I wasn't joking when I said this is our year of reconstruction with our house being remodeled and having a total hip replacement in February. I'm on a roll right now so on August 15th, I had my right knee done, too. Both my knees need a total knee replacement which is a bummer but I need to just buckle up and get it done. My hip surgery went so well that I wasn't so fearful of the knee surgery, although everyone keeps telling me they are totally different experiences. I realize their differences but I was still eager to get it over with.
I'm currently post op. day # 9 and it hasn't been that bad at all. If I was to give anybody advise about this surgery, it would be PAIN CONTROL. Duh. I know that sounds obvious but twice I tried reducing my pain meds because I was feeling so good and twice I ended up increasing them back up to the prescribed amount. I need to be doing my PT exercises 3X/day and I can't do them if I'm in pain so I'm taking my pain meds seriously now. And there are A LOT of meds for a knee replacement.
I went home from the hospital with a peripheral nerve catheter that stayed in my leg injecting a pain reliever directly into my knee for the first 4 days and then I was instructed to pull it out when it emptied. The pain management nurse instructed me in the hospital how to pull it out and how much tube I could expect to see when I pulled it out.
One of my girlfriends volunteered to come over and pull it out for me but I was able to handle it just fine. Ginny still came over to see it and was intrigued with it, since she has worked in health care just like me. We love things like this...The pain management nurse called everyday after my discharge to check-in on how everything was going until I pulled out my catheter, so you get an idea how important pain management is for a total knee replacement. I was afraid it would start hurting more after the catheter was out but it really didn't. Everyday that goes by, my knee is getting stronger and healing more and I can feel a real difference. The exercises 3x/day are very important at this stage.
After the first two weeks, I will begin regular physical therapy sessions 2X/week for 8 weeks and that's when the work begins to increase my range of motion. My doctor says the goal after surgery is to bend 90 degrees and completely straighten it by my 2 week follow-up appointment. I think I'm doing that now so we'll see when I go next week. I was going to "pre-hab" before surgery and my knee was so bad that I could only bend it 95 degrees and I couldn't completely straighten it at all. It will be a big turning point when I can do better than that. I am looking forward to having a new knee with full function but I know there is a lot of work ahead. Like my hip surgery, this one was also hard to schedule because you basically have to cross everything off your calendar for 3 months. Our house is still under going remodeling but at least our kitchen is functional now so Bruce can fix food and bring it to me. I'm happy to just stay in my room away from all the mess and activity. I'm upstairs in the guest room which is one of my favorite rooms in our house. It has it's own bathroom, I can spread out all my stuff and it has a beautiful view.
I was hoping I could post "before and after" photos of our remodel but we predict it will be at least another month. They are already a month behind schedule, you know how that always goes with remodeling...I scheduled this surgery after our last guests left for the summer and even though our guests came during our remodel, it all worked out really well. Our deck is mostly done so we could use it as our living room and a bedroom for the kids to sleep.
We put a tent out on the deck and the kids loved sleeping out there. Thankfully, we had gorgeous weather during all the visits.
We had Bruce's niece and nephew come to town with their families which totaled four adults and five kids - with half our house tore up! We basically couldn't use the main floor including the kitchen but we had the whole upstairs and basement available that included three bedrooms, three bathrooms and a family room so we had room for everyone. We'd been using a make-shift kitchen in the basement family room so I was able to buy breakfast-type food for the mornings. (I did make my chocolate swirl banana bread before our kitchen was set for demolition and put two loaves in the freezer for our guests. It was inhaled the first morning! Kids and adults alike love this recipe.)
Our guests had such an ambitious agenda of things they wanted to do while they were here, I knew we wouldn't actually be home very much so it was fine that we had limited space. Bruce's niece and her family came first so that evening we took a ferry to Bainbridge Island and went to a sushi restaurant called SubI Sushi. Riding a ferry was on their list and also eating sushi. Check and check. They loved it.
Our guests had such an ambitious agenda of things they wanted to do while they were here, I knew we wouldn't actually be home very much so it was fine that we had limited space. Bruce's niece and her family came first so that evening we took a ferry to Bainbridge Island and went to a sushi restaurant called SubI Sushi. Riding a ferry was on their list and also eating sushi. Check and check. They loved it.
The sushi was wonderful and we sat in one of their tatami rooms for the full Japanese experience. It was quite perfect for their first evening in Seattle.
Soon after we returned home, Bruce's nephew arrived with his family and the kids were off and running! The kids are actually second cousins, ages 11 through 6 and were constantly playing with each other.
They are such a joy to be around, we really enjoy them. They loved our blackberry bushes which happened to be producing right now. That was good timing.
Bruce's niece and family were boarding an Alaska cruise on Saturday so Friday was our sightseeing day. Her husband and family had never been to Seattle so they had quite a long "to do" list. We were up bright and early Friday morning and took the water taxi to downtown Seattle.
Everyone loves the water taxi into town. It's just a short 15 minute ride across Elliot Bay but the views are beautiful and who doesn't love a boat ride? Our first stop was the Klondike Museum to get a little education about what they would see on their Alaska cruise and to see how the Klondike was such a big part of Seattle's history. They even got to pan for gold.
But before we got there, we had to stop for coffee and restrooms...remember, there were eleven of us on this sightseeing day so it was a good thing we did not have any timeline for anything.
Since I was the tour guide, I took them through Occidental Park which is the hub of Seattle's art gallery district in Pioneer Square. I forgot that there were ping pong tables and fooseball tables here, perfect for a group of first and second cousins wandering the streets of Seattle.
Believe it or not, we finally got to the Klondike Museum which actually is only a matter of blocks from the water taxi but as you can see, there were a few distractions along the way.
I would highly recommend visiting this because it has definitely grown over the years and is actually a designated national park.
It's interesting for adults and children and very well laid out with wonderful displays. They show a movie about the Klondike which is excellent and worth the visit alone. Off we continued on our sightseeing...
We took the free waterfront shuttle to the Pike Place Market where we grabbed some lunch of various seafood dishes. You can not go to the Market without eating some fish of some kind!
I got a crab cocktail and others got fish and chips or fish tacos. No bad choices here.
If you're wondering how all eleven of us stayed together at the Market, well, I don't think we did. It's a crowded place, although, it wasn't too bad on this day but it's still always crowded. Thank goodness for smart phones and texting.
It was then off to ride the monorail to the Seattle Center.
This was a perfect spot because the kids were fed and full of energy again, but us adults were ready for a rest. There is a HUGH playground here for the kids to run around but the most favorite is the International Fountain. And it was a hot day today.
They all got soaked but believe it or not, they were all dry by the time we walked back to the monorail. Before we left the Seattle Center, we had some photo ops for the families.
Then it was back on the monorail, through the Market and down to the waterfront to catch the water taxi. But first, a little snack from Ivar's, who was Seattle's iconic seafood restauranteur. After eating at Ivar's, I believe our visitors are true Seattleites now.
Our sightseeing day ended at Alki Beach which couldn't have been more perfect. The guys wanted a beer on the beach and the rest of us wanted burgers and shakes. We got it all at Blue Moon Burgers, one of our favorite burger spots.
Across the street is the beach and it was a perfect place to end the day.
Bruce's nephew and family left the next morning for a road trip to Banff National Park and we took his niece and family to the cruise terminal for their Alaska cruise. We stopped to have breakfast next to the cruise terminal where Lauren also joined us.
Here they are with their cruise ship in the background.
A week went by and then we picked them back up at the terminal to take them to the airport to go home. But we had a couple hours to spare, so we continued on our Seattle sightseeing tour and stopped in at the Starbuck's Roastery, another one of our favorite Seattle spots.
We actually got a spot at the tasting bar where you can watch the baristas make all the speciality coffees and there is a menu provided where you can choose from a variety of Starbucks Reserve beans and various methods of brewing. I got a Costa Rica decaf which was an amazing decaf. There are currently four Starbuck's Roasteries in the world; Seattle, Shanghai, Milan, Italy and New York City. They are opening two more this year in Chicago and Tokyo so our visitors were thrilled because they lived near Chicago. They definitely want to go check it out when it opens now that they've had a taste of a Starbuck's Roastery. This turned out to be another successful tourist activity before heading home.
A few days later, Bruce's nephew returned from their family road trip and spent one evening with us before we took them to the airport the next day. We all voted to head back down to Alki and have dinner at another favorite at Duke's. Duke's has an extensive menu of a variety of entree choices since we couldn't decide what we all felt like. They also have great choices for their kids' menu. We were not disappointed and were even seated at a great table outside overlooking the beach.
Once again, we ended our evening out on the beach for a perfect evening.
The next day, our visitor's flight did not leave until afternoon so with our extra bit of time, can you guess what we did? Once again, we headed to the Starbuck's Roastery. We got lunch here at their amazing Princi bakery and I mean AMAZING.
The Starbuck's Roasteries have integrated the Italian bakery, Princi, into all their Roasteries. They bake all their own bakery items on site so now we can get Italian pastries like we never could in America and they are yummy! However, I discovered my new favorite drink during this visit, the iced nitro latte with coffee beans from Rwanda. OMG! It was so good. I'm trying to avoid caffeine but this one might have me tossing that idea. It was like a milkshake only not sweet with a very mild coffee flavor. And it was smooth.
If you don't know what Starbuck's nitro coffee is it is a small batch cold-brew (slow steeped) coffee, put into a keg and then infused with nitrogen gas. It's served straight from the tap, just like a cold beer, and it offers that frothy and bubbly feeling with the carbonation and beer-like head from the nitrogen. If you drink it alone, which I've had, it's slightly sweeter than regular cold brew and very smooth but when it's made into an iced latte, well, it's even better and I like! That will be my new order next time I pass by a Starbuck's Reserve.
That's the run down of our visitors this summer and our reconstruction events going on. After reviewing all the fun we had with our visitors, I'm really eager to get on with my rehabbing so I can start doing fun activities again (like make another stop to the Roastery!) We feel so fortunate to live here with so many great places to visit and wonderful food and drink places at our fingertips. It's even better when we have close friends and family we can share it with. Bruce and I are in our element when we get to be tour guides and show-off all this city has to offer. Now, I just need this reconstruction period to be over! I knew it would take patience but I still need to just hang in there a little longer. Soon this period of reconstruction will be over and I can't wait.
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They are such a joy to be around, we really enjoy them. They loved our blackberry bushes which happened to be producing right now. That was good timing.
Bruce's niece and family were boarding an Alaska cruise on Saturday so Friday was our sightseeing day. Her husband and family had never been to Seattle so they had quite a long "to do" list. We were up bright and early Friday morning and took the water taxi to downtown Seattle.
Everyone loves the water taxi into town. It's just a short 15 minute ride across Elliot Bay but the views are beautiful and who doesn't love a boat ride? Our first stop was the Klondike Museum to get a little education about what they would see on their Alaska cruise and to see how the Klondike was such a big part of Seattle's history. They even got to pan for gold.
But before we got there, we had to stop for coffee and restrooms...remember, there were eleven of us on this sightseeing day so it was a good thing we did not have any timeline for anything.
Since I was the tour guide, I took them through Occidental Park which is the hub of Seattle's art gallery district in Pioneer Square. I forgot that there were ping pong tables and fooseball tables here, perfect for a group of first and second cousins wandering the streets of Seattle.
Believe it or not, we finally got to the Klondike Museum which actually is only a matter of blocks from the water taxi but as you can see, there were a few distractions along the way.
I would highly recommend visiting this because it has definitely grown over the years and is actually a designated national park.
It's interesting for adults and children and very well laid out with wonderful displays. They show a movie about the Klondike which is excellent and worth the visit alone. Off we continued on our sightseeing...
We took the free waterfront shuttle to the Pike Place Market where we grabbed some lunch of various seafood dishes. You can not go to the Market without eating some fish of some kind!
I got a crab cocktail and others got fish and chips or fish tacos. No bad choices here.
If you're wondering how all eleven of us stayed together at the Market, well, I don't think we did. It's a crowded place, although, it wasn't too bad on this day but it's still always crowded. Thank goodness for smart phones and texting.
It was then off to ride the monorail to the Seattle Center.
This was a perfect spot because the kids were fed and full of energy again, but us adults were ready for a rest. There is a HUGH playground here for the kids to run around but the most favorite is the International Fountain. And it was a hot day today.
They all got soaked but believe it or not, they were all dry by the time we walked back to the monorail. Before we left the Seattle Center, we had some photo ops for the families.
Then it was back on the monorail, through the Market and down to the waterfront to catch the water taxi. But first, a little snack from Ivar's, who was Seattle's iconic seafood restauranteur. After eating at Ivar's, I believe our visitors are true Seattleites now.
Our sightseeing day ended at Alki Beach which couldn't have been more perfect. The guys wanted a beer on the beach and the rest of us wanted burgers and shakes. We got it all at Blue Moon Burgers, one of our favorite burger spots.
Across the street is the beach and it was a perfect place to end the day.
Bruce's nephew and family left the next morning for a road trip to Banff National Park and we took his niece and family to the cruise terminal for their Alaska cruise. We stopped to have breakfast next to the cruise terminal where Lauren also joined us.
A week went by and then we picked them back up at the terminal to take them to the airport to go home. But we had a couple hours to spare, so we continued on our Seattle sightseeing tour and stopped in at the Starbuck's Roastery, another one of our favorite Seattle spots.
We actually got a spot at the tasting bar where you can watch the baristas make all the speciality coffees and there is a menu provided where you can choose from a variety of Starbucks Reserve beans and various methods of brewing. I got a Costa Rica decaf which was an amazing decaf. There are currently four Starbuck's Roasteries in the world; Seattle, Shanghai, Milan, Italy and New York City. They are opening two more this year in Chicago and Tokyo so our visitors were thrilled because they lived near Chicago. They definitely want to go check it out when it opens now that they've had a taste of a Starbuck's Roastery. This turned out to be another successful tourist activity before heading home.
A few days later, Bruce's nephew returned from their family road trip and spent one evening with us before we took them to the airport the next day. We all voted to head back down to Alki and have dinner at another favorite at Duke's. Duke's has an extensive menu of a variety of entree choices since we couldn't decide what we all felt like. They also have great choices for their kids' menu. We were not disappointed and were even seated at a great table outside overlooking the beach.
Once again, we ended our evening out on the beach for a perfect evening.
The next day, our visitor's flight did not leave until afternoon so with our extra bit of time, can you guess what we did? Once again, we headed to the Starbuck's Roastery. We got lunch here at their amazing Princi bakery and I mean AMAZING.
The Starbuck's Roasteries have integrated the Italian bakery, Princi, into all their Roasteries. They bake all their own bakery items on site so now we can get Italian pastries like we never could in America and they are yummy! However, I discovered my new favorite drink during this visit, the iced nitro latte with coffee beans from Rwanda. OMG! It was so good. I'm trying to avoid caffeine but this one might have me tossing that idea. It was like a milkshake only not sweet with a very mild coffee flavor. And it was smooth.
If you don't know what Starbuck's nitro coffee is it is a small batch cold-brew (slow steeped) coffee, put into a keg and then infused with nitrogen gas. It's served straight from the tap, just like a cold beer, and it offers that frothy and bubbly feeling with the carbonation and beer-like head from the nitrogen. If you drink it alone, which I've had, it's slightly sweeter than regular cold brew and very smooth but when it's made into an iced latte, well, it's even better and I like! That will be my new order next time I pass by a Starbuck's Reserve.
That's the run down of our visitors this summer and our reconstruction events going on. After reviewing all the fun we had with our visitors, I'm really eager to get on with my rehabbing so I can start doing fun activities again (like make another stop to the Roastery!) We feel so fortunate to live here with so many great places to visit and wonderful food and drink places at our fingertips. It's even better when we have close friends and family we can share it with. Bruce and I are in our element when we get to be tour guides and show-off all this city has to offer. Now, I just need this reconstruction period to be over! I knew it would take patience but I still need to just hang in there a little longer. Soon this period of reconstruction will be over and I can't wait.
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