How I Spent My Father's Day Weekend.

Good grief! I just now realized that I didn't tell about what we did in Anaheim beyond that we delivered Jess' stuff to her.This should also explain the reference to "kidney stone" I made in the previous post.

Well, Terry and I spent Friday with Jess at the Discovery Hall in Santa Ana. Jess thought they were going to have an "explosive" exhibit from the Myth Busters, but that didn't start until Saturday. Still, it's a very interesting, kids' oriented, hands-on place that was very entertaining...until the kids showed up. Then it got loud. As loud as four or five school bus loads of sixth graders can make it. And trust me, that's LOUD!

We beat feet and traveled over to the Bower Art/History Museum. Much quieter. They had a gallery dedicated to the works of Chuck Jones. But "that's [not] all folks!" They also had a special display on the mummification of animals as votives to the gods. There was also a presentation about blood sacrifice made by the Mayans and other cultures. And another about the early history of Upper California. And no little humans making lots of noise.

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Saturday, Terry and I traveled south to Carlsbad, CA just north of San Diego to visit with old friends Ellie and Wayne whom we had not seen in over 30 years. (Thank goodness for the internet and Christmas card letters!) It was like we had never parted.

I wasn't feeling well, however, and felt worse as the day went on. We went to take a walk around one of the lagoons that's been set aside as a nature preserve and then to a mexican restaurant for lunch. By then I ws nearly doubled over with pain in my lower back and nausea, too boot.

I ordered a bowl of tortilla soup ("guaranteed to cure all that ills you" according to the menu) but got only two spoonfuls of broth before it was decided that I needed to get to the hospital ASAP. Lunch was bagged up and off we rushed to the ER at Scripps.

I was in the door less than two minutes before I was swept into a bed, had my vitals examined and had blood drawn. I was administered a shot of morphine and whisked off for a Cat Scan.

The first dose of pain killer didn't work and my pain went from 8-9 on a scale of 10 to 11. A second shot of morphine was given and a diagnosis came back that I had a 4 mm diameter kidney stone that had (at the time of the Cat Scan) almost passed into my bladder but was hung up in the area of the sphincter muscle that prevents urine from flowing the wrong way. The ER Doc was amazed I wasn't complaining of even more pain than I was. (They consider a 5 mm stone the maximum passable size.) "Most people with a stone that size," he said, "come in to the ER saying it feels like they've been shot."

In any case, the second shot of morphine--or the quick ride back from radiology--jarred that sucker lose. Soon after I was feeling fine. (Maybe that was the morphine too, but by then I didn't care.)

Scrips in hand, Wayne took me to a local CVS where I got more pain killer and a generic form of Flowmax. Now I felt no pain, but had to pee every two hours.

Being under the influence of prescription narcotics, Ellie and Wayne insisted we stay with them for the night. (Did I mention that Wayne is an attorney?) So we went to their home and finished the doggy-bagged meal we had started seven hours earlier. (Maybe the tortilla soup did do me some good after all.)

By Sunday morning, I was feeling fine and, after breakfast, Terry and I bid farewell to Ellie and Wayne and headed back to our motel room in Anaheim.

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Sunday we had a lovely lunch/dinner with Jessica before she had to go to work. Terry and I then sat in the motel spa for half an hour and then packed the truck for an early Monday departure. I was feeling fine with no after effects from the kidney stone and had stopped taking the prescribed pain pills.

Saturday Morning at the Aerie

Well the knees are a bit sore and stiff this morning but not more than to be expected after the workout I gave them yesterday. I paced off a 1/4 mile on the deck after breakfast and probably walked another 1/4 mile hauling some of the stuff I pulled up yesterday but left lying on the lawn. I'll do 10-15 minutes on the bicycle a little later while watching some football on TV. Along with a few stretching exercises that will be the end of my workout for the day. Got to give the muscles and tissues a chance to recover between exercise sessions--or so says my physical therapist--and who am I to argue.

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Didn't get nearly as cold last night as predicted. It only dropped to 54 degrees which was 10 degrees warmer than the predicted low. It's overcast and cloudy so I don't expect the high to be as high as they predicted either. Still, it's very comfortable.

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I've scheduled a colonoscopy for the end of the month. Haven't had one in a long while so I'm due for a check-up. Terry mentioned it to a friend via email and he sent back a link to this video:

My Knees and Me.

Okay. I feel a bit better now.

On a personal note....

It's Knee-Day minus two. On Monday morning I'll be going to Corning Hospital to have both my knees replaced. The time in the OR should be around 4+ hours. Then it will be three days in Joint Camp (one floor, private rooms, PT twice a day) before being sent out for another three or four days  at a rehab facility. It will be a week from Monday--minimum--before I get back to the Aerie.

In preparation for my new knees, I've been giving the old ones quite a workout. Over the last month, I spent two weeks up at the Bolt Hole working in the woods trying to repair trail damage and cutting firewood. Twice I cut the lawn up there using the push mower. And at the Aerie, I cut the grass twice, cut some firewood and generally wore the heck out of the originally issued set of knees. The restricted movement and pain I experienced convinced me that the surgery is indeed needed.

There were also two long road trips into New Jersey. One for the celebration of my niece's little Sami's first birthday and the second to celebrate my Mother-in-law's 90th. Stops every two hours or so to get out of the car and walk about were required to ease the stiffness in both knees.

Christmas Plans and Medical

Yesterday I called the doctor up in Corning because my knees were/are killing me. Ms. Ryan will get an opportunity to practice her acupuncture/voodoo as she injects some cortisone into both the left and especially the right knee.

We'll also talk once more about possible knee joint replacement. (I've got next to no cartilage in either knee.)

My appointment is for 9 AM Monday, Christmas Eve. Merry Christmas!

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Once finished, Terry and I will be driving to New Jersey. First stop will be with my sister and her family for Christmas Eve. The second will be Grandma's house for Christmas Day with my daughter. (Grandma is in California for the holidays.)