Buddhist Chant

Tom Motherway sent this Buddhist chant -- I feel calmer just reading it.....

May I be safe from inner and outer danger

May I be protected from harm and enmity   

May I be happy and free from mental torment 

May I be peaceful in heart and clear in mind 

May I be free of physical affliction 

May my body be strong and healthy 

May I take care of myself easily

May I tend my life with gladness

Day 35 -- Trip to the doctor and X-rays

I've been waiting for this day.  The big question:  are the bones fusing?  After using a bone stimulator 2x/day, eating well, taking vitamin supplements, and pretty much doing nothing exotic, I certainly hope so.  


The first step at the doctor's office was to remove the cast.  If you remember from a prior posting, the high whine of the saw 2 mm from my skin does not bring back happy childhood memories.  Of course, I had to ask Luz, the technician who wields the saw, if there was such a thing as a silent saw -- since it's the high pitch that I'm reacting to (not to mention the burns I experienced 50 years ago when they got a little too close).  There is, she said!   But, of course, this one does a better job and is less expensive...


After we got past the cast removal, it was downhill from there.  Foot looks great.  The radiologist had me step on it for the X-rays -- the muscles and tendons have stiffened up over the past 5 weeks -- but the good news is that the X-rays show that the bones are fusing well.  The doctor is delighted with my progress and I've graduated from a cast to a "boot" which can be removed for bathing and sleeping -- still non-weightbearing for at least another month.  


The care I've received at UCSF is nothing short of first class.


Here are a few photos --
#1 -- cast being removed (note the saw -- imagine it 2 mm from your skin...),
#2 -- foot -- can hardly see the incision
#3 -- Luz (wielder of the saw -- great job)
#4 -- Photo of Physician Assistant, X-ray of my foot (see 3 screws), and Doctor)
#5 -- New boot.

Day 24 -- Market Hall

Grocery shopping.

Day 22 - PM -- on my own in a wheelchair

The Friday reunion started out as a tailgate party -- not ideal for gliding (kneeling scooter) or balancing (crutches) -- so I asked Bob to drop me off at nearby Santana Row shopping center -- (pretty crafty, huh?)  Of course, I had credit cards and my IPhone -- just in case.  Au revoir, mon amour -- enjoy your reunion and I'll see you in a few hours.

I thought this was a perfect opportunity to see how "wheelchair accessible" this mall really was.   I explored the disabled restroom in the Hotel Valencia (great except the entrance door was heavy to open -- need lots of upper body strength), got a smoothie at Pinkberry (same problem with the entrance door), elevated my foot on the retaining wall for an hour or so (see photo), went to Borders (self-opening door -- thank goodness) and selected a perfectly accessible copy of "The Lost Symbol" (Dan Brown's new book).   The doors of several of the shops were closed, with no automatic opener -- definitely not disabled-friendly.  


This is a beautiful open-air mall (SJ's answer to Rodeo Drive) and they did a good job of eliminating as many curbs as possible.  I can't imagine what it was like before wheelchair-accessible ramps were installed.  I held my breath at the first intersection, but, then, I guess drivers are pretty careful around people with a bright white cast (with blue toenails) wheeling themselves around.  People were friendly -- even stopped the crowds so I could cross the sidewalk.  


I'm going to have Madonna-shoulders before this is done.

Day 22 - AM -- Deja vu

This was the first day of Bob's high school reunion -- a two day event.  Bob's sister, Becky, will join him tomorrow for the Saturday night festivities, but he asked if I would come along today -- if only for the ride.  We arrived in SJ early, had time on our hands, and decided to explore a bit.   Because we both attended college at SJSU, we started out the day on campus -- what changed, what didn't, how long we stood in line to register for classes, who put colored soapsuds in what fountain, what building was named after a favorite professor, long deceased -- you get the idea.  

Day 22 -- Do you know the way to San Jose?

Day 21 - Bien

Thank you for the blue toes!

Day 20 - Pet therapy

On the couch with Mallory.

Day 18 - Trip to SF for haircut

Trip to downtown SF -- this time for a haircut.  Still shaky on crutches -- especially when it comes to stairs.  Small distances become large distances full of uneven pavement.  All those years of noting whether a building has ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) restrooms, entrances, countertops etc. --- I understand!  The issue is independence.  Some things you simply can't do on your own...

Day 17 - Breakfast (again) in wine country

Day 15 - Figs from our fig tree

I know this will end, but I'm enjoying it while I can!  Bob is making these amazing meals for me.  This was breakfast this morning.  The figs are juicy, sweet, and plentiful.

Day 13 - New cast

The huge plaster cast and stitches were removed today.  Oh, how I hate having a cast removed...the loud whine of the saw, only millimeters from your skin, one slip and it burns -- well, at least that's the way it was when I was a kid.  No more, they tell me.  A gauze is applied next to the skin.  If the saw happens to get that close, it would get tangled with the gauze -- an automatic shut-off.  I don't believe them.


Foot looks great (better than before?), incision healed already!  New cast is fiberglass -- much lighter weight -- with a little "window" for a bone stimulator.  Because I've already had a triple arthrodesis, there is some concern of non-fusion.  The bone stimulator uses ultrasound to stimulate circulate and enhance healing.


We stopped at The Presidio for lunch -- my first (shaky) expedition on crutches.

Day Twelve -- recuperating in Sonoma

How lucky am I?

Day Seven - Pet therapy

On the couch with Gizmo

Day Six -- Scooter

The doctor gave me a flyer for a "kneeling scooter".  No, no, no thank you.  I can get around just fine with crutches (I thought).  Ha!  Finally coming to my senses the day before surgery, I rented one on-line (the vendor is "RollerAid") -- arrived via FedEx.  It's great.  Offers more stability than crutches.  Has handlebars, bicycle brakes, leather seat (for knee),  a place for a water bottle, and even a little basket (not shown in photo).  How cool is that?

Day Five -- Pet Therapy

On the couch with Mallory.

Day Four - Labor Day 2009

Hope you're not laboring too much this weekend. I'm certainly not -- catching up on my reading, HGTV and Food Network. Bob, on the other hand, has washed both cats today,  made Chicken Soup, and is getting ready to make Salmon with Salsa Verde sauce! I only had to have major foot surgery to have this happen. I'm doing really well. So I can't walk for three months -- walking is overrated when you can read, keep in contact with your friends and eat gourmet food. Thinking of you.

Day Three - headache, nausea, hate pain meds

Surgery went well.   Modern medicine is wonderful.   Little foot pain, but major nausea and headache.   Am thinking the pain medication is the problem.  

Flor Estella came in to help while Bob was at work :)

Day One - 4 PM - Done!

I'll put a "little something" in your IV, she said....the next thing I knew I was in the recovery room.  Surgery took 3.5 hours.  Home on the couch by 1:30 PM. Gigantic cast.  So happy to have it over.

Day One - 6:20 AM - trying to stay calm

Checked into hospital at 6 am. Am now in my own room, green gown, tan socks with no skid bottoms, no food or drink since midnight, no wedding ring. Now I just have to wait. Bob is here with me.. Said he'd stay. Makes me feel better. Doctor assured me they would go over the surgery while I was still coherent.

The preop papers said something about a tendon lengthening ---- a what? I've seen this doctor so little (twice), I hope she remembers my story. Just took vital signs. Anesthesiologist will start popliteal block in an hour -- numb from my knee down with only a light sedative -- much better than general anesthesia. BTW -- I'm writing this to stay calm :)

Sonja, the nurse, just came in. Verified I'm having a "navicular cuneiform arthrodesis of my left foot". Got that right! Bone will be taken from my tibia to make the fusion bond better. With three bones already fused in my foot from a prior surgery, there's a higher chance of non-fusion. Think the doctor is near. Better sign off.  Sent from my IPhone.