Knee Saga Continued.

11-24-24 SHORT HILLS: That’s quite a gap in the record. I’ll try to fill it in. I started getting sick about 11-15 with weakness and fever. Going upstairs I fell at the top and needed a rest before being helped to bed by Judy, my guardian angel. I had cough and fever and weakness, and a visit to the ER confirmed ‘walking pneumonia,’ and they gave me Rx’s for Z-pac and augmentin. I used them at home a few days without any benefit and worsening symptoms. 

A second visit to the ER resulted in my admission to St Barnabas. I received a myriad of scans—CAT, isotope, U/S, inhalation—to get to a diagnosis of pulmonary emboli in both lungs as well as the pneumonia. The antibiotics were changed a couple of times, and I was anti coagulated with heparin. I was discharged 11-22 on oral anticoagulants. 

At home we’ve been coping with being back on the walker, living on one floor. The first day I had a shower, shave, tooth brushing to make up for the week in the hospital.    

Today was the day for the visiting nurse to do her assessment. To prepare for the visit, I started to get up from the sofa by putting my feet on the floor, just as I had been doing since I was home. My new knee was suddenly, severely painful. I couldn’t move it a centimeter in any direction. To lie back down on the sofa, I moved the left leg and Judy carefully lifted the new knee so that I was lying flat with the legs on a pillow. 

Judy went to let the nurse in the house, so I was alone in the den. Suddenly there was a loud ‘Clunk’ in the knee. The pain was gone, full mobility was back in an instant. The clunk would have registered at three or four on the Richter scale. 

Now we’re trying to figure out when see Dr. Lee and get back to rehab.

 

New Flag.

11-7-24 SHORT HILLS: Our high hopes for Kamala have crashed, the second Democratic woman to be beaten by Trump. He lost to the only man he ran against, Biden. I expect a disastrous four years. 

Our flagpole has not flown a flag since the early spring because the pulley that allowed the flag to be raised and lowered broke and fell to the ground along with the rope and flag. We had contacted a prominent flag pole company to do the repair, but they never followed through after the initial contact. 

This fall we contacted another company, who showed up in less than a week. The pole is in our back yard isolated from the street and surrounded by trees and shrubs, and so cannot be reached by a bucket truck. Mel, who works for A & A Industrial LTD, climbed the pole and replaced the top ball and pulley housing with a new, shiny ball and pulley, and a new rope and flag. We are very pleased to have the new flag waving in the breeze. 

I have been doing more walking the street. The new knee is progressing slowly.  

Mel climbing the pole with a harness device. Judy took a picture.

Mel is removing the old ball and pulley.

Coming down after the new rope and flag were installed.

Waving in the breeze under the shiny new ball topper.