Ok no excuses for not updating my blog this time. You guys have heard it before I am busy or I have lots of living to do. You pick your favorite excuse of mine and that is why my blog has not been updated for 6 weeks. So here we go with the update list.
-School-we are quickly approaching spring break. I am really excited. I love my student teacher (Beth if you read this it is true). I knew i was a control freak but never realized how much of a control freak I really am until I had a student teacher. Beth is great and does an amazing job with my kiddos. I miss talking to them and seeing them and teaching them everyday. I truly love my job and I miss some aspects. Now if I can just convince the school to hire me a full time grader and I will just teach and hang out with the kiddos all day life would be perfect.
-Biggest Loser this semester is going good I have lost 9 pounds so far this semester. Last weigh in I only lost 2 pounds in 2 weeks so I pumped up my workout. I am now walking 3 miles a day at Earlywine park which has a mile and a half walking trail. I spend a lot of time thanking God for my new hips as I am walking because about a year ago I could not even walk 3 feet without pain now I can walk 3 miles which is 15,840( you knew the math nerd in me had to give you that number. I am loving walking and feel so wonderful. I have even bonded with some of the people who walk and run out there. Don't get me wrong we are not on a first name basis and we are not sitting down to dinner or anything but we do say hi as we pass each other. I know they would have my back if anyone tried anything sneaky out there. I am actually shopping in regular size clothing again and for those of you who don't know what it is like to shop plus size this is a major accomplishment. It is so hard because there is so much to look at but thanks to my stamina now I can do it. It is so fun.
-I am turning 31 next saturday. I am pretty sure 31 is going to be one of the best years of my life. I can't even tell you how good I feel with my new hips and my new weight loss and my new improved health.
-I see Dr. J the wednesday after spring break for my regular 3 month check up on my arthritis and Dr. T on June 9 for my one year follow up on my left hip.
Not much else. If I forgot something leave a comment and I will give you an update. Have a great day. Go out and enjoy a walk in the sunshine, you body will thank you.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Watch out World
The list worked so well last time I think I will try it again.
-Christmas break was good. I went home the weekend before Christmas and was there until I went to St.Louis on the sunday after christmas. We had about 10 inches of snow at my parents and the trip to St. Louis was questionable but worked out great. On Christmas day we drove to Tulsa to take Christmas to Rymac. We love that kid.
-I won the biggest loser maintenance portion of the the program. From Thanksgiving to Christmas I lost another 7.8 pounds. It was so exciting. We have our first weigh in for this semester this wednesday. The organizers this time decided we should have teams of 2. My team is in it to win it the semester so watch out world.
-I have a student teacher this semester. She is great. The 3rd day she was there she said she was tired of just sitting and wanted to actually teach so I let her do some of my teaching. She is also helping me with grading. It is going to be a good semester. It is nice to have an extra set of hands to help out.
-I had a bone density scan done in January to make sure that I my bones are good. My rheumatologist wanted to check to just make sure that the prednisone I have taken for my RA had not affected my other bones. I never got a call so I assume everything is great.
-I took a self-defense class today. I learned some good moves so hopefully if I am ever in a situation where I needed it i could hurt the bad guy. I learned how to take them down and hurt them in the process. I hope some of it will stick with me. I learned the best way to break some bones etc. Don't mess with me.
I hope things are going great for you. That's a short update on my life. See you soon.
-Christmas break was good. I went home the weekend before Christmas and was there until I went to St.Louis on the sunday after christmas. We had about 10 inches of snow at my parents and the trip to St. Louis was questionable but worked out great. On Christmas day we drove to Tulsa to take Christmas to Rymac. We love that kid.
-I won the biggest loser maintenance portion of the the program. From Thanksgiving to Christmas I lost another 7.8 pounds. It was so exciting. We have our first weigh in for this semester this wednesday. The organizers this time decided we should have teams of 2. My team is in it to win it the semester so watch out world.
-I have a student teacher this semester. She is great. The 3rd day she was there she said she was tired of just sitting and wanted to actually teach so I let her do some of my teaching. She is also helping me with grading. It is going to be a good semester. It is nice to have an extra set of hands to help out.
-I had a bone density scan done in January to make sure that I my bones are good. My rheumatologist wanted to check to just make sure that the prednisone I have taken for my RA had not affected my other bones. I never got a call so I assume everything is great.
-I took a self-defense class today. I learned some good moves so hopefully if I am ever in a situation where I needed it i could hurt the bad guy. I learned how to take them down and hurt them in the process. I hope some of it will stick with me. I learned the best way to break some bones etc. Don't mess with me.
I hope things are going great for you. That's a short update on my life. See you soon.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Better Late than Never.
Ok friends and faithful readers (if I still have any readers at all). It has been 3 months since I blogged and a crazy 3 months indeed. I will try to sum up the last 3 months in a few bullet points.
- I lost 29 pounds on the biggest loser at school. My team came in 6th place and I came in 8th on individual percentage of weight lost. We went on the maintenance plan for the holidays and I have lost at least 3 more pounds. I feel so good. In fact I am now walking 2 miles per hour on my treadmill and just completed a 45 minute walk.
-I went home for Thanksgiving and it was such a blessing. You see last year at thanksgiving I was just a week out of hip replacement on my right hip and was wondering if I would ever walk again. Then we went shopping on black friday. I was able to keep up with the rest of the crew and it was pretty amazing because it has been at least 3 years since that has happened.
-The friday before thanksgiving I found out I passed my National Board Certification. It is so much better to see the words congratulations on the score screen than better luck next year. I now get to include 4 letters after my name when i type professional emails. You know Courtney McClain, NBCT.
-This past week I went back to see Dr. T for my 6th month follow up on my left hip. He said everything looked perfect and he would see me in 6 months. I love Dr. T not only because he changed my life with new hips but because he is just a super duper doctor and very caring.
-One more week of school and I am headed home for Christmas. After Christmas I will be spending a few days in St. Louis with some friends.
I am enjoying life and love my new hardware. I hope everything is great with you. Maybe it won't take me 3 more months to update this time but lets face the facts, I have some living to do so I may just not have a chance.
- I lost 29 pounds on the biggest loser at school. My team came in 6th place and I came in 8th on individual percentage of weight lost. We went on the maintenance plan for the holidays and I have lost at least 3 more pounds. I feel so good. In fact I am now walking 2 miles per hour on my treadmill and just completed a 45 minute walk.
-I went home for Thanksgiving and it was such a blessing. You see last year at thanksgiving I was just a week out of hip replacement on my right hip and was wondering if I would ever walk again. Then we went shopping on black friday. I was able to keep up with the rest of the crew and it was pretty amazing because it has been at least 3 years since that has happened.
-The friday before thanksgiving I found out I passed my National Board Certification. It is so much better to see the words congratulations on the score screen than better luck next year. I now get to include 4 letters after my name when i type professional emails. You know Courtney McClain, NBCT.
-This past week I went back to see Dr. T for my 6th month follow up on my left hip. He said everything looked perfect and he would see me in 6 months. I love Dr. T not only because he changed my life with new hips but because he is just a super duper doctor and very caring.
-One more week of school and I am headed home for Christmas. After Christmas I will be spending a few days in St. Louis with some friends.
I am enjoying life and love my new hardware. I hope everything is great with you. Maybe it won't take me 3 more months to update this time but lets face the facts, I have some living to do so I may just not have a chance.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
It comes with a bag so we might as well go ahead and get it.
Ok friends it has been a good week for me. I went home for Labor Day weekend because I simply could not miss the annual Ayres(that is my mom's fam) picnic and horsehoe tournament at my parents house. I mean this year we went all out with official trophies and a juniper jump for the little ones. You see in years past we have just given the winners old trophies around our house that we wanted to get rid of but this year they got official trophies. The juniper jump came about quite by accident. We went to wal-mart on sunday afternoon to pick up last minute items such as hot dog buns and sent my dad to look at the beach ball toy that you hook up to your hose and for the kiddos. It was $9. He calls us on my cell phone and asked if we would meet him in the clearance aisle and there it was a juniper jump on clearance. He said Rylan would really enjoy it and we would have him around for a while and it even came with a bag. My mom said it comes with a bag well we might as well get it. So now we are proud owners of a juniper jump and the beach ball. I had to leave the festivities before it ended however because I had professional development on Tuesday. The Tuesday workshop was pretty good and I heard several things I already do, that is always encouraging when you are doing something good. Wednesday the kiddos returned and it was a busy day starting with biggest loser weigh in. I lost....get ready....10 pounds. It was a little shocking but really exciting. I thought I had lost maybe 6 pounds and that my scales here at my house had to be wacky because it said I lost 10. Then I went to see Dr. T's PA Rob for my 3 month follow up on hip 2. Yes that is right it has been 3 months with hip 2 and 10 months with hip 1. I feel amazing. Dr. Rob said I could get rid of all hip precautions and do whatever I wanted. I was so excited. He said my x-rays looked excellent. Back to this feeling good thing. I have been walking on my treadmill almost everyday. You see my biggest loser made a team commitment to work out tuesday, thursday and friday but if you wanted to do more you could. I am currently up to 25 minutes, at the speed I walk that is about .6 of a mile. Last post I could only walk 11 minutes so I am doing really well and feeling extreme good too. I hope you all have a wonderful day.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
I can't believe it has been a month.
Well it has been a whole month since I posted on my blog. Not because I have nothing to say but just because it has been a very busy crazy month. I will try to give you a month in review. (WARNING I HAVE A LOT TO TELL YOU SO THIS IS PROBABLY GO TO BE LONG. GRAB A SNACK AND READ FOR A WHILE).
So when I left you last I had just seen Dr. T for my post surgery follow up. Well the following week my mom and dad came down to help me get my classroom set up. My Dad and my bff from school Nancy painted a couple of walls in my classroom pink. It is a deep berry pink and I love it. It hads some personality and character to the room. Some of the kiddos said they didn't want to look at the pink wall to which I responded, "I teach at the other wall so there is no need for you to stare at the pink one". Speaking of my kiddos. The week after the room set up day we started school. I had 3 days of professional development then the kiddos came on thursday of that week. I have 3 pre-ap algebra 2 classes and 2 algebra 2 classes this year. I think they are great kids and we hit the ground running the first day of school. That's right homework on the first day. I have one class of kiddos that has 35 kids. We set the rules and sometimes it is quieter in that room than in my 6th hour when I only have 22 kiddos. It has been a busy crazy school year to start out. First of all I feel so much better and even have energy to spare at the end of the day. Then we had one of our last minute hired teachers quit after only teaching for one week. He came from the business world and decided he wasn't fit for teaching. I can understand. It is a tough job especially with high stakes state testing. So I ended up teaching his class during my plan for a week. We finally got a new guy on board yesterday. I was glad to have my plan back.
We are doing biggest loser at school until thanksgiving. We are on teams of four and we weigh in every 2 weeks. Our first weigh in was this week. I am looking forward to it because I think it will help with the motivation I need to help me lose some weight. I was actually mad about weigh in. I had a doctor's appointment so I was going to take the morning off and sleep in. Instead I had to be at the school at 7:30 to weigh in. Oh well at least I stayed in routine. I saw my rheumatologist(Dr. J) this week and she said I looked wonderful and that my joints were doing really good. It has been at least 3 years since we have had a great report like that from the rheumatologist. Dr. J is also excited I am on biggest loser because if I can lose a little weight it will keep my knees in better shape longer so hopefully I won't have to have knee replacement for many many many years. I have started walking on my treadmill. In fact I just did 11 minutes before writing this blog. (For some of you that is nothing, but remember I had bad hips for 3 years and just now feel like walking again). I am pretty convinced as my Dr T said it is a miracle only God could perform and it is a miracle that many people have been praying for me for many years. As I told Dr. J if she needs me to I am pretty sure I could convince any of her patients to have hip replacement based on how great I feel. She told me I may have start with her mom and her mom was seeing Dr. T that day. Same applies to my blog readers if you need me to convince you or any of your loved ones how great hip replacement is and how it changed my life let me know.
Well I hope you have a great day. I have to go finish my usual saturday things. Laundry, dishes, pick up my house a little. I try to update sooner rather than later. Keep reading.
So when I left you last I had just seen Dr. T for my post surgery follow up. Well the following week my mom and dad came down to help me get my classroom set up. My Dad and my bff from school Nancy painted a couple of walls in my classroom pink. It is a deep berry pink and I love it. It hads some personality and character to the room. Some of the kiddos said they didn't want to look at the pink wall to which I responded, "I teach at the other wall so there is no need for you to stare at the pink one". Speaking of my kiddos. The week after the room set up day we started school. I had 3 days of professional development then the kiddos came on thursday of that week. I have 3 pre-ap algebra 2 classes and 2 algebra 2 classes this year. I think they are great kids and we hit the ground running the first day of school. That's right homework on the first day. I have one class of kiddos that has 35 kids. We set the rules and sometimes it is quieter in that room than in my 6th hour when I only have 22 kiddos. It has been a busy crazy school year to start out. First of all I feel so much better and even have energy to spare at the end of the day. Then we had one of our last minute hired teachers quit after only teaching for one week. He came from the business world and decided he wasn't fit for teaching. I can understand. It is a tough job especially with high stakes state testing. So I ended up teaching his class during my plan for a week. We finally got a new guy on board yesterday. I was glad to have my plan back.
We are doing biggest loser at school until thanksgiving. We are on teams of four and we weigh in every 2 weeks. Our first weigh in was this week. I am looking forward to it because I think it will help with the motivation I need to help me lose some weight. I was actually mad about weigh in. I had a doctor's appointment so I was going to take the morning off and sleep in. Instead I had to be at the school at 7:30 to weigh in. Oh well at least I stayed in routine. I saw my rheumatologist(Dr. J) this week and she said I looked wonderful and that my joints were doing really good. It has been at least 3 years since we have had a great report like that from the rheumatologist. Dr. J is also excited I am on biggest loser because if I can lose a little weight it will keep my knees in better shape longer so hopefully I won't have to have knee replacement for many many many years. I have started walking on my treadmill. In fact I just did 11 minutes before writing this blog. (For some of you that is nothing, but remember I had bad hips for 3 years and just now feel like walking again). I am pretty convinced as my Dr T said it is a miracle only God could perform and it is a miracle that many people have been praying for me for many years. As I told Dr. J if she needs me to I am pretty sure I could convince any of her patients to have hip replacement based on how great I feel. She told me I may have start with her mom and her mom was seeing Dr. T that day. Same applies to my blog readers if you need me to convince you or any of your loved ones how great hip replacement is and how it changed my life let me know.
Well I hope you have a great day. I have to go finish my usual saturday things. Laundry, dishes, pick up my house a little. I try to update sooner rather than later. Keep reading.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
I'm Back
I guess if you check my blog frequently you have noticed I have not been here. Well I have been busy shopping, shopping, shopping. I went to Vinita for a week with my mom and then we came back. Yesterday I had my post op follow up appointment. I love my orthopedic surgeon more each day. Yesterday he told me my hips looked perfect. I have to follow precautions(don't bend down, sleep with a pillow between your legs, and use a raised toilet seat) for 6 more weeks and go in for another appointment at that time. We talked for a little while longer and as we were leaving we were talking about Miracles. Dr. T said this is a miracle only God could perform. He is so great and I love him. I am supposed to start working up to walking a mile a day. I had my dad set up my tread mill. I will keep you updated on how that goes. Bave a great day.
Sunday, July 12, 2009
Major activities
Ok friends so here is a list of some major activities I have accomplished in the past few weeks.
1. Went to church
2. Walked to mailbox (lest you think that is a minor accomplishment I live in a neighborhood that has community mailboxes which means the mailbox is about 2 houses down and across the street from my house. Let's also remember I just had total hip replacement.)
3. Shopping, Shopping, Shopping
4. Trip to Vinita for 4th of July to meet Braxton Cole Harris (my cousin's new baby he is adorable)
5. Graduation from PT. No that does not mean you do not have to do PT anymore it just means that I don't have someone come in to the house to do it with me.
6. Going from the walker to the cane. Yay. It is so much easier for all of us now that we don't have to tote that walker around.
7. Major house declutter project. I am not a hoarder but I am a keeper so my mom has helped me declutter the house.
8. Major closet cleanout project. As I said in #7 I am a keeper and I had clothes I haven't worn in years and will not wear ever again so I have 3 huge bags to give to goodwill.
Things still to come
1. Bedroom and bathroom update. Some of the shopping was to pick up new bed and bath room stuff. I am redoing my bedroom in pink. I have this bedspread with a huge pink peony on it and pink sheets. I am redoing my bathroom in zebra and yellow. It is going to be super duper cute.
2. Trip to V-town to get my hair done, hear my daddo preach, and just hang out for several days.
3. POST OP APPOINTMENT AND RELEASE TO DRIVE.
4. School-that's right I go back on August 10th. that is just about a month from now.
To address the questions from the last blog. I will try to keep blogging after I am fully recovered but no guarantees. I am winning the skipbo and phase 10 tournaments but my mom is winning the cribbage tournament but only by a game or two. Keep reading and feel free to comment with questions.
1. Went to church
2. Walked to mailbox (lest you think that is a minor accomplishment I live in a neighborhood that has community mailboxes which means the mailbox is about 2 houses down and across the street from my house. Let's also remember I just had total hip replacement.)
3. Shopping, Shopping, Shopping
4. Trip to Vinita for 4th of July to meet Braxton Cole Harris (my cousin's new baby he is adorable)
5. Graduation from PT. No that does not mean you do not have to do PT anymore it just means that I don't have someone come in to the house to do it with me.
6. Going from the walker to the cane. Yay. It is so much easier for all of us now that we don't have to tote that walker around.
7. Major house declutter project. I am not a hoarder but I am a keeper so my mom has helped me declutter the house.
8. Major closet cleanout project. As I said in #7 I am a keeper and I had clothes I haven't worn in years and will not wear ever again so I have 3 huge bags to give to goodwill.
Things still to come
1. Bedroom and bathroom update. Some of the shopping was to pick up new bed and bath room stuff. I am redoing my bedroom in pink. I have this bedspread with a huge pink peony on it and pink sheets. I am redoing my bathroom in zebra and yellow. It is going to be super duper cute.
2. Trip to V-town to get my hair done, hear my daddo preach, and just hang out for several days.
3. POST OP APPOINTMENT AND RELEASE TO DRIVE.
4. School-that's right I go back on August 10th. that is just about a month from now.
To address the questions from the last blog. I will try to keep blogging after I am fully recovered but no guarantees. I am winning the skipbo and phase 10 tournaments but my mom is winning the cribbage tournament but only by a game or two. Keep reading and feel free to comment with questions.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Update:
Ok so if you read my blog you are probably waiting for an update. I have been waiting for something really exciting to happen so I could write a story but nothing is really new and exciting. Recovery has been much easier with one good hip and one recovering hip and I think I am about 2 weeks ahead of where I was last time with recovery. Basically my days consist of waking up, breakfast, PT, lunch, cards with mom (we are having a skipbo, phase 10 and cribbage tournament), Dinner, TV and bed. If you have a specific question leave a comment and I will write about it. Otherwise read all the fun from last time and that is pretty much parallel to this journey. Have a great day my friends.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Inside the operating room
Ok my friends a lot has happened in the last week since I posted. Let me begin this post with a another scary surgery story. So at McBride Hospital they put me to sleep way way before they ever wheeled me into the operating room. I couldn't tell you what that room looked like. Not so at the Bone and Joint Hospital. They gave me something to relax me but then they paged that they were ready for DR. T's next surgery. So the surgery nurse and the anthesiologist wheeled me into the operating room. I was wide awake. That's right wide awake. I thought did they forget to put me to sleep. I looked around the room as I transferred to the operating table (a little freaky let me tell you). Then before I knew it I was asleep. Thank goodness. I did see my x-ray on the x-ray light several glass cabinets and what looked like boxes of hip components. I don't ever want to see the inside of an operating room again. I prefer to be put under before they get me there.
In other news, I am hot and heavy into Physical Therapy. On monday the PT supervisor came and evaluated me. Then Wednesday, Friday, and Today I had therapy. (Yes I had therapy on Sunday but because my PTA is moving and I have a Dr. appt tomorrow) Anyway they have me doing few new exercises which I don't know if I approve of. The first one is the straight leg raise. I want all you faithful blog readers to try this. Point your toe toward the ceiling, keep you leg straight (do not bend you knee), and lift straight up. How did that feel? Now imagine doing that when you have sore muscles in your leg from being moved over for surgery and a new hip. I don't like that exercise. Oh well. Then I also so ankle pumps(I am pro at these) and calf raises (again a pro at these). I love my new therapist and the evaluating PT. I think my home health agency has contracted with a new therapy company and I like them.
My mom and I broke out of the house this weekend. On Friday we went to CVS to pick up a prescription and then to Norman for pei wei take out. Here is the fortune I got. "A new passionate romance is going to come into your life when you least expect it" That is as close as I have ever gotten to you will marry a rich man.
Then saturday we went to sonic. Today we went to KFC drive thru and subway (I just sat in the car but I was out of my house). I get my staples out tomorrow which is one of the best days of hip replacement. They will stop pulling and we can get on with the healing. Have a great night and thanks for reading.
In other news, I am hot and heavy into Physical Therapy. On monday the PT supervisor came and evaluated me. Then Wednesday, Friday, and Today I had therapy. (Yes I had therapy on Sunday but because my PTA is moving and I have a Dr. appt tomorrow) Anyway they have me doing few new exercises which I don't know if I approve of. The first one is the straight leg raise. I want all you faithful blog readers to try this. Point your toe toward the ceiling, keep you leg straight (do not bend you knee), and lift straight up. How did that feel? Now imagine doing that when you have sore muscles in your leg from being moved over for surgery and a new hip. I don't like that exercise. Oh well. Then I also so ankle pumps(I am pro at these) and calf raises (again a pro at these). I love my new therapist and the evaluating PT. I think my home health agency has contracted with a new therapy company and I like them.
My mom and I broke out of the house this weekend. On Friday we went to CVS to pick up a prescription and then to Norman for pei wei take out. Here is the fortune I got. "A new passionate romance is going to come into your life when you least expect it" That is as close as I have ever gotten to you will marry a rich man.
Then saturday we went to sonic. Today we went to KFC drive thru and subway (I just sat in the car but I was out of my house). I get my staples out tomorrow which is one of the best days of hip replacement. They will stop pulling and we can get on with the healing. Have a great night and thanks for reading.
Monday, June 8, 2009
Left....Right....Left
Ok friends so I have already recounted my entire experience at the hospital so if you wish to read that please read my last post. However there are a few hospital expriences that warrent their own blog. This post is about one of those expriences. So we have all heard those surgery horror stories about them operating on the wrong part of the body. I almost became one of those stories. One of the pre-op procedures is to mark the part of the body to be operated on. They ask you about one million times which side that is. They wrote yes on my left leg so I thought we were good to go until I went to the surgery holding room. The lady who put in my IV asked which side I was going to have operated and checked to make sure it was marked. Then the surgerical nurse came in and said I thought it was the left however the board down there says it is the right. They came over and asked me and I said don't touch the right one it feels great it is the left one. So after about 10 minutes and 3 phones calls and confirmation from me about 7 more times we got it all fixed. Man am I glad I didn't become a statistic and a news story. It was scary to say the least.
Things are going pretty good. I feel pretty strong. PT came and evaluated today and said I was looking really good and my right hip is doing great. More to come soon.
Things are going pretty good. I feel pretty strong. PT came and evaluated today and said I was looking really good and my right hip is doing great. More to come soon.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Success
Well friends I am sitting in my bed at home recovering from hip 2 and need to thank you all for your prayers. I am going to recount the past 4 days of my life so this is going to be a little long however if you are interested in all the details stick with me.
We got a call on Monday before surgery that I had been bumped up in the schedule and needed to be at Bone and Joint at 7:30 which was very confusing to say the least since we were supposed to be there at 7 originally. We arrived and they took me to pre-op. I did all the fun pre-op stuff then they brought my mom and dad back to wait with me until I was taken to surgerical waiting. We waited and waited and waited until with what seemed like forever. About 10 the surgical scheduling nurse came and said that they were way behind because they only had one anesthesologist and usually they operate with 2. About 15 minutes later she came back with an anthestogolist who was the new replacement number 2 anthesologist. He told me they found him in a bakery down the street and that he would just put me to sleep with syrup. Some people think they are so funny. So they finally come get me and put my IV port in then take me the surgery room. That's right my friends I was not asleep until they actually got me in the operating room on the table. Can we say a little freaky? At mcbride I was asleep long before I made it the operating table. Anyway the next thing I know I wake up in recovery, they asked me how I was feeling and I told them I thought I was going to throw up and that it hurt. So they stopped the nausea then gave me my new best friend for the next 3 days the demerol pump. Last time they used morphine and I was deathly ill (ok maybe not but that is what it felt like). We then were able to go to my room (#320) and get settled. The first night went much better than last time for a few reasons. I was not sick and I had a PCA pump to control the pain. I go to sleep with no less than 300 interrruptions in the night.
When I wake up on day 2 at 5 am to take blood sample and talk to the peeps I was still feeling pretty good. At 5 am they took my vitals, took a blood test, sent in an intern, sent in another intern, then sent in the nurse. It was crazy in there. Apparently DR. T is working with a team of residents on orthopedic surgery so he sent 2 of the guys in. They were really nice but asked me the same set of questions. Its though. Dr. T didn't come that day but i was glad because I just wanted to rest. About 8:45 breakfast arrived then about 10:00 PT arrived for my first session. It was a little tough and I got a little emotional but pulled through and walked down the hall. Then one of my best friends came to see me in the afternoon. Thanks EDIE and that all my mom and dad break to go grab some lunch. They went to burger place that had homemade ice cream. They brought back homemade ice cream however I was afraid to eat it with a delicate stomach and not much moblitity if you know what I mean. We did PT again then I just got rest for the rest of the evening with frequent visits of course from the nursing staff and aides to take my vitals, check my blood sugar, and just visit me. We went to bed early because we knew it would be an early morning.
Day 3
5 am blood draw , interns (I asked one of them what time they started working because I was frustrated by them coming so early), vitals check followed by a surprise visit from Dr. T himself. I love that guy. He is so great and so super nice. He asked me how things were going and how PT went. I told him I walked as good as could be expected the day after hip replacement. He said you mean you weren't dancing. I told him not yet so we will see if that ever happens. He then gave me the great news that the goal was to go home on Friday. Yes. That was followed by breakfast then PT. PT was much easier the second day. I got to do all the fun exercises then walk. I couldn't believe how easy it was to walk when you have 2 good hips. It felt really good. That was followed by lunch a visit from Nancy and another PT session. In the meantime before that we took my IV out and I got to put on real clothes. yes. Nancy and my mom got to see me walk during my 2nd PT session and were amazed. I walked fast. It was great. My parents went to lunch at a mexican restaurant called La Luna and ranted and raved about how good it was while I ate a hospital hamburger and french fries. I also received the model patient award from my nurse. No complaints and no problems. I just pretty much kept to myself unless my pump ran out of demerol or I needed to go the bathroom.
Day 4 (TODAY)
5 am blood followed by one intern. The question of the day to the intern. Were you in the operating room when I had surgery. Here is the verdict: Dr T, Dr Rob (dr. T's PA) one intern (not this guy), anthesologist, surgerical nurse, other nurse. Crazy huh? He told me I was going home after I had one more PT session. Then DR. T. He came over and grabbed my hand and said it is good to see you today then followed with the instructions for going home. He then said he was on call 24/7 if I need anything they could page me. Followed by breakfast PT where I got off the bed myself and walked with the walker. Then discharge. We made it home at approximately 11:15. My daddo went and got the pain pills and lunch I rested then took a shower then rested and ate dinner and blogged.
I hope you made it through. MORE FUN STORIES TO FOLLOW IN THE COMING DAYS. If there is anything specific you want me to address please leave a comment and thanks for the prayers
We got a call on Monday before surgery that I had been bumped up in the schedule and needed to be at Bone and Joint at 7:30 which was very confusing to say the least since we were supposed to be there at 7 originally. We arrived and they took me to pre-op. I did all the fun pre-op stuff then they brought my mom and dad back to wait with me until I was taken to surgerical waiting. We waited and waited and waited until with what seemed like forever. About 10 the surgical scheduling nurse came and said that they were way behind because they only had one anesthesologist and usually they operate with 2. About 15 minutes later she came back with an anthestogolist who was the new replacement number 2 anthesologist. He told me they found him in a bakery down the street and that he would just put me to sleep with syrup. Some people think they are so funny. So they finally come get me and put my IV port in then take me the surgery room. That's right my friends I was not asleep until they actually got me in the operating room on the table. Can we say a little freaky? At mcbride I was asleep long before I made it the operating table. Anyway the next thing I know I wake up in recovery, they asked me how I was feeling and I told them I thought I was going to throw up and that it hurt. So they stopped the nausea then gave me my new best friend for the next 3 days the demerol pump. Last time they used morphine and I was deathly ill (ok maybe not but that is what it felt like). We then were able to go to my room (#320) and get settled. The first night went much better than last time for a few reasons. I was not sick and I had a PCA pump to control the pain. I go to sleep with no less than 300 interrruptions in the night.
When I wake up on day 2 at 5 am to take blood sample and talk to the peeps I was still feeling pretty good. At 5 am they took my vitals, took a blood test, sent in an intern, sent in another intern, then sent in the nurse. It was crazy in there. Apparently DR. T is working with a team of residents on orthopedic surgery so he sent 2 of the guys in. They were really nice but asked me the same set of questions. Its though. Dr. T didn't come that day but i was glad because I just wanted to rest. About 8:45 breakfast arrived then about 10:00 PT arrived for my first session. It was a little tough and I got a little emotional but pulled through and walked down the hall. Then one of my best friends came to see me in the afternoon. Thanks EDIE and that all my mom and dad break to go grab some lunch. They went to burger place that had homemade ice cream. They brought back homemade ice cream however I was afraid to eat it with a delicate stomach and not much moblitity if you know what I mean. We did PT again then I just got rest for the rest of the evening with frequent visits of course from the nursing staff and aides to take my vitals, check my blood sugar, and just visit me. We went to bed early because we knew it would be an early morning.
Day 3
5 am blood draw , interns (I asked one of them what time they started working because I was frustrated by them coming so early), vitals check followed by a surprise visit from Dr. T himself. I love that guy. He is so great and so super nice. He asked me how things were going and how PT went. I told him I walked as good as could be expected the day after hip replacement. He said you mean you weren't dancing. I told him not yet so we will see if that ever happens. He then gave me the great news that the goal was to go home on Friday. Yes. That was followed by breakfast then PT. PT was much easier the second day. I got to do all the fun exercises then walk. I couldn't believe how easy it was to walk when you have 2 good hips. It felt really good. That was followed by lunch a visit from Nancy and another PT session. In the meantime before that we took my IV out and I got to put on real clothes. yes. Nancy and my mom got to see me walk during my 2nd PT session and were amazed. I walked fast. It was great. My parents went to lunch at a mexican restaurant called La Luna and ranted and raved about how good it was while I ate a hospital hamburger and french fries. I also received the model patient award from my nurse. No complaints and no problems. I just pretty much kept to myself unless my pump ran out of demerol or I needed to go the bathroom.
Day 4 (TODAY)
5 am blood followed by one intern. The question of the day to the intern. Were you in the operating room when I had surgery. Here is the verdict: Dr T, Dr Rob (dr. T's PA) one intern (not this guy), anthesologist, surgerical nurse, other nurse. Crazy huh? He told me I was going home after I had one more PT session. Then DR. T. He came over and grabbed my hand and said it is good to see you today then followed with the instructions for going home. He then said he was on call 24/7 if I need anything they could page me. Followed by breakfast PT where I got off the bed myself and walked with the walker. Then discharge. We made it home at approximately 11:15. My daddo went and got the pain pills and lunch I rested then took a shower then rested and ate dinner and blogged.
I hope you made it through. MORE FUN STORIES TO FOLLOW IN THE COMING DAYS. If there is anything specific you want me to address please leave a comment and thanks for the prayers
Saturday, May 30, 2009
2 Bionic Hips coming soon to a Courtney near you.
That's right my friends, tuesday is the big day. I will then officially have 2 bionic hips. Now for several months people I am around who are not in the medical profession which is most of the people I am around on a daily basis have been telling me I was going to be the bionic woman. I however never knew that was a technical medical term until my rheumatologist Dr. J used it when I was in her office a few weeks ago. She told me that I would feel a lot better when I had 2 bionic hips. So to all you non medical people rest assured you are using a word even people who have that Dr in front of their name use. Don't forget to say a little prayer for me on June 2nd around 9 am. Last time I got really sick from the morphine so they are going to try demerol this time and hopefully I won't be sick the entire first day (for the few readers who saw me in my sick state it was not pretty and I am sorry you had to endure that).
In other news, to borrow the words from the rock song "School's out for summer." On Thursday morning I officially finished my school obligations for the summer. Now I just get to focus on recovering from hip replacement and begin to think about ways to help my new group of kiddos to love math as much as I do. As I mentioned before I had a great year this year and hope to have another great year next year.
I will probably be in the hospital until Friday or Saturday and so I probably won't be able to update my blog until next weekend. I will try to post some status on my facebook so feel free to stop by facebook if you want to know how I am doing because I can do that with my iphone. Thanks for your prayers and your faithful reading.
In other news, to borrow the words from the rock song "School's out for summer." On Thursday morning I officially finished my school obligations for the summer. Now I just get to focus on recovering from hip replacement and begin to think about ways to help my new group of kiddos to love math as much as I do. As I mentioned before I had a great year this year and hope to have another great year next year.
I will probably be in the hospital until Friday or Saturday and so I probably won't be able to update my blog until next weekend. I will try to post some status on my facebook so feel free to stop by facebook if you want to know how I am doing because I can do that with my iphone. Thanks for your prayers and your faithful reading.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Time Flies When...
Hey friends I am sure you all have heard that time flies when you are having fun. I think times flies other times too. This post is dedicated to a very busy week and things that have made it fly. (special note: I am using a list format on this post you know mixing it up a bit)
Time Flies When
1. You have 2 Doctors' appointments in 3 days.
That's right my friends. On Monday I had my pre-op appointment with Dr. Rob which is Dr. Tkach(hip replacement expert)PA. It went well and I knew what was going to happen. Pre-op Physical my heart rate by the way was 133. At little bit of white coat syndrome you know. Then chest x-ray and I also got to do a bonus left hip x-rays, 2 different views because we needed to make sure my hip was still bad. Just kidding, he wanted a current picture since the last ones were done way back last June (Crazy huh? That is when I first found out I needed bilateral hip replacement and now one year later I am about to have 2 new hips). After x-ray down to the lab for yes that is right blood work and EKG. I only had to do the EKG once this time. Last time I had to do it three times and the lab tech said these words "I am going to let you lay there and try to relax then we are going to try again". Not this time we got it the first try (you see I know what to expect now and I am not as nervous). Then to the pre-admission nurse. Yes that is right I have to be at the hospital at 7:00 a.m. The nurse estimated my surgery would be at 9:00 and she said that would be Dr. Tkach's 3rd surgery for the day. (REMEMBER FRIENDS PRAY PRAY PRAY ON JUNE 2ND AT 9:00). Then on Wednesday I got to go see Dr. J my rheumatologist so I could get down my medicine schedule before surgery. We discussed it and she wrote it all down for me. Same procedure as last time, why mess with a good thing. Two highlights at the appointment, no blood work since I had just had it done on Monday and I got to see an OU security guard on a segway scooter.
2. It is the last week of school.
Ok so I do have to go back next tuesday with the kiddos and next wednesday for teacher check out day and next thursday and friday for math calendar committee however it was the last full week at school with the kiddos (except I was off Monday and Wednesday to go to the doctor). This is the busiest craziest time at school. If you are one of the those people who believe that teachers simply lock the doors and walk away from the school for the summer let me tell you that is a delusion my friend. If you don't believe me please come to MHS and I will show you the procedure. We have to collect and inventory textbooks, inventory our rooms, computers, equipments, pack our rooms so they can be cleaned over the summer, and you know get the kiddos ready for finals and enter final grades. To top it all off we had Graduation last night. We graduated 510 seniors at the Cox convention center. They had a jumbo-tron in the cox center now so we got see the graduation on jumbo-tron and it was brodcast on the www live. That is pretty cool especially if your loved ones our overseas or unable to attend. It was fun but made for a long Thursday. We of course made it a big event. We went downtown to eat then to graduation.
3. You have a major life event coming up
That's right friends, I think time flies when you are getting ready for surgery or any other major event in your life. I feel like the last few weeks have flown by and the next week and a half will too. I am sure it is going to be fine but the first few weeks after surgery are really rough. Everyone tells me this one is going to be easier because lets face the facts. With my right hip I had one replaced hip that I was recovering from and one really bad hip. This time I have one really great ceramic replaced hip and one newly replaced hip that I am recovering from. There you have it last time 2 bad hips this time one bad and one good. My mom and best care taker ever is moving back in for 6(more like 8 is what it took last time)weeks. I hope to be well enough to go to Rymac's 1st b-day on June 20th.
I'll keep you posted. I am continually amazed at how many followers I have on my blog. Vinita people are always asking how I am doing and telling my parents that they read my blog. Thanks for reading and don't be afraid to leave a comment.
Time Flies When
1. You have 2 Doctors' appointments in 3 days.
That's right my friends. On Monday I had my pre-op appointment with Dr. Rob which is Dr. Tkach(hip replacement expert)PA. It went well and I knew what was going to happen. Pre-op Physical my heart rate by the way was 133. At little bit of white coat syndrome you know. Then chest x-ray and I also got to do a bonus left hip x-rays, 2 different views because we needed to make sure my hip was still bad. Just kidding, he wanted a current picture since the last ones were done way back last June (Crazy huh? That is when I first found out I needed bilateral hip replacement and now one year later I am about to have 2 new hips). After x-ray down to the lab for yes that is right blood work and EKG. I only had to do the EKG once this time. Last time I had to do it three times and the lab tech said these words "I am going to let you lay there and try to relax then we are going to try again". Not this time we got it the first try (you see I know what to expect now and I am not as nervous). Then to the pre-admission nurse. Yes that is right I have to be at the hospital at 7:00 a.m. The nurse estimated my surgery would be at 9:00 and she said that would be Dr. Tkach's 3rd surgery for the day. (REMEMBER FRIENDS PRAY PRAY PRAY ON JUNE 2ND AT 9:00). Then on Wednesday I got to go see Dr. J my rheumatologist so I could get down my medicine schedule before surgery. We discussed it and she wrote it all down for me. Same procedure as last time, why mess with a good thing. Two highlights at the appointment, no blood work since I had just had it done on Monday and I got to see an OU security guard on a segway scooter.
2. It is the last week of school.
Ok so I do have to go back next tuesday with the kiddos and next wednesday for teacher check out day and next thursday and friday for math calendar committee however it was the last full week at school with the kiddos (except I was off Monday and Wednesday to go to the doctor). This is the busiest craziest time at school. If you are one of the those people who believe that teachers simply lock the doors and walk away from the school for the summer let me tell you that is a delusion my friend. If you don't believe me please come to MHS and I will show you the procedure. We have to collect and inventory textbooks, inventory our rooms, computers, equipments, pack our rooms so they can be cleaned over the summer, and you know get the kiddos ready for finals and enter final grades. To top it all off we had Graduation last night. We graduated 510 seniors at the Cox convention center. They had a jumbo-tron in the cox center now so we got see the graduation on jumbo-tron and it was brodcast on the www live. That is pretty cool especially if your loved ones our overseas or unable to attend. It was fun but made for a long Thursday. We of course made it a big event. We went downtown to eat then to graduation.
3. You have a major life event coming up
That's right friends, I think time flies when you are getting ready for surgery or any other major event in your life. I feel like the last few weeks have flown by and the next week and a half will too. I am sure it is going to be fine but the first few weeks after surgery are really rough. Everyone tells me this one is going to be easier because lets face the facts. With my right hip I had one replaced hip that I was recovering from and one really bad hip. This time I have one really great ceramic replaced hip and one newly replaced hip that I am recovering from. There you have it last time 2 bad hips this time one bad and one good. My mom and best care taker ever is moving back in for 6(more like 8 is what it took last time)weeks. I hope to be well enough to go to Rymac's 1st b-day on June 20th.
I'll keep you posted. I am continually amazed at how many followers I have on my blog. Vinita people are always asking how I am doing and telling my parents that they read my blog. Thanks for reading and don't be afraid to leave a comment.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
3...2...1...PRAY
Hey faithful readers and prayer partners get ready. It is only 2 weeks. Count them 2 weeks until surgery. If you haven't done it yet pick up those prayer calendars and mark the day June 2nd. I am pretty convinced that the last surgery went so well because of the prayers of my faithful friends and of course a great doctor. I have my pre-op appointment on monday. You know the one where they make sure I am "healthy" enough to have surgery. It will be a fun day. Then back to school on Tuesday then I get to go see Dr. J on Wednesday to get my medicine schedule down for surgery. It worked out really well last time, no arthritis flare, so we are going to follow her instructions to a T again hopefully the same success. Then back to school on Thursday and Friday. Crazy week huh?
In other news, I almost had a major tragedy at the grocery store. I was getting bananas which are pretty much a breakfast staple at my house these days. I picked the bunch I wanted but they happened to be near the top of the display. I started to get them and knocked off 2 more bunches which tumbled down the display almost crashing to the ground along with several other bunches of bananas. However with my stealth reflexes I was able to stop them from falling and saved the whole display. I quickly put the bananas back, grabbed the original bunch I was going for and walked really quickly to the juice section (which would not had been possible without a hip replacement).
School is quickly coming to an end and I am kind of sad. For the first time this year several students have told me how much I have changed their life and their attitude toward math. Many of them have told me how they have never liked math and never been successful in math until this year. Not to brag on my self or anything but this is why I teach, to help kiddos love math and be successful. I love this bunch of kids and am going to miss them but soon another group of lives to change.
Have a great day and start praying. I will try to update as soon as I can after surgery but look forward to another update pre surgery.
In other news, I almost had a major tragedy at the grocery store. I was getting bananas which are pretty much a breakfast staple at my house these days. I picked the bunch I wanted but they happened to be near the top of the display. I started to get them and knocked off 2 more bunches which tumbled down the display almost crashing to the ground along with several other bunches of bananas. However with my stealth reflexes I was able to stop them from falling and saved the whole display. I quickly put the bananas back, grabbed the original bunch I was going for and walked really quickly to the juice section (which would not had been possible without a hip replacement).
School is quickly coming to an end and I am kind of sad. For the first time this year several students have told me how much I have changed their life and their attitude toward math. Many of them have told me how they have never liked math and never been successful in math until this year. Not to brag on my self or anything but this is why I teach, to help kiddos love math and be successful. I love this bunch of kids and am going to miss them but soon another group of lives to change.
Have a great day and start praying. I will try to update as soon as I can after surgery but look forward to another update pre surgery.
Friday, May 1, 2009
Sorry my friends but I am Jury Reject.
Its been a while since I updated so I hope you are still around to read. Guess what friends? Yes that is right it is only 1 month until I have my other hip operated on. So remember my friends, to mark your calendar to pray for me on JUNE 2nd. I am going to a different hospital this time but will have the same wonderful doctor as last time. He actually prefers to do surgery at this hospital but I am not looking forward to breaking in a whole new group of nurses and aides and physical therapists. I just have to remember to be a good patient and they just have to remember to be there every 4 hours with the pain medication and we will be fine.
In other news in my life. I mailed my national board box and will find out my fate in November. Last time I found out when I was in the hospital so it will be nice to get the news when I am not hyped up on pain pills and only about 8 hours out of surgery. My kiddos take their state test on Thursday. They are feeling pretty good. I am feeling pretty good but I am scared because they get a prilimary score when they log off the computer. I just hope they do well. We have all worked way to hard for them to not do well.
Well since the last time I blogged I have reported to Jury Duty. I got there about 8:15 and they quickly shuffled all of us to the court room where the judge explained she didn't let her mother in law off of Jury Duty and she wasn't letting us off unless we fit one of the categories and even then it was tough. One of the guys there was a police officier and it says if you are law enforcement you can get off but this judge said only if you were called to criminal case. Anyway so me and 200 of my closest friends were in the court room waiting our fate. Then they separated us into groups I was put on a civil case for a car wreck settlement with 30 others. We reported to our court room and they explained all this stuff to us then seated 18 people in the jury box for questioning. I was not picked which meant for the next 5 hours of my life I had to sit in a court rooma and listen to all questions in case one of the 18 was deemed unfit and I had to replace them. That happened several times and I didn't make the cut. I was pretty convinced that I was going to be let go until they decided on the 12 person Jury. They then decided they needed an alternate juror so me and 2 others were put to the test and they decided they didn't want me. At that point I became a jury reject. I was actually glad. I learned a lot but it was a really long day.
Sorry this is so long remember June 2nd and regular updates are coming soon. That's right the actual reason for this blog is about to come into play again.
In other news in my life. I mailed my national board box and will find out my fate in November. Last time I found out when I was in the hospital so it will be nice to get the news when I am not hyped up on pain pills and only about 8 hours out of surgery. My kiddos take their state test on Thursday. They are feeling pretty good. I am feeling pretty good but I am scared because they get a prilimary score when they log off the computer. I just hope they do well. We have all worked way to hard for them to not do well.
Well since the last time I blogged I have reported to Jury Duty. I got there about 8:15 and they quickly shuffled all of us to the court room where the judge explained she didn't let her mother in law off of Jury Duty and she wasn't letting us off unless we fit one of the categories and even then it was tough. One of the guys there was a police officier and it says if you are law enforcement you can get off but this judge said only if you were called to criminal case. Anyway so me and 200 of my closest friends were in the court room waiting our fate. Then they separated us into groups I was put on a civil case for a car wreck settlement with 30 others. We reported to our court room and they explained all this stuff to us then seated 18 people in the jury box for questioning. I was not picked which meant for the next 5 hours of my life I had to sit in a court rooma and listen to all questions in case one of the 18 was deemed unfit and I had to replace them. That happened several times and I didn't make the cut. I was pretty convinced that I was going to be let go until they decided on the 12 person Jury. They then decided they needed an alternate juror so me and 2 others were put to the test and they decided they didn't want me. At that point I became a jury reject. I was actually glad. I learned a lot but it was a really long day.
Sorry this is so long remember June 2nd and regular updates are coming soon. That's right the actual reason for this blog is about to come into play again.
Monday, April 13, 2009
"Just put that in your calculator and graph it"
So I know this is dedicated to my journey through hip replacement but I have no real hip news right now. I am waiting for my next hip to be operated on in June. That is June 2nd if you haven't marked your prayer calendar yet. My ceramic hip is great. It never ceases to amaze me how much this whole journey is going to improve my life. I can't wait.
In other life news, on Wednesday I mail off my National Board box for attempt 2. I hope I pass this time. You can add that to your prayers too(I won't find out until November). We are in the middle of my favorite time of the year at school, ok so maybe that is a slight exaggeration, do you know what that is? That right state testing time. It is the time of the year where I get to say one million five hundred and fifty-two times why don't you put it in your graphing calculator, you know we can check our answer in our graphing calculator, or how about if we use the graphing calculator on this one. In fact one of my kiddos said today "Just put that in your calculator, and graph it" you know like "put it that in your pipe and smoke it" I am using my inner cheerleader skill this month (yes that is right GO MATH!). As I explained to my kiddos today this test is very important to me and should be very important to them as well. So prayer request 3 pray my kiddos are attentive during review and are confident for the test on May 7th. If that isn't enough stress I called to jury duty on April 27th. That's right take me out of my classroom during the most stressful time of the year. My friends at school just laugh at me when I mention it. Don't you think they should be sympathic. I just told them I was going to put their names in the suggested juror box when I went in. Oh well it is my civic duty right and I get paid $20 a day plus mileage. Well I hope you have a great day and I will blog again soon. Just remember you can "Put that in your calculator and graph it" (I think it might be my new theme.)
In other life news, on Wednesday I mail off my National Board box for attempt 2. I hope I pass this time. You can add that to your prayers too(I won't find out until November). We are in the middle of my favorite time of the year at school, ok so maybe that is a slight exaggeration, do you know what that is? That right state testing time. It is the time of the year where I get to say one million five hundred and fifty-two times why don't you put it in your graphing calculator, you know we can check our answer in our graphing calculator, or how about if we use the graphing calculator on this one. In fact one of my kiddos said today "Just put that in your calculator, and graph it" you know like "put it that in your pipe and smoke it" I am using my inner cheerleader skill this month (yes that is right GO MATH!). As I explained to my kiddos today this test is very important to me and should be very important to them as well. So prayer request 3 pray my kiddos are attentive during review and are confident for the test on May 7th. If that isn't enough stress I called to jury duty on April 27th. That's right take me out of my classroom during the most stressful time of the year. My friends at school just laugh at me when I mention it. Don't you think they should be sympathic. I just told them I was going to put their names in the suggested juror box when I went in. Oh well it is my civic duty right and I get paid $20 a day plus mileage. Well I hope you have a great day and I will blog again soon. Just remember you can "Put that in your calculator and graph it" (I think it might be my new theme.)
Friday, March 20, 2009
Time Flies....
Today is the last day of Spring Break and before you get mad that I actually get a spring break let's consider what I do day in and day out. I go to school to teach the kiddos of Moore, Ok math and somehow convince them that math is not that bad and even though they don't have the "math gene" they can handle it. Somedays I have to find my inner cheerleader and cheer the kids on. (I am always saying, you can do it, we can handle it, you know the basically GO MATH!!) Yes I do love math that much. It takes it toll emotionally, mentally, and physically. I give all day long. Now I am not saying that you too don't deserve a Spring Break but it is basically my time to get some rest and get recharged for the next 9 weeks which is the big one. That's right it is the time of year where we prepare our kiddos for the state test. We spend many days just building confidence. Anyway probably more than you wanted to know. So to fit the title my Spring Break has flown by, which leads directly to my next point. I came to the realization in the past few days that it is about 10 weeks, yes that is right 10 weeks until my left hip surgery. Now you are probably thinking that is quite a while. Not really my friends. I am not excited about the first like 3 weeks after surgery but after that I should start feeling ok and improving everyday. The date of that surgery is June 2nd. Mark your calendars and pray for me that day.
I continue to love my right hip and I can't even tell you how much better I feel. It is amazing to me that after diagnosing the problem and getting my hips replaced that I am going to be almost as good as new again. Now one of the most asked questions (ranking a close 2nd to will you buzz when you go through airport security? the answer is unfortunately yes) is "Will hip replacement cure your arthritis?" The answer is unfortunately no. You see Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease caused by a malfunctioning immune system and barring a new miracle treatment I will have the disease for the rest of my life. Although with new medications once I get my hip fixed I probably won't feel the effects of it much unless I have a major flare up. Ok enough of the downer stuff. On an up note. The past week I have become comfortable with sleeping on my side again. Now I haven't slept on my right side but yes I am sleeping on my left side. Lest you think that is not a major deal, I had to sleep on my back for 3 months. So yes it is a major deal, one day if you ever have a hip replacement which I hope you don't have to you too will understand. Have a great week and maybe this week I can get the feel good blog of the week award. I mean we laughed, we cried (or at least got serious for a few sentences) does that qualify us for the award?
I continue to love my right hip and I can't even tell you how much better I feel. It is amazing to me that after diagnosing the problem and getting my hips replaced that I am going to be almost as good as new again. Now one of the most asked questions (ranking a close 2nd to will you buzz when you go through airport security? the answer is unfortunately yes) is "Will hip replacement cure your arthritis?" The answer is unfortunately no. You see Rheumatoid Arthritis is an autoimmune disease caused by a malfunctioning immune system and barring a new miracle treatment I will have the disease for the rest of my life. Although with new medications once I get my hip fixed I probably won't feel the effects of it much unless I have a major flare up. Ok enough of the downer stuff. On an up note. The past week I have become comfortable with sleeping on my side again. Now I haven't slept on my right side but yes I am sleeping on my left side. Lest you think that is not a major deal, I had to sleep on my back for 3 months. So yes it is a major deal, one day if you ever have a hip replacement which I hope you don't have to you too will understand. Have a great week and maybe this week I can get the feel good blog of the week award. I mean we laughed, we cried (or at least got serious for a few sentences) does that qualify us for the award?
Friday, March 13, 2009
Yes you read that right.
So if you have ever read the description of my blog it used to read "My name is Courtney and I am 29 years old" I am no longer 29. As of today March 13th I am 30. I Had to change the wording in my blog. 30 is treating me great so far. It all started with my mom and dad surprising me at school yesterday with Cupcakes. It was so funny. I was sitting in my friend's room where we always eat lunch and I was talking which I do quite frequently at lunch. I was facing the other direction and everyone was looking at someone behind me. I remember saying is it someone here for me because yes the kiddos do know where I eat lunch. I turned around to see who it was and it was my Mom and Dad standing there with cupcakes. It was such a fun surprise. They spent the night and we went to lunch today after parent teacher conferences. Then we went to the A t & t store to get new phones. If you want to know about my new phone comment and maybe I will blog about it. I am officially on spring break which is amazing. I am going to work on my National Board certification and get finished. Nothing really new in the hippy world. I still am looking forward to having the other one done. Then watch out world. Just thought you guys might be interested to know I have joined the 30 club. Have a great day.
Friday, March 6, 2009
So maybe I chose the wrong profession.....
No people I am not unhappy with my job. I actually as I have posted before love my job spreading the joy of mathematics to the kids of america or at least the kids of moore, ok. But judging by the bills I got from my hip replacement this week I may have chosen the wrong career if I ever dreamed of making more than like $2 an hour. (OK so maybe my salary averages out a little higher than that but you get the point). I am telling you if you are still looking for a career or would like a career change you might consider being an orthopedic specialist or an anesthesiologist. Now granted you either have to really enjoy replacing joints and all the fun that goes with that or enjoy putting people to sleep and keeping them alive during surgery(no pressure there) they make a ton of money. I was in total and complete shock when I saw how much they charged for hip replacement and almost had a heart attack. Then I would have needed a cariodologist and then more crazy medical bills and then a never ending cycle. At that point I was more than grateful for my job which has good insurance and pays my insurance. Let me tell you it makes facing the kiddos everyday during spring fever season a lot easier.
In other news, my hip continues to feel so great. I know this sounds funny but I look forward to having the other one done on June 2nd. I can't wait to walk without a limp and have 2 legs the same length again. I hope you have a great day and remember if you are looking for a high paying job think anesthesiologist.
In other news, my hip continues to feel so great. I know this sounds funny but I look forward to having the other one done on June 2nd. I can't wait to walk without a limp and have 2 legs the same length again. I hope you have a great day and remember if you are looking for a high paying job think anesthesiologist.
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Hip Precaution Transition Day
So I learned yesterday that more people follow my blog than I ever imagined. If you are a faithful reader thanks for reading. If you are new I hope you enjoy and welcome.
Hip Replacement News
Tomorrow is officially 3 months after surgery. You know what that means. It is the official day when I can throw my hip precautions out the window. Don't get me wrong I still have to be careful but supposedly according to the doctor 3 months is the magic healing time. I kind of feel like Digital TV transition. I am transitioning to a new phase in my life. Don't worry I am not going crazy but yes I might bend over a little farther or not stress as much when I accidently cross the midline. In other health news I went to see Dr. J yesterday and I had some fluid build up in my legs. She said perhaps caused by recently having surgery or from medication. Anyway she told me to stop taking celebrex and wait a week. Then if I needed some anti inflammatory to go back to naprosyn. I made her go through those instructions twice because yes for 10 years of my life I have taken an anti-inflammatory 2 times a day. I feel good today. She basically told me besides one bad hip the rest of my joints looked really good. Crazy huh?
Other News
Nothing really exciting just going to school with the kiddos. I love them and this semester we are getting ready for our big end of course exam. My goal is for a 100% pass rate. Last year my pass rate was 80% and I want more. I am currently finishing my national board certification. Like 67% of those who attempt I am taking a second year. I didn't certify by 15 points. Oh well it is a growing process and next year I will actually be in good shape to walk across the stage in the certification ceremony. Spring break and my 30th birthday are coming soon.
I hope you are having a great week. Welcome if you are new and thanks for reading if you are a faithful. Feel free to comment. (Hint:Comments make blog writers happy and more motivated to update.)
Hip Replacement News
Tomorrow is officially 3 months after surgery. You know what that means. It is the official day when I can throw my hip precautions out the window. Don't get me wrong I still have to be careful but supposedly according to the doctor 3 months is the magic healing time. I kind of feel like Digital TV transition. I am transitioning to a new phase in my life. Don't worry I am not going crazy but yes I might bend over a little farther or not stress as much when I accidently cross the midline. In other health news I went to see Dr. J yesterday and I had some fluid build up in my legs. She said perhaps caused by recently having surgery or from medication. Anyway she told me to stop taking celebrex and wait a week. Then if I needed some anti inflammatory to go back to naprosyn. I made her go through those instructions twice because yes for 10 years of my life I have taken an anti-inflammatory 2 times a day. I feel good today. She basically told me besides one bad hip the rest of my joints looked really good. Crazy huh?
Other News
Nothing really exciting just going to school with the kiddos. I love them and this semester we are getting ready for our big end of course exam. My goal is for a 100% pass rate. Last year my pass rate was 80% and I want more. I am currently finishing my national board certification. Like 67% of those who attempt I am taking a second year. I didn't certify by 15 points. Oh well it is a growing process and next year I will actually be in good shape to walk across the stage in the certification ceremony. Spring break and my 30th birthday are coming soon.
I hope you are having a great week. Welcome if you are new and thanks for reading if you are a faithful. Feel free to comment. (Hint:Comments make blog writers happy and more motivated to update.)
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