds. I now can go up too 12 hours before needing anything. The pain is mostly the nerve kind. It feels like I've been zapped by electricity and its mainly in my foot. Then I'll have shin pain as the rod is settling in and waiting for bone growth. Bone growth will be a sign of the ankle being fused. The surgery I have can take anywhere from 4 to 5 months for the bones to be fused. Once that happens I can begin light weight bearing walking. Since my right foot was done I have to get clearance to drive a car. Also, this double ankle fusion can take over a year before the pain with walking can subside. As time goes on I also might have to buy special shoes to wear. Most people with the same fusion surgery I have can't wear crocs or sandals. Some have been able too, but they notice they have a little more discomfort wearing them. So, this process is slow and can be awhile before I'm back up and "running". I also will have physical therapy and I'm hoping to do it at a PT clinic a mile from my house or find one in Culpeper, VA. I will not drive 70 miles each way for therapy that could be up to three visits a week.
After lunch today I decided I needed to stay in bed. My left foot was so swollen that it actually hurt worse then my surgical one. Ailbe senses it when I need to add more pillows to my bed. I fell asleep and was out for over three hours when I got a knock on my door from my Nurse Practitioner with some Jobst Support Hose. She had issues getting them on and she called the Podiatry Clinic. The Doc came over and got them on, but rolled down so much that it was digging into my skin. So, off with the stocking. They decided to find something to help and the Doc saw how the swelling was making my foot and ankle look purple (that's from the RSD (Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy) from the fracture ankle which was treated, but what I've been plagued with is just the residual swelling after they cut the sympathetic nerve. I haven't had it this bad in years. I'm so tired of laying in bed to try to keep the swelling from getting worse.
After dinner I returned to the room to feed Ailbe. I love it when the bowl makes a lot of noise moving around in his feeding area. The biggest thing is how his tongue is licking his chops and so I know he's very satisfied with what he ate. Ailbe doesn't have to go out till after six. I try to get the last outing for a package pick up before it gets dark.
After a long evening of watching programs and doing some PC work I took Ailbe out at 10 PM before hitting the sack at 11 PM.
I didn't get any pics today and hopefully I'll have some for tomorrow.
See you tomorrow...........
No comments:
Post a Comment