Been a while...

 Sitting out this evening with a nip or two of bourbon and a Nov 5 bonfire.  Dave reminded me it IS Guy Fawkes Day, after all.

A bit too warm today and this evening, but tradition, ya know?

I see no reason why gunpowder, treason should ever be forgot! 

RIP, Meat Loaf

 

The new knee

 

We are Borg.  You will be assimilated.

Aug. 19, 2020 I joined the Collective.  In Dallas, I underwent a total knee replacement surgery, aka TKR.  It has been an interesting journey.

It all started when I tore my medial meniscus in a church league softball game, somewhere around 2006, I think.  It was scoped, which seemed to fix things, but I was warned it would become arthritic.

Boy howdy, did it ever!  Ultimately I had tri-compartment arthritis, bone on bone medially.  This was making everything more difficult, especially when compounded by the pair of large cysts in the knee joint.  The cysts were restricting movement, and the smaller was causing a lot of nerve pain.  The cysts of course were driven by the arthritis.

I could've tried to just have the cysts removed but at least two orthopedic surgeons indicated it would likely return fairly rapidly, due to the arthritis, unless the knee was replaced.  Not wanting to undergo multiple surgeries for the issues at hand, I  went to see the surgeon recommended by both the other guys I had spoken with.  Dr. G. is an orthopedic oncologist.  No, I do not have cancer, but he is extremely experienced and skilled at digging unwanted things out of patients bones and joints.  He also does a lot of joint replacement and reconstruction, and revision joint surgery.  Dr. G. said he would not only remove the cysts, he'd do it during the TKR, and from the "front", eliminating the need to have a second large incision on the back of my knee.  YAY!

A date for surgery was set, rather far into the future, due to the Covid19 restrictions in place at the time.  I would've liked to have the surgery sooner, but coordinating family schedules, and Covid19, meant a longer lead time.

OEM Knees

Above is the last photo of my original equipment knee.  Hairy legs and all, because they don't want you shaving before surgery.  Apparently not shaving lowers the bacterial count on the skin...and also keeps you from nicking your leg with a razor.  I remember being wheeled down a hallway toward surgery, thinking "Last chance to bail on this, kiddo!"  And then I woke up, in Recovery.  The pain, which was NOT well managed (my primary gripe with the hospital, really), was significant.  I try not to bitch about pain, but when it's clocking a steady 8-9 out of 10, there is a problem in my book.

There's a new knee under there somewhere.

Two days in the hospital, connected to the green legging contraption.  It's a pressure cuff affair, designed to keep pushing blood around, so you don't get blood clots.  It would've worked better if the staff had remembered to turn it on after every time I got up...but in the end it worked ok, because I didn't develop any unwanted blood clots.

On the day following surgery, after having been up and walking on it, the LNP came by and removed the surgical dressing.  Other than being swollen, the knee doesn't look too bad.  All the purple lines, and the blotchy marks at the near end, are register marks and the "Cut this one" autograph.  The LNP put on a smaller silver impregnated dressing which was a lot more comfortable.  In the picture below, you can see both teh dressing, and the post operative bruising.  Yes, by that point, my right leg was about twice the size of the left!

Rehabbing a TKR is a lengthy process.  The first thing they want you to do, besides walk on it, is to have you try to straighten the leg completely.  This is counter-intuitive to me, but at this point flexing your knee is less important.  If you can't force it straight, you'll always have a limp.

Twelve days after surgery, I went back to Dallas to get the 37 staples removed.  (Or was it 37 8x10 color glossy photos, with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one, explaining what each one was, to be used as evidence against us....?  Nah, must've been staples since it's not yet Thanksgiving, Arlo!) 

37 staples

No more staples!

Steri-strips to hold it all closed.

Physical therapy started once I got home.  At first they were coming all the way out to the house, which was nice, since long car rides were at best uncomfortable.  Now though, I tend to ride into town at do therapy at their clinic.  It's probably more productive there too, so in this case, more torture is a good thing.

Some of the PT is easy, some of it is hard, and until yesterday, trying to pedal the exercise bike was brutal!  But finally, after doing everything else required during therapy and being thoroughly warmed up, I was able to pedal in a circle!!

It may not seem like much, but it means the world to me.  I haven't been able to ride a bike without pain for at least 8-12 months.  Now, I'm not yet pain free, but I have enough flexion to pedal!  Home rehab can begin in earnest now!  My crank arm shorteners even showed up in the mail yesterday, so I will be able to adjust the radius of the circle on my own bikes.  Smaller circles are easier and less stress on the knees.

I will post future updates on the knee, as things progress.  In the meantime, if anyone is contemplating TKR surgery, and wants more info, feel free to reach out to me via the comments.  I'll try to get back to you.  

The Bees Knees?

So, the left knee is healing well, at one month post-op, and I've been released from Doc's care/treatment.  Over the next month or two it should get back to normal.

That's a good thing too, since I'm pulling the trigger on the bad right knee in mid August.  It, and it's damnable cyst the size of half a banana are going away.

After X-rays, MRI's consults with surgeons and specialist surgeons and a second opinion, I have found a specialist orthopedic surgeon who is willing to replace the knee AND remove the cyst at the same time, and from the same incision.  I was so relieved when Doc G said, "Oh yeah, I can do all that in one surgery, easy," that I practically hugged him!

He comes highly recommended from the other two surgeons who are familiar with my knee problems.  And the general consensus amongst them all was that just replacing the knee probably would not resolve the cyst (it's too big).

And honestly, it's the cyst that is causing most of the pain and restricted movement.  It gets pinched every time I flex my knee.  Part of it seems to be impinging on the primary nerve to the lower leg, which makes life interesting... And just taking out the cyst without resolving what caused it in the first place is pointless, because it'll just come back due to the arthritis.

So say a prayer for me, and look out for future updates as I embark on the great adventure that is a total knee replacement.  At least it's getting me back in the gym lifting again, since Doc G said stronger is better for knee surgery.  Let's be honest though, stronger is better, period!

If it's not one knee, it's the other!

A long time ago, (10+ yrs iirc) in a Metromess not so far away, I hurt my right knee.  Church league softball was to blame.  Surgery fixed up that medial meniscus, though Doc Killemquicker warned me that I would end up with arthritis in it.

FF>>> to 4 years ago, when the arthritis started getting bad, and I began favoring things to my "good" left knee, which had experienced a similar surgery in 1999.  All was good afaik, until this March, when I began to notice some medial knee pain in the left "good" knee.  It was wearing out.  The right knee had continued to deteriorate to the point that it is bone on bone, and I was just beginning the workup for a total knee replacement, when the quarantines hit and the .gov decided to ban elective surgeries.  Bugger all!

Now, picture this, it's Easter morning, 01:30 and a big line of storms is approaching.  I awaken, and decide to short circuit the dogs' storm fears by giving those big chicken Ridgebacks some calming treats.  I thought they were in the kitchen cabinets, but when I moved and turned, to look in the second cabinet, POP!!! OUCH!!! My good knee went out.  Managed not to scream and awaken Dave, and hobbled back to bed, only to awaken in time for Easter service barely able to put weight on it.

The next day, Doc Killemquicker diagnosed a torn meniscus in the good knee.  MRI confirmed just how shredded it was.  Since two weeks ago, they lifted the elective surgery restrictions, I decided to get it fixed last Thursday (it was making walking any distance at all fairly painful).

Surgery went well, despite the crazy Covid19 restrictions, and I only experienced my first bout of post-anesthesia nausea.  No pain.  Yay!  I left for home with Dave driving, and my knee with a ton of surgical dressing wrapped around  it.  Mind you, there are only two quarter inch incisions (arthroscopic) in my left knee and they are steri-stripped shut.

Being a smart patient, albeit a stubborn one (so named by Doc Killemquicker!), I behaved and spent the rest of the day in bed, legs elevated.  I had stopped all NSAID consumption the week before, except low dose aspirin as ok'd by Doc.

I noticed, when I sat down in the bathroom, that my knee went squishy-gurgle on the lateral side (kneecap incision site).  It did this 2-3x, when I would transition to sitting.  I also began to notice the surgical dressings were getting heavy and pulling away from my knee...  Turns out by 18:00 that night, they were soaked thru with blood.  Hmm....that's never happened before.  So I changed out the dressings and wrapped everything up again.  By 22:00 it had happened again.  Things were simply not wanting to clot.  It was too late to call Doc's office, and too far to drive to an ER.  Besides, the flow, while steady, wasn't arterial or anything.  By 06:00 Friday, it was soaked thru, and messing up my bed. Blech! Dressing change again!

Got ahold of Doc's office at 08:00, and after explaining I had needed 4 dressing changes, Doc said to drive into the Metromess.  Mind you it's usually a 2.5-3hr drive depending on traffic.  Dave and I left just a few min after 08:00.  By 10:00, I was waiting to see Doc, having already soaked this latest dressing thru in 3 hrs, and dripped blood all over my floorboard in the truck!  I conservatively estimate blood loss at one pint by this point in total.  (I've been donating blood for most of my adult life, so I am well acquainted with how I feel when a pint low.)

Doc Killemquicker peeled off the dressing, and revealed a narrow but steady stream of blood.  After 3 attempts to staunch the flow with steri-strips, he conceded defeat, and said,"You're gonna make me stitch that, aren't you?  You know, I've only had two other bleeders in 33 yrs of surgeries.  One was due to a rare medication side effect, and the other stopped with steri-strips.  But, no, YOU have to be difficult!"  He put in two stitches there in the office, which didn't solve the problem.  So he took one out, and used a different style of stitch, one that managed to miss ALL the areas numbed with lidocaine...I don't think Doc saw the bad faces I was making!  But finally, it stopped bleeding!

But now Doc was concerned over infection risks, since we were 24hrs post-op and your suture window ends around 12hrs.  So I also got a round of horse pill sized antibiotics, and he said he'd come in on Sunday afternoon to remove the stitches and check for infection.  You ever heard of a doc who would give up his Sunday afternoon to see a patient??   This is one of the reasons I am willing to drive so far to be his patient!

No more bleeding.  Sutures removed last Sunday.  No infection. No pain in the joint.  And, I get to drive in again tomorrow for my regular surgical follow up appointment!  And then next week I get to restart the TKR work up with a specialist in Dallas, who was recommended by Doc Killemquicker.

At least now, Dave has restocked our supplies of medical dressings!

28*F and a Surprise at Dawn

Woke up before dawn this morning, during our cold snap.  The house was cold, but that's to be expected when you don't run the furnace.  Dave said there was a surprise outside.  I was expecting an ice storm. 

 So this was better than that, at least, though Ruby and the hens might disagree.

The hens got some scratch to warm up with, and Ruby got a flake of hay to start her day.

There was less than an inch, and the roads look to be clear.  That's good, because my tires on the Tundra are not quite slicks, yet!

Winter in Texas

For those of you wondering what winter is like in NE Texas, I give you the following...

Weather for the past 24 hrs here:
Yesterday it was 72° with winds hiding over 30mph
Last night we got over 4" of rain.
Last night there were tornados all around NTX/NETX.
This morning it was 32°.
Now sleet, and possible snow early this afternoon.

Beautiful Sunrise over Needs Work Ranch

Wishing everyone a safe and blessed Wednesday!

November 5th

Remember remember the fifth of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot.

I see no reason why gunpowder, treason

Should ever be forgot...

The last full measure

Circumhorizontal arc, aka Rainbow Bridge

She was just a little yellow cur dog.  My daughter had seen her, as we drove down the county road.  Just sitting, as some dogs will do, in the bar ditch.  We thought she was just sunbasking there.  We drove on, like everybody else.

On the way back home, from dropping off my daughter at her temp job, I was passing by the same spot, and there was now a large SUV pulled over.  As I slowed to move around it, I looked left into the bar ditch.  And I saw her, just a little yellow cur dog. Still sitting in the ditch, swaying back and forth.  So I pulled the Civic over, stopped, put my flashers on, and got out.

The woman in the SUV got out, and told me her husband had seen the dog earlier, and called her to drive down here and see what was wrong.  It was a small act of mercy that she did so, because that was what made me stop.

As I walked across the road and down into the ditch I looked at the dog, and I knew, deep down, how this was going to end.  As she rocked there, back and forth, I could hear and see the agonal breathing, I could hear the rattle in her throat and lungs.

She was just a little yellow cur dog without a name.  Young, never had been bred (thank God there were no puppies to find), maybe 30 pounds of dog.  No tags, no collar, I doubt she meant anything to anybody.  Thin, but not emaciated, at best she was someone's yard dog, one to be fed on occasion, but nothing more.

I walked up to her, talking gently as I approached.  Some animals when injured, will lash out in fear and pain.  I didn't want to get bit, nor to scare her into trying to flee.  As I assessed the injuries, I knew she was never going to flee.  She did not react to my approach, never looking at me as I stood right in front of her.  I reached out to scratch the uninjured back of her head, and she flinched slightly at first, but then relaxed, and I knew.  She couldn't see me.  She couldn't hear me.  But she could feel a gentle touch.  I stood close, and blew air down at her, in hopes that she could smell my presence and perhaps take comfort.

I told her I wouldn't leave her to die in this ditch alone.  I didn't expect it to take long, a few minutes at best.  The other woman called the Sheriff, and we thought they were sending a deputy out.  I called the game warden's number she had, but the voicemail was full.  Then the other woman had to go, but we kept in touch vy text.

I had nothing in my car to move the little dog, and was unwilling to just pick her up in my arms for fear of hurting her worse and getting bitten in her fear and pain.  So I stood there, keeping the flies off her, just stroking her head and talking in case she could hear something.  Many cars went by, some slowed, to make sure I was ok, but none stopped.

After close to 90min, far longer than I ever thought she would still be hanging in there, I called the Sheriff's dept, only to learn there had been a misunderstanding in the initial call.  They thought the dog was dead.  "Not yet,"  I replied.  They promised to send someone out.

After about 20 min more, I decided I'd try to move her to my car somehow.  I spotted a feed sack down the road, and went off to grab it.  Not long after I returned to her side, a deputy arrived.   We chatted about the situation, the deputy clarifying that they are not allowed to transport or put down an injured animal.  She then offered to help me get the dog onto the sack.

My plan was only to get her out of the ditch to the nearest vet, to end her suffering.  Her injuries were too extensive--shoulder, pelvis, jaw, brain, ribs, lungs....She struggled a little in fear at being unbalanced on the sack, but never lashed out.  She was such a good dog.

The vet confirmed my suspicions on the brain injury, and some of the others too.  He asked if I wanted her put down.  I said yes, that I had brought her in  from the road just to end her suffering as gently as I could.  I told him I'd been with her for 3hrs, and that she had been hit hours before that.  I stroked her as the vet administered the shot, and it did what she could not, it allowed her to let go immediately.

She was just a little yellow cur, but she was as tough as nails, yet gentle even in her final moments.  I wish she had never been hit, but she was.  I wish, once hit, that she had perished immediately, rather than suffer for the hours that she did.  I wish that I could've done something more to help her, but I couldn't.  So I did the only thing I could.

The only picture I took, for memory's sake, from her good side.

Shiloh, a final update

 Shiloh, our senior female Ridgeback is spending her final night with us, resting quietly on our bed.  Ever since her diagnosis, she has decided that our bed is no longer off limits.  Neither DH nor I were inclined to boot her off either.

The cancer has been as aggressive as we feared.  It's 3x as large as it was back in Feb, when we had most of it surgically removed.  The cancer has stolen every ounce of food, and every ounce of flesh from her body.  Despite being fed as much as we can get her to eat daily, she is starving to death before my eyes.

I had to go out of town this past weekend.  My fear was she would pass on her own, leaving DH to deal with it on his own.  I made a deal with Shi before we left--if she would hold on until we got back, I would make sure she didn't suffer longer.  So, we have an appointment tomorrow with the vet, to grant her that release.  Though she doesn't seem to be in pain, I know she is no longer enjoying life. I am well familiar with how well Ridgebacks can hide pain, but she isn't exhibiting any of those tricks.

She has been our girl since 2012.  I think she was probably 4-5 years old then.  That would make her 11-12 now.  She should've had another 3-4 good years, were it not for this cancer. 

I will miss her. The kids will miss her. But it is DH who will miss her most, I think.  She has always been such a Daddy's girl...

The Platform

The deadlift platform...

There are many like it, but this one is mine.  However, at first glance, while the wood is pretty, the platform is a bit dull.  DH built if for our home gym, using Alan Thrall's plans from YouTube.  

DH suggested we do a logo for the platform, as that was included in the video he had seen.  We came up with a basic idea and he turned me loose on the project.

Working on the stencils.  The design was a bit more complex than I had expected, and it took a couple iterations to get them done right.

A finished stencil.

The first stencil,  I made the mistake of using painted on acrylic which bled under the edges of the stencil slightly.  but it cleaned up ok.

I wanted to use an old western style font for the text, but alas, Win 10 does not have any.  I had to make do with Playbill.  It's ok in this instance, and was certainly easy enough to cut out.

Final paint applied...Midnight Mare and Blood Red Roan, for DH.  Brownie points if you know where that comes from!

All I have to do now, is finish with the clear coat on top, and it will be ready for use!  It has been a fun project, and I think it came out pretty nicely.

Work getting done at Needs Work!

Last week our neighbor/seller was able to make the time to come by with his tractor and mower rig and cut our pasture!  From what we can tell, it's pretty high quality grass, with few weeds.  But having no livestock this year, and desiring to keep our Ag exemption intact (we'd be fools to let it lapse!) we needed to have the pasture hayed.

Last night, as we have had a brief dry spell here (look out for TS/H Barry due to move into the region by the coming weekend),  he was able to return with his rake and baler rigs and in less than an hour, he had it all raked and baled!

\

It was fascinating to watch how it all worked.  I've never watched it up close and personal before.  DH and OD Henry dog decided after the fact, to go out into the pasture to check out the bales.

We even ended up with a mini-bale, the last one to come out of the baler, and undersized.  Total was 8.25 large round bales, promptly exchanged to our neighbor who did the work.  He said it's pretty common for folks with small acreages to do that.

Work continues at Needs Work Ranch

Moving is so much fun!  And if you believe that, I might have some swamp land to sell you!  Moving may be exciting sometimes, what with the exploration of the new and shiny, but I don't think it's ever fun.

Stuff gets lost, misplaced, abducted by space aliens never to be seen again until you purchase the replacement for it...but hey, 2 is one, and 1 is none, and 14 of 'em is an obsession, right?

Our dear friends at the rescue ranch gifted us with a long unused but well stored Husky riding mower.  It had been stored for about 12 years according to their records, but for $140, I got it running, and it works great.  I was thrilled!  Like our ranch. it needed some work, but now it works for ME!  

We are still searching for someone to come mow, rake and bale our 4+ acres of pasture.  Our seller said he would come cut it when he has time, but every time he has had time, it has been too wet to get into the pasture.  We may have to look into renting at least a raker and baler (and a real tractor to pull them).  

DH and Monkeyboy were working on a project the other night.  DH wanted to put some walls up in the shop, as we are planning to wall off half the shop and possibly drop in a mini split HVAC unit to make it tolerable there in the summer.

DH had just bought a pneumatic nail gun, and wanted to use it.  It worked great, and it took longer to get the wood ready to nail than it did to build the entire section!

 DH also built me a deadlift platform!  I did the stain and finish on it, and am working on a logo to paint.  My problem is figuring out the graphics programs, and scaling the images up enough to print out and make stencils from.

The next big project we have on our schedules, is the garden.  We have figured out a place to plant, but need to burn the brush piles first, and then till it all under, then plant a cover crop (probably buckwheat), then till the buckwheat under in the fall, and do a spring planting.

Other projects include more walls in the shop, more gravel for the driveway, working on plans for when we decide to build here in a couple more years, and other stuff that escapes my brain at this time of the morning.

One milestone has been reached in life though--our oldest, Monkey1 just got her drivers learner permit!  She completed the Drivers Ed class at PJC last month.  Now to boost her confidence, and get her some windshield time!

Moonlight over Needs Work Ranch

A distinct lack of internet access is limiting my posting ability. Bear with me... 

It's official

We're moving!  We signed final papers on a purchase of some property, east of our current home, early this morning.  5.28 acres, fenced with a pond, 3 large really nice outbuildings, and a much smaller home in need of some mostly cosmetic maintenance.  The best part??  We will be mortgage-free!!!!  Which means, we will be fully debt-free!

That just boggles my mind in a way.  My folks, half a century ago, paid cash to build the large split level I grew up in, and in which my mom still lives.  They used to have a pair of trivets over the kitchen stove that read, "Home Sweet Home"  and "99 more years and it's ours!"  As a kid, I knew it was funny, but I didn't quite grasp how or why.  As an adult, I get it. 

I'm looking forward to getting moved, and figuring out the new place.  Though we won't be joining the local church, instead we will continue to attend our existing church.  Plus DH and I will likely be joining the volunteer fire department (fire relief & support, as neither of us are well suited to actual firefighting.)  We also have to figure out what we need to do to maintain the Ag exemption on the property (lower taxes, YAY!).  Eventually we hope to run a couple yearling steers on grass until fall slaughter, so we can get a freezer full of good beef.

Wish us luck.   It's going to be an adventure.

On Shiloh...

Shiloh, our only female Ridgeback, has been aging gracefully.  Gracefully, until perhaps now.  The other week, Monkey1 noticed one side of Shiloh's face seemed swollen.  I looked, and agreed.  We did a little research, and it seemed like it was likely an abcessed tooth in her upper jaw.

A vet visit was scheduled, for a dental cleaning and exam.  Unfortunately, the call from the vet afterwards indicated that it was a tumor, not an abcess.  He surgically removed most of the tumor, and we opted to have the pathology done on it, to see what it was.  Vet said to assume cancerous, until proven otherwise, based on his exam.

Shiloh recovered well from the surgery, while we waited on the pathology to come back.  When it did, it wasn't good news.  She has malignant mesenchymal neoplasm.  It is aggressive in nature, and was already attached to the upper jawbone.  The outlook is for it to move into her lungs, and then it's Game Over.

Shiloh is somewhere between 9-12 years old, and has been with us since 2012.  She has always been so steady, in behavior, and health, that this is a shock to us.  Even now, I cannot really tell any changes in her.  In a way, knowing what is happening makes it easier.  We can plan to spoil her, and know what to watch for in the disease progression.  That should mean we can keep her comfortable until the end.

However, DH did come across an article out of the Univ. of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine, regarding some success in using immunotherapy for dogs with osteoscarcoma.  I am reaching out to them, to see if possibly Shiloh could qualify for their ongoing research study programs.  Our vet said he would be happy to help me out, if I contacted UofM.  So, now I am waiting for a call back from their research coordinator.  Maybe, just maybe...

Score!

In my quest to find a couple pairs of jeans and not pay full retail, I have been haunting the local salvation army and goodwill stores.  Jeans are apparently in high demand... So I've not found any.

Today while the kids were working the pet adoption event, DH and I were able to go to the aforementioned stores.  Still no jeans  but I decided to look for a hoodie.

That's when I saw it, a dark hoodie, or was it a jacket? It looked dark green in the store lighting  but was actually black.  It was in my size.  It also said. Carhartt on the tag!  Carhartt is good stuff and typically expensive.

I latched onto it   $8 out the door.  It retails new for $75. This one is just getting broken in. No damage to it at all.

Fall

Fall has always been my  favorite time of year.  And it is in full swing here in  Texasas.  The temps have dropped  the  A/C is off, the windows are open,  and the rains have come.

Tonight is damp and chilly, and too cold for ice cream for dessert.  So instead I opted for a cup of hot chocolate!  It was a nice change of pace.

Small update on life

This ancient oak has weathered many a storm, and I shall weather this one.

Some of you out there have been wondering where I've been.  Well, life has turned somewhat chaotic of late, and we have decided to sell our home, and downsize.  Most of my time lately has been spent packing the house up into storage units (again!), and cleaning and painting anything that doesn't move!

As things progress, I will try to keep folks updated when I can.  And if you have my regular email, you're welcome to email me.  Take care, my friends!