Happy Birthday Pam!
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Happy Birthday Pam!
Tag Archives: Pam
Happy Birthday, Pam!
Pam turned 50 again today, and it was a pretty nice day. We are still living in the hotel. The flooring guys didn’t quite get it done before the long weekend, unfortunately.
The old carpet and appliances have been removed, the whole apartment was skim coated with cement to completely level it, then came the flooring install. No transitions at all, except into the two tiled bathrooms! You can play hockey on it….
We have been cleaning for the long weekend. The floors will be done on Tuesday. Our new bedroom and dining room furniture arrive on Wednesday. So Wednesday the 9th will be the first night in the new place.
We are both pretty much running on empty. It’s hard to remember what day it is, let alone what needs to be done! Good thing we don’t have a phone, since the telemarketers could talk me into anything right now.
I have no pictures to offer – I have a camera, but I can’t remember how to use it — just kidding…. I just haven’t taken pictures – there is so much to do, there is no time to take pictures of it.
Halloween 2012
It’s been a long time since I sat down and put in a post. This year, we did a smaller Halloween display than usual. I’m still a little angry about the vandalism and thefts. The stealing of the skeleton I get… but to just kick and destroy all the tombstones I’d made was just so nonsensical. I just don’t get what prompts people to do that.
Anyway, we concentrated all the display around the driveway, and it was actually quite effective. Lots of people complimented us on the display, much more than in other years. My theory is because everything was so concentrated, it was more intense. We added one major piece and it was a zombie who “pops up” and growls, “Welcome to my graveyard.” It caught people unaware and added a little spooky experience.
One thing I did new was to put some masks we had over paint cans and put them on the candy table. I think they look darn spooky, especially in the night with the fake fog on them! (You can see them in the picture – the one on the right is pretty cool.)
One kid had to come back – his mother apologized for that! She said he wouldn’t go home til he saw it one more time. Pam told her that that was ok – anyone who liked it that much gets another chocolate bar!
If you turn the sound up when you watch the movie, you can hear Pam calling in some kids, the spooky music from the karaoke machine, and the reaction of a kid approaching Pam to get her candy.
July 28th
Hi everyone. Sorry for taking so long to post again. Pam is doing ok. She is still a couple weeks from being able to try putting weight on her broken leg. She has been going to physio and they are pleased with her ability to bend the broken knee. She started with about 40% range of motion, but has that up to about 75% currently.
She has had some problems with one of the incisions not healing quite properly. It has never quite knitted together, and it’s sprung a few drops of blood. We’re heading back to see her doctor today to see if she should get a stitch or three put in to help. The other side is doing ok, but has become irritated with the brace she has to wear 24/7. It has rubbed right near the knee cap, and it’s a bit sore. When she stands up for any length of time, the injured leg gets quite discolored, going a deep red, so I’m not sure what’s up with that.
Both these pictures were taken July 5th, over two weeks after the surgery. Her leg is still quite swollen in the pictures, although it has gone down quite a bit since then. It’s still quite swollen, but getting better anyway. She has a lot of sensitivity in the leg, and has a lot of trouble getting comfortable. Partly, I think, because of the inactivity she is forced to endure. Usually we’re out in a park everyday with Max, so it’s been hard on her to sit in her chair.
She was going stir crazy just staring at these walls so we piled in the car, along with Max and we drove to one of the local parks. I wheeled her around in her wheelchair so we could see the flowers and watch Max prance with the dogs, so that was nice. There have been precious few nice days this year. Unlike most of the world, we’re stuck in cool weather, rainy and very little sunshine.
Overall, I’m feeling positive with how she is recovering, physically. She is struggling with the mental side, though. It’s a been a long couple of years with all these surgeries and injuries, and she still has a long fight ahead of her to even get back to walking. I can’t blame her for feeling a little down.
She gets a visitor once in a while and they really have been a great tonic for her. Maggie came over and painted her toes a bright color and put some fancy tattoos on them, so she was pretty thrilled about that. She’s been a real boon to Pam’s spirits, a really great friend.
We’re hanging in there. Hope you’re all doing swell!
Short update
Pam had her first physio appointment yesterday. Her therapist basically used the day to get baseline measurements, how far she can bend her knee (not far!), range of motion in her ankles and feet – stuff like that. She still has considerable swelling near her knee, but it is better than it was last week.
She’s managing the pain a lot better I think. She’s taking the “long term” pain killer twice a day, and takes another booster as necessary, and she seems to be taking fewer of those. She is still three weeks or so away from putting any weight on her left leg. She has managed to actually turn on her side during the night, at long last, so she’s really happy about that.
We still have not heard from Home Depot. I went to Home Depot with the private investigator to get statements from employees, and a copy of the incident report. They were not willing to provide either. The manager did seem quite surprised to hear that we had not been contacted, but said it was out of his hands. We did manage to talk to the woman who tried to administer “first aid” to Pam, but she refused to elaborate, nor did she even ask how Pam was doing. It’s all rather remarkable to me. They can’t even ask how she is doing?? I realize for legal reasons they don’t want to say they’re sorry, but they could show SOME compassion!
Thanks again guys for all the kind words. I’m sorry I’m not providing better updates, but we’re hanging in there. Pam’s spirits waver, but your words do help her. It’s not easy to see her struggle, but I do see minor improvements from last week, and that’s all we can ask! Keep the faith, as they say.
Sunday update
We’ve been busy the last few days. Pam has been hopping about the lower level of the house, and seems to be doing very well. Can’t ask for more really. She’s managing the pain quite well I think. And Max is pretty happy to have her back!
We met with Pam’s family doctor on Thursday and she removed the staples from Pam’s two incisions – 71 staples in total – forty on one side, thirty-one on the other. She said that “In truth, you should still be in the hospital…” But the incisions looked very good, and are healing very nicely. There was no sign of infection or anything, so really good news there.
On Friday, we met with the surgeon who performed the surgery. They took some X-rays, and while there is a loose bone fragment near the kneecap, they thought things were healing nicely. We got to see the X-ray which showed the big metal plate in her leg, and four big screws attaching it to her bone. He was pleased with her recovery so far. He has ordered her into physiotherapy to get her bending the knee. He was quite pleased with the healing on the incisions too. So all in all, pretty good news.
She still has a lot of swelling and there is quite bad bruising, particularly on the back of the calf muscles, and around the knee. She still can’t walk on the leg – still another month before she is allowed to put any weight on it. We have a walker for her to hop around, but she’s not really comfortable doing that yet. The brace bangs her right leg, and she’s got some small bruising her good leg.
Her work buddies sent a couple of big boards with post-it notes full of encouraging words, and that has buoyed her spirits. It was fun to read the messages! They’re just in disbelief over her bad luck!
Anyway, things are going well so far. The tough part for Pam will be starting the rehab on Monday. She has been warned it will be painful and difficult to regain the movement she had previously. And although we’ve been told she will never be the same as before, we’re hopeful that she can buck the odds and come back strong. Doesn’t help to be negative, so we’re thinking as positively as we can.
First day home
I picked up Pam from the hospital this morning. We loaded her into the back seat of the car, and got her home. I was able to get a wheelchair and a walker from the Red Cross so I was able to wheel her into the house via the garage and got her settled in her big favorite La-Z-Boy recliner.
Max was pretty excited to see her, and kept licking her feet – now that’s one tough dog eh?!
It’s a nice day here, so we were able to have the patio doors open and she got to see the garden. She seems to be in much better spirits! We’re having a bit of trouble getting her completely comfortable, but it’s not like she was totally comfortable in the hospital either! But the recliner is much more comfortable than the wheelchair in the hospital.
We had a relaxing day. I think she really liked having Max around, and he was really glad to have her back. It’s good to see her back here. Mentally, this change will be really good for her. She’s pretty pumped about not having to lay in a bed for 80% of the day.
She read all the blog posts and comments and she wants to thank everyone for their kind words, and encouragement. THANKS EVERYONE!