I could just kick myself

I think I have shingles.  Just what I need on top of my foot/ankle healing.  It started out with a terrible pain in my back last weekend and I assumed it was pain from sitting around in the same chair and the same position all day.  Then I got a couple of blisters on my back and I thought the old heating pad I was using burned my back or I was allergic to the IcyHot I was using at night to relieve the back pain, Now I am sure it is Shingles.  The rash is so painful and has now spread from my right back to my right from  and it looks just like the pictures I saw on the internet yesterday.  The reason I could kick myself is because I have a prescription for the Shingles shot and have had it since last March and never went to get the shot.  My family physician really didn't think it was necessary because you are less likely to get shingles as you get older and he thought my chances were very low.  I did ask about getting the shot when I went for my flu shot but they wouldn't give me both shots on the same day.  I never went back to get it.  I really could kick myself in the backside.  The pain is horrible.  Right now I feel like something is burning a hole right through my right side.  If I take pain meds it does alleviate the pain but it makes me so loopy I just sit here spaced out for about 6 hours.  I have a Doctors appointment tomorrow.  Hope they can do something for me.  My biggest concern right now is Bob.  He has never at Chicken Pox and the article I read stated that someone who hasn't had Chicken Pox can get them from someone who has shingles.  He was rubbing ointment on the blisters on my back and he was also putting the IcyHots on.  He is going to go into the Doctor's office with me tomorrow an we are going to see if he can get a Chicken Pox vaccine shot.  I sure hope so as we don't need him sick with Chicken Pox.

Good Dr. report

I went to the surgeon this morning for my second appointment for my foot/ankle surgery.  They removed the staples from all 3 incisions and said they are healing very well.  I no longer have to wear the half cast and am now in the boot I used last year when I broke my ankle.  The x-rays show that everything inside is healing very well and the hardware has not moved and is doing what it is meant to do.  I am still non-weight bearing for at least the next 3 weeks when I get another set of x-rays taken and go back to the Dr for another check-up.  That will be six weeks post op and they said I will be non-weight bearing for 6-8 weeks after surgery.  I am having little to no pain in my foot which is a very good thing, however, I am having severe pain in my back from sitting so much.  I did tell the Dr. about it and told him I have been taking Alieve for the back pain.  He told me not to take Aleive as it is not good for the healing of my foot.  He told me to take the Oxi more often even if I only take half a pill or to take Extra Strength Tylenol.  He prescribed a new form of Oxi which is suppose to be less habit forming.  I'm not taking and chances so I am going to try half a pill every 12 hours instead of 1 every 12 hours. 

Dr. Appointment

Yesterday I had my 1st post-op appointment with the surgeon who operated on my right foot.  The incisions are healing very well.  They were totally surprised with how little pain medications I am taking.  Next week I have to get an x-ray and then I have another appointment where they will take out the stitches and see how the inside is healing.

Here is a picture of the flowers I
received from my niece Sand and her
family.  They are so pretty and make
our living room look so
cherry.

Surgery

On January 19th I had surgery on my right foot.  The surgery was to remove the arthritis and then to fuse my ankle to alleviate the pain I have had for the last 30 weeks.  The surgery was more than expected.  When trying to insert a rod up through my foot to fuse it they discovered that the food, ankle and leg were so out of alignment they could not insert the rod so instead they inserted 2 screws to fuse the ankle.  After the surgery and while I was in recovery I got so sick to my stomach and my oxygen level got so low I ended up spending 5 hours or so getting back to normal.  Finally got home about 5:00 or so.  It was a very long day since I had to be at the hospital at 5:30 AM.  Over the last 8 days I have had some pain although I have stopped taking the pain medicine.  During the week I got a beautiful flower arrangement from the WOW gym ladies.  It has been brightening my days ever since.

Sunday January 25th was my 68th birthday.  Not a good day although Bob did make me a good dinner.  He gave me a really cute card but no gift.  I was really hurt that he didn't think enough of me to have a birthday gift for me. 

Monday morning I got up and he had put a gift at my place at the dining room table but being the brat that I am I ignored it for 2 days until he finally handed it to be.  It was a beautiful pair of earrings he bought for me while we were in Paris.  Love them.

Yesterday Bob was downstairs reading when someone came to our door.  They were delivering a beautiful flower arrangement from Sandy, Michael and Hannah.  It is absolutely beautiful.  Love it.

I have been receiving lots of get well cards an birthday cards for the last 8 days.  Here is one that I got from a KYKS friend.  She stitched a small design and made it into a card.

Get Well card from Leslie at KYKS
The CS design is by Cathryn of Blueladie Designs

I has my 1st post-op appointment with the surgeon tomorrow.  Although I know it is on to check the incision and maybe to remove the stitches I can't wait to see what he has to say.

The recovery time for the surgery is long.  I have 6-8 weeks of non-weight bearing on my right foot and then another 12-16 weeks in a boot with physical therapy before I will be back to normal. I can't imagine what I am going to be like by the end of all of this as I am already going stir crazy. I have been spending a lot of time just watching TV and I have already read 2 books and I started a new cross stitch project but nothing really interest me. I have been assured that I will be able to drive again when this is all over.  I sure hope the doctor is absolutely correct about the driving part.

Stitched Christmas Card I received

I received a stitched Christmas card from a friend from KYKS.  I made it into an ornament for our tree.

This little tree was stitched by Leslie from
KYKS and sent to me as a Christmas Card.
I made it into an ornament and now
every year when I put it on my tree
I will think of Leslie.  Thank you
Leslie.
 

Monday morning I have to be at the Phoenixville Hospital at 5:30 for the surgery on my right foot/ankle.  I will then have a long recuperation.  6-8 weeks non-weight bearing and then 10-12 weeks in a boot.  During the last 10-12 weeks I will have physical therapy.  I will keep you updated on my progress over the next couple of weeks.  I have been busy kitting up cross stitch projects and I have some crocheting lined up.  Currently I am crocheting a baby afghan for my great niece who is expecting her 1st baby in April.  A little girl hence the afghan is a girly pink with a little white.

Stitching finishes

I finished 3 projects into ornaments over the last couple of days.

This a freebie from a Facebook Group - Candy Cane Stitchers
Heart In Hand
Christmas Alphabet
I stitched this in 2014



Lizzie Kate
Bloom
A freebie from her website
for my ornament tree

Designer:  The Sticherhood
Project:  Winter
Fabric: 14CT Antique Aida
Floss:  DMC
Started:1/1/2015
Completed" 1/3/2015
For my niece CJ
My 1st project for 2015

My last cross stitch finish of 2014

Designer:  Little House of Needleworks
Design:  Pumpkin Patch Inn
Fabric:  16Ct Parchment Aida
Floss: What was called for in the design
Started:  7/10/2014
Completed:  12/31/2014
For: Me

I took it to the framer this morning.  Hope she doesn't take to long to get it framed. It seemed to take me a long time to stitch this because I made a mistake when I stitched the words Pumpkin Patch Inn and didn't realize it until I was finished with the row that has the pumpkins so I put it away because I surely didn't want to frog all of that.  I finally decided to just keep on stitching it so I stitched for a little while in October and then got frustrated with the house so I put it away again.  Finally I decided I wanted to finish it so I picked it up again and now it is finished.