Yep, Autumn is here to stay

One of those horrible grey days,  relentless rain and dark.  Ugh.   It stayed like that all day.   I shouldn't mind as I can't get out, but even just seeing the sun shine via a window is uplifting.  
Saw neighbour today, he's also crocked,  just out of hospital after a major op, he's also suffered a minor stroke.  But he'd ploughing on, making progress,  feel angry that someone else I know was far too eager to just give up and wait for the miracle to happen....  it hasn't and it never will.  But me and the neighbour are putting in the rehab hours,  even if I think it isn't doing much good.  Doesn't feel like I am making much progress,  but I keep going in the hope that a corner will be turned at some point.   I'd be happier if it didn't take me about 2 hours to get to sleep at night.  For some reason once I am in bed the knee really plays up,  and I just can't get comfy,  last night exhaustion set in and I just flaked out after 2 hours. 
Made an effort this morning by putting a colour on my hair, ash blonde,  to take away the grey stuff,  I just don't suit it. Some people look fab with grey hair, sadly I am not one of them.  Felt better after washing and drying hair, at least I looked half human.   Then on with the rehab,  endless exercises,  it does get you down,  cos you are in pain, don't want to move, but know if you don't then you won't make any progress.  

After lunch I felt I'd done enough rehab, did two more sessions during afternoon,  but got on with some crafting, a second scrap page.   Have posted second photo of Highlands page,  but with some changes.  Have now got new card for Slice, it arrived yesterday, and it has just about everything I need,  well aside from more alphabets. But tons of die cuts to choose from, and can do shadow cutting, mirror cutting... and use card in computer... so I am thinking of using to make a few stamps! 

New scrap page is of a bird, but not a pigeon, took me a while to get the colour scheme,  and a layout,  as usual it was all down to serendipity.   Worked out basic layout, but rest needs to be sorted tomorrow.

What will tonight bring... sleep?   I do hope so.

Autumn days...

Brrr, it has turned colder over last few days,  needed to fire up central heating over the weekend. 

Still having sleepless nights cos of the knee,  last night I needed a dose of morphine to knock me out.   I'd like to think that it is improving, but it just doesn't feel like it.   Had physio appointment,  since I've been thru knee rehab 3 times I think I know what to do,  and I did tell hospital I didn't want any physio,  so of course I end up with appointment!   Same stuff,  20 minutes of paperwork, ten minutes of physio...   she was trying to bend my knee, now at the moment it will only go so far, I know that in time it will free up, but she tries to bend it... think my stony glare made her stop...  or else I'd have thumped her.   Do physio's understand pain?  I don't think they do at all.   I also had restricted movement before the operation,  and had she read my notes she would have known my medical history, as it was I kept on having to tell her stuff!   I was going to just slip out and not make another appointment, but she collared me on way out... rats.  Well next week will be last appointment, waste of time in my view.   The physio also took a dim view of me driving the car,   well I did as advised,  made sure I could operate all the pedals and perform an emergency stop.  Physio I saw pre op said we could get back behind the wheel as soon as we felt able, and providing we could do the emergency stop.   I'm not driving far,  just to high street, half a mile, and supermarket, half a mile in other direction from home. 

Still waiting for delivery of my new Slice card,  ordered it last Tuesday, got e-mail on Thursday saying it was on its way and...  still waiting for it to flop thru the letter box.   Need it to complete a few projects,  so it is frustrating, as is the post these days!   We did go have a lovely period of about 6 months when we had the same postie,  not any more,  some even seem to be casual workers.   The prat who ruined the Royal Mail should never have been allowed to move on, but have been sacked and penalised financially.   I am sick of these so called big bosses getting away with such ineptitude, and being rewarded for making a bloody mess of things. 

Craft day tomorrow on QVC, will see what the TSV is... hope something can tempt me!   All for now.

Bumpy road to recovery

Think my road to recovery is bumpy and full of u-turns.  Every time I think I am improving I end up taking a dozen steps backwards.   Still got a lot of swelling,  and that means it is hard to both straighten and bend knee,  especially in the morning.   I dread the night time as it takes me ages to get to sleep,  last night it was 3 a.m and that was after taking 5mg of morphine to knock me out.   Now got some stronger painkillers from GP, so hope they work.

Also got something sticking out of wound, not sure it it is a stitch or....   Good to get all the staples out, all 34 of them!   Think whoever did the stapling got carried away.   The stapling is no worse than stitches, I've had both so I can now make a judgement, and the staples are easier to take out. Still got a bit of leakage at top of wound,  GP was a bit concerned, but I assured him that there was no infection,  well there wasn't on Sunday.   But all this discomfort is doing wonders for the diet,  don't feel like eating,  even the wine intake has take a severe hit.   Managed to complete all the exercises today,   still got the physio appointment hanging over my head...  did cancel the Monday appointment.  Frankly it is a waste of space,   the session will last about 10 mins, maybe 15, will include showing me what to do and a short walk... what is the bloody point?!   I sometimes wonder what the physiotherapists do to earn their money!    When I injured my back I got a great physio, she sorted me out,  showed me how to release my back,   and a number of useful exercises, but for the knee... forget it.  It has been pathetic.  My consultant keeps saying that I'd get to use the gym to build up muscle, methinks the gym is just a figment of someone's imagination.   They didn't even do much for mum when she was in,  just got her to walk up and down the ward, what bloody use is that?   The ortho ward needs its own gym,  on site,  then patients would make progress. 

On to crafting,  indulged in a bit of retail therapy,  QVC were selling stuff for the Slice, so I got a new design card, only cos it was on easy pay,  I dithered far too long over another card and it was no longer on easy pay - rats.   But am on waiting list for embossing kit for the slice.  Wasn't a bad show today,  some new stuff to look at and not just an endless list of kanban stuff. 

I have been crafting,  made this page using two photos of the highlands.  Used papermania 12x12 card,  the tartan is also papermania, from their Christmas collection,  used my X cut shape cutter system for the ovals, and the slice for the lettering... tho don't like it and will be changing it!  Also got a bit fancy by using an ink pad to recolour the letters and scalloped oval card, oh and the ribbon.    Printed off a few more photos,  can't get used to having this cheap printer, well cheap ink wise,  nowt cheap about it with the printing which is excellent.  Kodak I love you....  I'd have been putting in new cartridges on the old printer, best of all I can load up to 20 photo papers, whereas with my old printer it would only take one at a time and would then make a mess of it.

Well knee wants a rest...  must oblige it.

Not feeling the bees knees...

Nine days after operation to replace knee... wondering if I did the right thing.  Still hobbling around,  pain is up to 10+,  feel rubbish, only good thing is that I've lost my appetite so clothes are starting to feel loose.

Stay in hospital wasn't too bad, there was a good crowd in the ward, we were all on the same wave length humour wise and determined to keep each other cheered up. Staff were fantastic,  nothing seemed to be too much trouble for them,  cannot fault the care we all received.   Food left something to be desired,  it was edible but not very appetizing.   There is also an inherent fault,  on your first day in hospital you get whatever the previous occupant of your bed ordered!   Which meant last Monday I got chicken and chips, no veg,  no gravy... it was also a leg of chicken,  not what I'd serve to patients, not with all those fiddly bones,  and looked just awful.   Think they need to employ someone with ideas for nutritious but appetizing food.    Physio's were very gentle, we'd all got the pep talk before our op, being told what to expect,  which is exactly what we didn't get!   Perhaps some coordination needs to  happen?   It was also daft that the phyios came to our ward,  saw one patient then disappeared off to another ward, and so that went on all morning, surely it made more sense to work thru each ward?    They also seemed to be wasting a lot of time stuck in their office,  we were all given an exercise guide, but no actual guidance on how to do the exercises,  no-one checked to see if we were doing them properly.   The physio consisted of:  being helped to use a zimmer for first day out of bed, next day a very short lesson on how to use crutches,  then practice up the stairs, just once, and that was it!  Diabolical,  no real therapy at all,  while the nursing staff were the ones who were run off their feet.  Seems to me that the physio lot had it very easy. 

Should have staples removed tomorrow, that will be a relief,  think wound has also stopped bleeding. It bled rather alarmingly for first few days,  registrar told me that there was no possibility of heavy bleeding!  Oh yeah, must have been why I ended up with about 3 large dressings round my leg, leaving me barely able to move it.   All were soaked thru when they changed it,  the nurse said he would tell the registrar! 

Well time for exercises...