Beautiful Gifts

Besides my friends visiting me in the hospital, I also didn't expect to receive such pretty gifts as I was convalescing at my parents house in Lafayette. I arrived there on Thursday afternoon and immediately headed to the guest room (m childhood bedroom) to sleep. My parents bought a new bed within the last year and it is so soft and comfortable, one of those "pillow top" mattresses. Ah... so much better than a hospital bed! Outside of having to sleep on my back with my leg propped up on a pillow, it was a great place to get some much needed Zs.

On Friday morning, the deliveries began. I was sitting in my Dad's easy chair (thanks again Dad!) in the family room enjoying some reading after a yummy breakfast of waffles. My stomach had finally felt normal again at dinner the night before. In walked my Mom with some pretty yellow roses and daisies in a sweet smiley face mug! Also, there was a box from the French Bakery in Lafayette containing wonderful sweets and muffins. Turns out, it was a delivery from one of my print vendors in the Midwest. I still wonder how they tracked down the local bakery from so far away! We indulged on those treats for the next several days. So delicious!


Next, was another beautiful vase of flowers! This one was from our color retouching vendor, PDI, in San Francisco. It was a gorgeous bouquet of peonies from a place called Flowers Claire Marie. So thoughtful of them!


Last, but not least, around 5:00 PM UPS came up to the front door. They left something, knocked, and walked back out to their truck. My Dad was in the shower and my Mom was out at the grocery store, so I hobbled over on my crutches. I found a box from 1-800-flowers. I opened it up and found the prettiest bonsai tree ever! Who knew you could bonsai an Azalea plant? It was from my coworkers at Old Navy. I had felt so badly that the time I chose for my surgery turned out to be incredibly busy at work. We are always busy, but this was over-the-top busy. My manager Sandy and the whole team has been so supportive. They understood my need to get my knee issue taken care of, once and for all. Still, I was really touched by their generosity. I will be able to keep this plant in my apartment for some time to come. I just love it!

I'm trying hard not to let any guilt set in. It is my second knee scope after all. These sweet gifts sure have brightened my time off work and even if it was just a friend sending me a text message to check in and say hello, I've been very grateful. It really makes you appreciate the little things in life.

The Hospital

I checked into California Pacific Medical Center, Davies Campus, at 7:30 AM, Wednesday, February 11. This was my second knee scope and I was nervous about the outcome, besides the fact I had never stayed overnight in a hospital before. Well, other than my stay at Alta Bates Hospital in Berkeley when my sister and I were born over two months premature. I don't quite remember that visit. ; )

My parents picked me up early in the morning. I had packed my things for the overnight as well as for staying with my parents house for the week afterwards. I was admitted to the hospital and was taken up to the 4th floor to prep for surgery. I changed into the gown and a nurse came in to attach an IV to my arm. Around 9:15 AM, I was taken all the way down to the "B" floor for surgery. I waited for a while and finally the anesthesiologist came in to speak to me. The first thing she said was, "I understand you know my colleague Theresa Chang!" I was glad to hear Theresa's name and that she worked with the doctor that was about to put me under. I explained that Theresa and I attend the same church in the city. She told me Theresa was in the hospital today too. I was surprised and happy to hear this since Theresa told me she was never at Davies on Wednesdays. Dr. Dye stopped by, said hello, signed my left knee, and off I went to the OR. The doctors and nurses talked to me about my job at Old Navy as they got me all situated. Eventually that very calm feeling came over me... and I was out. "Yeah, " I thought, "My mind can finally rest for a while."

I woke up in the recovery room an hour later and Dr. Dye was suddenly by the bed. He talked fast (as usual) and I was still quite out of it, so I only got the gist that the scope went well. I wasn't sure if there were any specific details he may have mentioned, it just seemed positive. My friend Theresa walked up and it was so great to see her. It was nice to see a familiar face in such a strange place. Soon after, I was wheeled to my room. I was in room 313 and had the bed near the window. This was the view that first afternoon, a rainy day in the city. At first, I felt fine. Maybe a little nauseous, but I thought that was because I hadn't eaten anything since the evening before. I ordered some soup and fruit. My parents stayed for a short while, but left once I was settled in so I could get some rest. It wasn't long afterwards that I decided (excuse my candor), hospitals suck!

There is NO quiet. Either my roommate was groaning or watching TV. Honestly, I'm pretty sure she never watched the TV, she just left it on for background noise while she slept soundly. Err... Or someone down the hall was crying out loud. Really, there were screams of "Help me! Help me!" Wow. I'm a light sleeper, so this all was rough. Then, I got more and more nauseous. Nurses came in to check my vitals (not because I didn't feel well, they were on their usual rounds) and insisted I order dinner. I listened to the meal options over the phone and almost hurled right there. Sorry again for the candor, but I'm just trying to explain the situation. The dinner options weren't bad, I was actually impressed at how much they had to offer, I just felt so sick. My friend Becky came by after work and I did my best to hold it together while she was there. I was really happy to see her! I don't know why, but I didn't expect any visitors. Even though I didn't feel well, it made me feel really good that my friends took the time out of their evenings to visit me. Theresa stopped by when she was done with work and convinced me I should accept the nurses offer of the anti-nausea medication.It didn't cure it, but it did take the edge off. Another friend Lauren and her friend Sherman, visiting from out of town, came by too on their way to dinner. Very, very nice. I managed one bite of the quesadilla I ordered and a few spoonfuls of chocolate pudding. Ick, no more. The next nurse came by and gave me some saltines and graham crackers. I had those nearby on my tray in case I needed them. Around 10:00 PM my nurse at the time offered me a Vicodin and a sleeping pill! Woo hoo! ; ) Still, the night was awful. Even with a sleeping pill, hospitals are not for sleep. The staff checks on you all the time and nurses wake you up for new sets of vitals. Blood pressure, temperature, etc... Everyone tending to me were quite nice and very good at what they were doing, but I was miserable. A saltine here, a graham cracker there, I tried to eat something and drink lots of water.

With little sleep under my belt, I sat up around 7:30 AM and turned on the Today Show (I made sure to watch using my headphones as to no disturb anyone else). This is what the morning looked like out my window. Yes, a little bit brighter. Dr. Dye came in around 8:30 AM and checked out my knee. As usual, he was efficient. He unwrapped the bulky bandage and took the drain out of my knee. Oh, I guess I forgot to mention the little contraption hooked up to my knee making sure any excess fluid did not accumulate in my knee. The first thing Dr. Dye pointed out to me on my MRI when he diagnosed the Synovitis was the extra fluid in my left knee due to inflammation. Anyway, he carefully took the drain out, added a few Band aids over my stitches and said my knee looked really good. He said he definitely found Synovitis (inflamed synovial tissue) in my knee and had reduced it significantly. He also said (somehow he knew this was important for me to hear) this would not have gone away on it's own. I would have continued to suffer without the surgery. Whew, it was good to hear. Dr. Dye plopped a big bag of ice on my knee and told me to rest and ice my knee as much as possible. He would see me the next week for our follow up appointment. My Dad arrived to pick me up a short while later. It was so great to change into my own clothes and get out of there! The car was all set up for me to stretch out in the back seat. My Dad even brought an ice chest holding frozen peas for my knee. Thank you Dad, you think of everything! I was glad to be on my way to Lafayette for some real rest and TLC.

Resting Comfortably

Just a quick post to say hello and I'm now resting comfortably at my parents house. Dr. Dye said my knee scope went well. There is much more to report about that and my overnight hospital stay, but it's best for me not to be sitting up typing on a computer right now. I'm basically icing my knee, reading or napping. This post is being done on my iPhone, but the screen is small and it's not as easy as I hoped it would be. For now, I am well and I will catch you up more soon!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the big day! I'm nervous, but I am hoping after tomorrow's knee scope, I'll finally be on the road to recovery. To be honest, it will be nice to get some rest. A week and a half off work! I can't remember the last time I took that much of a break. I told a few coworkers today, "I'm looking forward to being put under so I can stop thinking!" Seriously. My head has been spinning non-stop for weeks. Work and life have not been in a good balance.

On the phone tonight, my Mom asked me if I have any special meal requests while I'm hanging with them for the rest of the week. I said I would have to think about it, but it's sure nice of her to offer! A little TLC will be lovely. 

Stay tuned...

Just a Few More Days

Wednesday is my second knee scope. I'm trying really hard not to stress about it, but between the impending surgery, a very busy schedule at work, and the fact I will be taking a week and a half off work, I'm having a hard time keeping myself from moving into full panic mode! 

I have a good thing to mention about my upcoming scope. I am happy to say my friend Theresa did a little doctor's research for me. Theresa as an anesthesiologist and has worked with many doctors at California Pacific Medical Center, but she has not actually been the anesthesiologist for any of Dr. Dye's surgeries. Theresa learned he does scopes/meniscectomies/synovectomies each week and is definitely the "knee guy." I was worried she would find out something negative (I had no reason to suspect this, I just got concerned when I first learned she had not yet worked with him), but she didn't. 

Today, I went down to Crissy Field for my last run in a long time. I think it will be a long time before I am allowed to run again. It was a windy afternoon as the rain was coming in and I decided to park at the Marina Green. I took off for my usual jog where I tried really hard to not obsess about my heart rate monitor and just pay attention to how I feel. Again, I didn't bring my iPod, I just needed to work through the stress of work. I ended up running for 45 minutes, the longest since I ran Boston in April, 2006. Crazy, huh? I can't believe it's been so long. I walked for 15 minutes for a total of an hour workout. No, my knee didn't hurt while I was running. Yes, my knee will swell by tomorrow. Yes, it's a bit achy now. I just wanted to run. I'm glad I didn't, but it certainly made me nostalgic for the times I could run an hour or more 3 times a week. It was such a satisfying feeling to get in a good, hard workout! I haven't had one of those since before my knee started hurting. Maybe one day I'll be able to have more of those workouts, but for now, I'll concentrate on my scope and the long, gradual recovery ahead.

Runner's World Shoe Guide - Good Information

The March 2009 issue included a Spring Shoe Guide. I have mentioned this type of article in the past as it usually includes the "wet test" and basic shoe recommendations for each foot type. This article had a Q & A that caught my attention since it related exactly to my foot issues. 

Q My daughter is one of those unfortunate runners with high arches, but who also overpronates. what type of shoe is best for her? - NAN HILL, Monroe, Georgia

A More often than not, high arches similar to your daughter's naturally prevent the ankle from moving inward excessively. Your daughter's arches are more flexible, however, and her foot type actually increases the risk of overpronation because her arches collapse a greater distance than flatter arches do. She should probably run in a stability or motion-control shoe, depending on the severity of her overpronation. Another option would be to go with an after-market supportive insole in a neutral-cushioned shoe. In fact, more and more running retailers are selling combinations like this to runners just like your daughter. 

I will be going with the second option, since the first has not seemed to work for me in the past. It's worth a try! I found this Q & A exactly what I needed to confirm something I was already considering. Once I am able to run again (this may be some time from my scope), I will purchase neutral-cushioned running shoes and use my custom orthotic inserts to add extra support for my high arches. Hopefully, this will give me the extra cushioning I need to decrease impact on my knee and rest of my body. It's all about decreasing "load" in the future. I'm still planning to walk or do short runs in the future in my Nike Free shoes, but I like the idea of having the more cushioned shoe as well, maybe for longer runs when the time comes. 

A Run (with Hills)

Today I ran and walked through my neighborhood. It was a pretty day and I knew there was rain coming soon and my surgery pending. I may as well get in a workout! I chose to take the route all the way down Jackson Street until it dead ends at Arguello near an entrance to The Presidio and back. Yes, there were hills. No, I haven't run hills in some time, but I didn't care. I just wanted to be outside and burn some calories. 

I ended up running about 30 minutes total and walking a little more than that for about a 1.25 hour length of exercise. It was great to be out and about! I didn't even bring my iPod, I just took the time to work things through my mind and enjoy the outdoors. : ) I even brought a few dollars to run a few errands and the end of my workout. It felt good and I iced my knee when I got home. Sure, my knee was a little achy/burning afterwards, but that was to be expected. It was a nice time.