Farmerjan's journal - Weather

[farmerjan]

Monday morning, waiting for breakfast. Matt, OT came by and asked if I wanted another shower since I am going home tomorrow and I said sure. He will be back after breakfast. There isn't anything much for them to work with me as far as OT goes since I am capable of doing all the basics as far as personal care and all that OT works with you for. I am going to call and see if they can wash my hair tomorrow morning. My son won't be here until sometime after noon I don't think. I imagine I will be down for PT sometime today. I guess the regular PT person didn't work yesterday after all. Did have one other part-time one come in and did some of the strength exercises with my arms and all with the stretchy bands that they use. Quiet day yesterday and that's okay. They don't come in to the main offices until 8:30 or 9:00 so I will make a few phone calls after breakfast and the shower. Don't know the protocol about getting out and want to make sure the main office is aware of everything. I think that with most, it is up to the PT and OT and doctors to make those determinations, and what is covered by their insurance/medicare and all that. Plus most are "older" and families are involved with their care and final determination of where they are going to go after their stay in "rehab" is over.

 

[B&B Happy goats]

congratulations on making it through the biggest challenges Jan, your heading down the home stretch now

 

[Bruce]

On the road in 24 hours!

 

[Baymule]

There really is no place like home.

​

 

[Bruce]

I'm trying to visualize Jan wearing shoes like that But I bet she would if doing so and clicking her heels together would get her home.

 

[farmerjan]

HOME SWEET HOME. Trying to keep foot elevated this eve and hard to use computer stretched out on bed. Everything went okay. Will update tomorrow.

 

[thistlebloom]

Welcome home!

 

[Baymule]

That is great news! I am so glad that you are home now and I KNOW you are!

 

[Mini Horses]

GOOD MORNING !!!

I know you are glad to be home. Be careful. Be happy. Don't let the aches get ahead of you -- OTC pain meds and you surely have those on hand. It's uphill now with your "rebuilt ankle" -- you'll be chasing cows before you know it!

Until then, rest and heal.

 

[farmerjan]

Good morning and thank you to all. I managed to get into the salon at the rehab and got my hair washed early Tuesday morning. Had packed alot of my stuff the night before and finished that morning. My son texted me and said he was close at 10 a.m.. Then he got there, had to go through a bunch of paperwork at the nurses station and all and we were out of there by 11. Came up through and stopped at a Logans steakhouse above Danville and had a great meal. Then came up and took prescrips to Walmart but you can't fill them in Va., if there is more than one written on a prescrip paper, if there is more than one opiod. Had both the oxi and the tramadol on the same paper, so they have to get the dr at the rehab to call back and okay them. So he is going to go pick them up today. I had some tramadol at home so could get through with no problem. I probably don't need them much since I only took them sporadically anyway.... but it won't hurt to have a few on hand in case. I think there is only like 10 pills per prescrip. I started to have a reaction to tylenol ; so had to stop taking that too. Ibuprofen tears my stomach up unless it is the buffered kind and they don't want you to take that for at least a month after surgery anyway.

I wound up driving my little truck home from my sons house, as I didn't want to be totally without any transportation. Since it is all rural roads, I used the clutch with the right foot to start it, and then I can shift without the clutch using the trucks' rpm, so got it home with no problem. Don't want to drive it anywhere, but at least I know I can in an emergency. Mike came later and brought my suitcase and all that stuff. It felt good to have some plain peace and quiet. The automatic truck had something wrong, and he has ordered the part 3 times and they kept sending the wrong one. He got the right one on Monday late, so will get it put on before he leaves to go up north so I have something here and automatic is safer. I really don't have to go anywhere, but with him gone for several days, I just don't want to be "stranded here" in case of any emergency. Sometimes friends aren't home either, and the cell phone service is still so spotty some days. The truck may sit the whole time, but I have the option if I need it.

They made an appt from the rehab with my PCP, but it is for the day before my appt in NC at 3 weeks. Don't know why. So I talked to the lady at the PCP, asked if there was a specific reason for that appt., she said that they do it as matter of course from the rehab because I am "leaving their jurisdiction" and so it is like handing me off to the next one. I explained that I was due to go back to the PA at the surgeons office for an appt the next day, explained about the walking boot, not having all the stitches out, the xrays they are going to take etc. She agreed that it was pointless for me to come there until I had the appt in NC. I will call back and see what they want to do as far as any further PT as there is a prescrip for that too.... but other than the exercises I am presently doing, there is nothing they can do with the ankle until the stitches are out. I guess they don't think that I am capable to make my own appts.... and to be fair, I guess there are those that can't or won't or don't.....but it seems to me that after 2 weeks and all the results from the PT and OT there, that they would just tell me what I should do and accept that I will do it. Nope, that would be too much to expect them to realize that I have some common sense.

Nice to look out the window at the fields and the landlord's cows. The best was the bed..... I slept real good last night. The bad is that the bathroom is so far away from the bedroom. I am still going to start looking for another place, and the bathroom will either be attached to the master bedroom, or at least in the next room, not totally at the other side of the house and through 3 doors and all that bs. I have always hated where the bathroom was here. But when you are limited with your walking movements, it is a B#$@H.

Got a prescrip for the knee scooter, but Medicare doesn't want to pay for it. Wheel chair won't fit here too well, but the scooter is narrower. So I got one, under $100, Not like it is going to break me. The crutches don't allow you to carry anything around but the scooter has a basket. Then if anyone needs it in the future, it's here. I have a total of 3 prs of crutches that have been inherited from various family members over the years and my son has his too. I am going to put the knee crutch together today and see how that works. Never got to try it before going, with all that I was trying to get done. I think that I will have to see how well it works, I think that for getting around like with feeding the cats and chickens here, it will be good, but for quickly getting around the scooter will be faster like a trip to the bathroom.

Got to see if I can get the dvd player hooked up to the TV. My old tv's picture is going bad, little lines constantly going through it and it won't straighten out with all the fine tuning and all. Hell, the tv is over 30+ years old. Got one sitting here from when my parents retired to NH and sold their house in CT and that's over 10 yrs ago. It wasn't but a couple years old, been just sitting here. It won't fit in my little entertainment center, it is too wide. So it is on a coffee table and I will see if I can get the right wires to the right places so I can watch movies. I have more movies than most video stores used to, I think. Many I have picked up at Goodwill for a dollar or 2 and at yard sales and such and even a few at Walmart in the 3.97 bins. Since the old tv started going bad, I just haven't bothered watching it, but will have plenty of time now as I take the breaks in between, to keep this foot/ankle up. Don't want it to be swelling alot.

Have found that I do miss seeing the news on the tv already. Going to see if I can get some of it on the computer.

Do miss the "breakfast in bed", but I will be able to make oatmeal pretty easy. Probably will stick to instant for a few days so I am not standing for too long until I get more used to the boot and the weight. It actually does weigh more than the cast they had on it and is bigger/wider. Thank god I can take it off when I am sitting etc., Might be easier if I use the scooter and can rest that leg on it instead of having it hang straight down.

So that's the latest update. Getting hungry so got to go find something to eat. Need to get some basic groceries, milk, and bread, and some fresh fruit and such. But for the next couple of days I am pretty okay.