Beginning to settle into a quasi routine. Returning each evening to an apartment at the Ballard Landmark with spectacular views of both the Olympics and the Cascades has been very welcoming, but with only a bed for furniture I was motivated to visit Ikea to select a table and chairs, bedside tables and lamps. Taking the two hour Metro trip down to Ikea was quite an adventure I can tell you, and I probably shouldn't have had that second cup of coffee before heading out.
This week a group of friends came over for pizza and beer and afterwards assembled the furniture. It was a very fun evening filled with laughter and gentle ribbing about furniture assembly skills. Now the apartment looks a little more civilized and I have more flat spaces to lay things out on at the end of the day. Thanks guys!
Also this week Marijane and I went back to Harborview for another round of X-rays and evaluations. It felt marvelous having the casts removed from my arms and leg, but kind of gnarly looking. We've come to make very good acquaintance with the cast team and they give us a hard time. Coincidentally a patient and spouse who had seen Marijane and me on a previous appointment were there again, and they indicated I was looking very much better, . . . less like a train wreck anyway.
After reviewing the x-rays the hand/wrist/forearm doctor decided I no longer need casts, so now I am in removable braces and can wash my hands and forearms properly. Likewise the foot/ankle/shin doctor decided I didn't need to be in a full-on cast so now I have matching removable boots. In theory, I can take them off to thoroughly wash my legs, . . . if I could only reach the velcro bindings. (Note to self: it is OK to ask for this kind of help.)
So today was the really big day. It had been almost nine weeks since I had last taken a shower; by mid-morning I had taken the plunge and it was fantastic, like all the national holidays rolled up into one! This first time needed to be on a weekend morning so that I had plenty of sleep and was fresh and able to think through all of the logistics associated with this first attempt. Also, Marijane nèeded to be on hand with plenty of time just in case something didn't work out and I needed an extra hand.
Thankfully the logistics came together, catastrophe was avoided, and for the first time in nine weeks I feel wonderfully clean. And without putting too fine a point on it, I just want to allude to how much doesn't naturally exfoliate when it's been trapped in casts for nine weeks or so. Pretty ripe.
Next visits to Harborview are at the end of the month for a first follow-up visit with the back doctors (one replaced vertebra and four fused as you may recall) and an additional follow-up with the hand doctors so that they can remove plates which will require surgery and more anesthesia. Oh joy! With the plates out, however, I anticipate being able to start light physical therapy on my wrists and forearms by mid October. It will be interesting to learn what the back doctors have to say. From my point of view it feels pretty good and I just hope I haven't been doing too much and screwing it all up.
The heels, ankles, and shins will need quite a bit of additional convalescence time. We compared x-rays just after the surgeries to the most recent set and although we could see the wispy beginnings of new bone growth it was very apparent that there's quite a bit more that needs to regenerate before I can begin physical therapy.
All in all it was an excellent follow up visit to Harborview with lots of good news and the great joy of knowing that showers, many showers, are in my near future.
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