So, Dave and I arrived home from our cruise on June 15th, and around the 25th of June I started to experience diarrhea. And it started getting worse. I called my infectious disease doctor on Monday July 3rd, and his nurse instructed me to immediately go to the ER. The doctor wanted me tested for C-Diff. She explained that the ER could get the results in a couple hours, where as the doctor's office wouldn't have the results for a couple of days. Sure enough - I had it. Turns out, being on so many different types of antibiotics for 6 months, killed all the good bacteria in my system and only the bad bacteria was growing. And when you get C-Diff, it's very contagious. Dave and I used separate bathrooms, everything was disinfected, and I did a lot of hand washing. The doctor put me on a 2 week course of new antibiotics, but at the end I still had it. So, I had to do another 2 week course. At the end of that, I STILL had it. So, I was taken of ALL antibiotics and put on a special antibiotic that was developed only for C-Diff, (when we went to have the prescription filled, the pharmacy had to order it in, and they asked, "Do you know what this is for?" Dave said, "Yes, do you?"). I had to undergo 2 courses of the special antibiotic before I was declared clear. At the end, the doctor explained that if the 2nd course had not cured me, I would have had to be hospitalized, and maybe have part of my colon removed or a fecal transplant. Thank goodness, for prayers and blessings. By the end of September, I was FINALLY back to myself.
By the end of September, we did manage to get enough from the garden into the freezer, to help through the winter. We had green beans, tomatoes, carrots, a few potatoes, strawberries, cucumbers, peppers, and 1 nice pumpkin for pies and breads. Even though I didn't get anything planted until mid June, everything did well. The garden really liked the hot heat this year, and the night time waterings. Due to my limited mobility, we cut way back on how much we planted, rather than doing all 5 beds full, we only did 4 of the beds. But we had plenty for the 2 of us. This year I didn't enter any breads or exhibits in the fair. I just wasn't feeling up to standing on my feet and preparing anything for competition. But, that's OK, with me.
In October, Dave and I went to Cabo, MEXICO and Dave's brother, (Bruce), went along. A couple years earlier when Bruce turned 60, Dave told Bruce that he wanted to take him to Cabo for his BD. Bruce was too busy, and in September he called Dave and told Dave he was finally ready to take us up on the vacation offer. We spent 7 days being lazy, eating way too much good food, swimming, and laying in the hot sun, (like lizards). But it was a good time for the 3 of us, and Bruce enjoyed Cabo. We returned on Saturday the 21st of October.
Bright and early Monday morning the 23rd, I was back at the hospital. This time to have my right knee replaced. Most people could not believe that I was brave enough, after all the trouble my left knee gave me. But, 2 weeks before, I was put on a special antibiotic, and in pre-op, my right leg was give a special antibiotic wash. I was treated very special to prevent any infection. This time I spent 2 nights in the hospital, was up and walking the afternoon on the day of surgery, and on Friday, started my outpatient physical therapy. 1 week later I was only walking with a cane and off pain meds, and by the end of December, I was released from P/T. Every time I went in for follow up with my doctor, the wound was carefully examined, and an antibiotic ointment placed over the surgical site. By the end of the year, as you can see, the knee looks pretty good. Today, the scar is getting less and less visible. I still have some soreness, and I was told it is to be expected for a year to 18 months. But I'm doing well.
Dave and I still continued to attend Broadway Across America plays. And we've been getting in home massages about every 3 to 4 weeks. They have done wonders to help relieve stress and work out our kinks. And the best part is we don't have to leave our house.
As we've started to get older, we've move a little slower now. We tend to enjoy staying home more. But when we travel, we enjoy going to destinations at offer memories and smiles that we talk about for years to come. Some people remark about how we travel alot, and I tell them, "You will too, when you're an empty nester and are a little older."
Here's to better health, more travel memories, more smiles, and more life.
Hope you recover faster! You know I always recommend people to resort to physical therapy, because It's so beneficial to our physical and mental health, but mostly because it helps patients on their recovery. It's sad that people don't know how impactful undergoing physical therapy is. A website that has helped me become more aware of physical therapy and its importance is Preferred Rehab , you should check it out!
ReplyDelete