I Have a Date

 On October 6th, I received a phone call that my sacroiliac fusion surgery on my left side on October 14th had been cancelled. I was told the surgeon was unavailable. I could wait until mid-December or see one of the other 3 spine doctors to see if they could fit me into their case load. 

I met with a new surgeon last Thursday. I really like him. He told me that my original surgeon had been in an auto accident and sustained major injuries; he is expected to have a full recovery, but it will take time. This new surgeon said he would try to fit me into his surgery schedule within 3 weeks.

I received a phone call a short while ago. I have a date! My surgery will now take place on October 22nd. I am thanking God that this will allow me to recover sufficiently before the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. 

I received a little bouquet of flowers from my cleaning lady's garden again last Thursday. It has been a blessing to have some flowers to enjoy. We did have a light frost last week so these may be the last blooms. I do like autumn but of course here in northern Indiana the growing season ends in October. I have my photos of past bouquets to peruse now during the colder months. 

Bionic Woman

 

It wasn't until after my sacroiliac fusion surgery that I learned the name of the fixation system that my surgeon used. It is the TiLink P system by SurGenTec. Modern technology is quite amazing in the orthopedic field. You can watch a video about how it works at the manufacturer's website. I am now a bionic woman. 

Getting Ready For Surgery

 I am getting ready for fusion surgery on my right sacroiliac joint on September 16th. I will return home on the same day as the operation. 

I will have to use a walker for at least 2 weeks. I bought from Amazon a tray that goes on the walker so I can carry things around. I will be doing toe-touch walking.

The tray I ordered has pockets hanging down both sides where I can put my phone or Samsung tablet or silverware. This walker has a cup holder and a small band across the front. I hope to be able to fix some cereal or a breakfast sandwich/burrito to put on top of the tray. That way I can take care of myself instead of bothering my husband. He likes to get up early and go to the Y or to do woodworking. We will try to keep a typical schedule after the first few days.

I put blue tennis balls on the back legs. I ordered them along with the tray from Amazon.

I already have a grabber and a bath bench from previous surgeries. We have a walk-in shower and a raised toilet in our condo. 

I have had to stop vitamins and supplements already. Most of my other meds I will take until the 14th and 15th. Starting on the 11th I have to put Bactroban (Mupirocin) into my nose twice a day to kill off bacteria. The night before and the morning of the surgery I will shower with Hibiclens which the surgeon's office supplied. 

I have dug out of storage a backpack I got at a grocery store promotion many years ago. When I do not have the tray which will mostly be when I leave home, I will use the backpack. The walker cannot be folded up with the tray attached. We will need to fold the walker to put it in the car. I will not be able to drive for several weeks. It is a blessing that I can do my physical therapy at Grace Village where I live. My husband can drop me off and be home in 5 minutes. 

Since I am to avoid bending and standing and holding heavy items, my husband will have to take over the meal prep/provision. My small garage freezer and the refrigerator freezer are full as I have stocked up. We can also do takeout from Grace Village dining room. I thought I could use Home Chef oven-ready meals, but it doesn't seem to offer much in the weekly choices. You have to order two at a time to use its services. I have canceled my subscription with them and have signed up with Hello Fresh. It has Ready Meals which can be microwaved as well as some meals that will require some simple prep. We will have our first delivery this Thursday to see the quality of the food. If it is OK, we will use Hello Fresh for a few meals per week for 2-3 weeks probably. With the shipping charges, it certainly is not an economical choice (neither was Home Chef). 

My housecleaner will continue to come every two weeks. I have been doing online ordering of groceries with store pickup for some time. My husband can drive to Kroger to get our groceries and toiletries after I place an order. 

Time to rest in the arms of Jesus and soon under the tender care of my husband. God will give us grace to cope with the hiccups.