July 30, 2008: The shoulders

I decided yesterday after a shoulder aching 5 hours at work and the last week having shoulder aches, to make an appointment to (hopefully) get a cortisone shot in each of my shoulders so I made an appointment, which is today at 11AM. Knees are achy (so what else is new).

July 27, 2008: To Boston and Back

We drove to Boston yesterday, getting slightly lost because of the incompatability of GPS and the Big Dig, paid $3.50 for the privilege of driving through Logan Airport by accident, but we did get to Andy's place eventually. After checking everything out, we went into central Boston and had a great lunch at Durgin Park, which included Yankee Pot Roast and Indian Pudding. We took the T around town (public transportation) which isn't good for bad knees. But we did go to the Boston Public Library and Symphony Hall but couldn't go in.

July 16, 2008: Part Deux

Got a call from the surgery scheduler. They hadn't gotten the allergy test results so after I spoke to her, I called to get them faxed over there. In the meantime, I now have a surgery date: Wednesday Sept. 17 at 7:30AM. He does surgery at the Health South Surgical CEnter (outpatient stuff) the week of Sept. 7, which is when I wanted it, so I had to go for the week afterwards. I've now scheduled my pre-op with Dr. Maki (changed my annual check up appointment with her into a pre-op appointment) on Sept. 2. On Sept. 4, my birthday, I see Dr. Schweitzer for a pre-op with him at 10AM and see Dr. Abrams the hematologist at 11:30, for a platelet count. Dr. Abrams had wanted to see me a week before the surgery but since he'll be out of the office that week, I had to make it for the week before. He'll do a platelet count and determine if I need any treatment, which I doubt I will, since Dr. Schweitzer said a count of 50000 or more would be fine. And since my count is always higher than that, it shouldn't be a problem. I won't tell work about the surgery until closer to the date.
Feeling nervous and excited at the same time.

July 16, 2008: The day

Got through yesterday's trek to New Haven which included a stop at the MRI center at Yale-New Haven, breakfast at Ikea, and browsing through Ikea, getting a few small odds and ends and a rug for upstairs. I managed to get lousy dental floss stuck in between my teeth a little while ago and got most out but it feels like something is still there.
Around 9:15 AM, I'll be calling the scheduling lady at CFO. I'll be making sure she/they got the allergy test results and asking her to schedule the surgery. I'm a bit nervous but it's a step moving forward and maybe by the end of the week, I'll have a date for the surgery. Like a year ago when my knee was hurting at night, I had a dream last night with one of the orthos in it! Very weird.
I'll get back here when I know anything from my call.

July 13, 2008: Respite

Got temporary confused a few minutes ago. Somehow my computer thought it was June 13, not July 13! Now I fixed it so hopefully I won't get confused again. I survived working Friday and Saturday, although Saturday's 5.5 hours left me really achy. I'm not scheduled to work this coming week but I did get brave and used the self-serve scheduling feature on the store web site and scheduled myself for a couple of days the following week, 5 hours each day. On Tuesday, I'll be going to Yale-New Haven Hospital, actually one of the other buildings, when Henry has his 1-year MRI scan, followed by a visit to Ikea, about 5 minutes from the Yale medical neighborhood of New Haven. And if I haven't heard anything by Wednesday from the ortho. office regarding my allergy test results and various other odds and ends, I'm going to call the scheduling lady and see if she can start working on scheduling my surgery for September.

July 9,2008: Back from the dermatologist

Got back a little while ago from the dermatologist's office where he checked the results of the allergy test. I had a slight reaction to the fragrance test but not to anything else except the paper tape that was holding the test on me (which wasn't officially part of the allergy testing, lol). I have to check tomorrow morning to see if the disk part of the test on my arms has erupted and if it does, I have to go back tomorrow, but he's not expecting that. So I'm officially not allergic (although I still have problems with cheap jewelry) to titanium or to nickel which is good as far the upcoming surgery goes.
It feels good not to have any kind of testing on me for now. And I'll be able to start my allergy medicine again tomorrow or the day after,

July 8, 2008: Oops!

I discovered last night that I actually have 2 panels on me for allergy testing. The other is panel 2.1 from the same company (see aforementioned web site). Managed to sleep last night. It's supposed to be warm out today so I'll try to stay cool.

July 7, 2008: Nickel Allergy Testing, Round 2

Got my skin patch stuff put on me---everything from nickel to wool to balsam of Peru and fragrances to materials used in antibiotic creams to adhesives used in bandages and postage stamps on me-12 tests on this one patch, including nickel. It;s a panel thing stuck to my back. I discovered the manufacturer of this test, Mekos Laboratories, is in Denmark, in Hillerod. and the test itself is made there. The doctor also stuck the 2 disks, cobalt and titanium, back on my arms, but on the upperarm. He told me if they need more tape to add it to the top, not take off the tape he put on. No showers for me until Wednesday evening as my appointment isn't until after 5PM on Wednesday. The doctor also said that the week long test I had was far too long and it weasn't necessary to do it for that long! I'm also supposed to not get hot or sweaty!!
This is test, panel 1.1:

TRUE TEST dermatitis and contact allergy testing

The results will be sent to the ortho. office Thursday, I figure, since my appointment is so late on Wednesday and ortho. office closes at 5ish.

July 6, 2008: Belated Happy 4th and tomorrow

Belated Happy 4th of July. I worked 1-6 that day. I'm finding for sure that my latest cortisone shot, administered almost 5 weeks ago, has just about run out of steam. I could tell that after work yesterday plus my knee is beginning to keep me up again and is feeling hot at times again. The cortisone shot gave me a false feel of improvement in the knee's condition but now that it's running out, I can tell I definitely still need to do the replacement!

Tomorrow is the allergy test at the dermatologist's office in Ridgefield. Hoping it won't be too itchy. I'll have to go back on Wednesday for the results and then the dermatology office is supposed to be sending the results to CT Family Orthopedics so Dr. Schweitzer can find a knee for me. Then I figure I'll hear from the surgery scheduler shortly thereafter to get a date for the surgery.