A-OK

I went to the Doctors yesterday for a follow up to the surgery.  It’s been 2 1/2 weeks and I can’t believe how well I’m feeling.  I even drove all the way to Santa Monica and back.  It felt good to be getting back to normal.

They took an X-Ray, and I saw my new hip for the first time.  It was very interesting.  Here’s an example I found in Wikipedia. As you can see, the bottom slides inside the femur, which surprised me.  My incision is longer than a standard hip replacement because they had to remove the previous plate and screws.

It’s healing very nicely.  The only precautions I have to be aware of is the chance of a dislocation.  So I have to careful not to cross my right leg over my left.  He cleared me for hiking, bicycling, and swimming.  I didn’t ask him about golf, because I didn’t want to put any pressure on it yet with the twisting.  I know I can play golf(or try to play) in the future.

So that’s the good news.  I have to be careful not to overdo things right now, but I’m feeling better than I’ve felt in months.  I don’t have another appointment for 7 weeks.  Like I said, everything is A-OK.

Tiffany’s Grad Party

Remember a few posts back that our niece Tiffany graduated from Dental Hygienist School.  I wasn’t able to go to the actual event, but the party was a week later, and I was able to limp around and celebrate with the family.

Here’s the happy Grad with her Mother Donna, and Iris.

A lot of her friends from school attended, along with the family.  Even Jeni was able to come over from AZ.And Matt and Suzanne were there along with our Grandboy.  Katie and Arylen enjoyed the day

We had to leave a little early because of my surgery, but it was a real joy to celebrate the big accomplishment and be with family and friends.

Jeni Comes for a Visit

Jeni came over from Chandler, AZ, for a long weekend.  Her main reason for coming was a very special event.  California State University, Northridge, where Jeni got her Master’s Degree and taught classes, invited her to give the commencement address for the graduating class in Education.  It was a thrill for our new Dr. Jeni, and the address was very well received.  She even got to wear all of her Doctor’s regalia. 

On Friday she came to visit the invalid and bring some sunshine into his dull life.  It was great to see her, because I had missed the trip Linda took over to AZ due to preparations for my hip surgery.  We had a great visit, talked about the ongoing remodel here at the condo, visited a furniture store and a lighting store, and had a great dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, which is turning into Linda’s favorite restaurant. 

We then packed up Jeni’s little bug with her new barbeque. We found a Weber Q on Craig’s list, and Linda did her magic by cleaning it like new and painting the lid with special high heat paint.  Now she can grill all those vegetables like Bobby Flay. 

It really raised my spirits to spend time with my little “pumpkin”.  I guess it’s my turn now to go over to HOT AZ to visit her.

Out & About, and the Torture Ends

I finally got out of the house on Wednesday.  Linda drove of course.  Hopefully I’ll be able to drive after my Doctor’s Appointment in one week.

We stopped by the MoHo to pickup some stuff we needed that we hadn’t transferred to the condo.  The longer we’re here, the more stuff that’s in the condo and not in the MoHo.  Linda did bring back some sheets and towels that she had taken out to wash.  Oh, the most important item we picked up was my cane, left over from the last surgery.  I didn’t get to go into the MoHo, but it nice to see her.

Next stop was the El Toro branch of the library.  I actually got out of the car and walked in to pick up some new books, and we returned some of the books I checked out before the surgery.  The cane worked well, but I could tell it’s been a while since I’ve done a lot of walking.

The next stop was PetsMart, where we got more food for Pearl.  As she’s gotten older, her digestive system doesn’t work as well.  So we switched her food to a more easily digested mixture of dry and canned food mixed with some low sodium chicken broth.  She seems to like it.  But only time will tell if it’s better for her.

Our last stop was at Ralph’s Grocery Store.  They have those electric carts that people in my situation can use.  I got pretty good at driving the aisles and getting everything we needed for the next few days.  And it was easy on my hip.

Oh, and the torture?? Thursday was the last day of the twice daily shots in the stomach! Linda got really good at giving me the shots, but they still weren’t my favorite medications.  At long last they’re done.  Now if only I could get rid of the compression stockings…..

One Week Later

It’s been a week and I haven’t left the condo since I got home from the hospital.  That’s got to change! I don’t want my new hip to freeze up from lack of use.

Things have been pretty quiet.  I’ve enjoyed a few phone calls and emails-Thanks for that.  I’ve watched a few movies and a lot of baseball games, especially the Dodgers.  They’ve done really well since my surgery, so it’s been fun to watch them sweep Arizona and San Diego(Sorry Ken & Donna).  And I finished another mystery, The End of Road by Sue Henry.  It’s a cozy kind of mystery, set in Homer Alaska.  I learned a lot about Alaska, and enjoyed the book.  Just the kind of book I needed, calm and analytical. We’re planning on a trip to Alaska in 2012, so I plan on reading up all I can on the area.

Saturday Linda attended our niece Tiffany’s graduation from the Cerritos College Dental Hygienist School.  She looks pretty happy about it! That’s her Mother, Donna, with her.  Donna is Linda’s sister.Linda’s Mom is on the left, and of course that’s Linda with Tiff on the right.  Linda took most of the pictures since I couldn’t be there, and she did a great job.  If you want to see all of the pictures, click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/winequest/TifSGraduation#

My big announcement today is I retired the walker and I’m just using a cane.  There’s still a lot of pain, especially just above the knee, but when I put weight on the leg, it doesn’t hurt very much.  We’re still trying to get the insurance cleared for Home Health Care and more Physical Therapy.  Until then I’ve been doing my exercises.  Now I’m going to go outside and walk more to build up some endurance.  But I’m going to take it easy and not push real hard.  We don’t want any relapses.   

It’s a Grandboy

I don’t think that’s a word, but I couldn’t resist.  Matt and Suzanne went to the Doctor last week for a checkup and the ultrasound showed they are having a boy! Among the family I think only Lois and I guessed it was going to be a boy.

The other good news is the the Mother and baby are doing fine.  The due date is the end of September, close to our wedding anniversary.  Both Linda & I are really excited.  Are you ready for a picture?I think it’s really hard to see but the Doctor said there was no doubt.  So we’re gearing up to help Matt & Suzanne get ready for the big day.  After my hip heals.

Stay tuned for more information when it becomes available.

1st Day at Home

I awoke this morning in my own bed, which was really nice! Of course I had gotten up 3 times during the right to use the facilities, disturbing Linda each time.  But I digress…..

One of the items they sent me home with I didn’t mention was a twice a day shot requiem.  Some of you know how much I hate needles, and I tried my best to get them to change the prescription, but shots it was.  Not only shots, but given to the stomach.  Now I have a lot of room in that area, so that wasn’t a problem! The shots were a blood thinner that works much better than any other in that you don’t have to monitor it with blood tests.  But shots? The nurse thought I should do it myself, and I did the first one.  But poor Linda has been stuck doing the others.  Luckily, its only for 2 weeks, but it’s going to seem a long 2 weeks.

The first thing I looked forward to was a nice warm shower.  I had to settle for Linda doing a hand wash and hair shampoo, which was great.  I have oily skin so when I miss my showers my hair gets sticky and I don’t smell to good.  So that was a good start to the day.

About 10:00 a man delivered a VascuTherm 2 cold air machine made by Thermotek.  This machine generates a constant 43 degree flow of cold over the incision area.  I’m supposed to do a half hour on, half hour off, luckily not at night.  It’s really a cold 43 degrees.

Most of the day we just relaxed.  Linda had a chance to catch up on her sleep, and I even took a nap.  There’s not a whole lot that I can do, so I read a lot and watched some TV.  I did catch up on my emails and blog reading on the computer.  It was a bad day on TV because the Dodgers had the day off.  I finished my first book, “Treasure Trove” by Peter Turnbull.  I’ve read most of his books over the last 2 years.  He write British police procedurals set in York, England.  It’s a series staring DCI Hennessey and DS Yellich.  All are well written, and they give you insight into life in Northern England.  I’ve picked them up at the library, so if you want a good British mystery, check them out.

So that was day 1.  I did my exercises, used the cold machine, got my shots, had pizza for dinner, and gave a thank you prayer for getting through the surgery and having a wonderful wife, family, and friends.

Home Again, Home Again

We spent a nice Mother’s Day with Linda’s Mom, Lois, and Matt & Suzanne, expecting parents.  We meant at the Irvine Spectrum where there is a Cheesecake Factory.  It was very crowded, but it moved fast and just gave us more time to talk.  The food and service was very good, especially considering it was Mother’s Day. 

After a four hour visit we all said goodbye, except that Lois came home with us.  She was nice to volunteer as our dog sitter while I’m in the hospital.  She has a golden retriever that Pearl really loves, so it was a perfect solution.  About 7:00pm we left the village heading towards Santa Monica.  Since the surgery is scheduled for 7:00am, we had to be at the hospital at 5:00am to check in and get the pre surgery prep work.  Since it’s an hour and a half to Santa Monica, we decided to stay close by.  Even then we still had to get up at 4:00am.  I thought I was supposed to be retired!

We made it to the hospital on time.  They’re doing some construction so the only parking option was valet.  Darn.  Even though we had been interviewed by the hospital, we still had more forms to fill out and sign.  Then I was whisked back to pre-opt, where I had to put on the embarrassing hospital gown, give some blood for a test, and have an I-V installed.  Everything went well except the I-V, where the nurse struggled to find a good vein.  Then Linda came back to join me.  I know I’m the one getting surgery, but I think it’s just as hard on the loved ones waiting for news.

The surgery went well.  The ball was in worst condition that the x-rays showed.  He told Linda that it had completely collapsed and there was just pieces floating in the socket.  No wonder I’ve been limping hurting so much.  The Doctor removed the old hardware and added the hardware.  Then I guess I was rolled down to post-op.  I don’t remember a thing.  I woke up groggy in my room.  It was a very nice room that I didn’t have to share with anyone, and it even had a flat screen TV.  I really didn’t pay much attention to anything because I was sore, crabby, depressed and any other adjectives you want to add.  I felt sorry for Linda, but I was pretty miserable.

She left for home about 8:00pm, a very long day for her.  I drifted in and out of sleep while they checked on me every hour.  When you have work done on your legs, they always worry about blood clots so I have to wear these white support stockings.  I don’t know how you women put up with panty hose all those years! And I had to have a Cather inserted during the surgery.  If you don’t know what a Catheter is, you’re better off not knowing.  Let’s just say it’s very uncomfortable.

Tuesday I started feeling a lot better.  I think getting rid of all of the leftover anesthesia helps clear the head.  But then at 9:00am the physical therapist showed up.  Didn’t he know that I had surgery the day before? So soon I was trying to lift my leg, and doing some minimal exercises.  As he left, he said he was coming back in the afternoon to start me walking.  Is this guy nuts! I floated back to sleep and then I was woken up by more tests, then lunch.  Like I was really hungry.  After lunch, here comes Dick, the physical therapist, is back and he does get me out of bed and walking with a walker.  It was completely different than the last surgery on my hip.  This time, instead of keeping weight off my leg, I was supposed to put weight on it.  It surprised my that I did well, and he promised to come the next day for more training.  Another fitful night of sleep, then more PT.  I felt so much better and the PT went so well, I decided to come home a day early.  Oh, and the catheter was removed.  Painful but a relief at the same time.  A last visit by Dick for PT to learn how to handle curbs, the I-V removed, and then the long drive home. 

Of course this whole episode would have been much tougher if it wasn’t for the support of my wonderful wife, Linda.  She had everything arranged at home from me, plus putting up with my crabbiness makes her a very special person.  I’m really blessed by her and the rest of our family and friends.

Finally a Surgery Date-May 10

Not much exciting has been happening with us as we waded through all of the hassles of preparing for my hip surgery.

First we had to get approval from the Department of Labor because it’s covered under workman’s comprehensive.  The original case worker was based in Seattle because that’s where the injury occurred.  But he’s gone, and the person that replaced him thought that it should go to the SD office.  When I explained to her that we are currently in SoCal, she wanted to transfer the case to the San Francisco office which would have delayed things.  I finally convinced her to keep the claim because we’re a moving target and who knows where we’ll be next.

Because of the second surgery, it had to be approved by a different manager, so we had to wait for that.  Finally everything is approved.  We had our choice of dates as long as it was on a Monday.  The closest openings were for 7:00am on 5-10,  or 10:30am on 5-17.  We have to be at the hospital 2 hours before the surgery.  Even though it means we have to be there at 5:00am, I opted for the closer appointment.  I want to get it over with and start the recovery process so we can enjoy a least part of the summer.

I had to get a physical before the surgery to make sure my heart was beating and a chest x-ray.  Everything went well, so we’re ready to go on Monday.

The surgery will be at St. John’s hospital in Santa Monica.  So we’re going to get a hotel room for Sunday night so we don’t have a long drive on Monday morning.

Hopefully this will be the final act in a long running play.  I have confidence in the Doctor, and I’m going to push myself for a successful recovery.  Stay tuned.

We Split Up

But only for the day.  Linda and her sister Donna picked up Chase and took him to the San Diego Zoo.  I had a luncheon appointment with my second cousin, Judy, to deliver the hands.

You’re probably thinking “what hands”.  The Bauman family has a tradition that dates back to 1883 of wax hands on the wedding cake for members of the family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judy’s daughter is getting married in May in Rhode Island and she wanted the hands for the celebration.  So the tradition continues! Is that neat or what.  We had a nice lunch at the Cheesecake Factory, and we had a pleasant hour catching up with family news.  When I was growing up I was lucky to be close to a lot of my cousins, and the families would get together for any holiday.

Meanwhile, the sisters were having a great time with Chase at the Zoo.

There’s a lot more pictures at this link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/winequest/ChaseAtTheSanDiegoZoo#

So we’re having a good time here in SoCal while we wait for a surgery date.

Life at Laguna Woods Village

We’re starting to settle in here at Gezerville.  Linda has done a great job of cleaning everything from the dust and finding places for the stuff we took out of the MoHo.  She’s cleaned the patio and worked on the potted plants.  She’s also rejoined the beading club and completed her first project on Monday.  She sure makes pretty jewelry.

I’ve been pretty limited in what I can do because of my hip, which makes me frustrated and grumpy.  I have attended a couple of seminars in the Photo Lab on mounting & matting photos.  They have a dedicated  room with all of the tools you need to do a professional job.  They also have high end computers with all of the photo software and wide format professional printers.  I’m looking forward to using some of the printers in the near future.

It is a little strange living in a gated community with older adults.  We were driving into the village earlier this week when we saw a woman walking her bird.  We had to stop and get a picture!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s amazing what you can find here.  Anyway, we hope you’re having a fun week, and enjoying everyday.

The Hip Doctor

On Wednesday we made the trip to Santa Monica to see my Orthopedic Doctor.  My hip has gotten worst the last couple of months when it should be continuing to get better.  We were both very concerned.

After the X-Rays were taken (I wear sweats with no metal so I don’t have to put on a hospital gown) the Doctor came in to see us.  He took one look at the film and said you’ve got a problem. 

To review where the hip was injured, the break is between the femur and the knob that fits into the pelvis.  It’s a small thin connection area, and to heal the break the Doctor in Port Angeles put in a plate and some screws.  It was very slow healing, but on the last visit the Doctor determined that it was fully healed.

This time he said that the break was fine, but the knob that fits into the socket of the hip bone had died, and now the knob had collapsed.  That’s what caused the increase in pain and the limping.  The only solution is a total hip replacement.

So it’s back to the hospital for me.  We don’t know when as the insurance (workman’s comp) has to approve the surgery.  Hopefully it will be in the next 2 to 4 weeks.  It’s not that painful so there’s no big rush.  When I get a date and more information I’ll post it here in the blog.

So that’s our latest adventure.  It just goes to show that everything in our lives is not fun and games.  The Doctor said that the recovery is very fast, and I’ll be able to do anything I want after a short time.  Including golf, hiking, and geocaching.  So I really have something to look forward to.

Easter 2010

We are in our condo in Laguna Woods Village for awhile.  This gives us a opportunity to spend more time with our families, which we love to do.

On Easter Sunday we met at Linda’s Moms house for an Easter Egg hunt-for the Grandkids, not us.  Donna & Tiffany kind of hid the eggs in the back yard.  Then Iris, Violet, and Chase went at it.

  Iris had the most success with Chase not far behind.  But everyone got their fair share and more!

After the hunt and some gift opening, Valerie & Rick left to visit Rick’s family, and Katie left to visit her family.  Mom, Donna, Tiffany and us left to go to Lucille’s BBQ Restaurant to meet Matt & Suzanne to celebrate the rest of the day.  We had a great meal and a lot of conversation, especially about Matt & Suzanne’s new addition to their family coming on 9-27!

We had a great family day.  If you want to see more of the pictures check our Picasa Album at the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/winequest/Easter2010#

Our Winter Adventures End

Tuesday morning we loaded up the MoHo for the last time on this trip, and headed into the dreaded Los Angeles freeways.  We left about 9:00am, with one last toot of the air horn as a goodbye to our friends Bob & Maggie.  They’re staying at Indian Waters until Easter, and then start heading North to their home in Bellingham, WA.  We wish them a very safe journey.

We timed it well to make it through the Santa Ana Canyon on Hwy. 91, down the 55 to I-5 and then South to Laguna Woods.  We called ahead for permission to park on the street by our condo to unload and take everything out of MoHo.  We discovered stuff we haven’t seen for years!

A big disappointment was our entrance into the condo.  We contracted for a new floor and finishing off the kitchen ceiling and lights while we gone.  The work was done, and it was just as we had requested.  But the problem was that it was a mess.  There was dust everywhere from the drywall and flooring installation.  That really put a damper on our homecoming.

Wednesday was a big day for us, as we finally moved MoHo into it’s permanent storage spot here in Laguna Woods, space 446.  We’ve been waiting for a year for a spot to open up that will hold our 40’ motorhome.  The nice part is that the rental is only $160 a year, versus $170 a month we were paying at El Toro.   Big savings.  It was a good fit and we currently have no one parked next to us so that we can work on the MoHo with plenty of space.

We spent the rest of the week cleaning up the mess left by our contractors, catching up on laundry, shopping and settling in.  We went down and visited Linda’s Mom on Thursday to install her new computer and printer.  Both are working just fine, but it’ll take a while to get use to the new screens.  It’s a big jump from Windows XP to Windows 7.  Linda’s a great trainer, and she’ll have her Mom up to speed in no time.

So we’re back at the beach.  We don’t know how long we’ll stay here or when we’ll start traveling again because of unknown factors.  As we get things settled, we’ll plan our travels for the Summer.  Stay tuned for updates.

Signature Motorhome Resort

On Monday we met with our friends at Ron & Dona Davis’s lot in the Signature Motorhome Resort.  This is the finest RV Resort that Linda & I have ever visited.There is a 9 hole executive golf course with lakes and canals.  All of the lots have views of the mountains or canals, and have grass surrounding them.  One of the Davis’s friends has an electric boat and took all of us on a tour of the resort. The view of the lots from the canal gives you a different perspective.  Many of the lots have extensive improvements.  The only limitation is that you can’t add a room, only a small shed.  Here’s some of the fancier remodels.   There’s also some beautiful waterfalls and bridges. Back at the Davis lot, Ron was putting the finishing touches on some smoked ribs done on his Traeger Grill.  It’s a special grill that uses hardwood pellets for fuel.  Ron had smoked the ribs about 6 hours so they were very tender and delicious. It was a wonderful finale to a great Winter with our friends from the Northwest.  Tomorrow we’re heading back to Laguna Woods Village, and the rest of the group are starting to pack up to head up the beautiful Oregon & Washington.

For more pictures of the resort and our friends, check out our Picasa Album at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/winequest/RonDonaSIndioHome#

Back to CA, & Ardyn’s Baptism

Our time is AZ this Winter has come to an end.  It’s been a great time spent with friends and enjoying nice resorts.  But all good things must come to an end.

We left on Saturday to head to Indio, CA, to stay at the nicest Western Horizons park, Indian Waters.  We wanted to attend our Michael & Katie’s new daughter’s baptism on Sunday.  But we couldn’t bring our MoHo back to Laguna Woods Village until Tuesday.  Indio is a good stopping point which allows us to attend the baptism and visit our friends staying in Indio.  A perfect solution.

We made good time going from Camp Verde, AZ, down I-17 to Loop 101, then a straight shot down I-10 to Indio, about 370 miles.  We arrived at the resort about 3:00pm, and we got lucky with a 50 amp site with grass around it.  Sometimes arriving on Saturday limits the good sites.  The weather was a balmy 80 degrees, warmer than we’ve been all Winter in AZ.  It’s been a cool year there.

Sunday morning we got going early to drive to Murrieta for the 10:30 service.  It was about a 1 1/2 hour drive, and with light traffic we made good time.  Everybody was there and the service was a real celebration for Palm Sunday.  Oh, and also for the Baptism! Ardyn really took to the ceremony, not crying once.

After church we all headed over to Michael & Katie’s new house for lunch.  Everyone had to take turns holding Ardyn.

After a delicious lunch we all gathered in the front yard for group pictures.  Here’s one of all the young kids and parents. And here’s one of both sides of Michael & Katie’s family.  If you want to see more pictures, check our Picasa web album at:

http://picasaweb.google.com/winequest/ArdynSBaptism#

Oak Creek Canyon & Sedona, AZ

We wanted to visit Sedona before we left, and in my infinite wisdom decided to go North on I-17 to 89-A and go down Oak Creek Canyon.  It was a nice sunny day, but as we drove North we started to see snow on the side of the road.  And the temperature outside was a warm 42 degrees.  I guess we’re a little early this year.

We made it to the 89-A junction and started down from about 7000 ft. attitude down to 3500 ft. at Sedona following Oak Creek.  It wasn’t as pretty as it could have been because all of the oak trees haven’t leafed out yet.  But the Ponderosa Pines were a stark contrast.  And with all of the snow the creek was flowing very fast.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s hard to believe that that creek created this beautiful canyon and all of the red rock serrations.  It was a twisty road but it had beautiful views, and the closer we got to Sedona the more red rocks we saw.The town of Sedona is mostly art galleries, tourist shops, restaurants, and new age shops.  But they’re still interesting to browse.  We had a forgettable lunch at Orchards Inn.  You would think a restaurant with that name would serve fresh foods and salads, not burgers and mexican food.

All of the rock outcroppings have names, and the one I liked was Snoopy. You can see Snoopy lying on top of his doghouse in the center of the picture.  Can’t you??

We enjoyed our time in the canyon and plan to come back here later in the year to enjoy the oak trees in full bloom.  There’s some great hiking trails along the creek when my hip gets better.

We did get one great picture of the four of us. We’ve really enjoyed out time with Bob & Maggie and we’re going to miss them when they head back home to Washington.

Out of Africa-In Arizona

Since we enjoy zoos and animal parks (except for Sea World-ask Linda about details) we decided to visit the local attraction, Out of Africa Wildlife Park.

Bob & Maggie drove, and as we entered we know it was going to be a different experience.  It was built on two different levels, the African Plains, and the upper level where all of the predators were displayed.  We took a bus ride around the lower level to view the different animals.  There were a lot of different antelopes.

And we got to feed the Giraffes.Linda even got a sloppy kiss, but I wasn’t able to get a picture, darn.

After the bus ride we took a tram to the upper level, where we got to see the big cats.

It was hard to get good pictures because of all of the chain link fences.  But then again, we didn’t want to face any of the cats without the fence.

There was a show in the afternoon call Tiger Splash.  They had a large swimming pool, and the trainers interacted with the tigers in the pool and on the grass around the pool.  It was amazing that the tigers would try the same actions on the trainers and not harm them, but on balls and inflatable toys they were very  aggressive with all of the teeth bared. If you look closely you can see the trainers legs under the tiger.

At the end of the day, they had a special event, the Predator Feed.  They had a truck with a trailer behind it that contained food.  They only feed the cats 3 times a week, and they hadn’t been fed since Sunday, so they were hungry.  They threw large turkeys, chickens, and some beef ribs to the different animals.  And they were very hungry. It was a little gross.  It was amazing that many of the animals in the same enclosures didn’t try to fight over the food.  I guess they knew that everyone would get their share.

It was a very enjoyable day observing the animals in the warm AZ sunshine.  We were glad we went.  If you want to see more pictures, click on the following link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/winequest/OutOfAfrica#