I’m sorry for my lack of updates. Caring for my wife while she’s not able to get around has taken a lot of my time the past week.
The knee surgery Monday morning went well, the doctor came out after about an hour and a half to tell me that they were able to repair the cartilage but there had been more damage than he expected. The cartilage had detached from the bone and he had to drill holes and reattach it then re-establish blood flow to the cartilage. As a result she will have to avoid putting any weight on her right leg for four weeks rather than the two weeks in the original prognosis. That means no driving either. As a result, I have to do almost everything for her. Ice her leg, bring her something to drink, prepare her food, anything that she can’t do while standing on one leg and balancing on her crutches or the walker her friend let her borrow. She has figured out how to shower once I put a plastic bag over the knee that has the bandages, I had to get a shower chair and a hand held showerhead for her to use. Everything has to be at counter height since she can’t bend down to get things out of the cupboards so the counters are very cluttered now. Getting her up and down the three steps into the house has been the biggest problem, she lacks the strength to really push herself from one step to the other on crutches.
Her physical therapy appointments were on Tuesday and Thursday last week, it’s very tiring for her but she seems to be holding up well. She has additional physical therapy this week, today and Wednesday.
As one would expect, her lack of mobility curtailed any plans for both the July 4 weekend and our anniversary on July 1. I spent much of my day off work Friday catching up on housework. I mopped the kitchen floor, mopped and scrubbed one bathroom, did two loads of clothes, and did the food shopping for the week. Saturday I cooked chopped sirloin with pepper and mushroom gravy on top with fries on the side, then I put a pork butt on the smoker for a good 8-hour smoke. A bit past midnight I pulled the pork off the smoker and put it in a Dutch oven in the range, set on 200°F. It stayed in the oven to slow roast until around 9 am Sunday when I removed it and pulled it apart for sandwiches. It was very good. Much of the remaining Sunday was spent relaxing, although I did manage to do another small load of clothes. She seems to be requiring the pain medication less frequently now, I’m sure that’s a good sign. |
Loading...
