Knee Surgery

Well, it was fun going to meet the knee surgeon today. I'll start off by saying I thought it was going to be a big deal kind of surgery. I got in to see the doctor and he got straight to the point. I had given the nurse the MRI CD so the Dr could take a look. The MRI images didn't show the two pieces of cartilage floating so at first the Dr didn't address that in the beginning. He told me what the images were showing and that there isn't as much missing cartilage that I initially thought from my primary doctor. So the surgeon said we could try some physical therapy things for 4-6 weeks to see if that would help with the pain and gave me a sheet to look at with the different activities. See, the problem I had with that is some of the things they were showing in the physical therapy sheet were things that I had been doing that lead me to see the doctor in the first place (elliptical, stationary bike, squats, etc.). So I told him I was going to be forward with him and that I think surgery is going to be the best option to get this better. We know it's not going to be a permanent fix because it is the start of arthritis as well as these other issues. What he will be able to do is this: scope the area where the cartilage has rubbed off and take the two floating pieces out. They would do it arthroscopically (just two holes as opposed to laparoscopically with three holes). The recover time is crazy fast! They want me to take it easy 24-48 hours after the 15 minute surgery and I should be able to drive the next day. I don't know after that how long until I can go running again but he gave me the impression that I would be up and running in no time. The surgeon's office had to call the imaging place that did the MRI to get the results to show that there are two pieces of cartilage floating in the back of my knee.

So, I go in on April 6th for surgery. It'll be in the morning sometime but we won't know exactly when until a couple days before. It could be as early as 5:30a. I thought I'd be smart and do it on a Friday so Chris would be able to be there and that I would have the weekend with Chris' help during any recovery that I need. I hope this will solve this problem so I can be up and going again. I am missing going on walks because I was doing so well with my weight loss.

If anyone wants to watch our little cutie for most of the Friday (because it's in Fremont and I have to be there an hour and a half before surgery) let me know. She is so easy to watch and doesn't care when I leave.

See, what a bundle of fun she is!

Penelope's 15 month check up

What a crazy few days! Yesterday we got to get Penny's stats for her 15 month well check up. She is now a whopping 23lbs 15oz (just under 50th percentile, which is normal because of her walking so much), 31 inches tall (50-70 percentile), and her head is 47 1/2 cm (90 percentile). She is indeed getting her canines on the top. They're about done breaking through but thankfully it explains her 130am morning calls to us and her mega drooling. The pediatrician had a lot of 15 month check ups that day and she said Penny was the most advanced talker. She was pointing to stuff in a book and saying what she thought it was (ball, fish, baby, cat, etc). We told the doctor of our latest adventure of food that Penny has had (black olives, onions, and some other veggies). She (the Dr) was surprised that Penny doesn't like really sweet things (icing, really sweet fruits) but Penny just had her first piece of chocolate a few nights ago and LOVED it.

Penelope has been enjoying outside (her swing and the sidewalk chalk). Here's a fun picture from the other day:

Ironically, that day she had 3 poopy diapers. I also asked her where her tongue was, which is why it's sticking out. As you can see in the background, we don't have anything planted yet but it's a goal of ours still. Penelope is no longer afraid of the grass and will walk right from the patio to the grass! Well, I need to eat some good food so later!

Fun Words

I am so grateful for all the help that we've been given (dinners for 3 nights and lending a teenager to help me watch Penny while I was medicated). One of the things I have been extremely grateful for is the friend who watched Penny overnight while I was in the hospital. Since being home, I have noticed Penelope has picked up a couple new words and actions. She has learned the word "uh-oh" which was really cute to notice. She took a piece of food from her highchair, dropped it on the floor, looked down, and then said "uh-oh". I looked at Chris and said "She didn't learn that from me". He then told me she did that the night before and thinks she picked it up while she was at the sleepover. She says it so seriously too :) The other word/action she is doing now is "more" with the sign for it. When I picked Penny up, the friend asked if we did signs with Penny and I said we hadn't. She mentioned that her 4 year old would walk up to Penny while she was eating and say "More?" with the sign. I guess she did it enough times while there that it stuck. Penelope was already saying "more" but it's cute to see her do the sign for it when she says it too.

Off the top of my head, here are some frequent words Penny says during a typical day: mama (referring to me- at first it was just a word to say), dada (which now means dad- it used to mean anything and everything), more, uh-oh, up, juice, noodle, 'tato (potato), apricot (although when she says it, it isn't exactly the same), sandwich, berry, banana, down, moon, monkey, elephant, milk, night, duck, quack (she says "googa"), poopoo, baby, bird, car, diaper, shoes, pants, arm, toes, nose, ears, mouth, tongue, brush just to name a few. Now, some of the words aren't exactly how you and I would say them but in the conversation and situation you know what she means.

She has her 15 month check up in the next week. It's going to be a fun filled doctor month for the two of us (well, mostly me with her appointment there at the end). I have my follow up for the surgeon who took out my appendix and for my knee surgeon to take a look at the MRI and to schedule when I'll have surgery on my knee. My poor husband wants to give me hugs and he has to be gentle now (because of where the holes are) and then he'll have to be careful around my knee soon.

I am so grateful for those who have been helping me out and for my loving husband who picks up any slack I have at the end of the day.

Well, it's about time to put my little girl to bed. Later!

Appendicitis

So, these have been an adventurous few days. As I said yesterday, I was having some abdominal pain. I had no idea it was this bad though. The best way to describe the pain is a constant contraction. Sunday night into Monday, I couldn't sleep. I was almost in tears. But Chris thought it still might be unreleased gas. I wasn't so sure. Chris had given me a blessing Sunday morning before Church (at that point I thought it was nerves because I didn't have much pain). After the blessing, Chris said he didn't think this was nerves. We went to Church on Sunday but left during Sunday School because I couldn't sit and I felt like throwing up. I did end up getting sick 3 times Sunday (including the Tums mentioned in the post before this).  Yesterday morning, the pain was only on my lower right side BUT I had talked to my mom and told her what was going on and we didn't think it was my appendix. I needed to pick up my MRI CD from my Dr so after driving Chris to work, coming home to let Penny nap and have lunch, I was ready to pick it up around 140pm. I got there (the whole while I was told to keep moving even if it hurt because that's how gas is able to get out) and as she was handing me the CD I told her of the discomfort I was having. She said she would work me in right then to see the doctor. I said I felt silly but I'd rather be safe than sorry and see if he had any other suggestions for me.

I was not prepared to hear what he said. He had me go over what had happened the past day and a half and then had me lay on the exam table. Then, he did some fun (NOT) tapping on my abdomen to see where the pain was and what he thought it was. He sat me up and said "I want you to go to the hospital and have blood drawn and a CT scan of your appendix. I think you have appendicitis".  I felt like I was an accident waiting to happen (I've only been a patient with him a week TODAY). He then looked at Penny and asked if I had someone to watch her because after the CT scan he wanted me to wait for him to call me with the results and if they were positive that I would be going into surgery that night.

I only had to call one sister in the ward and tell her what was going on and she said no problem. I then called Chris to put him on the alert if he needed to get up there if I needed surgery. I then dropped Penny off at 3pm with little instruction and with milk and snacks. I was sure I'd be back to pick her up by 5pm. This smart sister knew better and told me if and when Chris needed to get to the hospital that they were willing to get him there and keep Penny overnight if they had to. I (drove myself) had blood draw (took them a minute because I was dehydrated) and then on to the CT scan (thankfully, that area had free vallet parking). That is the weirdest test EVER! They put iodine in for a contrast (through an IV, which also took them a minute to find a vein) which makes you feel all warm inside and almost like you're peeing yourself (but the lady told me I wasn't but I would feel that way). Just after the CT test I asked if I could have some water. They called someone and said nope. A few minutes later I got the call from the doctor-

"You're going into surgery tonight. Your surgeon will be _______.  He is a great surgeon. You'll be there overnight if not longer. Go to registration and get all set." (of course I double checked the name of the surgeon before I got off the phone with him).

Well, you can only imagine how many calls I had to make before going to registration. I had to call Chris to get him up there (his boss drove him up), called my mom, called the sweet sister who had Penny and say plan on her to be there overnight; I had to call the family that was going to watch Penny this afternoon, for the appointment with the knee surgeon, and say that I wasn't going to that appointment and why, had to call to cancel my appointment to meet the knee surgeon, and a couple people who knew a little of what was going on.

Because it happened all so fast, it did take a little while to get registered. They told me at registration that I would most likely go home the same night (which I was surprised at because my Dr said it may be a couple days). So when we finally met up with the surgeon, he said it was too late in the evening to send us home after surgery (it was around 630p then). He said there were a couple emergencies ahead of us. The nurses had a fun time finding a vein to get the IV in (I was REALLY dehydrated) but thankfully they got a vein the first time in! We met the anesthesiologist who went over what she was going to do and also we were able to talk to her about the difference between this kind of anesthesia and what I'd be given for my knee surgery. We called the Elders Quorum President to come help Chris give me a blessing before I was to go in but he got there just 5 minutes after I went in (going in about 8p).

So, I remember being wheeled into the operating room and seeing the anesthesiologist. She said she mixed a nice cocktail for me which will be a sample of what I'd be given. She then put it into my IV and they rolled me next to the operating bed. I don't remember anything after that  until after surgery. The next thing I remember is being wheeled back into a recovery  room until they have a regular room for me. I looked at the clock and it said 9:20p. Chris said once I was in my room I was saying funny things. Let me explain- If any of you have seen Bill Engvall, you will know what I'm talking about. Bill says the thing about him is when he has a thought he can't keep it "locked up" in his head; he interjects it into a conversation. Chris says I was kind of like that, saying random things that I normally wouldn't say. By 10p, I was settled in a room and had received a blessing. The Elders Quorum President offered his wife to make dinner for us the following night (tonight).

The kept an eye on my blood pressure for a while and kept me hydrated through the IV. Chris thought it would be best if he slept at home (with Penny still at our friend's house) because discharge would be between 7a and 11a and we all needed some good sleep after this long day. Before Chris went home, we went for a walk in the hallway. The nurses at the station were so impressed with me (I had only been out of surgery for a couple hours). I was given the best kind of pain killers. The nurses wanted to give me pain medicine if my pain level was a 3 or 4 (out of 10) so it wouldn't get bad. I have a follow up appointment with this surgeon to see how it's healing. The nurses were fantastic.

So technically, I can lift Penny but the surgeon said to be smart about how I lift. I have 3 holes in my tummy (they used my belly button as one of the holes). Chris stayed home today to make sure I was doing well. He'll be going to work tomorrow. We have dinner being brought to us tomorrow night. I am moving from being allowed to have a liquid diet to mushy stuff (mashed potatoes, apple sauce, ground beef, soft veggies and fruits, etc). They want me to move around during the day to avoid blood clots.

Well, that's been my last 24 hours for you (or a little more). Off to take some ibuprofen and then drift off to sleep! I don't know what we're really in need of. I'll need to do a grocery run tomorrow probably in the morning. My phone is always on.

Long nights

Penelope has been waking up every few nights of the week to "play". We've been smart lately about it by checking her diaper and then giving her a sippy cup, leaving her light on to read books if she wants. Well, Chris put his foot down a couple nights ago. She still didn't want to just play in her crib and Chris didn't want the lights on anymore. He went into her room and turned that light off and she started balling- loud and painful. I was glad Chris was by my side because I so wanted to go in there and just lay her back down in the crib to calm her. Chris was wiser than I and said she just needed to cry it out and not become nocturnal. Thankfully, it didn't last longer than 30 minutes. We sat up listening to her while on our various Apple devices. She finally gave in and fell asleep. Because of the daylight savings, she hasn't woken up in the middle of the night again. She is becoming such a fun loving little girl. She was so tired yesterday that she fell asleep in the highchair. Chris couldn't help but take a picture. (He's been waiting to find her asleep in a crazy spot.)

 

Adorable, yes?

Yesterday and today I've been having some abdominal pain but it's almost gone. I called the nurse 24 hour line from the insurance company and they suggested (after many questions) to take 2 tums and call the doctor in the morning. Well, I don't handle tums well I have figured out. About an hour after I took them they were in the toilet. I go see the surgeon tomorrow afternoon with Chris. He's being really supportive and wanting me to stay off my feet as much as I can (which means taking it easy during the day and not do any unnecessary walking). Well, as soon as Penny is up we're off to get the MRI CD from the doctor for the surgeon to look at. I will post some pictures from the MRI if anyone is interested :)

Surgery

Well, this is going to be about me this time. I went to the doctor Tuesday afternoon. He did all sorts of fun tests (rotating my knee to see when it hurt) and had me set up an appointment for an MRI. He said that it sounded like a cartilage problem like I said I thought it was too and if it's not bad then we could do some physical therapy type of things as well as something for pain if I felt like I needed it but worse case I would need surgery. I called Wednesday morning to set up the MRI appointment. They were very nice on the phone and helpful as to what I needed and did not need to bring. The MRI was a new experience for me. I guess the machine was loud (I had ear plugs in) and it felt weird (I almost think I felt the waves going threw my knee). After it was done, they asked if I had a follow up appointment set and I said the doctor was going to call me to set something up as soon as he had the results. They said he should get the disc by Friday afternoon. So, to my surprise, the doctor's office called today to see when I could come in- today, tomorrow, or Monday. I said I was free today so they said come in at 330p. Someone was kind enough to watch Penelope for me while I went. The doctor got straight to the point:
I need surgery. I have 2 (count 'um 2) pieces of cartilage floating behind my knee (dims of 7x5x4mm and 13x6x2mm). Also, it looks like I have very little cartilage between my knee cap and the other bones. He said different surgeons have different methods of dealing with the latter- either scraping the bone to create a different cartilage or many other methods that are out there. (Well, that explains the BEAUTIFUL grinding noise my knee makes). I told him that it wasn't that I was a baby for the pain I was feeling. That was my biggest fear. He says it's hard to say when it happened but I think I should have done an MRI 4 years ago when I got home from my mission (when I had it X-rayed because of pain).
I learned from a couple friends here that x-rays don't show cartilage damage, just bone. Had I known that then... well, we'd be in a different situation.
The doctor has given me 3 referrals for surgeons of my choosing- one in Los Gatos, one it Campbell, and one in Sunnyvale. I'm going to be checking which ones are covered under my insurance and then setting up an appointment. As soon as the doctor has the CD/film of my MRI, I'll need to pick that up so the surgeon has it. The doctor also wants me to take it easy on my knee (meaning no more 90+ mins of mall walking). This means I need to just focus on my diet and just go for a short walk around the block.

I will add pictures from the MRI as soon as I get the CD and I will keep you all posted as things progress.

Long Day.

I'm sure we've all had them- the days where we're running around to get everything done or taken care of. For me, today was that day. I went to the dentist while friends watched Penny for our "Park days" inside today and then got in to see a doctor today about my knee. Penny took naps before going to "Park days" and after going to the doctors. I am so grateful for her naps and for friends to watch her while I get my mouth poked and cleaned. The dentist said everything is looking better and I set up my next appointment. The doctor got to hear my knee's life story. It was kind of intense to keep track of everything in a proper timeline. The good thing is that he heard me and I'm having an MRI done to see if there's any cartilage problem and then take it from there. I wasn't nervous to go on the doctor's scale (which is a BIG deal for me). I have lost almost 10 lbs!
We went to San Francisco last Saturday (which is partly what prompted me to go to the doctor this week) and got to have a grand time. We walked over 6 miles. It was a good start and made us realize how much we need to work on getting ready for our 5K. We're doing our nightly walk every other night at this point.  I thought Penny would love Pier 39 but by the time we got there, she had fallen asleep. We really enjoyed taking the CalTrain. It was so much better than trying to find a parking spot and then dealing with traffic. Penny slept well that night :) And as an added bonus, Penny didn't burn and I only got a little burn on my cheeks. We walked through Chinatown and stopped at Gharridelli chocolate. I think I know the route I want to take next time we go up.
Sunday was my cousin's husband's birthday so we went down for that. Unfortunately, Penelope got sick towards the end of dinner. We have our suspicions as to what caused this event. Plus, she bonked her head on the floor a couple of times. I have been smart and packing 2-3 outfits in the bag for her. I never want to take my chances with that and diapers when we know we're going to be out all day.
Tomorrow, I'm getting my pass for the Apple gym and then working out a schedule to make it happen. I may have found a friend to swap babysitting with. I hope this will help my progress to loose more weight. I'm slowly creeping back to the weight I was when Chris and I were dating.
Here's a fun question: to get bangs or not to get bangs? I had them when I was much younger but I have been tossing the idea around again in my head. If I do it and they don't turn out right, I have to wait for them to grow back as I would keep them pulled back. If I do and they look good, then I may be able to maintain them by myself. Oh the dilemmas of the evening. Plus, Chris doesn't really care.
Well, I need to get my computer to upload pics from San Fran to show you how much we enjoyed ourselves.

Cheerful video!

I hope this video makes you smile!

I had to lower the quality to get it to upload. Enjoy!