Well, here I sit with my leg up, as instructed, and with a bag of frozen peas on my knee, hoping to bring the swelling down. I've started taking Ibuprofen now as well, to help with the inflammation. I don't like taking unnecessary medicines, especially painkillers, unless I really need them. I haven't touched the Co-Drydamol that the hospital gave me on Monday, but needs must and I'll start with the Ibuprofen now, especially after having had a bad day yesterday.
On Tuesday, the day after the op, I took it easy but I seemed to be able to move around OK, and, on Wednesday, I walked along to the shops with little difficulty. On Thursday, I had my regular appointment at the local Cardio Clinic and so I again walked along there. It was on the way back, when I got to Corsee Road, that I suddenly encountered pretty sharp pain in my knee, and it was a struggle to hobble home from there.
My knee is still swollen and sore this morning but I was able to gingerly walk along to the shops again. I'll tread carefully from here, but I am getting a bit stir-crazy sitting around the house all the time - especially when the weather is so nice. It's another beautifully sunny day again today - I would definitely be out walking or on my bike, if I could.
Incidentally, the Cardio Nurse complimented me on losing 2 kgs since my last visit. "What?", I said - "I've just returned from 6 weeks with the lushes Down Under. Are you sure?" Apparently it's true - well that's 2kgs less I have to lose now.
At this time a week ago, Jo and I were sitting in the lounge at Hong Kong airport, on the long wait for our flight back to the UK - a mistake we hope never to repeat. We should have gone in to the city and kept on the move, rather than sitting around indoors for 11 hours.
I had a couple of beers last Saturday, but otherwise, it's been a week of abstention - some of it enforced of course. I broke the fast last night when Malcolm Grigor invited me for a beer. I agreed - but only if we had it at the Tor-na-Coille - that's as far as I could make it yesterday.
Jo went swimming with her pals on Wednesday and she's going back again today - getting back in to the groove. I don't have a groove yet - this retirement thing is still all new to me, and I've had the distractions of a long holiday and an operation, so I don't really have a routine yet.
We've been catching up on Corrie of course - another 10 episodes or so and we'll be up to date. It's very much wallpaper TV - it's on in the background whilst we're doing other things. You don't have to watch, as long as you hear most of the narrative - and you can generally figure out where the story lines are going. Why then do we still record it? Habit, I guess - and it's a bit like an old cardigan - warm and comforting to come home to.
I'll be heading down to the Douglas Arms again tonight to join our usual Friday night crowd - my first time this year. Tomorrow afternoon promises more beer as there's a CAMRA meeting in Aberdeen and I've missed a few when we've been away.
The days are noticeably getting longer - nice to see. Of course, it's March on Sunday and just 4 weeks until the clocks go forward to BST again. This would normally be about the time when I go to seek some golf in the sun, in preparation for the new season. Last year, we went to Dubai and stayed with Nigel and Andrea Meany, but we certainly won't be doing that this year - Nigel gave us the shock news that Andrea has a large brain tumour, and as I write this, she is undergoing surgery in London to remove it, with her family anxiously awaiting the outcome.
More bad news came to Banchory this week when we heard that Frances Davies, wife of John, died on Monday. She, too, had a brain tumour and it had been a question of time.
What a terrible way to finish this blog posting - but I can't really follow this.
Ian R. Stewart Family Blog
Friday 27 February 2015
Tuesday 24 February 2015
Tuesday post-op
Yesterday's operation to fix the torn cartilage in my left knee nearly didn't happen due to a simple administrative error. I'd asked for it to be done as soon as I came back from Oz and before the end of February, if possible. I'd asked for them to give me the date by e-mail as I would be away, but nothing came through to me in January, so I contacted them again and discovered they had posted it out to me after all - and what's more the operation was booked for Friday 20th February - the day before we were home.
I reminded them this date wasn't possible and so they changed it to Monday 23rd (yesterday) and confirmed the time was 13:00 hours. I accepted this, although an afternoon op isn't great when you have to fast all day before it.
Well, we were sitting in the house yesterday and it was about noon and we were thinking about getting ready to leave, when the phone rang. "Mr. Stewart - Albyn Hospital here - we thought you were coming in at 11:00 am for your op?" No - it's 1:00 pm says I - I had this confirmed by e-mail. "Well, can you get here as soon as possible please?" Of course - and so off we set. I wished I'd had a blue flashing light on my car, but anyway, we got there about 12:35 pm, which wasn't too bad considering all the road works at Crathes and Blairs.
Despite all this, everything seemed to go OK and we left the hospital at about 6:00 pm, with Jo driving this time as I'd had a general anaesthetic and can't drive - or drink - for 48 hours at least.
I awoke early again this morning - 4 am - and lay there until almost 6 am when I eventually had to get up. I had a bite and came back upstairs with Jo's coffee and Kelly then FaceTimed. We wondered what Miller's reaction would be, but it was delightful - he beamed and tried to eat us on Kelly's iPad!
The heavy bandage I'd had on my knee slipped off, leaving just the waterproof plasters covering the two incisions:
For the medics amongst you, here's the papers the hospital gave us showing what was carried out:
What exactly is an "Arthroscopic Partial Medial Meniscectomy"? Does this help?:
So the saga of the Stewart knees continues. Since I ruptured the medial ligament on my right knee at football training in 1970, then discovered 20+ years later that I'd done my cruciate at the same time but they never fixed it, I've had arthroscopies carried out on both knees (in 2011), my right knee completely replaced (2013) and, after an x-ray and an MRI scan late in 2014, I've now had a further arthroscopy and repair to the cartilage on my left knee. I reckon all of that still leaves me behind my wee sister who had both knees replaced (one partial, one full) a number of years ago.
I do hope there's no more to come for a while - for me, or for any other family members. I was pleased to see that none of our grandchildren appear to have inherited this weakness. In fact, little Miller is so flexible when kneeling that Kelly was told by the development nurse last week not to let him sit on the floor with his legs splayed out behind him any more as it might apparently make him hen-toed!
As a final footnote to the admin errors referred to above, the postman rang the bell this morning. When we came back on Saturday, our mailbox was full and overflowing (we have no letterbox on our new front door) and then today he showed up with a plastic box full of even more mail - about another 3 mailboxes worth. Included in the postman's plastic box was a letter from the hospital confirming my changed appointment for yesterday - at 11 am!
So today I've followed instructions and rested up. Tomorrow, I'll take a short walk along to the shops and keep doing the exercises and ice treatment.
I reminded them this date wasn't possible and so they changed it to Monday 23rd (yesterday) and confirmed the time was 13:00 hours. I accepted this, although an afternoon op isn't great when you have to fast all day before it.
Well, we were sitting in the house yesterday and it was about noon and we were thinking about getting ready to leave, when the phone rang. "Mr. Stewart - Albyn Hospital here - we thought you were coming in at 11:00 am for your op?" No - it's 1:00 pm says I - I had this confirmed by e-mail. "Well, can you get here as soon as possible please?" Of course - and so off we set. I wished I'd had a blue flashing light on my car, but anyway, we got there about 12:35 pm, which wasn't too bad considering all the road works at Crathes and Blairs.
Despite all this, everything seemed to go OK and we left the hospital at about 6:00 pm, with Jo driving this time as I'd had a general anaesthetic and can't drive - or drink - for 48 hours at least.
I awoke early again this morning - 4 am - and lay there until almost 6 am when I eventually had to get up. I had a bite and came back upstairs with Jo's coffee and Kelly then FaceTimed. We wondered what Miller's reaction would be, but it was delightful - he beamed and tried to eat us on Kelly's iPad!
The heavy bandage I'd had on my knee slipped off, leaving just the waterproof plasters covering the two incisions:
For the medics amongst you, here's the papers the hospital gave us showing what was carried out:
What exactly is an "Arthroscopic Partial Medial Meniscectomy"? Does this help?:
So the saga of the Stewart knees continues. Since I ruptured the medial ligament on my right knee at football training in 1970, then discovered 20+ years later that I'd done my cruciate at the same time but they never fixed it, I've had arthroscopies carried out on both knees (in 2011), my right knee completely replaced (2013) and, after an x-ray and an MRI scan late in 2014, I've now had a further arthroscopy and repair to the cartilage on my left knee. I reckon all of that still leaves me behind my wee sister who had both knees replaced (one partial, one full) a number of years ago.
I do hope there's no more to come for a while - for me, or for any other family members. I was pleased to see that none of our grandchildren appear to have inherited this weakness. In fact, little Miller is so flexible when kneeling that Kelly was told by the development nurse last week not to let him sit on the floor with his legs splayed out behind him any more as it might apparently make him hen-toed!
As a final footnote to the admin errors referred to above, the postman rang the bell this morning. When we came back on Saturday, our mailbox was full and overflowing (we have no letterbox on our new front door) and then today he showed up with a plastic box full of even more mail - about another 3 mailboxes worth. Included in the postman's plastic box was a letter from the hospital confirming my changed appointment for yesterday - at 11 am!
So today I've followed instructions and rested up. Tomorrow, I'll take a short walk along to the shops and keep doing the exercises and ice treatment.
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