Knee Recovery Final, and Doomscrolling, 28
So it ended today, Thursday. My physio sessions are over after seven weeks. I achieved 119° knee bend and, with a push from the therapist, got to 120°, the magic…
surgery
Knee Replacement Recovery, 24
Saturday: Today, October 11, was the last day for this year’s Farmers’ Market, and it was a good last day for the market, weather-wise. I used to really enjoy going…
Knee Replacement Recovery, 21
Thursday: I started the day with a 20-minute pedal on the stationary bike, then the first of my three exercise sessions, and a 600 m walk — shorter than usual…
Knee Surgery, 10
Back when the surgeon offered me an unexpected date in August instead of the expected December to February, I thought to myself it would be better to get it done…
Knee Surgery, 9
Well, I have a whole new set of exercises, most of which come with a pain factor increase, but nothing that seems to make any great leap forward in either…
Knee Surgery, Day 7
Yesterday, after taking off the tensor bandage, my knee was a cheerful gnome of pain, likely released, I suspect, by the flesh expanding rather suddenly after all that compression. Sort…
Knee Surgery, Day 6
Aficionados of slow food, mindfulness, and slow thinking should add knee surgery to their list of life-focusing activities. It certainly makes everything move more slowly and deliberately. One does not…
Knee Surgery, Day 5
Accomplishments come in little packages. Last night, I managed to get myself up and into the bathroom to pee twice, without having to wake Susan up to help me get…
Knee Surgery, Day 4
The other thing you lose with mobility is dignity. And that loss can affect you deeply, albeit not physically, but certainly a blow to your morale and ego. We are…
Knee Surgery, Day 3
If you want to see just how bad the roads and streets are in the Town of Collingwood, just drive over them a few hours after knee or other surgery.…
Knee Surgery Day Two
Well, I’m back from the hospital following my knee surgery. It was a “Total knee arthroplasty (TKA), also known as total knee replacement,” described as a “surgical procedure that involves…
The Cancer Diaries, Part 26
Cancer changes everything — and nothing at all. Rabbi Skillman That’s a profound comment, coming from a TV character. The “rabbi” in question is a fictional patient in hospital, played…
The Cancer Diaries, Part 22
Three days off over Xmas from the daily drive felt like a longer holiday, although it wasn’t enough time for my bowels to heal properly. So far an irritable bowel,…
The Cancer Diaries, Part 13
It’s been an emotional, roller-coaster week for me (if you’ll pardon the cliché…). Back and forth to Barrie for consultations, scans, and tests, more blood work, phone consultations with doctors…
The Cancer Diaries, Part 11
Anaesthetic must be one of the most remarkable inventions of the 20th century. While various forms of anaesthesia have been used since the ancient Egyptians (with varying degrees of effectiveness),…
The Cancer Diaries, Part 9
Well, I suppose it’s a good news/bad news story for this post, although I dearly wish it was better. Would that I could have put it all behind me, finished…
The Cancer Diaries, part 8
Diseases desperate grown By desperate appliance are relieved, Or not at all. Shakespeare: Hamlet, Act 4 Sc. 3 Those Kegel exercises sure work. I had my doubts at first, but…
The Cancer Diaries, Part 6
I’m sitting here, on my back deck, in the late Friday afternoon, beside Susan, trying to take stock of my life over a glass of wine, and read a bit…
The Cancer Diaries, part 5
The resilience of the human body is truly amazing. Here I am, three weeks after major surgery, and much of my daily life is back to normal. I can drive,…
The Cancer Diaries, Part 4
A home is not a sterile environment. Not mine, anyway. With two cats, a dog, numerous houseplants, rooms full of books, and my sometimes lackadaisical attitude toward cleaning, our home…