Dr.'s Report

Dr. Thomas Greenwald

I was at the Clinic in time for my 8:30 appointment with Dr. Greenwald.  My regular doctor told me I would like him and he was correct.  Professional, friendly, knowledgeable and no bullshit.  My shoulder is arthritic.  The rotator cuff is not the problem. Shoulder replacement is not the solution.  It is not going to get better (or at least not much) and he gave me a shot which puts the anti-inflammatory medicine right on the bone.  Not a fun shot but I can live with it.  Hopefully the pain will diminish somewhat and I will be able to function better.  It is the driving that I want to be able to do more comfortably.  He mentioned something about learning to use my left hand more and he was correct.  I am already using my left hand and arm in driving more than I was.  I hadn't really thought about it until he mentioned it.


He and I also talked about Roosevelt School where his kids went to school and where I taught for several years. He mentioned friends of mine who had taught there.  He told me where he lived and I knew the place as I have driven by it many many times and taken pictures of his (or rather his wife's) beautiful flowers and landscaping.  It was neat that he would tell me that.  Usually Doctors are more private. He actually suggested I could stop by for coffee.  I 'll bet he'd be surprised as hell if I actually took him up on it. 


Anyway that is where we are now. I am having my hairscut, lunch with my sister and going to the grocery store and then I will probably exercise and take a nap.  

I was unfriended.

Just discovered that I was "unfriended" by someone on Facebook. It is nice to have that happen because now I don't have to worry about that person anymore. Now if he would just stop calling my friends to discuss me it would be fine. He could have called me and talked to me about it at one time instead of sending e-mail broadsides and then suggesting that we not e-mail each other because our "friendship was important to him." Guess it wasn't.

If anyone is interested

The air conditioner guy came and fixed the dripping AC.

Finished a book and started another one.

I got my hairscut today.

Went to the foot doctor and got the stitches out of the toe. Just a couple of steri strips on it now and when they fall off I am free. Healing is coming along fine and it is so nice to be able to wear shoes again.

Found the shoe I thought I had lost

Picked up my tux shirt since I found out today that I have to wear the damn tux for Installation on Saturday.

Went to dinner in Ankeny with Craig. We ate at a really nice little place where the food is made from scratch and I mean home made. They even serve real whipping cream. I am going back there. How long has it been since you had french fries made from a real potato? He uses Great-grandmother's pie crust recipe made with lard. Worth the drive down. Kevin and I are going there also. He was the caterer at Rosicrucians and we wanted to check his place out. Addendum: Here is the Web Site for the Restaurant.

Tomorrow the car goes in to be serviced and I have to open the Temple for the ISEA who are using it for a meeting.

Thursday I go to Cedar Rapids for Grand Chapter and Council. I have not been for 4 years so it will be good to see everybody again.

Thanks for stopping by. Hugs, j

Toe news

The good news. No bandage on my toe.. just a band aid and I can shower again. The not so good news - the stitches are still in. The best news the damn little ulcer that caused the whole thing seems to be almost if not entirely healed already.

Warning Graphic Photos

The pictures below are of my foot. They get graphic so you may not want to scroll down. (But I bet you do.) One week ago yesterday I had surgery done on my large right toe. It was not painful (because I was under) during the surgery or after. Probably due to the diabetes. I can feel but I don't have pain. It bled some and I had to keep off the foot and have it elevated all week long. No showers and rested it on a pillow to keep it up in the air. It must have worked, did take a shower today. Since I sit to take a shower because of my ankle fusion operation but today I did. No "spit bath" today.. I wrapped the entire foot in a towel and taped it. Then I put a large garbage bag over the lower leg and tied it. I was then able to shower and get clean for the first time in a week. Wonderful.

This is my Doctor. He is one of the nicest guys I know and if this works I will miss seeing him. (I told him about the way I took the shower and he gave me permission to do it. So I will be clean. I hate not being able to shower .

He came in and removed the old bandage

I had not even had the surgical shoe off for a week. Sleeping in it. That ends tonight

Here come the graphic pictures

You can see the ulcer on the bottom of the toe which is what caused this whole thing. He "said" it looked good. Not to me but he is the Doctor

A new (purple) bandage and I can wear a nice black sock over it so that it will at least look better

I am so very grateful for Dr. S. By the way he told me the reasons behing the wait last week before surgery. It seems there was a glitch with the new computer system and his orders had not gone through and to top it off some lady was having a baby and there were complications so they had to be there. I can certainly understand that. I put a lot of it (my being upset) to stress and not having eaten anything. I get mean when I am hungry. Thanks for stopping by. j

The day went like this

4:45 - Up - let the dogs out, shaved and showered

5:45 - Craig picked me up and took me to the hospital

Sat in the waiting room until 7:20

Met with a young lady who wanted to see my insurance cards. I had left them at home because you aren't supposed to bring valuables with you.

She scanned my driver's license which I had brought with me in case I needed to prove who I was.

Gave her my birth date and signed an electronic form signature pad three times. My handwriting is more legible than my doctors.

Was directed to ambulatory waiting room where I waited some more

A nurse came and got me and took me back to room 43 where I was told to undress and get on a bed. I did so and waited for her to come back. Then she asked me the same questions which everyone else asks me. When was I born, what am I allergic to. I told her I did not know what they were and they would be listed on the computer - I do not pay any attention to things like that. What was I having done. What was my Doctor's name....etc. etc. ad infinitum ad nauseum.

Blood pressure taken

Heart beat checked

temperature taken

Room 43 is cold when you are in a flimsy gown'

Read my book for about an hour and a half while I waited. Surgery was supposed to have been at 7:30. At 8:30 I began to think about leaving and saying the hell with it all.

Waited some more. Overheard someone say that the anesthesiologist had not been ordered.

Continued to wait. I think that what ticked me off the most was that no one really came in and told me that the Dr. or someone had screwed up and the lady who "passes gas" had not been ordered.

Finally someone came to get me and in her cheerful way began to take me to the waiting room for the operation. I said something about not being happy about having to wait this long (Remember I had had nothing to eat or drink (Not even water) since 11:00 the night before)

- she made the remark that sometimes when you weren't the first operation of the day you had to wait. I told her that my surgery was the first and I had been waiting a long time. She seemed surprised.

I told the nurses in the pre op room I was thinking of just canceling the surgery and forgetting it and the nurse left and a passive aggressive head nurse came in and tried to sooth the savage Jay. I do not like people to be passive aggressive with me and I do not like to be patted. The other nurse asked me the same questions I had been asked before including what was I there for what was I having done.- (Aren't they supposed to know?)

I actually began to feel that I was in an initiation where the candidate is taken around the room and "the same questions were asked and answered as before."

Finally the Doctor came in. Now you have to know that I really like this guy but at that point in time I was very unhappy. This is not the service I was expecting. My friend was expecting me to be done by 10:30 as that was what I had been told and so they called him to let him know it would be longer (at lest they said they would) - He knew I was not pleased.

They put me under (as much to shut me up as anything) and the next thing I knew I was waking up with a hell of a big bandage on my foot. (see post below) -

Then it was back to the refrigerator known as Room 43 where a really nice nurse who had taken care of me when I was in the hospital before came in to ask me some more questions - and to bring me some orange juice and coffee. (I asked for a Croissan'Wich but they did not have one.) Some of these were different from the others. She went to get the surgical shoe that I have to wear and helped me to get dressed, called Craig who was Johnny on the spot and took me home. I let the dogs out and noticed when Miles made a leap for my foot that I was bleeding.

Since then I have spent most of the day with my foot in the air and wondering when it is going to start hurting. I think Mark used long acting blocker on my foot but I can feel in my toes but there is no real pain. I think I will take the pain pills in with me in case I need them during the night.

Jon was over and told me some more stories about Spain. He went and got some Chinese food. I did not have much of it because it always shoots my Blood Sugar up.

That is about it. I think I will survive. It is probably about time for me to go to bed. That shall be an interesting operation. Stay warm and think good thoughts. Hugs, j

Addendum: I slept well so far I am not in any real pain and have not had to take the pain meds. At least that is a very good thing.

Warning Bloody FOTO

I am back from having the surgery on my toe and you can see it bled. This was on the way home from the hospital. Miles is going to bother it as I think he is a Vampire Dog. I have no pain yet. I imagine that will come.

The surgery was an hour late because of a mix up with the anesthesiologist. Craig took me there and then picked me up and brought me home.

Have a nice Monday everybody and stay warm. I must now ice it for 15 minutes. Such fun. I could use a personal assistant.

Update

The clinic called. Everything looks OK with my heart and I am "good to go" for the surgery on Monday. Such fun. I will take my camera along and blog about it..

Distracted

Most of the readers of this blog know that I have been "Doctoring" - so much fun. I have an ulcer on the bottom of my large right toe. My foot doctor, a wonderful man unlike another foot doctor I could, but won't, name, has been talking me into having surgery done on the toe to remove a small spur from the bottom of the toe.

I finally decided it was time. I mean two years (or more) of not healing and little blood spots on the floor it was time. So before he would do the surgery I had to see my primary care doctor for a pre-surgery physical. He did an EKG and found a bundle blockage... that is heart folks. My grandmother used to say "that is a long way from your heart" for problems (Either that or "I've had that lots of time." but that is another story.) So this was my heart. And if you know me you know that I have been depressed and distracted. Aside from the Baileymeister waking me at all hours to go outside I have just been waking up unable to shut my head off. Generally worrying about the upcoming surgery and then fussing about the heart.

So yesterday I went to see the foot Doctor and got all of the pre and post instructions. (I almost said forget it) and a prescription for some Rush Limburger pills which I do not want to take but one never knows. I have not really wanted to be around people much but I did go down to the Meet and Greet and Scottish Rite Officer's meeting. (I am not an officer but I take the notes for the meeting) and enjoyed that but I am staying home tonight because time got away from me.

I saw the Cardiologist today

and it was a good meeting but he wanted me to have an>Echo cardiograph (Ultrasound of the Heart) So I had to go back at 4:00. In between times I went up to see a good brother who has been having some health challenges and had lost his AOL account. So I went up to see him and helped him get fixed up with a Gmail account. I think I left him happy to be reconnected. Ken was 84 last year and still riding in RAGBRAI. He is not able to ride this year but he is still going. He will ride in the Van. Amazing.

Anyway I had the ultrasound (It's a boy!) but I have not gotten the results - but it was rather interesting to lay there on my side and have this young lady rub me all over with a warm to hot instrument (and to hear my heart beat). In the meantime I wait and the surgery is still on. After that I will be hobbling around for 4 to 6 weeks. Stay tuned.