Quote of the day

"I itch like a chicken with lice."

Robin in reference to the surgical stockings he has to wear for 6 weeks.

Top 10 knee surgery highlights

Robin's surgery went well and he is home for recovery. Here are a few highlights from the experience.

1. It takes about an hour and a half to install a new cadaver ACL and it's an outpatient procedure so you'll be home by noon.
2. It can take up to two days for two nerve blocks to wear off and is pretty painful when it does. (Robin's wore off today and we are counting the minutes until Robin can take the next roundof pain meds.)
3. A combination of anesthesia effects, pain medication and antibiotics, all with side effects of dizziness and light-headedness, combined with a leg numb from two nerve blocks, makes for a scary experience when getting accustomed to crutches.
4. Ambulating is commonly used in the medical world instead of "getting around."
5. The St. Augustine Surgical Center does not have water, snacks, comfortable chairs or a comfortable temperature (it's freezing in there!) so prepare accordingly.
6. ACL and meniscus repair involves 4 incisions, 11 staples, a leg shave and scrub, 5 injections, 2 vials of blood removal, a shot of valium and an antibiotic injection.
7. A large vial of blood contains only 8 to 10 ccs of platelets (used in Robin's elbow and knee injections to repair cartlidge and soft tissue injury).
8. An ice cuff machine is very expensive ($255) , very cumbersome, not guaranteed to work and is difficult to convince the manufacturer that the unit really failed and needed immediate replacement.
9. A CPM machine (constant passive motion) is rentable only and its goal for ACL recovery starts at a 60-degree bend and progresses to a 120-degree bend after a week or so.
10. If you're tired enough, you can sleep through the drone of the CPM machine and the pump of the ice cuff machine.

Medical mayhem

Ah, the world of healthcare.

My mom fell recently and broke her wrist (badly). Unfortunately, this happened after hours, on the weekend (of course) so she got to spend the entire weekend in the hospital because the staff didn't want to call in the surgeon and doctor. Plus, she had to stay there 3 days for her senior care to pay for it. Anyway, she's still waiting to get a cast and reportedly was to be discharged to a rehab facility soon.

Robin undergoes an ACL revision and meniscus repair on Thursday. This procedure entails a 3 to 4 month recovery, which we will spend in Florida and other locations around the country (like Iowa to see my injured mom) and Kentucky (or similar) if Robin can hunt from a wheelchair.

I plan to take blow-by-blow pictures of the event so stay tuned for the before and afters!

Pet project

Now that I have some spare time, I'm starting a book project. Please vote for your favorite post and/or type of post. Leave a comment if your answer doesn't quite fit into one of the categories.

Remember, I'm in Florida so you can vote early and vote often!

Kodiak photos

We had a great time in Kodiak and I really liked the town. It reminded me a lot of Sitka and Southeast. (Heavy sigh.) Here are a slew of pictures from our Kodiak trip.

• Kodiak oddities: See the local brewery, home of Sarah Palin Ale, Robin demonstrating how to pee in a funnel, a U.S. nuclear missile site, how to park your plane at your house and more odd shots from Kodiak.
• Kodiak cabin: See the cabin we went to look at in Viekoda Bay, including the "his" and "hers" bathrooms, a Russian sauna and an elevated deer skinning station that keeps you and your meat safe from bears.
• Kodiak friends and family: See us and The Boys and other friends in and around Kodiak.
• Kodiak fishing: See me an my first king, the halibut slaughter (when the guys got 300 lb + of meat) and more.
• Scenery and wildlife: See fox and buffalo, mountains, oceans and more scenic views in and around Kodiak.

Quote of the day

"My back's great ... as long as I don't move."

Words out of both my mom's and Robin's mouths on the same day.

Top 10 Kodiak trip highlights (so far)

1. Managing to get our huge, supposed-to-be checked bag through carry-on security after purging all liquids and leaving them with a secret contact. (All valuable contents ... like my expensive hair stuff ... secured and in hands of friends.)
2. Seeing real wildlife ... like eagles, puffins, sea lions, porpoises, sea otters and a really cool fox.
3. Waiting on the second floor with no railing in a dark, dark cabin in the middle of the night to pee in a weird funnel contraption because I couldn't climb down the ladder in the dark and face being met by a bear outside.
4. Seeing the parents of our future grandchild and our other Boy who made a trip to E.R. for a partially sliced off tip of his index finger.
5. Flying in a small plane over The Emerald Isle on a calm, sunny day to explore property in Viekoda Bay.
6. Catching a 34-pound king salmon for the first time and eating king salmon!
7. Spending time with some longtime friends of Robin's.
8. Trying Sarah Palin Pale Ale beer at the Kodiak Brewery.
9. Enjoying nice, cool comfortable weather (upper 50s) and not being all sweaty and slimed up from sunscreen.
10. Seeing Kodiak and all the places Robin knows and being on the Alaskan waters again.