Well, I know I haven't posted for a while, but I wanted to post one last time to sum up the whole process. I got my hard cast off after 7 weeks and transferred into a walking boot. I started out using crutches to only put moderate weight on the foot. That is really the only way I didn't cause much pain or feel off balance. After a week of that I started to walk around without crutches. By the beginning of week 10 I started walking in shoes. It is now the middle of week 11 and I just had my final follow-up appointment. They x-rays and everything was healed well. All the swelling in my foot is nearly gone. I still have a slight bit of pain on the left side of my foot where one of the screws was placed. My doctor thinks there is still some post-op swelling there that is causing the pain, and that it should go away. I am now walking quite well. I still have a bit of a limp as my foot was so deformed prior to the surgery, that I got so used to walking with my foot turned out to the left. I am beginning to build up my calf muscle and starting to fell a lot more comfortable walking.
Overall, I am very happy with the results of this surgery. It want very smoothly and healed much quicker than I had expected. All of the arthritis pain is gone and that is so amazing.
Please see below for my final x-ray images. I put before and after.
So it has been over a week since I last posted. I have been busy with work and pretty tired when I get home. It's hard getting back into the groove. Not really having a good week. My right foot (the good one of the two) has had an arthritis flare up since Monday. It causes excruciating pain whenever I put weight on it. Makes it really hard to use crutches or even the scooter. Finally today it seems to be getting a bit better. All it took was for me to take like 3 times the normal dose of Naproxin, which is bad for my left foot, as it could cause bone fusion to slow down, but I had to do something. I am hoping I can have arthroscopic surgery some time to clean out the arthritis.
Also found out yesterday that my uncle is on life support and has basically no chance of making it through. In a way I am relieved because he went quickly with little to no pain. He was diagnosed with pancreatic and spider cancer about 2 weeks ago and given 3 - 6 months to live. He could have definitely ended up suffering a lot more than he is right now. I just feel terrible for my aunt, two cousins, and dad for having to just watch him fade away slowly. It sure makes you thankful for the time you get to spend with your loved ones.
On a positive note, the Packers are going to the Superbowl!!! They played a pretty good game against the bears, and even though the offense wasn't having a great day, they still found a way to win. That is the difference between them this year compared to last year. They can still win games even if all three phases don't play perfectly. I really hope they beat the Steelers. For some reason i really don't like Roethlisberger. I really don't know why, but for some reason I want to put one of these right into his suckhole. (Step Brothers Reference)
Well that's all for today. I started modeling for the manufacturer of my scooter. Check it out below.
Had my 3 week check up this morning and everything seems to be going as planned. Cast was cut off and stitches taken out. I still have a bit of swelling on the right side of my foot, but overall the foot looked good and the wounds were healing well. I got a new orange cast put on and was sent on my way. My doc told me that I had 4 more weeks of the hard cast and the 3 weeks of a walking cast. Can't wait until that day, which just happens to be Valentine's Day. Now if I only had a nice, beautiful young lady to spend it with. It will probably save me $100 bucks if I don't though.
WAY TO GO PACKERS!!!
That game was sweet and really surprised the hell out of me. I really thought it was going to be a much closer game and come down to the last possession again. I am very glad that it didn't. First game in a while that I could just enjoy watching and not be on the edge of my seat the whole time. Hopefully we can have two more repeats of that. I would really like to see them whip the Bears and then unload on the Jets in the Superbowl. Yeah I said the Jets. I can't stand Rex Ryan and would love to see him make it all the way, just to be spanked and humiliated. Humiliated more than when everyone found out that feet get him going just as much as football. I wonder if all the guys wear their cleats into the showers. I hate the Patriots, but Wes Welker's comments were outstanding!! "He's got great feet too." Bahhhh Hahhh Hahhhh!
So my new favorite Facebook app is the Dog Facebook app. What a great idea! I'm sure I will get bored with it in a few days, but I think it's hilarious. You gotta check it out.
I finally took some good pictures and video of my foot when my cast was off. Video was in HD, but I had to convert it to a lower quality to be able to upload it. They are a little bit gruesome, but not terrible. Please look at your own risk. LOL. Also, my mom sewed me a cool Packers cast toe cover.
It has been a few days since I have posted anything. I have been super tired when I get home from work. I think the drive cause more sleepiness than the 4 hours of work.
My foot has been pretty good and seems to be feeling better every day. Monday will be three weeks since surgery and I will get my cast off and stitches taken out. I get another fiberglass cast put on and I think I have about 5 more weeks of zero weight bearing. I also get my scooter today finally. I know I am going to look like a huge dork riding this thing, but I really think it will make getting around a lot easier and more stable than crutches. That may prove quite important as people non-handicapped people keep parking in the handicapped spots at work, and no one says a word. Looks like I will just keep parking right in front of the building.
So all I have heard about for the last week is the Tucson, Arizona shootings. While I think this is a very sad thing and am completely sickened that anyone would commit such a terrible crime, I am also very bothered that this is getting so much more press than any other shooting. It just goes to show that the government and media value a congresswoman's life more than the average person. I mean 20 people could be shot tomorrow, but as long as there is no high profile person in that group, there would be limited press. I guarantee there wouldn't be daily updates about one of the victims opening their eyes or starting to respond to commands. Our government and media are so disgusting. Unless you're rich or famous, you are just another number. Hundreds are murdered daily in the US, and nothing changes. One judge and one congresswoman get targeted, and now there is a huge problem. Just awful!!
On a good note, I have seen the greatest commercial ever. Kevin Bacon in the Google TV commercial. My dad was telling me how funny this commercial was for the last few days. Last night he finally figured out that the actor in the commercial was actually Kevin Bacon. LOL. Now he thinks it is even funnier. This is definitely a genius and hilarious idea for a commercial. Check it out below.
"My favorite Kevin Bacon movie has to be a tie between....Aahh....All of them."
First off, I just want to say how much I hate Auburn. That would have been the sweetest game ever if Oregon could have pulled that off. Either way both teams came to play. It was and excellent game, even though I wasn't thrilled with the outcome. Marquette did whip up on #11 Notre Dame this evening though, so that is a plus.
So today was my first day back at work and it was exactly the same as before I left. That's really not a good thing. Stuff is still just as f'ed up as before. Nothing has changed. Friday is the ribbon cutting ceremony, and none other but the son and daughter of the owner are holding the ribbon. If they worked as hard on creating procedures and thinking of processes to make jobs more efficient as they did on planning the ribbon cutting and creating signs, this business would be running a hell of a lot smoother. I guess that's just a dream.
I think it may be time to start looking at making another dream come true. I want to live and work out of the country for 3-5 years. Some place cheap and tropical. I am honestly serious. I think it would be a fantastic experience.I really can't afford it right now, but maybe if I plan for a year or two. I definitely want to do this before getting married and/or having kids. Maybe go to Thailand, Philippines, Costa Rica, etc... I think my dad would move with me. I would love doing that so much. Just to wake up every morning and have it be sunny and smell and look over the ocean would be phenomenal. I am getting sick of the hustle and bustle of trying to live the American dream. In order to be successful here, you need to make a lot of money. I want to go someplace where money isn't as important. I just want to live to be happy and have some wonderful experiences. Live for the moment. This article is awesome and seems to be right on. Please check it out if you are interested. The cheapest places to live in the world. $500 a month Hopefully someday soon I can make this a reality.
Boy oh boy, what a game! I am really happy the Packers won, but man they need to stop giving teams a chance to pull it off at the end. I just don't get the changing of game plans once they get up by 10 points. Maybe if they were up 21 in the 4th quarter I could see it. They gotta start helping out their defense at the end of the game. I think McCarthy needs to take the "Run up the score" chapter out of Belichick's book. Keep on doing what's working and stop changing the game plan. I honestly think that the Atlanta game is going to be super close, but if they win, I think they will blow out Chicago or Seattle to get into the Superbowl.
Packer fans are so lucky to have had a team that has been so good for so long. Every year we honestly have a chance to get to the post season, and more so get to the Superbowl. I mean, just look at the 49'ers and Bills. These teams have been bad for over 15 years, ever since Kelly and Young left. And then you have the Lions, who have been bad for 20-30 years, except when they went 12-4 in 1991. I mean, seriously, how much would that suck to have to go through every season like that? I feel for the 70's and 80's Packer fans, but my generation has seen almost 20 years of pretty excellent football.
Totally off the football topic, but lately I have been trying to think about which century (19th, 20th, or 21st) provided the best opportunity to having a great life. I really haven't been able to come up with a solid answer because there are so many pluses and minuses for every generation. I think it's all dependent upon personality and work ethic. I think life has been getting easier and easier, but being able to afford the things that make life easier has been getting harder and harder. I don't see that changing. I think there are going to be so many new technological advances by 2100. I think they are going to truly be life changing, such as the type of change that took place from the invention of the Airplane, the refrigerator, and toilets/sewer systems. I'm not sure what they will be, but I am truly excited to see how life is later in the 2000's. That is if we don't all perish or end up on a charred or frozen earth after 2012.
Speaking of 2012, I ran across a website that actually sells shelters made specifically to save you from the possible events of 2012. This is an actual, legit construction company. There is also a part of this site that shows locations where a bunch of these shelters will be built as communities. At this point there are 10 locations around the world. This is pretty amazing actually, and makes me wonder if the government has shelters like this for the president and other super important American figures. I bet they do. Follow this link if you are interested in looking at these. They are quite impressive. 2012 Shelters and Communities
Anyways, I finally start work tomorrow. I am guess the 4 hours will go quick. Then I go get a Temporary Handicapped Parking Placard. Also, my physical therapist (Ryan Tully) would be extremely happy with me today as I finally was able to go up the stairs the correct way, just using crutches. Somehow I really think I will be in better shape after recovering from this surgery, than I was before having it. That would be nice, but I really need to keep that going then.
I am going to end my post with one of the greatest runs I have ever seen that wasn't a rerun.
I was thrilled to see the first playoff game today and I was very happy with the outcome. I really wished the Colts would have won the second game for a couple key reasons.
Reason #1: I hate Rex Ryan. The man is such an arrogant prick.
Reason #2: Peyton vs. Brady is a much more entertaining match-up than Sanchez vs. Brady. That' going to be an ass kicking.
Big Packer game tomorrow. I'm thinking we are going to knock Vick out of the game tomorrow. As long as we don't get into a 4th and 26 situation, I think we have a great chance of pulling this one out.
So I start work again on Monday for half a day. I am actually looking forward to getting back. It is so damn boring just sitting at home. I mean, don't get me wrong, being able to take a nap in the afternoon is fantastic, but while I'm not sleeping there is really nothing to do.
I'm fairly certain my mom is trying to take over ownership of my dog. Tonight she let him up on her bed and closed the door, so now he can't get out. Her reasoning was that it gets too cold in the room with the door open. I think it's just all part of her master plan.
I need to find something to stick down my cast and itch my leg. It's just awful to not be able to scratch. I know that one of the big rules of having a cast is to not do that, but it is almost orgasmic when you can scratch a spot that itches so bad.
For some reason I wake up every night around this time and I am wide awake. I'm thinking it is probably because I do not burn a lot of energy during the day. LOL.
The incision on the left side of my foot and on my leg are both starting to get that healing itch. While I really want to scratch it and it is frustrating that I can't, it does make me feel good that both of those places seem to be healing well. Now if only the incision on the right side of my foot would follow suit, I would be thrilled. That is the largest incision though, so it makes sense that it would take the longest out of the 3.
I got a bit more done today than I have lately. I found out that the Brand New motherboard on the computer I am building my mom and step dad is defective. It all seemed to be working fine, but I could not for the life of me get it to recognize any hard drive I installed. Luckily, New Egg has eggcellent customer service and issued me an RMA for a replacement. They also sent me prepaid UPS shipping labels with no questions asked. They really are awesome. Hopefully that will take care of the issue and I can get Windows 7 loaded up right away. Now I just need to upgrade the processor and motherboard on my home desktop computer.
I will never buy another pre-built, off the shelf, desktop computer ever again. For the same price as Best Buy, I can build a computer myself with twice the power, no problem. And everything is plug and play now, so installation of components couldn't be easier. Waiting for the day that laptops are that easy to build.
So this dead bird and fish thing is really bothering me. I guess it all could be coincidence as is being reported, but it just seems a bit odd. I have a big problem believing the media and any information that is released by our government. We all know that if some unknown disease was found, they would not tell the general public at this time as to not startle the nation and world. If it was a single unique incident, I would have a much easier time believing the stories, but all of these events occurring so close together just screams infectious disease or very weird weather patterns. Also, I wonder if the fish that were found dead are part of the dead birds food supply. Maybe before December 21st, 2012 we will find out the truth. LOL
Today was a crappy day. Bored to death and don't feel the greatest. The lack of social interaction is starting to get old. I need to get back to work, if for nothing else than to satisfy my need to socialize and feel useful. I'm not super comfortable on my crutches and I get tired easily on them. Should have definitely gotten into better shape before enduring this, but it's too late for that now. Probably would get better with the practice, but the thing about practicing is that I'm not real good yet, so one wrong fall and I could screw up my foot. That is not an option. I should be getting my knee scooter on Saturday or Monday, depending on when it gets shipped. I am hoping that helps me a lot and makes it a lot easier to get around safely and more comfortably.
This is definitely one of those days that no matter how I sit or lay or anything, I can't get comfortable. These days seem to be occurring more and more often and it's really driving me nuts. Any sleep I do get seems light and unfulfilling. I fall asleep and I'm cool, and I wake up super warm, with sweat dripping from my face and neck. Hoping this is part of the healing process, but also hoping it ends soon. If nothing else these two videos always cheer me up.
So once again it is 3 am, but I'm not awake this time because of pain. No, this morning I am up because I just watched the first 7 episodes of the original TV series "Justified." I downloaded season 1 on Amazon as I noticed that season 2 is starting soon, and I also seem to have a lot of extra time on my hands at the moment. I am so glad I did. This is by far the greatest TV show I have seen ever. This is the first series where I actually want to see the next episode. I still have 6 more to go to finish season 1, but I figure I have some more time tomorrow.
Now on to my foot. Still have some pain and it sure feels like my cast is too loose, but my parents insist that it is fine. I am just afraid that I may move around too much while sleeping and bend or turn it the wrong way. I have never had a cast before so I'm not certain how it's supposed to fit. Moved to the basement tonight, to a much more comfortable bed and a bigger and cooler room. The other bed I was on has to be a firm mattress and I just didn't sleep well in it. Not to mention my mother was sleeping on the couch, so now she can at least have a bed.
Well, time for bed now. Kind of a short post, but I was completely enthralled in Justified. Hopefully have some more to write tomorrow.
Well it's finally one week down and only 11 more to go, at least till I can start trying to walk normally. I've lived by myself for over a year now and I realize again why I moved out when I was living with someone last time. No privacy at all. Not really anyone's fault, but not being able to just be on my own and do my own thing is getting old. I love driving and I won't be able to do that for a while either, but all in all I am very thankful for the help and everything seems to be going as well as it could. I went to the doctor today for my first follow-up, which turned out great. Silly me forgot to bring my phone along so I could take some wonderfully gross pictures of the stitched incisions on my foot and leg. They were pretty nasty looking and there was still a bit of swelling, but I was told that it looked pretty good. The nurse was gorgeous, but of course married or engaged. Just more delay to my dream of marrying a beautiful and successful woman. LOL. I should probably work on getting handsome and successful myself first. And that's really what getting my foot done was all about. I wanted to be aesthetically pleasing to a potential mate. Totally kidding, but it sure can't hurt. So anyways, I forgot to get the printouts of my x-rays, which looked pretty awesome, so I will have quite a few pictures to post after my next appointment on the 17th. Also, I got a hard cast put on today, which I got in green for the Packers playoff run and so that my niece could draw all over it like I promised.
I did find out some seemingly very good news today. The doctor told me that I only needed to be completely zero weight bearing for another 6 weeks, and then it sounds like I will be able to slowly start putting weight back on my foot. That is far less than the 13 weeks I was expecting. Hoping everything heals well and that actually works out. Also, no pain pills today and only took 3 Tylenol tonight, but that was mostly for my headache.
Today I taught my Dad and Mom how to use Skype video chat. It only took 4 hours and lots of flow charts, but we finally made it through. Not sure what it is about most people over 50 and technology, but it's like they are completely incompatible. Sort of like Mac and PC used to be.
Well I tried weening off of the pain medication over the past two days. Had to take two percocet again tonight as my foot is hurting pretty bad. The pain may have been caused by the stupid Hyundai commercials with the chick who sings the Christmas songs. I hate those commercials. All the awesome singers and bands in the world, and they have to choose some stupid couple that liked to be seen on youtube. Oh man here it is again. Awful. II am adding a clip of the video, not to advertise, but because I need to show how horrible it is.
So I went to bed around 10:30pm. I was up and around a bit more today and stayed out in the living room for most of the day. Was really exhausted by 9 or 10pm. Had some pizza for supper, and it was awesome. Ate a bit too much. My foot was still painful today, but it has mostly turned into a constant ache. No more sharp or stabbing pain, but still uncomfortable. I am trying to get completely off the ibuprofen and next will be the percocet. My leg is starting to itch from being in this soft cast. I think my foot hurts more because the Badgers lost the Rose Bowl today. I hate to see what it will feel like tomorrow if the Packers lose. I think I'll have to go back into the hospital, for a leg in pain and a broken heart.
Happy New Year!!! One day closer to walking. I am feeling pretty good today and had a wonderful time last night! A bunch of family came over last night and I actually sat out on the chair in the living room with my foot up, from 6pm until about 1am. Got to celebrate the New Year with people I care about. Made my night so much better and took away much of the boredom. Had some great food and even played some games. My foot felt great pretty much all night. Slept very good last night and so did my puppy. He was exhausted from the company last night. Woke up today and can finally stop having my foot up for 24 hours a day. Starting to keep my leg moving around as much as I can. My mom is starting to get exhausted, but I don't understand why she can't just take a step back and take a deep breath and handle one thing at a time. I took Psychology in school and learned that women will think about every thing they have to do all the time, and men can just focus on one at a time and not worry about the other stuff. Sometimes that can be good and bad. I really appreciate the help she is giving me. Not sure what I would do without it.
