One more day on the machine. This sucks! The only good part is having my wonderful children around to take care of me. We're giving Elise a break today. Adair has come in for two days, which is a real treat. Flowers keep coming in, Richard brought me a bouquet last night and A GORGEOUS bouquet of spring flowers (that look like they came from Grand Gilbert's garden) including snap dragons and all from my precious family in Minnesota. Connie Pantelides and I had a wonderful afternoon chat remembering Nick and all the good old days in Fox Hills. It's now time to get back to the exercise routine. Still stuggling with nausea. The best help is having an Herbalife shake, thanks to Nancy. The pills have too many negative side effects so I am trying to stop those- all but the Percocet for pain, for now. More tomorrow.
Love, Sandie

More from Sandie

What's today? oh yeah, they all run together and now I have to get back to the land of the living. So, here we are just one week from the surgery. I am feeling better, but still struggle with the nausea. The range of motion in my knee is the biggest challenge. Yesterday we focused on pushing the limits with the physical therapist. I was in tears by the end of the work-out, which is good. That means progress is in the works. Today will be a repeat of yesterday. Elise and I are getting my schedule organized so we can stay on track. Gavin is playing quietly in the background with his toys. He is so good. Kaylin is at pre-school and will usually play with her toy kitchen and serve up yummy food when she gets back. They are sweet and add a touch of joy no matter how awful I feel. Gotta get back to work now so have a good day. More later. Love ya, Sandie

From Sandie...

Hello everybody! I have one thing to say about knee replacement surgery...It sucks!!! But, I will survive. The past few days have pretty much been miserable and now the real work begins. Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers. They really have made a difference. My family has been so supportive. It is always uplifting to hear from you. My cousin Nancy is my greatest cheerleader and inspiration. She has survived double knee replacement surgery- I can't begin to imagine how she did it. She has guided me in the important things I need to do. I've had calls and flowers from many of you far away- cousins Mary, Tom, Shirley, Aunt Alma, Susan and Shel just to name a few. Today has been a day to really get down to a schedule and focus on the instructions of the Doctor- which means if there are no tears I am not pushing hard enough. So- it's back to the torture machine for me. Thanks again for the support you've shown. We sent Richard back to work and Elise and the grandkids are taking great care of my every whim. Love to all, Sandie

Not so lucky

Unfortunately, last night was not as good as the night before. The Ambien didn't do the trick, and it took mom 5 hrs to fall asleep. The nausea is still a problem, so maybe we'll call the doctor today and see if we can change up the meds or get something to help with the nausea. More later.

Sleep, it does a body good

Last night mom finally got a stretch of uninterrupted sleep, and it did her good. She's still nauseous and in pain, but she feels a little bit better, and that's the best we can hope for right now. Dad made us all blueberry pancakes and we had what Gavin calls 'pajama day'. The physical therapist came by in the afternoon and answered some of mom's questions. Now she knows just how far she needs to push her exercises and which ones she needs to focus on the most. She will have home therapy 3 times a week for 2 weeks, and then we'll have to start going to outpatient therapy. We all hope she has another good night of sleep. Amen for Ambien. :)

Exhausted

It's 8 pm, the kids are in bed, and we're all ready to drop. Mom made it through the day, but it sure wasn't one she'd like to do again. She is still feeling sick and hurting all over. I'm sure it's a combination of the fall, the remnants of the anesthesia, the surgery of course, and as always, the weather. The highlight of her day was a visit from Brendon and Heidi. Brendon's broken toe seems to be healing well as long as he stays off it, and Heidi's contractions have gone from annoying to painful. It seems as though I will have a new nephew very soon. That's about all I have the energy for tonight. More in the morning.

The rest of the story

Everyone is awake and starting the day now. It took 11 stitches to close the wound, but the good news is that she didn't damage her knee during the fall. She's pretty much miserable though. She's still nauseous and hurting all over. She's now starting the machine that flexes her knee, which she has to do for 2 hrs 4 times a day. The home health nurse should be making a visit at some point today. I sure hope today goes better than last night. More soon.

Not a good night

Last night did not go so well. At 1:00 am mom was headed to the bathroom and fell. She cut her head just above her left eyebrow. Dad was able to stop the bleeding, but it was a big gash, so he took her to the hospital for stitches and to have them check her knee. They are both back home and sleeping, so I don't have a post-hospital update yet, but I'll post again as soon as I know her status.

She's Home!

I haven't had much time to get this blog started, but the good news is that mom made it through the surgery and after a few tough days in the hospital she is home. As you can imagine, she's a trooper and has been blowing away the physical therapists with her determination and ability despite the pain. I'll post more later!