Good morning guys.

Just realized the 2024 thread wasn't a 2025 thread.

No issues yesterday with the pre op work. Confusion, but no continuing problems. Seems the hospital didn't know I had a PET Scan scheduled for tomorrow (different hospital, same computer communication system). They wanted me to cancel the PET scan at the other hospital so I could do the manipulation at their hospital and I said nope. They said they'd try to work out an acceptable schedule. Got a call about 330 PM telling me to be at the hospital for the manipulation at 0530 Monday morning. The PET scan still should happen at 1130 AM. After that it's an appt. on Thursday with the cancer doctor to go over the PET scan. And getting back to PT after the manipulation. Then I get a week, I think, with no appointments. It's going to slow down fairly soon. I'm ready for it.

I got to reading the can text yesterday while spooning out paper plates of dog food for the boys. The label says 3/4 to 1 can of dog food for each 10 lbs. the dog weighs. Bear alone would break my bank. Eleven cans a day would be $14 or $15 a day to feed him with canned food. That's a car payment, well, a 2021 F250 truck payment.

The high today is supposed to be in the high 30's. Don't figure I'll go out more than to feed the boys and drag the garbage cans around back. I keep saying these cold days are good soup days, good chicken pot pie days, etc. I keep getting sandwiches or chips and cheese. I guess I might have to dig through the cabinet (no longer sorted out nice and neat) and find a couple cans of good soup. Might be easier to find the pot pies in the freezer.

Have a great day guys.

 

Good morning guys.

A bit on the cool side all day yesterday and last night. Sunny all day though. I noticed the boys stretched out here and there in the pen soaking up the sun. Poor Duke didn't get much benefit from it though. He looks like a pile of snow that just won't melt. Even in the summer the sun doesn't really warm him up.

I'm a little paranoid after that last month or so. Got in bed last night and it seemed like it was a little hard to breathe. Stuck with it for a few minutes but finally got up and checked things out. Heart rate, blood pressure and heart rhythm were fine. Still surfed the internet from the couch for an hour or so before going back to bed No problems the second time. Only medicine I've stopped taking is the Eliquis. Not sure why. No cutting going on during a knee manipulation. Just a rule for them I suppose. I know they keep saying "surgery" when we talk. I remind them there is no "surgery" involved in putting me asleep and forcing my knee to bend. I get a funny look and they keep acting like the doctor is going to cut my leg open again. Can't win. The easy way out is the way these days.

It's time to start the pot of coffee up before I get my wife up. Tomorrow morning I've got to be at the hospital at 0530. I'm thinking I need to set the alarm for about 0330 to be sure we get ready and leave by 0445. I'll probably drive to the hospital in the dark/snow/maybe slick roads. By the time we leave it'll be daylight and the roads should be clearer and my wife can drive us home and then down to the other hospital for the PET scan at 1130. Not sure how long it'll take before they'll release me due to the anesthesia effects/getting over that. The doctor/surgeon said he'd make sure the knee didn't hurt after the manipulation so I could get through the PET scan without too much pain.

Have a great day guys. I think we're going to church this morning. Good thing my wife will be there to keep me awake after my late start on getting to sleep.

 

Good evening Virginia, Jim, Evan, George and all the crew.
Jim, I hope everything works out tomorrow and you are home safe, not hurting and relaxing in the recliner!

 

Good morning guys.

Supposed to be cold today but clearing up. It snowed another inch to inch and a half last night by the time we went to bed but melted on the sidewalk again. Supposed to have a string of cold but sunny to mostly sunny days here so the roads should dry up at some point. Before it snows again on Saturday.

Zero issues getting to the hospital for the manipulation yesterday. Got there well before 0530. The procedure didn't go as hoped. Only 90 to 95 degrees of bend. I was at 85 before. The doctor said he was pushing so hard on my leg/knee he was afraid he might brake the bones in my lower leg. I may not ever get the same angle on my left leg. It hurts, but mostly when I approach that max. degree level. From where it was there's no pain issues. Almost got out of bed last night as the left knee was hurting but fell back asleep before the "get out of bed" level was reached. Did two of the heel slide exercises yesterday and did another series of trying to force it to bend while sitting on the couch, planting my left food on the floor and sliding my butt towards my knee. Got to the point where it hurt, let the hurt subside and then pick my toes up as far as I could (I let the pain in the knee area limit how far I raised my toes up and how long I held them. One of those big 850 mg. Ibuprofen pills knocked out the pain after the initial heel slide a little after 9 AM. Still in effect on the next two sessions.

Got in tough with the Physical Therapist yesterday and got several visits scheduled. One already this morning, another tomorrow and one Friday. Three the week after that and then two a week out through the end of the month. Shouldn't take long as I've only got 5 or 10 degrees of bend from where I am to the max the doctor could get at the hospital with me sedated and him pushing on it till he feared a leg bone break.

The PET scan didn't happen. The hospital called and said they had an issue getting the right peope in to work to run the procedure. Had to call the oncologist and rescheduled the appt. with him to after the PET scan (now scheduled on the 25th of this month if I remember all those dates/times I wrote on the calendar yesterday. January just turned into a busy month again. Looks like the truck will be on the road some as some of those sessions at PT are on the same days my wife's sister has PT but at different times.

I drove to the hospital yesterday morning and the RAV4 did great. Road was mostly wet with some slush here and there till we got to the hospital area. Worst roads we saw for lack of being plowed were in the last couple of blocks/street lights between Rt. 288 and the hospital parking lot. You'd think the roads to a hospital would be something of a priority. Guess not.

I wonder if I should take one of those ibuprofen pills before the PT session this morning?

Have a great day guys. Hope the snow has gone from the skies and the roads are getting better where you are.

 

Good morning guys.

Should be another sunny day around here. High right at freezing. The road in front of the house and the sidewalk dried off yesterday. The steps looked pretty good when we came home from the first hospital trip so they should be in great shape now. I've laughed at the plastic/aluminum snow shovels for years. I've got one dad gave me decades ago that is steel. I used that old shovel when we lived in ND in the late 60's when I was in elementary school. Little wore down in the center but still works great. But, we painted the front porch, steps, etc. with some of that paint with the grit particles in it for anti slip performance. I figure the metal shovel will damage that surface so a plastic snow shovel may be easier on the paint even if it wears out sooner from the gritty particles in the paint Might stop my Lower's today and see what they've got.

Told my wife I'd drive myself to PT this morning since she's got to take her sister to PT a couple hours after mine starts. If my knee is up to it I'll also stop by the DMV office and turn in my paperwork for the handicapped placard. They're good for 6 months. We parked well out in the parking lot yesterday for the walk into the building for PT. Made it back, too. Almost told my wife she could go get the car while I sat and waited on her to come back. Almost. Didn't have any issues so I just got some needed exercise.

I'll wait till I'm coming back from PT to tell her about the other side trips.

Have a great day guys.

 

Happy Hump Evening Virginia, Jim, Evan, George and all the crew.
Today was better than the last several. 19° started the day, flurries intermittently, 30°, some sun and many of the roads are mostly clear. Headed to about 15° tonight and a headed to about 27° tomorrow and partly sunny most of the day.

Jim, Hope PT went well and walking is good for the leg and soul! LOL

 

Good morning guys.

Should be another "cold" one down here. Sunny and a little above freezing. Was supposed to be like that again tomorrow and then snow (2 to 3 inches) Friday night into Saturday. We'll find out.

PT yesterday? Different therapist, different "exercises". Hoy cow is my knee sore this morning. Hurt some walking out of the building but got better as I walked to the truck. Drove the truck yesterday. Almost didn't find a parking place. The lot was jammed and so was the waiting area inside. All three of them I could see were almost full. I got lucky checking in. Walked right up to one of the three counters, checked in and paid my copay. Sat down, moved my foot out enough to make the knee more comfortable and 10 more people walked in to spread out across the 3 receptionists' desks and sign in/pay. And then many of them go called in before I did (got there early like they recommended). Parking? I finally found one spot the wide enough and long enough for the truck. Don't get me wrong, the way people park over the white lines, I would not have put one of my cars in some of those spots for fear of door dings. If they can't put a car/truck in a parking spot they don't care about my cars/truck. As it was half the spot I used was a pile of frozen snow left from the parking lot clearing. I put the truck in 4WD, locked the axle in backed the right rear side of the truck up on the pile. Got out, locked it and went inside. Didn't even consider torquing the truck enough to break the bed cap or a window. Then again, if I had I'd be looking for another truck. No weight in it, not enough difference in height one side to the other for the bumper or rear fender to make contact, nothing should have torqued up enough to break stuff. Did feel a little funny coming out of the parking place when the front axle didn't disengage right away. Instead of leaving I slowly drove around the lot and after part of a section of driving lane the steering was not long doing the little shimmy/bump thing when I turned the steering wheel so it finally disengaged up front. Never felt that happen before (in the other 2 or 3 times I've had it in 4WD. ) Doesn't snow much down here.

Quiet today. Another PT session tomorrow. Then we'll drink coffee and watch it snow a little bit tomorrow evening before going to bed. Might stick a little more this time as cold as it's been at night and even during the daylight hours.

Have a great day guys.

 

Good morning guys.

I read 18 F on the screen for the heat pump thermostat/control. Not sure if that's a reading from the unit outside or something reported to the unit (via the internet) from the nearest weather station in the area. Either way, it's darn cold out there. Still heard Bear barking about 30 minutes ago. Sometimes it works out great. I hear one of them bark. I hear it again, I lay the computer down, pull the blanket off me, get up and by the time I've gotten to the bathroom they've stopped barking. No need to grab the flashlight, close the bathroom door and open the window to shine a light and talk to them. Too cold, at 18 F, to be opening windows. The heat pump is running it's butt off tonight/this morning.

Almost time to get the coffee going.

Our youngest son got me that little electric "throw" for Christmas and it's only taken about 3 days to get addicted to it. The cat feels the same way I do (the little short haired female). The big boy could care less.

Got to run by a Labcorp office today and give them the samples the cardiologist wants to see after taking yet another new medicine for a week now. Then PT session this afternoon. Whoa. Had something happen yesterday morning during my stretching exercises. Right at the end of one that is stretching the big muscle on the front of your thigh something seemed to get loose/weak/stretch way more than the previous "limit." Hurt like the dickens when that strap started going loose on me and I remain surprised on one on the other side of the wall heard me yell out. Didn't know if I could get rolled over and off the bed but when I tried it wasn't bad. Didn't know if I could walk but that wasn't bad either. Holy cow is my leg, from just below my knee up to almost my hip stiff/sore this morning. Both sides of the knee and even behind the knee is sore/tender. Already loosened up/gotten some better walking around in the house a little bit this morning. We'll see how PT goes today. See if the range of motion increases past the 96 degrees he measured Wednesday. If not then the pain didn't signal an improvement.

Different therapist again today so different exercises so more reason to be more tired/hurting than usual when I leave after the session. At least that's how it was Wednesday.

Supposed to get 2 to 3 inches of snow tonight into tomorrow morning unless the forecast has changed.

Have a great day guys.

 

Good morning guys.

Snowing when we went to bed around 10 PM last night but not yet sticking on the sidewalk out front. This morning there is snow covering the sidewalk. Stil snowing but supposed to stop around daylight. No place to go today. No intention of getting out of the house except for the dog visits and sweeping off the front porches. Yeah, and maybe the doggy patios/decks in the pen. Get the snow off and the sun/wind will dry them out pretty quickly. Just in case they decide laying on a nice warm dry treated lumber platform is better than the wet/muddy dirt in the pen.

Twenty eight degrees this morning. The heat pumps not running as long while I've been up.

Heard something a little bit ago that sounded like a hurt puppy yelping. Couldn't tell where it was. By the time I got up and started going from room to room trying to figure out whether it was out front or behind the house it had stopped. Didn't seem to disturb the boys though.

Not sore in the left leg this morning like I was yesterday. Walked/worked it out I guess. PT yesterday was good and bad. The different exercises are working me over. I walk out hurting. That might be also due to the good part of the PT session yesterday. That stretching incident I think mentioned yesterday where it hurt like the dickens when my left leg seemed to suddenly move farther than it had been moving must have been a real movement thing. The doctor said he could only get between 90 and 95 degrees during the manipulation Monday morning because he was afraid if he pushed harder it might break my leg. I went into therapy yesterday hurting and sore but when he measured my left knee angle it was up to 97/98 degrees, Big jump since the first of the week. Hopefully we've gotten past the scar tissue issues and my knee will keep bending more and more as I do the stretching exercises. Success is when I can get in the Coupe and drive it again.

Between the cup warmer and the electric throw/blanket I'm getting spoiled here on the couch. I don't drink the coffee fast but it's warm till I get done with it.

Have a great day guys. Hope your snow doesn't cause problems for you.

 

Good morning guys.

Clear and cold here. 18 F again this morning. Got more snow Friday night than from the storm earlier in the week. Got out yesterday a bit before noon and cleaned off the front porches/steps and sidewalk. They were dry in no time. Got the doggy patios and shed front porch cleaned off and they were also dried up pretty quickly. Not sure what motivates a dog to lay in the snow/mud when they've got sun warmed/dry treated wood platforms to lay on. Lucky is a special dog. Sometimes I think he's got a philosophy that he has to suffer some in order to be a good boy. Can't fix it. And, I supposed if he was truly uncomfortable in the snow/mud he'd get up and lay down on the porches/patios I've made for them to enjoy.

Sunday school was cancelled for this morning. Still have church at the regular time. I made the decision to turn the alarm off this morning and crawl back into bed for a couple more hours of sleep. Not bad at all.

Not much else on the schedule. Monday starts the grind of PT, doctor's appts., labs, etc. Not as bad as the alternatives.

Have a great day guys.

 

Good morning guys.

A bit warmer, or is it cooler? At 24 degrees this morning. Supposed to be sunny and the warmest day in the last week or so and warmer that any for the next week or so. We take what we can get.

Got some stuff to do today after making a couple phone calls. Hopefully I can get those done this morning and then to the doctor's office just before quitting time. Getting tough to get an appoint where we've been going for the last 15 or 20 years. Less and less doctors working there and some of them working less time. My PCP is down to working two days a week there. The one my wife used to see left and she's moved to another doctor at another practice. I'm trying to move as well. My wife is finding the "right" doctor for me, as usual.

Have a great day guys. Enjoy the sunshine and warmer temps today.

 

Merry Monday morning Virginia, Jim, George, Evan and all the crew.
Started the day at 32°, at 1020 it is 36°, the skies lightening up, we are to maybe see sun this afternoon and now they say maybe 40°. We will see!

Jim, I hope you get all your appointments lined out!

 

Good morning guys.

Should be another sunny cool day down here. I've got one long trip away from the house today. We'll be at the PT clinic for a good while. My sister in law has her PT session starting about 45 minutes before mine so we'll be up there and sit around waiting till we're all through. Then we go just a few miles down the road to a Labcorp office to get some blood samples taken for testing. Made an appt. this time. If you have an appt. you can sign in and go sit in your car if the place is too packed to get a seat. They'll text you when it's time to go in and get it done.

A lot of the snow/ice is gone. Roads are wet/salty. Need a couple days of rain to wash the salt and sand away.

Just a word about solar panel/battery back up systems. Mine is making power to "trade" back to the power company every sunny day. But, the battery back up, used when the power goes off, is slowly discharging during the long period of cold weather. It's down under 60% now and dropping each day. I called Generac Friday to inform them of the issue and see about getting someone out here to check my system out. I was told that is normal for these systems. The batteries will not charge when the temps are "too cold". When I commented that it would have been nice to know this before the system was "sold" to me the guy on the phone replied, "That's in the owner's manual." I couldn't resist letting him know an owner's manual is something buyer gets after the product is purchased. There was no comment to that. Once you sign the paperwork and get all that stuff installed there's not much of a way to get them to take it back and stop paying for it. So, if you live in an area where it gets cold for several days at a time (temps in the 30's or lower) you might be better off looking at a generator back up system. Yeah, propane and diesel aren't cheap these days but they work regardless of the outside temps. when properly maintained.

Have a great day guys.

 

Evening Jim, George, Evan and all the crew of a cold but mostly sunny day. We made 34° by about noon with the sun and after noon the cloud cover started, and the temp dropped to 30° and a cold stiff breeze started.

I had heard that those Generac battery systems didn't maintain a charge well. I suspect it is a serious design flaw that will someday bite them!

 

Good morning guys.

About 24 F here this morning at 700 AM. Turned the alarm off and went back to bed this morning. Should get into the high 30's and be sunny today.

PT yesterday. Mmm. Rough. I messed up during the loosening up phase on the bike. Hurt my knee bad enough (twice in rapid succession) I can't understand why everyone in the big room didn't hear me yelling (crying out) in pain. They got me off the bike and on to other things and I could barely walk to the bench for the stretching exercises. I've found out I can bend the knee more when I keep my toes down and heel up as I pedal. I got right to the section of the arc where my knee was bent as much as I could stand and I let my heel drop and toes go up and it stretched everything more than it was used to stretching. I was trying to use my right leg to move my left knee to a better position and went the wrong way and bent it again with the toes up and heel down. Absolutely the most I've hurt in any of the 6 months of PT sessions I've gone through. Absolutely. And, this morning, it doesn't hurt/throb, just a bit stiff/sore in the usual spots and that loosens up as I walk around the house. And now I know why they put you to sleep to do the manipulation treatment. Now I need to take advantage of whatever "extra" stretching of the muscles/tendons I did yesterday and push the bending further. I think the PT guys consider 110 to 115 degrees as success. I was nearly at 100 degrees last week. PT again tomorrow. Maybe they'll measure it again.

Thinking about doing some shopping today. I'm thinking I could use a propane space heater (small one). Might buy one and a new 20# tank (used to have 3 or 4 spares and kept giving them to the boys so they'd have spares.)

Have a great day.