I'm back!

Ze Shelby Cat

So, it's true. I'm back! I'm feeling a tad overwhelmed right now, so I'm going to do something I've never done before - I'm going to copy an email I wrote (to two of my favorite people!) this afternoon in order to (lazily) sum up a few things, after which I'll give you a brief run-down on the knee surgery. And so:

"I was supposed to be in this morning but for a last minute running around bunch of crappola. I went to pick up my health waiver from the health office at school yesterday, only to discover that - somehow - my varicella titer hadn't been faxed to the office. I cannot go to clinicals next week without said titer in my records. It was too late to contact my doctor, as class was going to start, so I determined to show up at the doctor's office this morning first thing - I have long since discovered that you're much less likely to be ignored in person than on the phone. Anyhow, off to class with me (and one crutch and my new giant knee brace). I got home after 10 last night and found a message on my machine saying that, oh yeah, you also need to get another MMR vaccination. Wha..? The school itself had told me I was fine on the MMR! And so... this morning, I showed up at the doc's office. Yes, the varicella titer had been ordered, along with a few other things - supposedly, all the bloodwork had been bundled together (per my request) at my pre-surgical screening. Apparently, though, the titer was never done. Hence, I had to see a doctor this morning (again) just so he could order another titer. Another $20 copay down the drain. I got my paperwork and headed over to the lab. As I was walking into the lab, I happened to look at the name on the paper. Madison Wood, 2 years old. Huh. Guess I should have noticed that *before* leaving the doctor's office, but oh well. I'd been focused on the fact that it did indeed say "varicella titer." So, back to the doctor's office. And then back to the lab again. The turn-around time on the titer is supposed to be 24 to 48 hours - hopefully well in time for clinicals next Wednesday. Then I went home and called the college - what about the MMR? As it turns out, they made a mistake. Yes, I've had two MMR's - one as a child and one while I was in the Peace Corps. The problem? My first vaccine was given two days before my first birthday. If it had been given on or after my first birthday, things would be hunky dory. As it stands, though, I now have to rush over to the school tomorrow at lunch, gimp up to the health clinic (which is far, far from any convenient parking), get the MMR vaccine, and then come back to work. WHAT A PAIN IN THE @)(*%$#@&!!!! Argh! Nothing is ever smooth, nothing!

Anyhow, yeah. That's my fun story for the day!

I had to have Bird euthanized on Tuesday. It was time, so I'm thankful that there wasn't really any question... but it still really, really sucked. I can't really think too much about it because I'll start crying again. Thankfully, I was able to get ahold of M. and he took the afternoon off to go with me to the vet. We buried her in the back yard.

Otherwise... the knee is recovering nicely. It's still pretty swollen and bruised looking, but I have very good range of motion and a lot less pain. It still hurts and certainly isn't 100%, but both my doctor and my PT say I'm doing great in terms of recovery - better than they'd expected. I've been very very good at doing ALL of my physical therapy exercises at home, plus I was in semi-ok shape before the surgery... and so, decently speedy recovery. It's alarming, though, how quickly I've lost mass in my quadricep muscle in that leg. I can hardly wait till I can get back to lifting weights."

So, that's the that. I'll probably write something about Bird next week; right now, the pain of losing her is too raw.

As to the knee - in brief, the doctor discovered a pretty significant tear in the medial meniscus. He removed the damaged portion and also cleaned out a fair amount of scar tissue and smoothed some ragged edges on my patella and the surrounding cartilage. He also did the lateral release and said the patella is anatomically in a better position now. The worst part of the whole thing - per usual - was the sordid anticipation. I was very nervous as they prepped me, too, but everyone was so nice, calm, and reassuring that it was difficult to remain nervous (although I did my level best!). The surgery was over before I knew it (general anesthesia), and I was home on the couch in short order. I was on two crutches for three days post-surgery, then moved to one (illicitly) at home, for which I was sternly chided by the physical therapist. So I went back to two for a day, and now - with the doctor's permission - I'm back to one crutch and a large, unwieldy knee brace. I should be entirely off the crutch by the weekend, or at least early next week. The brace stays for another two weeks. All in all, the experience was actually pretty good. Everyone at the hospital was great, and it's simply amazing what can be done surgically these days. And the holes in my knee are so tiny! I was given copies of photos from the inside of the knee - very cool indeed, both before and after pictures. The doctor had an extra shot to take, so he took one of my (beautifully intact) anterior cruciate ligament - again, very cool. I feel guilty and foolish for carrying on about such a minor procedure - as a health issue, it's pretty far down the scale of seriousness, and so much less than what so many people suffer. I apologize for behaving like such a baby.

At any rate, it's time to get back to my beloved fungus. I have an interesting specimen that might be some species of Fusarium - it's a lovely pink color. It was isolated from an apple that was beginning to break down, so it's probably just an opportunist. Anyhow, ta for now - and many thanks to all of you for your mulitudinous uplifting comments! I look forward to catching up with all of you.