North of Sixty

Dunkirk NY – Today’s first post-op followup appointment was a breeze. The stitches came out, and my surgeon came in and checked for swelling, discoloration, and range of motion – all good. I got my surgical report and pictures, as well as my Rx for physical therapy. My first PT appointment is Wednesday morning 11/20. In another week I can test myself behind the wheel of a car, so I should be able to drive to make it to my volunteer gig for Shakespeare in Delaware Park. I pretty much expected a good report, and certainly got one. Continue reading →

Dunkirk NY – Recuperation is now one week old, and it’s getting to be old hat. I’ve locked myself into a very distinct rhythm and flow to the day. I get up at about 8 AM, and by 8:30 or 9 at the latest I have ice on my knee. Coffee, breakfast, and my usual information-gathering session on the computer are done by 10. From about 10-noon or so I will answer email, chat with my youngest son, write a post for the blog, or take care of some other digital errand.

About 12:30 starts another icing session. Then I may start either consuming some media, get into some other project that can be researched via computer. Yesterday I spent researching Fidelity funds for my son’s small Fidelity brokerage account, and I’ve also been looking up snow tires to put on the Kia (Blizzak DM-V2 was the outcome). I put in a two-hour session of Catch-22, ice the knee again around 3:30 or 4, and have dinner around 6 PM. Yesterday I took in a cricket match between the USA and Windward Islands; the USA lost pretty badly, falling apart during the late overs, going all out while trailing by 46 runs.

Evenings around 7 or so comes another icing session. Then my wife and I watch a movie. We went with Jackie Chan last night. The first attempt, Wheels on Meals, was a loser, and we only got about a third of the way through that before changing to Rumble in the Bronx, which was much better but still a bit of a muddle. I usually spend the last hour of the day sort of tying up any loose ends, and do some final icing. I get to bed around 11-11:30 PM. That’s the day. Nothing terribly exciting.

Today the knee feels a little more flexible than yesterday. I was able to place my right foot over my left knee and put my sock on, which is progress. I took three Advils before bed to sort of take the edge of the general ache, and perhaps that helped to reduce the inflammation as well. Tomorrow is my post-op appointment, and the stitches will come out, and I’ll be able to look at the pictures. I find that recuperation is really not so much about the pain as it is about preventing clots. I hope I can get to PT next week.

As noted on my home page, I am very interested in writing haiku. Here’s one I came up with last night before heading to bed.

Light fades; snow gently
falls, offering no promise
for a tomorrow

-twl

Dunkirk NY – An unexpected but gentle is snow is falling today. They are the best kind. They add a little accumulation, but not to the streets and sidewalks. The light fresh coating over the stale snow is a pleasant visual sensation, adding just a bit of curved obscurity to the sharper iced edges, filling in the footsteps and bare spots, and allowing me to gaze, mesmerized, at the large flakes descending lightly from the sky. The cold and snow makes being trapped inside a bit more tolerable, though I’d still like to be able to get out there and take a walk a few blocks up the street, just to feel the crisp cold air. It all feels so exciting in November. It will get very, very old by February.

Nothing really new to report on the knee. I ice it about 4 times a day for 30 minutes or so, which always feels so good. I keep it elevated during the day and at night while I sleep. I take tours around the house now and again just to get it moving. Range of motion and stiffness are the main complaints now. There’s little in the way of pain. I suppose the thing I have to be careful of most is not overdoing it, not feeling as if I can do more than I really should. The days are actually going by faster than had thought they would.

Last night’s movie was Pirate Radio, which was stupid and fun. The best aspect of the movie was the soundtrack. In the process of trying to find out what’s on and available to watch, though, I notice that the streaming choices are now becoming out of hand. There are simply too many streaming services out there now, and it is becoming a difficult matter to try and “cut the cord” and save money by not having cable. Between YouTube TV for live TV and all the various streaming service I have and share, I begin to wonder if going back to cable is not the smarter and simpler choice. Ordinarily I don’t watch enough screen entertainment to make all these subscriptions worthwhile, and I don’t have the patience to cancel and switch all the time. My wife consumes far more media than I do, so it’s not like I can just pull the plug on it all. But sorting out what I need and what is superfluous is becoming more tedious by the month. Too many choices.

I’ve also begun re-reading Catch-22, and it actually strikes me as somewhat unusual that I would have been allowed to read this book in high school. But the other fascinating thing about re-reading this book now is how much I actually understood about the book back then. Re-reading it now, I haven’t yet really found anything about the book that I understand more than what I did at 16. The book made as much sense to me then as it does now. I found the same mostly true of re-reading Vonnegut’s work. On the other hand, John Updike’s Rabbit Run offered far more depth and insight to me at my present age than he did at 17. Absurdism, it seems, always makes the most sense when the real world is absurd.  -twl

Dunkirk NY – November snowfalls are nothing unusual around here. The way I look at it, after Halloween comes winter. Up until the end of October, one can still get that fall feeling. A few trees still display their colorful leaves, the temperatures stay above freezing, and snow remains only an outside possibility. Come November, the clocks change back to standard time, the skies become noticeably grayer, temperatures begin to drop, and the expectation of snow has that “any day now” feel.

As if on cue, the first significant snowfall fell yesterday. We got maybe 4″ here, but other locations got a good 10-11 inches. Nearby Buffalo broke its Nov. 11 record with 10.9″ officially. Temperatures are also plummeting, with highs of about 25° and wind chills around 15°. Those temperatures are a good 25° below normal for this time of year. Continue reading →

Dunkirk NY – Tony never liked Veterans Day. He would allow me to call him and wish him a happy Veterans Day, but I always had to endure a rant about his intense dislike for the “thanks for your service” bullshit. As far as he was concerned, the words meant nothing as long as he was living in an 8’X10′ dormitory-style room along with other veterans who were homeless, jobless, on methadone programs, or otherwise dysfunctional, and as long as he was receiving poor health care service from the VA.

Anthony J. Rasemus, May 2016

Tony died a little over a year ago, on Sept. 21, 2018, at 2:00 PM, in the VA hospital on 23rd St. in Manhattan. When I received the phone call from the doctor, I was standing in his room at the veterans shelter on E. 119th St. I had gotten up early and was driving down that morning to see him in the hospital, as I was told he was not doing well. I was supposed to be getting my first knee surgery on my left knee at the end of September, but when I was told he was close to dying I had to postpone the surgery and try to get back to the city. I had visited him the weekend before, and he looked very weak and emaciated. I stopped in his shelter room because he was missing his wallet and cell phone, and he thought he might have left them in his room when he was transported to the hospital after falling out of his bed (they were more likely stolen).  I was two hours too late. It took me almost two hours to drive from E. 119th St. to E. 23rd St., park the car, and walk up to the hospital room. Continue reading →

Dunkirk NY – I was dreading going to sleep last night because I imagined I’d do nothing but get up and pee every 45 minutes or so. Thankfully this wasn’t the case. I got up twice, which is not terribly unusual under normal circumstances, and at 6:30 this morning I could have just gotten out of bed, but instead I got up to pee and came back to bed for another 45 minutes. When I got up at 7:15, my wife got up as well and got the ice machine on me, made breakfast (coffee, a cinnamon raisin English muffin with peanut butter, and a strawberry yogurt), and went back to bed (she is decidedly not a morning person).

So here I sit with another day on my hands. It’s an overcast day, as is typical this time of year, but it’s unusually cold. From what I gather from the weather apps and stations, we are running maybe 25 degrees below what is average for this time of year. 2-5″ of snow is forecast for Monday, which would be the first significant, “shovelable” snow this season. I’ve got my snowblower out and ready, but of course won’t be able to remove the snow.

Autumn always brings with it thoughts of mortality. The trees looked spectacular this season, and I was fortunate to get out enough before the operation to see them in all their splendor. When I was with my mother a few weeks ago, the leaves in Massachusetts were about at their peak, and there were a few really nice, bright sunny days. I made sure to have my Mom notice the trees, which she admired, but she does so now with little comment other than to agree how nice they look. Despite their beauty, however, I find I can’t escape the reality that the leaves are actually dying. The whole autumnal show seems to be one of a last blaze of glory before their inevitable demise.

Recovering from this small operation, I get the same sense about myself and where I am in life. I have wanted to get this knee fixed so that I can indulge in one last colorful fantasy of some sort or another. Medical procedures always bring you face-to-face with your own mortality, and I am constantly amazed at how far medical science can stretch us out. This knee is a minor issue, but when I add it to what’s happening to my teeth (getting pulled out) and my eyes (pigmentary glaucoma), I get small little nudges that time is short. It’s like seeing those first gold or red leaves appear on a tree that’s still mostly green in late September.  The world of nature still appears alive, but those first turning leaves let you know winter is near at hand.

When I am back on my feet, the leaves will all be gone, and the trees will be standing bare in the woods. I will be happy, though, to take on the challenge of this winter with repaired knees, given another chance to face down, if just for the moment, my own mortality.  -twl

Dunkirk NY – The anesthesia finally wore off last night just before bed. The pain is not unendurable, but it’s now pretty apparent that some leftover anesthesia was responsible for the easy day yesterday. Not only that, but the wearoff has meant a seemingly never-ending stream of urine. I have to get up and pee about every 45 minutes as my body works overtime trying to clean itself out. The bowels woke up, too, and in truth that’s been a relief.

Today was spent mostly napping, peeing, and getting in two movies – The Big Sleep and Shane – in between trips to the bathroom. Radio is also today’s savior, as right now I’m taking in Live From Here and this morning had a listen to  Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me. I’m walking with a cane for support as well.

I’ve also been doing the icing as much as possible. Tomorrow I think the bandage comes off and I can take a shower, and the cold from the ice machine will have a little more impact.

Does Oxy make you pee as well?  -twl

Dunkirk NY – This is too easy.  28 hours after surgery, I hardly feel a thing. I’ve been using the ice machine pretty much continually. No problems walking or getting up stairs. I can bend the knee easily. There is little to no pain. I took one Oxy at about 4 PM yesterday and one before bed as a preventative measure, but not out of any real need. I slept with a wedge pillow under my knee and the ice machine humming.  Got up at 3 AM and 5 AM to pee, and then at 8 AM this morning for the day. Made the coffee as always, and took out the garbage. Everything is really very comfortable and pain-free. About all I need is a bowel movement; haven’t had one since Wednesday morning. The surgeon did say to my wife that the tear was pretty big. He showed her the pictures, but I did not get a chance to see them. I’ll probably get a look next week when I go for follow up.

I also signed up for a 14-day trial with the Criterion Channel web site for movies. Between TCM and the Criterion Collection I have a wealth of good films to watch. I looked into the PBS app to see if I could watch anything but it appears PBS is now subscription-based. You make a $60 donation to your local PBS station and you get a “passport” entitling you to watch a lot of their series. I have been boycotting PBS for a long time now, not giving them any money, because they spend it all on British imports and never invest in American talent. That’s BullShit. But since I can direct my donation to the local PBS radio station and still get the passport, I may go that route. Since I use YouTube TV as an alternate to cable, I don’t get PBS over-the-air broadcasting, and I’m too far from my major city to pick it up via antenna. I hate thinking about going back to cable TV, but continually adding subscriptions adds up. If I decide to stay with Criterion after the 14-day trial, it’s $99/year, and I am not sure I would watch enough movies to make it worthwhile.

My other major recovery project is to re-read Catch-22. I read it in high school, and it occurs to me that a lot of books I read in high school I should re-read. Catch-22 was like a bible to me back then, and I could actually recite parts of it by heart. I found it when I was cleaning out the attic (not my original copy), and thought it might make a good re-read.

The weather is quite cold, so I am not regretting being able to go outside. It actually feels quite good to rest here and know that all I need to do is rest. Nothing on the calendar, no projects to attend to, and the ability to say “no” to just about everything because I’m recuperating. Who knew minor surgery could actually turn out to be like a vacation?  -twl

Recirculating Ice Pad

Dunkirk NY – Operation Meniscus Repair has been successful! I arrived at the center at 7:30 AM, was out by 10:30 AM, back home by 11:30 AM. As of this writing the anesthesia is beginning to wear off, and in about 20 minutes it will be time for the first Oxycodone pill. So I am slipping in today’s entry while I can.

In my opinion, though, the biggest factor to a successful recovery is the Breg Polar Care Cube. This thing replaces ice packs and keeps a continuous 6-8 hours of cold on your knee to prevent swelling. I highly recommend it for any type of knee or shoulder injury or surgical recovery. This is the second time I am using it, and it’s simple to use, maintain, and feels wonderful on the knee.

Gonna leave it here for now, as focus is a bit difficult, though not impossible. -twl

Dunkirk NY – The food shopping has been done, the RV is winterized, and all errands that required physical labor have been completed. It’s all over but the cutting.

Radar projection for Thursday AM

Tonight we head up to Buffalo, spend the night in the Hampton Inn just around the corner from the surgery center, and at 7:30 AM will be checking in for surgery. Naturally, since this is a pretty important event, the weather is being less than cooperative. My wife and I are famous for making travel plans that are always hampered by bad weather, and tomorrow is no different. The area is supposed to get its first significant snowfall of the year overnight tonight and into tomorrow. Fortunately, it does look like the immediate lake shore will be spared any accumulation. Most of the significant snow will fall in the hills. So with my wife driving back (who dislikes driving in anything but ideal conditions), it will be a little bit of an adventure, and something of a sloppy mess to arrive home.

An arthroscopic repair of the meniscus

And in case you’ve never seen one, here’s a look at what an arthroscopic procedure entails. There are three instruments: the irrigation instrument, the arthroscope, and the surgical instrument. Three holes are punched, one for each instrument, and the work is pretty much done by looking at a monitor and sawing/cutting away at the tear until it’s as smooth and clean as it can get. It’s pretty quick, and I remember the last time I was up and around fairly good in three days. No driving or riding in a car for a month, though, and of course no exercise or extraneous movement until it’s time for physical therapy.

All in all, should be a fun time!  -twl

Illustration of the procedure