Post-Op Day # 37 - Sigh Of Relief

Well this morning I had my ACC appointment to check my INR and it was at 2.6! YAY! Very good news, the lady said that was pretty much an ideal number. I'm so relieved, I was worried it might drop over the weekend again but it went up 3 more points! :-)

As my activity level increases my INR may drop a bit so we'll keep any eye on it and adjust the Warfarin accordingly.

Today the pharmacists at the ACC clinic put me on;
Monday 7.5mg Tuesday 10mg Wednesday 7.5mg Thursday 10mg Friday 7.5mg Saturday 10mg and Sunday 7.5mg.
It's pretty close to what I've been taking anyways, with the exception of the weekends, Ive been taking 10mg each day.

I don't think I have any plans for today, might get outside in the wee-chair for a bit to check the mail, zip around the block but other then that nothing exciting. :-)

I'm hoping to get back to the ranch a few times this week while Adam is away, it'll help make the days go quicker till he gets back on Sunday. And I always enjoy seeing my riding friends, the horses and enjoying the beautiful ranch.

Anyways my next appointments are on Thursday so it's nice to have a few days off of the Dr's offices! haha!

I might take some pictures of the neighborhood today, it's such a lovely day and everything is so pretty right now(I LOVE the blossoms)


Thanks for checking my blog

Post-Op Day #37 - Chillin At The Ranch

Yesterday was a lot of fun, I spent almost all day at the ranch hanging out on the lovely deck.

Julie(Barn manager and friend) came and picked me up so I could go down for a while -- the weather was pretty warm so I tried to stay in the shaded part of the deck while I watched the Arizona trainer work with his clients and their horses.

My foot felt pretty good, I was able to keep it elevated(thanks to Helene's mounting block haha) while I was there.
I also got totally hooked on Talking Rain products --mmmmmm hmmmm, very tasty stuff. Peppers'(ranch owner and friend) son Cooper is working for Talking Rain and was nice enough to fill the ranch fridge with all sorts of drinks. :-)

It was a lot of fun to chit chat and watch everyone riding --of course I was a bit jealous but still, it's all good, I have to be patient! Haha!

Pepper decided to ride Karma(Rocky Mountain mare I usually ride), she's been off since I had my surgery, so over a month and she was awesome as usual! She was happy to get out there with Pepper and they had a great ride :-)

I had my camera and forgot to take pictures of them together but I did get some fabulous shots of Mercury and Nikon. I'll add a picture on here later.

I was at the ranch until 3:45ish(I got there around 11:45am) haha, yup, the barn "Time warp" was in action but that's ok, I loved being there and felt good.

Adam picked me up and we went for lunch then came back to the house --- I got a wee bit of sun while at the ranch(oooops, thought I had enough shade, guess not!) so it felt good to hang out in the house with the fans on.

The foot did pretty good but I think that's because I kept it elevated almost the whole time at the ranch.

I took my 10mg of Warfarin and have my INR test in the morning(today) so fingers crossed its above 2.3(that was Friday's #)

Anyways, thats about it for yesterday

Thanks for checking in :-)

Post-Op Day # 36 - Sunny Saturday!

ll it's absolutely BEAUTIFUL out! Sunshine, a tiny breeze --ah yes, makes for a perfect Spring day outside.

My foot is a bit swollen still from yesterday's crash N burn -- I see lots of bruises on my arm and legs! haha! OPPPPPPS! Not going to do that one again, I've got to SLOWWWWWWWW DOWN to turtle speed if needed. :-)

Not sure what the plan is for today but I know we'll be outside for most of it. hehe! I want to stop by the ranch for a bit to visit, I hear they're having a BBQ later on. mmmm hmm!

I will come back later to finish this post. I hope everyone is having a great start to the weekend!

Updated - Ok so we got organized and went for a quick walk around the block in the wee-chair before deciding on what to do for lunch.

By the time we got home we decided to go to North Bend and get some Chinese food at Safeway and sit outside at the tables. It was great, the weather was divine and the food was very tasty- yup, I know not the most healthy choice but oh well we haven't had it for a while.

We head back to Sno-Ridge and went out for another walk, we spent quite a bit of time outside which was great!

We came back to the house and I had to put my foot up because it was getting very purple.
We never did stop at the ranch, just got too involved in the walking outside plus I was getting too HOT -- yes, I know I'm complaining about the heat! haha! I will try to go tomorrow for a short visit!

I zonked right out while I had my foot up and when I did wake up I felt so hot and kind of sick. I think I did get too much sun yesterday so I will be very careful about that if the weather stays this way for a few more days. I think the warfarin can make people more sensitive to the heat, I'll have to check on that.
I need to drink more H20!!!!!

I took my 10mg of Warfarin at 8pm -- only one more day of 10mg and back to get the INR tested, hopefully it'll be high enough and we can cut back the Warfarin to 7.5mg or 5mg.

Adam wanted me to go to watch a band at the local pub around 11pm but I didn't go, I felt like horse manure! HA HA!

I had a quick shower then was off to bed, hoping I would feel better in the morning.




Thanks for checking in

Post-Op Day #22 - Clot Busting

Well I managed to do both shots today with no problem and they didn't burn as much! WOOHOO!

I spent most of the day laying in bed with my leg up -- it felt pretty much the same as yesterday, still gets purple if I have it down for too long but on the upside my calf had no pain and it seemed like I could move my toes better.

I think the Lovenox(which is a type of heparin) is starting to do its thing in my blood...hmm maybe clot busting! LOL

I got out of the house once, that was to go for a quick roll in the wee-chair over to the grocery store for a few things. The weather was awesome, it felt great to get some fresh air.

I think if the weather is good tomorrow I'll try to lounge out on the patio for a bit. I'd also like to make a quick visit to the ranch to see who's there but we'll see how I'm feeling.

I need to be careful not to overdo it, esp while my body is getting used to the blood thinners -- so far so good.

Anyways, time to watch a movie or something.


Thanks for checking up on me

Post-Op Day # 13 - Post Op Appointment

Well today was my Post-Op appointment with Dr Chi -- I was excited to see what he found during surgery and if everything was healing up properly. He said my ankle looked really good, right on track for 1 day short of 2 weeks post-op.

He did find some compression/narrowing on the tibial nerve so he released the tendons which run over the nerve. Now it's basically a waiting game, everything needs to heal and nerves can take a while to recover from the trauma(TTS & surgery).

The stitches were removed by his medical assistant, it was quick and painless, just the way I LIKE IT! What a relief, I was a bit worried about going today, I'm a bit of a wuss and faint with things like this. haha! But no fainting due to the fact I was talking to Dr Chi while it was going on.

He cleaned up the area and put some more surgical tape over the incision area(will last a few days) then a bandage over it.
I put my KAM boot back on, ugh I hate that thing. Can't you just feel the love I have for the stupid thing. haha!

I should be able to wash over the incision site very soon, YAHOO! I'm really looking forward to it. The skin on my foot is starting to really peel, EWWWWWW!
Nothing a good soak, soap and pomace can't fix.

Dr Chi said I can bear as much weight on it as I feel comfortable with and to use the KAM walking boot and crutches for support(will wear the boot 4 weeks, maybe a bit longer) but as time goes by I should be able to use the crutches less.

I'll stick to what I've been doing up to this point because the ankle is a bit tender. Soon I should be able to do more but I have to keep reminding myself it's only been 13 days since my surgery -- it's a healing process that takes time..........taking it easy and patience, lots of patience needed!

I'm really looking forward to being able to drive again, one downside of having a standard is being to push the clutch in and my foot isn't strong enough yet(KEY WORD......YET! haha)
I'm not quite ready to try but it shouldn't be too much longer.

And yes, don't worry I will have Adam with me and will practice right out front our building to make sure I'm good before venturing out. It's not worth risking the safety of those on the road or myself if my body isn't ready yet.
It's funny how dependent we become on vehicles, they really do give us a lot of freedom! We tend to take it for granted till it's taken away for a while.


I go back to Dr. Chi in a 4 weeks unless something comes up before that time. :-)

OH and I'm such an idiot, grrrrrrrrrr I totally forgot to mention my calf muscle aches to Dr Chi but was able to let his assistant know.
He said to call to set up an appointment if it doesn't go away in the next few days.

For the rest of the day I'm going to enjoy the lovely sun and breeze while sitting on the patio! Today is a day to relax and let my ankle recover from having the stitches taken out.

I took some new pictures of my ankle, you can see it's starting to bruise up but overall it looks grrrrrreat.

Thanks for checking up on me :-)

Post-Op Day # 12 - Charley Horse

Ugh, forgot to update this last night, oh well.

Yesterday was interesting, my left calf was still bothering me(I mentioned it in my last entry) --quite painful actually. Felt like a combination of a Charlie Horse and a bruised calf muscle.

I'm wondering if its from the weight of the KAM boot or from all the weight my left calf bears when I rest it on my right leg to change the dressing/bandage etc...
Though thinking about it, I probably aggravated it on Sunday during our lovely walk in Issaquah. An hour is a long time to have to hold my leg up and rest it on the right leg(my left calf muscle would have been on my right shin bone). The wee-chair doesn't have the leg supports on it, so anytime I want to go for a ride I have to lift the leg up.
I don't know but I hope it goes away, it's annoying because every time I move it aches a bit. I'll have to mention it to Dr. Chi at my appointment.

The weather was very warm yesterday, I'm not complaining but it's such a big change from the long cold winter LOL

My friend Helene had mentioned she might go to the ranch for a bit and asked if I'd like to go........HECK YA! :-)
She's so super , she picked me up at home so I could go down to watch her ride plus I was able to give Karma a good groom!

I had fun grooming Karma, she was very patient with me(haha), though she was being a bit of a wiggle worm in the crossties so that didn't help. At least she's not afraid of my crutches so I could move around her no problem. I thought I did a pretty good job grooming her, all things considered but I had to laugh at how tired I was afterward.
I just don't have the stamina right now for much of anything.

I finished up and thought about taking her out for some hand grazing but opted not to--that might be pushing it a bit! I mean what happens if she decides to pull on the leadrope, I don't need to fall nor do I need her running around loose around the ranch! LOL

Helene helped me put her back in the stall, I said "let me try to lead her back there", so I clipped the leadrope on and started down the alleyway.
Karma's stall was the 2nd on the right, I stopped in front of it and directed her towards the opening but she decided to go around the backside of me instead so she could continue down the alleyway! HA HA! Cheeky pony!

Helene grabbed her and redirected her to the stall and then I flung the leadrope over her back just as she went in.
Helene laughed and went into the stall to take off the halter for me.
Karma was definitely acting a bit more cheeky then normal, I think that she's missing the exercise, eating too well(haha, OINK OINK) and in heat -- oh the fun of having mares, her brain wasn't thinking about work, she's dreaming of romantic rendez-vous's with sporty stallions. ROFLMAO!

Julie(the barn manager) came back to the ranch to ride for a bit(she was there earlier) so that was nice to see her. I hadn't seen her since my first visit to the ranch after surgery.

Anyways, we finished up and head home.........I was very tired by the time I got home but still it was great to go to the ranch.

My ankle felt great all day.........again, the calf muscle was more painful and frustrating! I hope it feels better soon.

I head to bed pretty early, I was whipped plus I knew I had my Dr's appointment in the morning.

Well that's it for yesterday, thanks for checking up on me :-)

Post-Op Day #11 - Sunny Sunday

Yesterday was fabulous............ah perfect weather, a sunny Sunday to spend with Adam

We head out to Chipotle for lunch then went to Target quickly to get a new shredder head(our other one finally died LOL) and some Tiger Gatorade.

After that we head up to the Issaquah Highlands so Adam could grab a coffee and then we planned to go for a walk around the area. There's tons of paved paths up there so it was perfect for the wee-chair! :-)

We spent about an hour walking around the lovely landscaped park -- ah yes, fresh air, sun and my wonderful hubby --- couldn't ask for a better day, well maybe add a horse & a Million $ into the mix LOL

We saw lots of ducks and 2 big Canadian Geese(I said hi to my Canadian relatives ha ha) , so I took some pictures while we were wheeling around. :-)

After the walk we head home, on the way I happened to be looking along the sides of the roads and saw 2 BEARS! hooooooooow cool!
Adam decided to make a loop back down the other side of the highway so we could go by again LOL They were so cute, I think it was a Mamma and cub

I wish we could have stopped on the side of the road so I could take a picture but we're travelling at 65mph, sort of hard to do with other cars riding up your butt!

We decided to go to North Bend to get a movie and go to Safeway for groceries. I swear by this time I was soooooooo tired, my right leg felt like a wet noodle, it kept wanting to buckle. YIKES! I sat down at Safeway for a bit while Adam talked to his Adam on the phone.

After we got home I was in the bedroom trying to reach for my purse(it was on the floor by the closet) and I FELL -- OMG, that sucked but thankfully I managed to stick my bad leg up in the air and hold it there so it didnt hit the ground! I'm sure if Adam had seen it happen, it would have been sort of amusing --quite the picture or video footage. ROFLMAO

DUmb dumb dumb, I should have called for Adam to grab the purse but nope, I figured I could do it *Rolls eyes* Lesson learned! My ankle felt fine, my right shoulder felt a bit sore because it took the brut of the fall but hey, better that then my bad ankle.

Lastnight when I went to bed I noticed my calf bothering me so I dont know what I did to it -- it could have been from holding it up during our hour walk, walking all over Target, Safeway, Blockbuster or the fall.....umm ya, yesterday was a bit of a marathon for me.

Anyways, I survived the day!
I'll add some pictures from our walk, enjoy!
Thanks for checking up on me :-)

Post-Op Day #8 - Just Me And The Weee-Chair

Today I'm feeling good, my ankle is a bit tender but nothing I can't handle. :-)

I was sort of bummed because I wanted to go to the ranch to visit this morning but didn't get myself organized in time.........ack, perfect weather for a day at the barn too! Oh well, I'll try again tomorrow.

I lounged on the couch for a bit today with my foot elevated then decided I had to get outside to enjoy the sunshine and fresh air.

I told Adam I was going take the wheelchair for a ride by myself and he made sure I had my cell phone in case I needed to be rescued! HA HA!

Off I went down the stairs, hobbled over to the garage door, opened it and got the wheelchair(wee-chair as I call it now) out.
This is quite the task because I have to close the door too, the button is quite a stretch(esp from where the wee-chair has to be) so I got crafty and used one of my crutches to hit the button then dropped the crutch just inside the door before it closed! :-)

Our area is quite nice when it comes to sidewalks, everything is fairly level so that is a bonus but there are a couple small hills to navigate.

I pushed myself(using hands & my good foot) up the sidewalk a ways to a small park, sat there for a minute to soak up some sun but the bees were so bad I high tailed it out of there.

I turned around and head back towards our place then over by the managers office/club house. There's a pool right behind the clubhouse with a paved pathway to it and behind it. I've never been back there before but figured I'd check it out, worse case scenario I could turn around.

Well this turned out to be more fun then anything! HA HA! The pathway had some nice turns in it and a bit of a hill so off I started to roll, faster and faster(OH boy, I was between excited and scared S***less haha) . Weeeeeeeeeehaw! What a rush!
Thank God the wheelchair breaks worked so I used them to slow down(used my good foot too) and turn while I went down the hill. haha!
Phew, made it to the bottom safely, what a rush. I was laughing so hard because it could have went so wrong, there was a bit of a drop off on the one side of the trail so had I not had good control of the chair I could have been in some trouble! *Evil grin*

I felt a bit like an adrenaline junkie getting a natural high :-)

The pathway ends about 150 feet from the new gas station so I decided to wheel myself over to the store for a drink.
I have no clue how some people can do this day after day because they have no other choice(a motorized chair/scooter would be a huge help), its EXHAUSTING!

I got myself to the store safely(people drive way too fast in the lot) and got through the doors(after a few tries) and grabbed a coke.
The stupid aisles are so tight, I almost took out an entire chip display! ROFLMAO!
I was laughing, the guy was like "you ok over there"......."YUp" I said sort of embarrassed.
I rolled myself over to the counter, paid and continued on my wee-chair adventure. :-)

I sat in front of the store for a bit, soaking up the sunshine while sipping my ice cold coke -- hmmm kinda felt like a Coke commercial haha!

After a few minutes I began the trek back home by heading up the ramp so I could get on the parkway path.

I had to navigate a few obstacles(like open doors of the shops, a couple stupid planters) on my way out of the center.
At the corner of the pathway there is a bit of an uphill climb, of course I let out a big sigh because I was thinking about how I was going to get up it.
I pushed myself for a little bit but I was going nowhere fast(and getting fatigued), so I got smart and turned the chair around so I could push with my good foot(wheel chair is now going BACKWARDS up the hill).

Talk about moving, boy that worked great as long as I was checking over my shoulder to make sure I was going straight(I used my hands on the wheels to steer).

I got some odd looks from people driving by, it was priceless! ha ha! It's almost like they were impressed because I was moving so fast backwards or thought I was a complete MORON! ROFLMAO!

Finally I got to the top of the hill and took a breather, by this time I'm sweating like I've run a marathon. :-)
Thankfully the rest of the way home was level or had a bit of a downhill slope.

I was gone for about an hour, by the time I got back to the garage, parked the wee-chair and managed to get the crutches without wiping out. I hobbled over to the bottom of our stairs and then made the slow climb to our front door - hopping up 16 stairs was the last thing I needed after all the exercise I got from my outing but I had to do it.

I opened the door and Adam could tell I was about to crash and burn(which I was) -- I barely made it to the couch! HA HA!

I asked him if he was worried about me because I was gone for longer then I thought but he figured I would have called him(or someone else would have) if I needed to be rescued. :-)

I'm just kicking back now, elevating the foot and enjoying glass of cold water.

Ah yes, what a day! It felt good to go out by myself but wow, I really appreciate Adam pushing me when we go around the block in the evenings. <3


That's it for today, unless something comes up I will sign out till tomorrow.

Thanks for checking up on me :-)