Surgery and other things

Watch out, I am posting about an event that will happen in January, and it is still January. Amazing.

I've been getting into the swing of things again. It was kind of hard to get back to our morning routine, and we're still perfecting it. Kyle's earliest class this semester starts at 8:30 am . . . much better than the 7:00 am of last semester. He finishes class in the morning on Tuesday and Thursday, and since he doesn't have work on those days, he is able to watch Becca a half day. Becca enjoys going to daycare to play with Brennan and Conner, but she also loves the days she gets to stay home with Daddy, like every Friday! I love that Becca and Kyle get to spend time together and save us money. It's a double score.

So, the first Monday of the new year found me at a Physical Therapist's office for a free consultation. I'm so grateful he would do that. Based on conversations with others, I'd deduced that my knee might require more than popping back in place, but I wanted to make sure I went to the right doctor. My friend Annette, from whom I borrowed the crutches, works at the Physical Therapy office and slipped me in for an early appointment first thing in the morning. The PT pulled, pushed, caused me a little bit of pain, but eventually gave me the news that I most likely had a torn meniscus, which is correctable by surgery and only surgery. He recommended I meet with an Orthopedic Surgeon and try to be off the crutches within a week. I worked on putting more of my weight on my leg and was able to get rid of the crutches. I scheduled my orthopedic appointment that day and last Monday, I went in for my appointment. It was very short. The orthopedic doctor asked questions, pushed on my knee a little, but in the end said it did sound like a locked meniscus tear. He showed us what it probably looks like. Basically, the meniscus got torn and then kind of folded in on itself under the knee cap, hence the reason I can't actually straighten my leg. However, since I'm preggars, he scheduled me for an MRI, rather than an X-Ray (though to be honest, maybe that's common procedure . . . I just know they skipped having me x-rayed for that reason). I already had an appointment with my OB the following Wednesday, so he put a note in to rush the details of my MRI so I could discuss.

Tuesday morning had me at the MRI machine. It was very loud. I was a little worried about my baby, but MRIs are safe during pregnancy, so the worst part was the pain in my knee. The technician used foam to push my knee flatter. I probably should have said something about my inability to painlessly straighten my leg, but I'm too timid when it comes to that. The technician said the procedure would take about 20 minutes. 30 seconds in, I was done with the pain. I could have pushed the panic button, but then we'd have to start all over again, so I decided I would just deal. To take my mind off the pain, I tried to recite all of the Articles of Faith. Then I tried to remember the words to the song I'm teaching in Primary. They had given me ear plugs because it is very loud. According to what I've read, my baby can now hear sounds. I believe it. A minute or two into the really loud beeping/buzzing, he started doing something active. There were kicks or punches, and lots of movement. I'm glad he's so well insulated so the noise was not too dreadful (I hope).

On Wednesday, I was very prepared to call to track down my results (I have had poor luck with hearing back from doctors when they are supposed to call), but surprisingly, he did call. He confirmed that my meniscus is definitely torn. There are two possibilities for the surgery itself: one is to fix the torn meniscus by sewing it back down. He is not as sure about this since the only known injury was a long time ago and the meniscus may be too damages, but since the major symptoms have only been happening for a month, there is a slight possibility. The recovery includes 4-6 weeks on crutches. Pregnant. The second alternative is to remove the torn portion of the meniscus. This surprisingly has the fastest recovery. I'd be walking normally within a day or two. On the downside, I will in all probability need a knee replacement in 20-30 years. I'm rooting for the first option, since I'd rather not have the guaranteed knee replacement in my future, but what's done is done and I'll find out which one he decides on when I come out of anesthesia, since he won't know the state of my meniscus until he is actually operating. So, I'm guaranteed a surprise when I wake up. It adds a little excitement to the process. He advised that I discuss the surgery with my OB and then if I wanted to proceed, to call back and schedule.

I met with my OB and immediately related my dilemma. He was very nice and said the general anesthesia won't hurt the baby at all, but he did insist on blood thinners after. He then went into a five minute long discussion on blood clots and their risk, very much impressing on me the importance of making sure the surgeon would put me on blood thinners after.

With my baby's safety assured, I scheduled the surgery for this Thursday. It needs to be done, since I can't walk without pain and I don't want to see what gaining more weight will do to it. Since it needs to be done, I'd rather do it sooner than later, especially if I end up on crutches. With all of this, I'm hoping the inconvenience of the surgery will be minimal. I've arranged to take time off all of Thursday and to work from home Friday, but I plan to be back in the office Monday with or without crutches. I'm trying to do a few last minute deep cleaning things that are inconvenient with my knee now, but not nearly as inconvenient as they would be with crutches. I'm planning on having Kyle pick up a pizza Thursday for dinner, so I won't feel like I have to do anything Thursday besides relax and watch movies on Netflix to my heart's content (we just started the Netflix trial and so far we're liking it).

In other news, I'm working on quilts. I decided years ago that I would make a wedding quilt for each of my brothers when they got married. I made one for Blake years ago, and have been waiting for my other brothers to announce the same. When Jordan announced his engagement, I said at the start that he was getting married to soon to have his quilt by his wedding day, but promised to have it to him by the time he is sealed. My mom, Freesia (Jordan's wife), and I went to the fabric store and Freesia picked the colors. I've learned that for slightly custom quilts, my sanity will remain more in tact if I choose a pattern I think will fit the person and then allow them the choice of colors. I'm planning a disappearing nine patch for them. I've got the patches cut and I'm working on sewing them together. While we were in California, my younger brother, Vance, proposed to his girlfriend. I knew this was coming, since Kyle had gone with Vance to help choose a ring (Kyle used to sell jewelry and has always been interested in precious stones). Vance and Melissa told me their colors and I chose the actual fabric by myself because Melissa wants to be surprised. Then came the dilemma. Do I work on Jordan's quilt first because he got married first, or Vance's first because I've already missed Jordan's wedding date, but might still make Vance's? I went with first come, first serve, but I'm crazy enough to try to do both by Vance's date. I hand-quilt the quilts I make, which is time-consuming, but mostly relaxing. I scheduled out the different steps for each quilt, and if I'm able to stick to my schedule, I'll get both finished in time. That will then give me a month to finish my little boy's blessing outfit. I've already started, and since it is smaller and more portable, might be finished before the quilts, but just in case, I have a little time buffer before I become a mother of two. AND if I finish that also (I know, it seems improbable) then there is that one other craft project that still remains from Christmas and should probably be worked on while I have time to myself occasionally. So much to do. It takes my mind off of my surgery, and the more worrisome possibility of blood clots.