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** links open in new browser window for convenience
this Special Report documents observations / associated notes / comments which are strictly those of the author
each reader may have a differing opinion in some / many instances, based on their own personal programming
* J A N U A R Y *
21 January 2009 / Wednesday -- If you read my YES news page for 2008 you would know that I fractured my right ankle on Christmas Eve, 24 December 2008 by dumbly slipping on invisible ice on the sidewalk near my entrance steps, due to the UNrefinished pavement cracks that an old tree caused -- the city removed the tree down to the stump, telling me they would return to remove the stump / rip up an extensive area of the sidewalk / completely redo that area -- I am still waiting for this repair. I went to the emergency room at St. Francis Hospital on Christmas day / had to return again on 29 December 2008 due to swelling / much pain around the cast they first applied -- I was given prescriptions to an antibiotic for potential infection and Percocet for the searing pain and a new cast was put on. The ER told me to make an appointment with the Trenton Orphopedic Group for repair of the fracture, BUT I first had to return to see Dr. V, my nominal personal physician on the Trenton Board of Education retirees insurance plan I have -- an appointment was schedued for Saturday, 10 January 2009 but Victor cancelled saying snow was forecast and it would be too dangerous, which delayed surgery until I was able to see him -- a second delay was caused when he complately changed offices to a somewhat more distant medical complex, not seeing patients for several days -- in the meantine I went to the TOG for evaluation -- another frigid / windy / snowy day -- several doctors saw me / I was assigned to Dr. K for the surgery -- they removed the previous second cast and over stuffed my right lower leg with the most hormongous cast I had ever seen -- I was wearing pants which were virtually impossible to remove over the bulky cast -- on my birthday, 14 January 2009 I was finally able to remove the trousers and put on cargo shorts
on 20 January 2009 [after a new snowfall / much local icing / frigid temperatures] I saw Dr. V and surgery was schedued for the next day at the Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital in Hamilton, New Jersey. The following scan of one of the X-Rays taken at the emergency room on 25 December 2008 showing the fracture on the right and left of the right foot ...
I had to call Tito, my preferred taxi provider to get me to the hospital at 11h -- he said the roads were terrible / I was freezing my tweeties off due to the cargo pants I wore -- normal trousers would NOT fit over the super sized cast I had on. After filing out some forms with much the same information I already provided several times to the ER / Dr. V / Dr. K [it seems like a utter waste of time duplicating my data which should be readily available on some centralized medical database, since they all show off their nice computers and other high techy toys] -- I provided them with copies of the X-Rays / blood test / EKG / ultrasound of my right leg [to look for possible blood clots and such -- there were none found, all the tests were normal] -- my neck chain / watch / magnetic bracelet / keys / earring [which had not been removed for at least ten years already] were placed in two small plastic bags to be deposited in their security safe
Dr. K appeared just before the surgery for me to fill out insurance forms which stated that whatever my medical insuramce did not pay I would be personally liable for -- I signed my name UNDER some words which I hand wrote in the space above the signature -- I ONLY authorize treatment 100% covered by my health insurance -- he did not seem to like that addition very much telling me I had to know exactly what my insurance pays, he knows what his pays -- I replied for him to put me on HIS insurance plan/s since he seemingly knows so much about them -- curiously, on the Patients Bill of Rights it clearly states that the attending physician/s MUST inform the patient what is covered by their insurance plans and what is not -- they insisted several times that they did not have a clue -- I suggested that surgery be delayed until they were able to provide this info to me -- I really did not want to delay things any more than they had been up to that point and UNDER DURESS signed a new authorization form without the above sentence written in -- I reallly do not remember too much after that other than I was wheeled into some room for the operation -- time passed -- I could hear some people talking about different things but kept my eyes closed -- then somebody directly addressed me, finding myself in a private room on the second floor [room 4224], across from the nurses station ...
The Room -- it was rectangular -- I guestimate it to be about fifteen feet wide by some twenty feet deep -- a sofa below a picture window looking out on the parking lot / surrounding low buildings / the highway / homes & apartments across the road -- bathroom on the inner left -- an about twenty - four inch flat screen TV on the left wall in front of the bed -- the bed was automated -- buttons on a control panel to raise head / feet -- after clicking to the desired setting abut a minute passes and the bed quietly adjusts a second time to my weight distribution -- small closet for my personal stuff to the right of the TV -- tiled floors -- partially wood panelled walls -- heating / cooling usually always too hot or with cold breezes / overly dry -- TV tuner / volume control included in the handy removable bed adjustment thingy, as well as the room lighting controls -- not all stations available
The TV -- after this exposure to what people waste their time watching, I am doubly glad I have not had a television at home for many years -- a way over done Obama, who just took office -- talk shows with hosts who only seem to know how to talk their heads off / smile constantly / tell jokes / show cleavage / frequently rearrange their hair, ad infinitum -- the dumbest quiz type show ever, titled something like DEAL OR NO DEAL, with a bald headed patch of hair under his lower lip massochist host programming the contestent to choose hidden sums of virtual moola inside a couple dozen metal briefcases, each sitting on a pedistal beside different male / female accompanying torturers -- some makeover show with the weirdest male / female participants I ever saw [it was sooo staged it was laughable] -- then there was that Jerry Springer show -- this time about a guy and his girl friend -- she did not know that he was also sneaking out to have a tryst with a male lover -- other similar guests / trans sexuals / sexually confused peeps -- if you really tried you might believe one third of the crap they fed you!
OK, it is now 05h -- I just had a piece of my second birthday cake -- about half left -- now to bed with Blinky in the bedroom -- she sleeps quietly all night long between my legs, allowing me to catch some shut eye too
[written on Wednesday / Thursday, 28 / 29 January 2009]
The TV - continued -- YES, there were some shows I sorta liked [unfortunately I did not write down a list of them and have to try to recall them from memory] -- the problem with ALL of them were the constant commercial breaks -- survival in an icy cold wilderness -- the peep had a knife frozen to his hand having to pee on it to remove it / a haunting in a British pub -- two psychics involved -- turns out a young girl was murdered many decades ago because she witnessed the murder of a prostitute -- they found her bones in green colored brick within a chimney in a walled over room, sending the perp back to hell and the girl slept in eternal peace -- the concluding segments were broadcast the day AFTER the story began / that fat talk show host, Oprah, interviewing the disgraced mega church founder / preacher, Ted Haggard, for having long time affaires with males -- another crock of devious pseudo logic / reasoning shit -- keep waffling back and forth and somebody somewhere will believe the stuff / The Mask -- The Last Templar -- very imaginative feature films almost killed by the mfsoab'n commercial breaks
should I add comments on the commercials? JHC, what a bunch of obvious well professionally prepared brainwashing they were -- many on medications for this and that, usually mentioning some negative side effects / loads of Super Bowl related crap -- how fewer ads have been placed due to the ratty economy, one for only a SECOND [I think it was a Bud ad] -- the commentators thought the sixty second one by some company or other [a tax return provider?] was hilarious, so did I -- a bowling ball dropped on some dude's head -- a golfer who swings, hitting the same male on the head both when he prepared for the swing of the golf club & again when he actually swung it and a couple more sound byte video assemblages / do you want your quicky tax return [if and when you actually get one, of course] given to you in paper money that you glue to your body or would you prefer the really sneaky company to give it to you in their own debit card [yeah, just a gimmick to get MORE fees every time you use the damn card] / really fast interNUT connections [that are NEVER as fast or reliable as they are supposed to be] -- holy shit, all the furniture / carpeting places going out of business or having special discounts for services -- remember that they are all Limited Time Offers / I found most of the ads insulting to the potential viewers hypothetical intelligence [or lack thereof]
The Food Service -- they have a very professional meal service -- I had to call them using the phone gizmo provided, attached to the bed, to order my breakfast / lunch / dinner selections -- immaculate catering service attired guys in black tie and gals serve the delights, usually within forty - five minutes following receipt of the order -- I consider the portions of most selections somewhat smallish -- WAY TOO MUCH WASTE of things which I state are NOT needed with my order [creamers / sugars / condiments / catsup / mayo / a straw / jellies [they could save loads of money by simply reducing this unnecessary excess] -- the first time I ordered I wanted the shrimp cocktail appetizer [you have an OLDE menu, we don't offer that any more -- so why was I given a gorgeously made three page folding menu that was useless?] -- no lamb / waffles / pizza / shrimp which I love -- I always ordered two cups of black coffee with every meal, sipping them throughout the day, even cold [just as I do at home] -- bananas were my preferred dessert [I sometimes added regular vanilla ice cream to the dessert list], even though they were kinda smallish [they did provide me with two when asked for, which was nice] -- I ordered most of what is on their menu in my days there -- my particular favorites were Lasagna - broccoli - garlic bread / pancakes -- double servings with extra maple syrup / the design your own omelets filled with peppers - onions - tomatoes - mushrooms which I ordered a couple times for breakfast & lunch & dinner -- three recent order tickets -- note the wasteful condiments and stuff I never touched -- my plate was virtually licked clean when I finished -- the first couple days I lay in bed with my back raised somewhat to eat, which was a PITA -- after that I sat up, dangling my feet over the edge of the bed with the cart on wheels holding the tray [and other stuff such as extra coffee / a pitcher filled ice water mixed with coffee / banana/s / a teensy box of nose tissues] right at the right bed edge, which was a lot more convenient -- I could watch the movement in the parking lot, see the snow and pressing my ear to the side speaker listen to whatever was on TV at the time -- I always had my knit beanie on, probably to look kinda kewlio I guess, and my glasses, of course -- the trays were usually retrieved by food service within an hour or two, but a couple times it took quite a while for it to be removed -- after munching I checked out channels 3 / 6 / 10 to see what was on the TV, reclining half way in the comfy bed. What is my overall evaluation of the food service -- EXCELLENT, with only a couple reservations, as noted above
The Attending Doctors -- they are trained to provide the patient with a maximum of care, each according to his / her specialty -- this can become overly excessive in many cases -- from day one I had an IV attached to my left hand / a constant drip from some largeish bag contained something to thin my blood in case there was a clot somewhere following the surgery or from laying in bed all the time plus a smaller bag of heparin, I think it was [I always asked what they were giving me] -- various pills / meds were provided regularly [vitamin C / a stool softener / a long green calcium tablet / a multi vitamin, all nice and proper BUT I always had to request the painkiller Percocet although it was supposed to be taken every four hours -- I would have to ring the nurse who sometimes took more than one reminder to actualy bring me the pill, thus they were NOT taken regularly. a breathing specialist made me use a large inhaler over my mouth for some kind of oxygen mist [I think it may have actually been to shut me up for ten minutes] -- since I did not shit for four days, they gave me a small thingy of Milk of Magnesia, whch theoretically provides relief within eight hours / overnight -- that did not work, so they gave me another one two days later -- the next morning I felt an urge to deficate, went by myself to the bathroom, sat on the raised seat contraption -- in seconds an explosion was noted, more potent than that volcano in Alaska that appears to be ready to erupt at any moment -- then came another and yet another -- ok, now was time to use their toilet paper -- holy shit, a thin narrow sheet as long as I wanted to use, which naturally did not work too well -- I rang for the nurse asking for baby wipes [which I use at home] -- she said they do not have baby wipes but brought in a round container of large alcohol soaked sheets which they use for their hands telling me NOT to use them you know where -- they were clumsy and awkward, so I simply grabbed a couple thick paper towels and tried to clean up my nether region in that way -- the nurse returned with a warm wash cloth and finished the job that I could not see -- what a relief it was!
a dude [and others] from physical therapy saw me almost every day, wanting me to clearly prove that I could get around at home without a problem -- out of bed I came with two crutches, had to walk down the corridor, around the corner, left, to the physical therapy room -- if I could go up and down ten steps, he would approve my release -- I did that without any problem whatsoever -- back to my bed -- he said he noted a reluctance to do the stair thing, DUH -- I have always been very careful when walking with my cane outdoors [due to my arthritic right hip], PLUS since 25 December at the ER until I was admitted to this facility I had been using crutches at home and was perfectly able to get things done all by myself -- ok, he would stop in again tomorrow to see if there was any improvement in my ambulation according to his flakey criteria -- we did the same thing again, this time with a female nurse and him -- she said I did the step thing MUCH better than she could had the roles to be reversed and that I could possibly be released the following day -- guess what -- following days came and went, no release authorization was forthcoming -- I mentioned that they should have the cleaning service work on their physical therapy room as there were clumps of dust blowing around when the door was open -- they were probably there at least for weeks -- four days before I was finally allowed to leave the hospital a young oriental male doctor from physical therapy came in, kinda of short in stature with a baby face, very cheerful -- all he asked me to do was walk from the bed out into the hallway and go over to the large pillar at the end of the hall -- this was done in a snap -- he then informed me that he would certify my going home the next morning -- you, of course, know what followed -- the next day arrived, I called the nurse to ask what time I would be let go so that I could call Bernar to pick me up -- ohhh, she said, there is no signed release -- I began seeing red -- I demanded to see the chart notes of all the MDs who visited me over the last three days -- she said she cannot do that, I would have to fill out a request form, brought to me a couple hours later -- I wrote on the form that I want to see any and all notes made by the physical therapist / any other MD over the last three days, PLUS I wanted to get the two small sealed plastic bags of stuff I left in their security safe -- the security stuff arrived more than an hour later -- I put on my watch / the Spanish magnetic bracelet / put the keys in my nearby rolling table drawer -- a nurse had to replace the gold earring on my left ear, impossible for me to do -- I rang at least twice more for the MD notations -- the dominatrix Brunhilda showed up with a single page of exactly the info I asked for -- I could read nothing about a release, although two days before it stated I could go home -- ok, if that is all she had, I wanted a copy of the Patients Bill of Rights that was posted on my room wall -- she was becoming noticeably disturbed / nervous -- within about an hour she brought me some sheet and left -- looking at the paper I discovered that it was NOT what I demanded to see, so I rang her again -- she started screaming on the bed intercom, rushing in to see what the problem was -- what did I just give you, she asks -- I replied that if she did not know what she brought me a few minutes ago, her attention span is seriously impaired -- she then called a supervisor -- a nice lady comes in and wants to see what I asked for and was given, so I take out the sheet, holding it in front of her face with both hands so it would not somehow disappear -- I pointed to the paper on the wall, she looked at it, saying she does not have a copy to bring me [weird, since they are supposed to provide a copy when requested] -- she would look in the emergency room for a copy and bring it to me -- she did appear with several sheets of information which did not include exactly what I requested -- I let it slide this time after mentioning that the sheets did not include the thing on the wall ...
I had read recently where many hospitals / schools have banned cell phones for various reasons -- at this facility they are in the hands of each and every worker, the MDs / nurses / food services people, ad infinitum ... they know which room rang for service / they can answer by voice messages played on the speakers attached to the bed -- they know when the IV apparatus stops functioning / begins to beep -- the later happened several times -- the nurse comes in, fidgets with her cell phone which seems to reset the IV machine, BUT twice it set off a very loud alarm heard on both speakers -- she muffled one with her hand, I pressed my pillow against the one on the right but the sound kept coming -- it took a while for her to stop the ear piercing siren ...
due to the excessive dryness in my room I developed a chest cough similar to what happens at home when the cold dry weather arrives -- I did the WRONG thing and buzzed the nurse -- she immediately schedued me for a Cat Scan and an ultrasound on both legs to be done that morning, BUT I had already eaten a banana and ordered breakfast, so the tests were delayed several hours [breakfast was sent and probably eaten by someone else -- my only food that day arrived at about 22h, which I did not appreciate] -- they wheeled me down to the first floor, down long passageways above which were fluorescent lighting tubes covered by plexiglas sheets -- since all I could do was look upward, I noticed that several of the plastic covering the lighting in the vicinity of the test rooms were filed with giant fly and other insect remains, a vertible insect burial ground which apparemtly had not been cleaned perhaps for weeks -- who knows what bacteria were crawling over the dead bodies, what potential once live larvae were there, being blown around by the ventilation system, dropping on every patient who passed thereunder -- I mentioned it to several staff members for the next couple days -- why did they have to REdo the untrasound which was already done at the ER -- I provided them with the analysis results when I was admitted to the hospital -- the Cat Scan kinda worried me somewhat -- I did not yet have that explosive bowel movemment noted above, so my intestines would have been full of shit / what if my kidneys or liver were damaged somehow / maybe they would find a breast cancer or emphysima or whatever, which would seriously complicate things for me -- luckily both tests showed nothing unusual, thank God -- now, back in my room I requested that the IV bags be removed / I wanted no more blood thinners or oxygen mist via face mask, since there was nothing proven to be wrong with me other than the damn right ankle ...
when Dr. K visited he always had a bad cough -- I directly suggested to him that he immediately summon the appropriate doctors so that they could rush him for a Cat Scan and ultrasound since he was obviously in distress -- he did not like my idea too much -- he always said he would approve my release [from what now seemed like a classical hostage taking situation] when the physical therapist said so -- he probably was informed about my Patient Rights request and my refusal to continue take the blood thinners [assuming that there is any measure of intercommunication among the staff members] -- the last three days of my concentration camp interment he did not visit me, though I saw him walking in the hall late at night without even glancing in the direction of my room, still coughing --
my sleep with Blinky went perfectly last night -- will do the same thing when I finish this episode -- late the night of my return home. Fran, the cat lady called me to see if I was home and how I was doing -- the five cats she arranged to be adopted have all found new loving homes -- the two oldest females went to one family so they would remain together as they had been for over eight years ... yesterday, Thursday I replaced bulbs above the shower and at the top of the entrance stairway -- I shaved after some two weeks -- there was still chicken stuff left in the pot from before I went to the hospital, so I heated that up and gave it to the kittys in the kitchen -- they gobbled it up already -- the friggen sidewalk around my entrance steps is again completely ice covered although yesterday was above freezing and sunny -- Bill, my brother, Instant Messaged me for about an hour and a half yesterday morning wondering how I was progressing and rambling on about other interesting personal / national news stuff -- I started a folder on my desktop, ankle surgery 21-28jan09, in which I have nine emails and other communications from friends, the farthest from Australia -- I have not replied to anyone thus far, hoping that this Special Report will give them all the info they desire -- it is not finished yet, but enough is already on here to provide the link to those on my email / contact list -- it is now 02h, Friday, 30 January 2009, time to load this stuff on the server -- sleep well, you hear!
[written on Thursday / Friday, 29 / 30 January 2009]
The Final Solution -- this episode begins on the last day, 28 January 2008, of my internment in Camp RWJH -- not a single visit by Dr. K although I did see him in the hallway the night before -- my repeated requests for the Patient Rights paper seems to have done the trick somehow -- before noon a nurse arrived and cheerfully told me they are finally disposing of my body -- I sort of blinked and thought to myself, yeah, I have heard that one before -- I asked when I was to be released so I could call Bernar with the exciting news, which I had already done several times before telling him they said it was OK to leave -- she said she has to write the go home order, it might take about two hours -- hummmmm, would you please make a photocopy of the release paper for my files -- I received it about thirty minutes later -- see release order -- note that at 02h of 28 January, there is a message saying 0 = no new orders, then ten hours later the miraculous appearance of an annotation TO Dr. K stating that it was OK for patient to return home
I entered my last meal request before execution -- pancakes with a double order of syrup, please -- I called Bernar -- he said he would not be able to get to the hospital until after four thirty, he was alone at work, nobody else came in due to the bad weather -- I replied that when they told me about two hours it probably means at least twice or three times that, not a problem -- I should call him around fiveish -- I had the second bowel movement of my stay there, kinda normal, nothing explosive -- I watched TV news and other stuff for several hours -- called for a Percocet -- it must have been around 17h when the nurse came in with a bunch of papers with release note about what I should and should not do at home -- remove area rugs / use your walker [which I did not want], cane, crutches, or.. [or what?] / take Percocet every three hours as needed -- "Last taken, 1/20/09 pm" -- hummmm, I had taken it at least twice each and every day, once on 28 January, WHY was info about this not in there -- shoddy regulated narcotic drug record keeping? -- a notable backlog of general record keeping? / I should install handrails in the bathtub and near toilet -- so I should call in a contractor to install this crap, which would probably take weeks ?? My plumber still has not contacted me about the higher toilet, which I wanted installed a couple months ago -- I rang the nurse and asked if they had a wheel chair ready for when Bernar arrives -- not yet, she has to get one from somewhere -- I placed a call to Bernar's cell phone, got the answering service -- called again, same result
as I was watching whatever on TV, drinking the last of my coffee, wondering how the super icy roads would be, not to mention my always snowed in entrance area at home, a shadow passes the window of my room then enters -- OMG, Bernar on his first appearance since I was admitted -- he looks around my room -- ohhhh, you have a nice flat panel TV -- a comfy couch / recliner / marvelous bed with electronic control module / telephone / great bathroom / tiled floors / excellent lighting / I look well fed, and other comments -- why the hell would I not want to stay here a few weeks more in such opulent accommodations? -- I call the nurse to inform her that my friend arrived to take me home, do they have a wheelchair yet -- nopers, she will get one -- Bernar and I gather my three plastic bags of stuff together -- wheel chair arrives -- a discussion about where I would be wheeled to to make it easier to get into the car with a minimum of ice to contend with -- off we went, down a floor via elevator, through several passageways, change in direction, another elevator, up an inclined walkway to an exit not usually used -- Bernar leaves to get the car -- nurse asks if he is my son -- nopers, just the only friend I have in the area -- ohhhh, she says, it must be a VERY SPECIAL relationship, she can see it in his eyes -- hummmmm, curiously, I DO wonder about it sometimes -- I am packed into the front passenger seat, nice and tidy -- we say our hopefully last farewells to the excessively nice nurse and are on our way, arriving home at 19h [nine hours AFTER the release form was signed] -- yes, from the car to the entrance way was snowed in and icy, Bernar opens front door and gets the snow shovel I always have stashed behind the door, gets rid of what he can, ties a plastic bag over the right leg cast so it does not get wet --- some mail was in the door -- I very cautiously stepped out to test the surface, it was quite icy but I found somewhat passable areas to walk on -- then my glorious entrance back to my abode -- up the entrance steps one by one, no problem there, using the cane instead of the bulky crutches to reduce pressure on the right foot -- went to my study, took off my heavy leather jacket, looked at the mail Bernar placed on my desk from his last visit -- among the envelopes was a large tyvek priority shipment of stamps I made to the US Postal Service for stamps my branch did not have -- Bernar told me it was 80% sticking out of the mailbox, anyone could have walked away with it [not a surprise, my local postal service sucks, always has] -- I was also expecting some desk accessories I won on eBay before going into the hospital, but that was not among the things found thus far -- went to see the kittys, gave them food and water -- they seemed amazed to see me again after a week absence -- Bernie cleaned out the litter boxes, then left -- this morning I left an important bill in the mail slot for the postman to take -- much ice around the entrance -- I spread the last of the ice melt stuff over the nearby ice [I have a full bag of it in the garage, but cannot get to it -- shall have to wait for the return of my SPECIAL FRIEND to get it for me and place it in the entrance way where I keep the stuff ...
I logged onto my eBay account -- the lady who I won the things from on eBay said she had not received my payment yet -- Bernie sent that batch of stuff out on 21 January, so it should not have taken this long to reach Lexington, Kentucky -- the bitchy seller then sent an eBay complaint about no payment received for each of the three items won -- I sent her emails describing the check number / amount / where sent to and when -- guess what -- she replied that she had not been able to get to the post office to pick up her mail for over a week due to local icy conditions! So whose fault was it that she did not get my letter yet? -- about an hour ago I got another email from her telling me she got payment and the goodies will be sent out within a day or two -- it seems as if this horrible frigid dangerous weather has been affecting large parts of the eastern USA for some weeks -- I just checked the puter weather widget -- it is currently forty - one degrees here and sunny, tomorrow is predicted to be warmer -- I am now drinking the last of my iced tea, so I guess I shall have to make more later today -- for breakfast I had some crackers, after another great night with Blinky -- I checked for mail downstairs -- had a couple things -- the bill I put there was gone, hopefully taken by the postal dude, ice patches still very visible, sun shining -- I have to try to get the latest eBay wins wrapped and packed so they will be ready to ship [along with some checks to deposit in my bank account, hopefully by 1 February] whenever a benevolent soul comes over for a visit. I know all my readers are hoping to see another photograph in living colour of my adorable feet, so here it is ...
on the left foot they put a Jobst AntiEm/GP * Thigh - Hi * Latex - Free * Seamless Anti - Embolism Elastic Stocking * made of Nylon and Spandex -- it has been in place since the operation on 21 January -- they gave me a fresh set of two to use when I wash up at home. At 16:40, Pam, the gal who takes cats for adoption, stopped over to pick up two females, Blinky / Olga / and a male, Boyse [YES, I will miss them, but I know they will be going to super loving homes] -- the bathroom / bedroom are now pussy free -- the remaining five kittys are in the kitchen have more space for themselves now, and much less work overall for mua -- I have to change the bed linens, perhaps later this evening
[written on Friday, 30 January 2009]
Ellen wrote me on 30 January 2009 : Sonny.... Robert Wood Johnson is an excellent facility and you are sure to get top notch care. My daughter did one of her internships there (Physical Therapy). I had ankle surgery at NYU Medical Center, another superior hospital for orthopedic procedures. Good luck to you.
Marge, a friend from North Carolina, tried to call me at the hospital -- I asked her WHICH hospital did she call -- she replied : The whatever Johnson hospital you named on your website before you went to the hospital.... I called information and she got the name right - she repeated it back to me before giving the number - then the guy that answered at the hospital couldn't find you as a patient and I say Kardas and he goes oh with a K? I'm like yeah..... with a K not a C. - he was looking in the Cs but then got on track and couldn't find you under the K's either. I think this guy is in charge of the handling of the Patient Bill of Rights there too. hahahahaa -- she added : I'm still in awe of the food service - it's usually gruel they give you in hospitals and you get a freakin menu and nicely dressed people to bring it to you? Now that was sweet.......
I called TOG, getting their voice messenging system, as usual [and asked if anybody ever handles incoming calls] -- they called me back surprisingly quickly saying that I have an appointment there on Wednesday, 4 February at 11:15h -- I wonder if they will remove the staples
[written on Tuesday, 3 February 2009]
well Wednesday 4 February I was virtually snowed in by three to four inches of lovely fluffy white stuff -- called TOG and rescheduled the appointment for today at 10:30 -- due to unknown reasons, Tito, the taxi driver did not appear to pick me up -- I had to call him FIVE TIMES to see what was happening [automated message, never called me back] -- at 11:10 I decided to call a Yellow Cab -- it came in ten minutes, arriving an hour late for the appointment -- it was another frigid / windy day -- I was wheeled into the exam / cast room where a dude used what looked like some kind of an electric hand saw to cut through a couple sections of the cast -- it was removed and I really did not want to keep it as a souvenir so into the trash it went -- I asked him if he ever chopped off pieces of body with the saw -- curiously he held it against his wrist while buzzing and not a cut to be seen -- I am somewhat mystified about how it works -- ok, then he had a smallish scissor like thing to remove the surgical staples on both sides of my ankle -- I asked do they not use some kind of topical anesthetic to reduce the pain -- nopers, you will only feel a slight sting -- YES, it did sting, but not excessively, being the stud that I am with a very high pain threshold -- here is what he took out, fifteen staple thingys, each about a centimeter long ...
there were more on the right side than on the left -- then I was wheeled into the X-Ray room where they took about six or eight shots of my ankle [without staples] -- I asked the peep for a copy of one of the plates that showed the screws and plate -- not a problem he said, handing my a copy before I was taken back to the cast room -- ok, I know all my readers want to see how I was screwed, so here it is -- the two long ones are on the left side of my ankle [if I am not mistaken] ...
I was amazed at how LONG two of the screws are -- none of them will not be removed, or so I was told -- the head honcho remarked that I seem to have great flexion at my knee, which is a good sign -- after a while Dr. K. arrived -- what a delight, and he was not coughing at all -- he looked at the X-rays and said things seem to be progressing well -- four more weeks until the next appointment to remove the cast definitively -- I sobbed, you mean to tell me I will not see you for four entire weeks? -- we both snickered -- we shook hands and the cast dude returned to begin constructing the new, hopefully final cast -- I suggested that it not be any larger than the previous one because it really hampers my moving around with something as massive and heavyish -- well, the cotton gauze went round and round, then came the white / gray bands that harden after a while -- on top of it all he put a couple rolls of BLUE bands -- I asked why the color change -- it is the SAME as the other he said, but no concrete reason was really given -- could it be because of the frigid weather, so my foot would turn blue and match the color of the cast?
They then wheeled me into the checkout section -- I called Jose, the new taxi driver -- he said he would be there asap -- they then schlepped me to the entrance foyer, but I said I should be waiting outside for the taxi -- as cold as it is outdoors, they asked -- yeah, I am used to it already, plus I have my knit cap on to protect my sensitive head from the freezing cold -- they gave me a hot coffee, which was nice, then to the entrance ramp I was taken -- in about 12 minutes a different cabby showed up and got me into the back seat, just as the lady came too retrieve the wheel chair -- off to home we went -- no further problems -- the cast seems to be drying nicely -- the kittys seemed to be glad to see me, probably because they wanted more food
[written on Friday, 6 February 2009]
that blue cast did not have enough padding on the lower back part, so through time pieces of it began falling off, resulting in the ball of my foot touching ground / snow / rain, etc. -- on Friday, 6 March, the next appointment with TOP [I used a taxi, as usual], they removed the cast / took X-Rays / told me the ankle was healing well -- the right leg had many scab like dark spots under the cast / the two sides of the ankle where the surgery was performed was quite rubbed by the damn cast -- they then put an AIRCAST ankle training brace on to reduce the pressure on the two sides of the ankle as I walked -- I wore a boot on the left foot and a simple flipflop on the bad right foot, which made walking somewhat uneven. At home it was a real chore to try to walk up and down the stairs normally -- since the accident I had to traverse the stairs one foot at a time -- now I theoretically could do it one foot after the other, BUT the right foot, not having had pressure placed on it since late December 2008, painfully bent slightly with each right foot movement -- after some practice it became less cumbersome to do this -- I took my first real shower since before Christmas -- the scab over the incisions fell / washed off, but returned in a day or two -- every day I apply a French skin cream to try to reduce the dryness on those areas.
Yesterday, 20 March was another appointment with TOG -- I drove there myself in the Honda -- more X-Rays, same diagnosis, everything seems OK, with tightness of movement in bending the right foot [less than there had been] -- they gave me a refill slip for the Percocet and a totally new prescription for Lodine, an anti inflamatory / stiffness / arthritis drug [which seems to have a LOT of side effects -- I just checked it out online] -- hopefully later today I hope to get to the pharmacy to fill the scripts. The next scheduled appointment is for Friday, 17 April -- God willing, everything will be in prima shape after four+ months of painfully hobbling around and I can stop taking these meds / simply continue life as before the unfortunate fall.
[written on Friday, 6 February 2009]
can you guess what the following flakes are? The first batch is on the left of where I sit at the computer table -- FLAKES 1 -- the second batch is on the right of the desk -- FLAKES 2 -- NO, they are NOT leftovers from my snacks / dinners while sitting here -- they are the flakes accumulated over a couple weeks from my manly studly feet! I still cannot wear shoes / floppies because they are all somewhat tight and rub the top of my feet, a problem that is eight months old already -- after a week or so the flakes can be pulled off [some quite extensive] -- OK, I know you all want to see the latest foot pic, taken some minutes ago on the front step on a day Hurricane Danny is supposed to swamp the area with deluges of precipitation -- DANNY FOOT PHOTO -- I had to cut the side constraints of the floppies I wear when I go out so that only the front flap holds my feet in the things -- I also apply a liberal amount of Dermasil Dry Skin Treatment to the affected parts twice daily, which makes the scabs a lot less tight when walking around / helps to loosen them up for removal -- I got two 8 ounce plastic bottles of the stuff at the Dollar Store in Morrisville, PA a couple weeks ago and highly recommend it for extra dry skin anywhere on the body.
[written on Saturday, 29 August 2009]
God Bless !
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