September 27, 2007
· Filed under Medical
Almost a year ago, my mother had a total knee replacement (also known as total knee arthroplasty) due to progressive osteoarthritis. We were initially very excited about it because TKA because the operation generally has an excellent prognosis (95% prosthesis survival rate at 10-15 yrs). Initially, things went fairly well, and my mother was up walking around in no time. However, a few weeks after the surgery, she began having increasing pain and swelling. She went back to the surgeon who seemed a little perplexed, but reassured her that there was no infection or sign of the prosthesis failing (i.e., loosening). Unfortunately, the pain continued to get worse, and she continued to go back to the surgeon who ultimately left her feeling like the pain was all in her head and that there was nothing more he could do. She also saw a holistic pain doctor who was recommened by a friend, but he also proved unhelpful. Finally, thanks to the persistent nagging (for lack of a better word) of her best friend, my mom went to see another surgeon for a second opinion.
Although they had to wait a long time both to get the appointment and then the day of the appointment, it sounds like it was worth the wait. He spent time reviewing her bone scan and xrays and did a very thorough examination. He never once suggested that the pain was all in her head, but instead said there were three possibilities (infection, prosthetic loosening and osteolysis or loose ligaments). It sounds like he’s pretty convinced from her exam and her xrays that her pain is the result of prosthetic loosening and osteolysis (bone resorption), but he is doing several tests to make she he doesn’t miss anything else. Of course, this begs the questions: why is her prosthesis loosening now when it normally takes years and years for that to happen? And unfortunately, the treatment is basically to have the surgery again. On the other hand, I would think that it might be worth a few very unpleasant weeks to have a useable knee again.
So, please wish my mother good luck, as she tries to get this all figured out!
September 26, 2007
· Filed under Running
My running took a definite hit last week when I had a nasty cold that promptly migrated to my lungs. This always happen when I have a cold, but I’m guessing taking call and not getting any sleep certainly made everything worse. I was forced to take pretty much all of last week off as I couldn’t speak a sentence without coughing, let alone jog down the street. I finally went to the doctor on Friday where I got antibiotics (probably not necessary, but I’ll talk about that another time…), advair for my asthma and robitussin with codeine. The combination of all these meds and being able to get plenty of rest because my current rotation is ridiculously easy has spurred my recovery. I was even able to run a race on Sunday (full race report to follow). I took Monday off since I was sore from the race and managed to get up this morning before work for a beautiful (and very hilly!) run. I’m very glad to finally get back to some serious (?) running!
September 17, 2007
· Filed under Animals!, Medical, Running
I really seem to have trouble updating this regularly. I always think about stuff to post but then somehow life is too busy, and I never get around to it. Hopefully this will change since after tomorrow (my last night on call for this rotation!) life should get much easier. I’m certainly looking forward to having more free time and more time for running. This weekend I had both Saturday and (gasp!) Sunday off, and I was really looking forward to getting in some good runs, but I woke up post-call on Friday with a nasty cold so I was forced to take it easy. I spent a large part of Saturday in a hazy sleep, but I did manage to squeeze in a short run today. We’re also coming up on the racing season. I’m on back up call for the next few weeks so I can’t seriously commit to any races, but I’m hoping to do the Komen 5K and the Samaritans 5K in the next few weeks. Should be fun!
Went out to visit my parents tonight and had a lot of fun talking to them, eating good food and playing with Julie their new dog. Also had a wonderful time this morning sitting on the front porch with Spenser and enjoying the outdoors. Being outdoors on a nice day really means a lot to me.
September 9, 2007
· Filed under Uncategorized
I’ve been working pretty long hours lately. It’s amazing how quickly you adapt to whatever comes your way. Despite the long hours, I’m actually pretty happy. Of course, I’m writing this after a day off. We’ll see how I feel after my day on call tomorrow…
Now that I only get one day off a week (usually), I really appreciate that day. I got home from work kind of late yesterday, but thankfully was still able to go running because Eddie had waited for me. We got back from our run around 9 pm and then headed over for a tasty sushi dinner at Blue Fin. It was pretty good, although I still prefer the little hole-in-the-wall place we go to in Arlington. By that time, it was close to 11, and I was exhausted. I very happily slept in this morning and didn’t get up until 9:30 am. Of course, I did what I normally do and promptly fell back asleep on the couch after reading Harry Potter for a while. I woke up later when Eddie finally got up, and we had a tasty lunch of veggie burgers and pringles. After that, we walked (despite the stifling heat!) over to Marathon Sports to pick up my new running shoes! I’m obviously very excited about this. My old shoes have almost 500 miles on them. The shoes are excellent. They’re the same kind I always get (Brooks Dyad), but I always love getting a new pair. They feel so soft and squishy.
I spent the afternoon baking cookies (one of my favorite pasttimes) and unpacking while watching the Office. It’s nice to finally have (almost) all of the boxes put away! The place looks great. Then Eddie and I went for a very pretty run around the Freshpond Reservoir. We had a delicious dinner (prepared by Eddie) of chicken with a mushroom cream sauce (made from scratch), greenbean casserole and crusty bread. You can’t say we don’t eat well. 
Now I’m relaxing with my sweetie and getting ready to go to sleep since I’m on call tomorrow. Overall, a wonderful day off.
