Counting my blessings
Category Archives: My Medical Journey
The CPM Machine and final PT
The last post for my medical journey. The CPM machine is designed to continuously flex the knee for 2 hours at a time for a total of 18 hours a day (the surgeon’s request!). The machine is designed to be placed on a bed, the operative leg is placed in the nicely padded cradle ofContinue reading “The CPM Machine and final PT”
Replacing the right knee
I was finally clear of the UTI. You would think that I would be sick of medical intervention and swear off doctor’s visits for a while. But now that I have had the left hip replaced and cleared the prostate and Covid issues, I was still limping in pain a bit and limiting activities becauseContinue reading “Replacing the right knee”
Approaching a Total Knee Replacement
I had a month or two of decent health accompanied by physical therapy. I had decided to follow up with treating a cranky knee that I had been dealing with for over 35 years. I had dislocated the knee back then and torn the cartilage. The treatment at the time was to remove all theContinue reading “Approaching a Total Knee Replacement”
My Covid Experience
Surprise! Following the prostate surgery I got great nursing care in the hospital. Two days after the surgery (the day after I went home) the hospital called me to advise that I may have been exposed to Covid while in the hospital and they asked me to come back in for another Covid test. IContinue reading “My Covid Experience”
Dealing with a very stubborn Prostate
Basic prostate surgery I waited 2 weeks for my early morning appointment with the urologist. He had the report from the ER and advised me he was surprised I wasn’t in much more pain when I went to the ER. He said if he was retaining that much fluid he would rat out his threeContinue reading “Dealing with a very stubborn Prostate”
Outpatient Physical Therapy
Learning to take care of my new hip The surgeon sent in a referral and the physical therapy practice called near the end of the first week of in-home therapy to set up appointments. Two or three 1 hour appointments each week until further notice. I met my new therapist and he got to work.Continue reading “Outpatient Physical Therapy”
In-home physical therapy
Physical therapy after surgery comes in 2 parts. In-home physical therapy for about 2 weeks and outpatient physical therapy for a lot longer. Someone from the in-home company will briefly visit the home before surgery and in my case check for trip hazards, stair difficulty and just general mobility safety issues. Then the physical therapistContinue reading “In-home physical therapy”
The hip replacement surgery
I decided to proceed with the hip replacement. The doctor seemed competent, came highly recommended from many sources and had done many of these procedures. I even sensed the doc was a bit shy talking to patients, capable but shy, and had a sense of humor. I could tell that by how he interacted withContinue reading “The hip replacement surgery”
Meeting the surgeon
The nurse practitioner (NP) left and said the doctor would be right in. Uh huh. While waiting I received a text from a close friend with a picture of his waterfront lawn showing what a beautiful view he had. So I smiled, took a picture of my view of the exam room and sent thatContinue reading “Meeting the surgeon”