“I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!”

Dr. Seuss

Baby Booties

These are 3 of the 8 baby booties I knitted for the darling nurse who has journeyed with me through my leg saga and is having a little bambino. We are all excited for her but will miss her very much! She is able to tell how I am doing by how I walk to the door to go back into the office rooms. I will have to train a new one all over again. :) Actually, I think my doc will miss her more than anyone! He is one of those brilliant types who needs someone to keep him on track and "in-line." It must be a brain trade off--you can't do both. I grew up w/a guy, who is also brilliant but clueless about other things. He was always loosing his keys or other various small items. But he was very charismatic and always had an entourage of gals following him and picking up what he would have lost. It was too funny to watch it all in action! I am not surprised he is successful w/a very organized wife! Funny how those things all work out!

Bone Envy

Surgery #10 or #14 if you count the 3 in office procedures.
My fibula has bone envy.

Since I have been weight bearing on my leg the fibula, the bone that isn't suppose to be the weight bearing bone, has been doing just that. Hence the bone envy. This means that a chunk has to be removed. Unlike the tibia that had the infections and was "scraped clean" 3 times, the fibula healed very quickly and very nicely. What is it about littler siblings trying to show up the older ones?

Truth be told I am less worried about having my bone "broken" than having the bone harvesting that has to be done so there is bone to graft to the fracture sites on the tibia. I am further less than thrilled to find out that the docs want lots of bone material to "play" with so they must take out more bone which means the donor sit has to be my right hip. Oh the joys of modern medicine.

Unfortunately, this could mean a lot more pain. The good thing is that I have the routine down now! I better after 10 surgeries. I know what to expect and to get on top of things right away. I am defiantly not going to be stoic about the pain after surgery!!! Another plus is that I will have someone w/me during the "bad" hours which can be 12-24 hours after surgery to help alert the nurses that the pain is getting out of control.

I am also on the up-and-up w/the cafeteria. Turns out that a patient can order anything from the cafeteria and not have the awful stuff that is served to all patients. I don't get it! The stuff that is served to the patients is horrid! It is always over cooked, bland and either very dry or overly soggy. Yet the cafeteria is an excellent cafeteria where most people, not patients, enjoy the food & have no qualms about eating there. An odd system it is!

All in all I am looking forward to having this done and over with. I really think this will make the tibia really put down bone and that makes an end to all of this more and more near! I have a great feeling about it all and feel that everything is growing a-new every where and my body like the trees and flowers is no exception!

On a weird side note, the only time I ever want a Big Mac is when I haven't been able to eat prior to surgery. Isn't that the weirdest thing? Under normal circumstances even the thought of a Big Mac makes me nauseous. The body does weird and wondrous things!

You Have Got to be Kidding!

I finally get to use my right leg and I am almost walking normal. I was so proud of my self I took each of my two basset hounds on a walk--up one side of the road/sidewalk and back down the other side. It was great fun and I wore the dogs out! I have those wonderful retractable leashes for each dog. I would let Gus or Gertie Mae run a head the length of the leash then I would call them back. Gus was more than excited to run back to me, Gertie on the other had is another story. So I would walk about 10 steps or the length of a yard/driveway and let Gus run ahead eventually he would find something interesting to smell and stop. After a proper smelling was done I would tug a little on the leash and call Gus's name. The good natured boy that he is excitedly bounded back to me tail a waggin' and his long ears a flapping. By the time we were on our home stretch Gus was one tired and happy pup!

Gertie Mae on the other hand caught on to my plan way too quickly! As the writers of Your Pure Breed Puppy state, "Basset Hounds are among the most easygoing of all breeds. Some are dignified and regal. Most are clownish. Almost all are reliably good-natured and peaceful...They are independent thinkers who don't particularly care about pleasing you. Most Basset Hounds are very stubborn." Gus is my clown. Gertie Mae is my princess! She will have none of this running to and fro stuff. Even though my trying to tire her out plan did not work she did have fun! Her tail does double time wagging and she does grin. Which is hard to explain to people unless they are looking at her--it was a grin no less!

So, because of all this walking and finally truly using my right leg I develop bursitis. "WHAT?" said in exclamation to the doctor! I suppose it makes sense--I haven't really utalized myt leg much and I do walk bow-legged (my left leg is very happy about that), with a bit of a limp and my right leg is a bit shorter. I knew my legs where not the same length, the MRSA made that difference a bit more significant. The difference in leg length plus an abnormal gait plus a lack of use of the leg thus the knee equals problems. I am on a the road to recovery w/some help from the great staff at Performance Physical Thearpy and the dreaded ice for icing. Keep your fingers crossed that all goes well and quickly!

More to come soon!

Another Hiccup in Time

Alas, my surgery has been rescheduled for April 17th. The good news is that I will not miss Scott O.'s last day as lead-interim minister for FCCB on March 30th. I do so hope we have a send off he so rightly deserves! I cannot believe how time flies when you don't want it to and how it drags on when you do want it to fly by! I will also be able to attend Miss Jennifer's Installation at the First Congregational Church of Forest Grove Oregon. Check out her profile too--they did a great job!

With Grandpa on a sandy beach.

As some of you know my Grandma turned 95 on the 31st of January. She was an extraordinary woman of many talents! She has had Parkinson's Disease for as long as I can remember--so for over 3 decades. The Parkinson's Disease has made life for Grandma & anyone helping her really rough! Nevertheless, with her quiet diligence she set out to complete two final goals.

1. Put together & publish a book including her short stories, poetry, comments of the world around her & images--paintings, photographs of her youth & photographs she took herself.


2. Re-do/up-date the kitchen for my Aunt Cathy--the youngest daughter of the two.

She did those things & was quite happy & she was pleased as punch about it!

Sunday 3/2/08 My Aunt Cathy gently told her, "It is time to go Ma, It is almost spring & Dad is waiting for you to walk on the beach with him. " My Grandma, Eleanor Richards Roraff peacefully slipped from this world into the next.

All posts are dedicated to those who love me. This is especially dedicated to my Grandma, Eleanor Richards Roraff, daughter, sister, friend, wife, Mother & Grandma. Beloved by all who knew her!

Dad is off the Hook!

Since my birthday on February 28th I have been having quite a lot of pain in my right knee to the top of the three half pins on the first rings of the TSF. I was worried that my Dad might have done something to it when he shoved in a chair in where my leg was. Dad is off the hook! Turns out I have bursitis which is very similar to tendenitis easily fixed w/some physical thearpy, rest & anti-inflamatories. Hip-hip-horay!!!! It is nothing serious!!!

I also found out that my fibula is what has been keeping my tibia from really putting down more bone. In all tib-fib fracturess the fibula--the finer non-weight bearing bone is never set b/c it can interfer with the healing of the tibia. My fibula was broken but never had any infection in it & by the time I got home from Mexico it was already working hard at fixing itself. The begining of my problem. The doctor could not figure out why my tibia was not healing as quickly as it should--he then delved deeper. My fibula is a bit bigger than my tibia, which it should not be. Therefore the fibula, the finer bone has become the longer bone and the one that is doing the weight bearing. The tibia has not had a chance to heal well because it cannot "reach." This is great news! I was worried that my doctor would talk about amputation as an option I would need to decide on. Wonderfully, that has nothing to do with what will happen next. For fixing the tibia I will either have another bone graft or I will have the bone plated. Either one will work I have no preference either way. The great thing is that I know what will happen going in--I know what to expect and how I should react. The other part of either procedure will envolve removing some of my fibula. My hope is that I will not have that floppy foot thing again! Dr. Taranow wants me to get a second opinion in either Seattle--Harborview or in Portland w/Dr. Gillman. I could also end up having the surgery in one of those places as well, wich does not thrill me
Either way the news is good!