Karen will be the death of me (see later)

A very fed up kp all week this week. She is very frustrated with not being “better” now. She keeps comparing herself to anyone else she knows who has had a hip replacement. I have to keep reminding her that she is only just over 3 weeks post op.

kp:- Yes, but I am sure your mam was up and about more by this time.

dp:- I don’t think she was, and even if she was, she hasn’t had a stroke or a broken pelvis.

She was really concerned midweek that she wasn’t going to get much better. Fiddlesticks.

It is a bit weird, because one day she would be “ok” – Able to walk with the stick from room to room. The next day, i would be ferrying her, here, there and everywhere in the wheelchair ?!

But, I am pleased to report as the week got towards the end, there has been a marked improvement. Since friday, there has only been very sporadic use of the wheelchair, which is good. The other good thing, and it’s REALLY good !!!!

Before the op, she was upto 150mg Fentanyl Patches. The limit she could go to is 175mg Fentanyl and then she would have been going on to oral morphine ! But as this week has progressed, she hadn’t been asking when the patch was due for a change. So, we decided to go the full 3 days, and reduce the patch. She did 3 days on a 100mg Patch, and on Friday, we did 75mg Patch. Which is great !

During the week, she has not been feeling very well. She can’t put her finger on it, but said she felt anxious and her stomach wasn’t right. She couldn’t be any more specific.

Over the weekend, some research on the internet revealed this was a symptom of fentanyl withdrawal Good to know there is a reason.

Tommy the tiler (our next door neighbour) has been tiling our kitchen all week. Big Job and he has been doing a cracking job.

Marie and Adele have been performing their usual wonders and making the house look spotless despite all the mess and giving Karen loads of TLC. Thanks girls !!!  I know you don’t often get a mention in the blog. It’s not that you’re taken for granted, but you’re here that often, you’re like the furniture, and I haven’t mentioned my recliner chair in the blog AT ALL ! Thanks I know ONLY too well, how hard this journey would have been without you !

Friday saw a marked improvement in Karen’s walking. It’s still not “walking”, but its much less of a hobble.

I can’t remember if I mentioned this already in the blog, but we were due to go to Cyprus w/c April 8th 2007. But kp can’t go, because of the risk of clots. But I can go, she has said, so I am looking forward to that big time.

What else…..

Yesterday (Saturday), Jane and Ronnie came up for Sat/Sun night. We had the usual fun-filled nights. kp was nearly wetting herself with laughter last night as we all were at Jane’s antics and that of her grandmother wearing paper knickers when going on holidays abroad. She went out one day – it was a very hot day – when she got back, she was left with 3 pieces of elastic (2 on her legs, 1 round her waist), the paper knickers had disintegrated. It doesn’t sound funny, but when Jane tells it, it’s a much better story.

We went to the Pump House for lunch today – gorgeous as always.

I got my new phone out (better camera, and video camera), and took a photo of the girls. But it was in video mode, so CLICK HERE to see kp doing her improved walking.

For those without Quicktime installed, here is a photo of the girls outside the Pump House.

So, why will Karen be the death of me. I can’t remember which day it was, but it was one night this week.

Karen has a raised toilet seat with feet going all the way to the floor. I couldn’t be arsed going to the other toilet, so went on it. As I went to the sink after abluting, I stubbed my toe on the foot. Grrrr.

Leaving the bathroom, my dressing gown caught on the wheelchair arm and nearly took me down.

As I entered the living room, Karen was sitting in my chair, with her walking stick down by her side but it was sticking out by a foot at shin level. Bang, straight into it. There was some blue language as I performed a miraculous recovery. Karen found it very funny, especially when I described what had happened on the way from the bathroom to the living room.