A web based log of whatever...

Each time I visit the surgeon he shatters my day to day idea of normal. 1st time around was the pain relief I got from having a more comfortable cast and having the blood blisters exposed so that they could heal. 2nd time was removal of the cast altogether and moving to the space boot with instructions to start moving the foot around. This 3rd time was equally shattering - he wants me off the boot and the crutches by the weekend! He prescribed a single-point cane and a couple of neoprene supports for the ankle and knee. That's it! Obviously the healing is going well.

He showed the x-rays taken yesterday to his colleague and they both agreed that the bone is healing to the point that I should try to begin shifting weight to it gradually, the last step towards walking properly unassisted. I tried the cane when we got home and I can tell you that I'm not quite ready to throw away the crutches - praise Jesus style. But it's getting better each day and I hope to be cane and boot equipped by the weekend. Yay! That's a good indication that I'll be in a good state for the wedding. I'll still need the cane for sure but I won't be in the boot and should be in a normal shoe.

Now to take in the extra wide pant leg on the suit and take in the jacket around the waist. We've been watching the Australian Open on ESPN2 this week and it looks amazingly hot and very beautiful down there. Crazy that here in Issaquah we can expect a top of 39 deg F and a low of 22 deg F, where in Melbourne, they were forecasting 39 deg C and a low of 22 deg C.

From Wednesday last week, I've been putting a little weight on the right foot and doing an assisted step using the crutches. The idea is to get the foot ready for more weight and increase range of motion. I can't feel any pain where the surgery was performed and the plate/pin/screws added. My knee ends up hurting quite a bit though and I've had to ice it pretty regularly. I'm am making good progress though, each day - one step at a time.

I was back at work all week even though I'd planned to work at home Friday. The recession is taking it's toll on all businesses and ours is not immune. It was a sad day on Thursday when 3 people I worked with were laid off. No one expects it and I've never had to go through it before. Certainly makes you grateful to have a job in these times.

Due to the lay-offs, I ended up being at work all week and the knee was swollen like a balloon on Friday night. I'm planning on working from home 2 days this week if I can manage the in person meetings around it. I'm trying hard to be walking for the wedding. Oh and the suit arrived from "Like a Rock Star" - it's great. I'll need the jacket taken in a little as I've lost some of my love handles but its really quite special. Just two weeks to the wedding now and Amy and I are very excited. Happy Australia Day.

Well this weeks been pretty tiring as I've been back at work each day. I also went to physio therapy this morning and I'm now starting to put my foot on the ground and try to shift a little weight onto it as I swing through my step using the crutches. I've done a fair bit of that today and it's going well.

Nothing is easy in this world and when you've got your right leg out of action, everythings that little bit harder. Getting into and out of the car is awkward, sitting down at work is difficult and even going to the toilet when nature calls takes way more energy than it should. I'm losing weight though and building up some good core strength so there's a positive side to the story!

We met with the DJ for the wedding tonight and he was very helpful and experienced - we really lucked out with the people involved in organizing the big day so we're very grateful for that. Oh and the new U2 song is out, I'm sure the song will always bring me back to this stage of my life whenever I hear it for years and years to come. I like it. It's not a great tune, but I like the direction it hints at for the whole album that's due in March.

Amy's mum Marian left early Friday morning after being my home nurse while Amy was in Phoenix. She was awesome. Cooking meals, taking me to the Dr and the physio, helping me do my exercises, cleaning the house, walking the dogs, shopping and being there for Amy and I in our time of need. We'll see her again soon for the wedding.

Progress is good with the knee though keeping it up at work is proving tough and by the end of Thursday my knee was the source of pain for me. I'll have to figure out a better place to sit in my office to make sure I can do my exercises and keep the foot and knee elevated during the day. It's important to reduce the swelling in the foot as swelling is a barrier to movement and I'm struggling to point the foot up towards me, a critical movement if I'm going to be walking in time for the wedding.

A momentous day today, I voluntarily moved my foot in all sorts of (small) movements and washed myself in the shower. Although the circumstances that lead to the experience I wouldn't wish on anyone, the near biblical proportions of bliss I felt having the full open valve shower water run over me tonight is beyond description. Marian found a plastic stool with handles on the side that we placed in the shower and I was able to scrub, rub and wash my self. Crazy, near whimping noises came out of me when I first sat down and hit the water - I was not in control.

Good progress daily on the range of motion too. The physical therapy this morning recorded my knee can now bend to 62 deg, up from 28 last week. They don't want me to take it any further for now. Moving the poor little foot is tough, but little by little I feel the tendons remembering their function. The saddest part of it is the sorry excuse for a calf muscle I have now. It's pathetic. That won't come for some time.

Stay safe now!

Well the verdict from the Dr is in and it's all good. He thinks I'm healing "very fast" and was encouraged by the x-rays, reduction in swelling and the knee stabilization. He decided to put me in a black removable boot without any plaster cast! It's freaky. I've been used to it being completely unmovable for a month now so the sensations are all quite new.

The new boot is very light and aids in weight baring. Gradually I'll be able to put more and more body weight on it over the coming weeks. For now, I'm just getting the knee used to bending again - that's where the most work is needed in the short term. I have to get the range of motion in the knee gradually up to 60 and then 90 degrees and be able to lock the knee and lift the leg out straight. That ones really hard right now. He said that it's remarkable how quickly those muscles deteriorate.

I was pretty exhausted by it all, I wasn't expecting things to move so quickly today. Immobilizer and plaster gone in one fell swoop. Its a good thing but was surprising and I feel really drained now as evening comes. Marian took a couple of photos with the phone and I'll post them when I get them off the device. For now it's lots of physio work and back to the see the Dr in two weeks time.

Record snow in Chicago and record rain fall in Seattle to welcome in the New Year. I went to my first physiotherapy session right alongside the Issaquah creek which was close to breaching it's banks as I sat on the table flexing my leg. It was a little scary actually but they assured me the building was on stilts. I reminded them I'm on crutches so the building and I should make quite the pair as we drift downstream.

The session involved range of motion exercise for the knee to start reminding the muscles and tendons of their true purpose. The Dr wanted to try and get to a maximum of 45 degrees. I managed to get to 28 or so with instructions to keep up the exercise at home three times a day. The problem seems to be a bunch of fluid caught in pockets around the top of the knee and general swelling. I'm doing the exercises daily now and icing it afterwards like the physio people did. They also strap electrolysis pads around the knee during the icing to stimulate the muscles.

Amy's mum Marion flew in to take over Amy's home nurse role while she runs a show out in Phoenix until Tuesday. Marion's been great even though she's been under the weather herself and on drugs that make her "spacey". It's made for some funny moments including her special "floorboard spice rub" she applied to one of the lamb chops we cooked up last night. Yum!

We're off to the doctor again tomorrow morning where I suspect he'll remove the cast, do x-rays and reassess the progress.

Bono wrote a very thought provoking piece for the op-ed column in today's New York Times - you should check it out.

Lemon Chicken on the menu for tonight and I've been smelling original recipe chicken soup brewing away for a couple of days now which should all make for good healing food. Work was a little tough on Wednesday and my knee let me know it wasn't in the mood by about 2 in the afternoon. I'll need to figure a more comfortable work position. It was a full day though, every minute I had meetings and coworkers stopping in to say hello and wish me well. I've been really touched by all of the notes and offers to assist by everyone - I really appreciate it and wouldn't have guessed I had so much support around me. I'm a lucky man.