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5-day Countdown: The Ups and Downs


My plans were to enjoy the last week before surgery as much as I can, but the best laid plans often go awry, and my arthritic ankle is having something to say about how much I can do.  I have gone into the nesting mode: knowing that I'll be housebound has got me on a buying spree.  Now that I am going to be stuck in the house I see empty walls that need decoration.  I also plan on spending a great amount of time on my screened-in porch (as soon as the weather recognizes that is it spring), so the concrete floor is making way for waterproofed tiles and I'm searching for a soothing water fountain that Zora won't be able to reach.  I don't think the recycling water would be very good for her to drink!

The fence is in, and Zora loves it.  Now I will be able to sit outside while she plays; I am hoping that neighborhood dogs will come over to run around with her, and all of my caretakers can enjoy her outdoors as well.



I thought I was ready for the big day until yesterday.  Visiting my friend Elaine after she had back surgery last week, I was reminded that I wouldn't be able to wear pants!  When I broke my leg in 1983 it was July and hot.  I was also only 29 and in much better shape, and I wore shorts for the 12 weeks I was in a cast.  This time it's still a bit chilly and I am quite a bit larger.  Oprah said that no woman over the age of 55 should wear shorts: not that I listen to her.  It is supposed to warm up this Friday, but it's still not shorts weather.  Elaine suggested I pick up a few inexpensive dresses.  I hate dresses, but perhaps, with some boxer shorts underneath, I can make it work.  Now, I either need to go shopping -- which I hate to do -- or I need to order some dresses online and take the very good chance that they will not fit.  But I need something to wear with a cast.

The last time I was shopping for clothes to wear for surgery was the summer of 2016.  I needed to pick up some buttoned shirts since with an eyebrow lift I wouldn't be able to get a shirt over my head.  As I was looking through the shirts at TJ Maxx, I felt an awful pain on the right side of my chest, bad enough to make me drop everything in my hand and head home.  After a quick call to the urgent care line, I was told to call an ambulance; they wanted to make sure I wasn't having a heart attack.  There was no heart attack, but they took me to the hospital anyway, and 24 hours and a lot of agony later, they removed my gangrene gall bladder.  So, I don't have very good luck shopping for surgery!  My dad said to buy a couple of muu muus.  When is the last time you heard that word?  But, I was surprised that they still sell them, and not all of them look like my mother's muu muus!



If you are still reading this, now I get to the "down" part of yesterday.  My dog ate the remote to my new fancy-schmancy recliner!  I was busy making dinner for Elaine, and when I looked up at the dog, I could see the remote no longer glowing blue.  Not only had she broken some of the buttons, but she also chewed right through the wires.  (The remote is attached to the chair by a cord.). A couple of phone calls and a lot of money later, the new remote will be here by Friday.). It's a good thing she is so cute; otherwise, I might have killed her!  When I get the new remote, it is going between the seat and the back with a pillow in front of it!  It was somewhat my fault for leaving the remote on the seat of the chair.  She is just a puppy who has now bitten through three MacBook cords and one lamp plug.  Puppies are expensive!

Pre-op appointment is Tuesday; my friend Barbara is coming with me because she is a good listener and knows how to ask questions.  I am just not sure if I am going to see anyone who can answer our questions since it's blood work and a nurse practitioner, not necessarily from orthopedics, but from pre-hospital admissions.  Tuesday night is book club, which I always enjoy.  Wednesday is JULIETS (Just Us Ladies Imbibing and Eating Together) followed by a visit from the company that "fixed" my cracked bathroom grout with the wrong color and filled it way too high!  Deb arrives Thursday when, at some point during the day, we will learn what time we have to be at the hospital.  5 days and counting.




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