Tuesday, March 18, 2014

The Great Green Surgery Adventure



... otherwise known as
Spending St. Patrick's Day With A Duchess On Wheels. 



If you've read here long enough, you know that the Duchess is a woman on the go. Really, nothing much keeps her down for very long. What I haven't mentioned lately is the form of mobile transportation she's been using to do it all.

She went from two wheels...




... to  three wheels



... to four wheels.  


And on occasion to even  more wheels.   



While I admit that it was kind of nice to push her around for a change, nobody has been happy about a Duchess on wheels, especially the Duchess.

 A little pain at 75 is normal, but what we had was anything but normal.  So says the little boy who grew up in the house behind her, anyway.  These days, he makes his living as an orthopedic surgeon. What he discovered upon inspection was that we did, indeed, have problems of the abnormal variety.

The primary culprit was that fancy schmancy bionic knee that she had installed about a decade ago. They don't come with a lifetime guarantee, after all, and hers had managed to break into three pieces, causing additional damage to both the shin and thigh bones  in so doing.

Good grief. No wonder she has been in so much pain. 

So yesterday, while the rest of the world was celebrating St. Patrick's Day, 
she took a ride on these wheels. 


The little boy who grew up behind her didn't actually do the surgery. Apparently, they call in the big guns when you have blown out bionics and bone damage.

We called in the big guns too. The Great Green Surgery Adventure was enough to bring that big sister of mine all the way from Colorado.  The only bright spot of the day was being able to spend it with both of my sisters.

I've mentioned how fond I am of sisters, right?

The three of us followed her all the way into Pre Op, where she waited on the runway to get clearance for take off. That's the way it felt, anyway. I'm thankful to say that I didn't know hospitals had gotten so high tech with color coded tracking boards on the wall.


Patient # 19442 regaled us with her never ending repertoire of Irish songs because that's the way she rolls on St. Patrick's Day. I would show you the video that I took of her, but then she would have to kill me.

Hennessey Tennessee toodled the flute for nearly two hours before they wheeled her off, humming a little and pretending not to be nervous at all. She wasn't really fooling anyone, but we let her pretend anyway.  We pretended right back.

And then, we waited. We ate a late lunch and taught the high tech systems engineer from Colorad-y all about Pinterest.  She had never even  heard of it because, apparently,  she got most of the genes in her pool from Dad's side of the family.  A few hours with the weird sisters, and she was fully hooked.  Glad to help, Pinterest.

The surgery ended up taking about 3 1/2 hours. They encountered more damage than originally thought, but Dr. Big Guns was very positive and optimistic about the success of it.

Whew.

She got to her room about 7:00, very groggy and in a great deal of pain. As the anesthesia wore off and the pain medicine kicked in, things began to look a little more normal. She asked about her brother and her friend who is in hospice so we knew about whom she had been thinking   worrying at take off.  She tried to pick out faces in the room and asked for some water.

And then, 
she looked at the 250 pound nurse named Mike and said,

Who threw the overalls in Mrs. Murphy's chowder?

Big Mike had absolutely no clue what she was talking about, but we did. Pretty soon, he understood as well because she started singing the song that goes with the question, followed by a few more wee Irish tunes as well. When he didn't join in, she decided aloud that he must not be Irish. 

The fact that she isn't Irish either is irrelevant to her on St. Patrick's Day.

And with that, she was back, still very tired and in some pain, but every bit the Duchess. You've just gotta love that woman. 

I'm heading back to the hospital this morning to relieve the Farm Sister who did night duty. I'll spend the day and night there because that's the way we roll around here.  We anticipate a painful day today as she starts her therapy.

Not looking forward to that but it is a very necessary evil. 

 She'll be at this hospital for the rest of this week. Where she goes next is still up in the air, probably to a swing bed closer to home.  Wherever it is, that's where I'll be. I'll probably have time to sit and blog stalk in the days to come, which will be a welcome relief from recent weeks of distractions.

Anyway, that's where we stand this morning.  We're praying for a complete recovery and would appreciate any and all prayers as well.

So... how did you spend your St. Patrick's Day? Bet it wasn't quite the same as mine.

49 comments:

Miss Merry said...

Prayers for a speedy recovery for the Duchess! She sounds like a very good sport. I am sure her nurses will be sad to part with her. Wonderful the sisters could come together, even though the circumstance were not what you would want. Wishing well for the patient and the caregivers. Take care of yourselves, too.

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

Praying and yet I am so inspired by her life and joy of living...which she has certainly been handed down to her daughter!!

Sue said...

So happy to hear that the surgery was a success for your active mom. Some not so fun days ahead, but I know she'll be grateful for all of the support from her girls. Speedy recovery to the Duchess!

Denise at Forest Manor said...

Prayers are going out now from here for the Duchess and her girls. It sounds like all will be well, but I know that is major surgery. Take care, Debbie.

Blessings,

Denise

Gayle said...

Prayers and hugs to you, Debbie, and to the whole family, especially The Duchess. It's terribly hard seeing the strong people in our lives not be so strong anymore. Believing for a speedy recovery. Sounds like she's well on her way.

Lorrie said...

A saga of mingled pain and joy. Love the fact that the Duchess sang Irish songs while waiting for surgery. Prayers for healing.

Ann said...

God bless you all, Debbie! I admit, I burst out laughing when I saw the Duchess' words to the male nurse after surgery! Too funny!

I miss my dad on St. Patrick's Day...HE was OUR family singer...and he was 100% of Irish decent.

Prayers that the Duchess has a wonderfully complete healing and keeps her spirits up during the process!

Cheers!

Debbie said...

I will definitely be praying for the duchess as she begins this painful rehabilitation process. How brave she is and what a delight to be around it sounds like. It's soo nice to have sisters to share all the care taking with. We too would divide up with shifts for caring for mom when she was in the hospital for one thing or another. It might be a slow process, but "this too shall pass" and hopefully she will be as good as new soon! HUGS to you all!

Sharon said...

So VERY glad to hear about The Duchess. She was in my thoughts and prayers yesterday (as were you, as the *waiters* feel so much stress, too). I have a feeling that she is going to sail through rehab - the word that comes to mind when I think about her is indomitable.

I spent yesterday in Blog Land. And then I finished off the night watching my home ice hockey team lose. :-(

Didn't wear green, unless you count the envy I felt watching all the skinny minnies on TV ads.

My best to all of you...XO

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Debbie, please tell the Duchess that I love her and have just prayed for her total healing and full recovery. Also prayed the pain would be gone.

I am also asking for strength for you girls and wisdom for the medical personnel.

I love the fact that she sang her way into surgery with Irish songs and isn't even Irish. Hey, it proves once and for all that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day. Maybe she has a wee dram of Irish blood in there somewhere!

My dad used to sing, ' "My Wild Iris Rose", with or without the least bit of encouragement. Since he sang off-key, it gave a whole new meaning to the song.

Hoping that all of you stay rested and in good spirits, knowing the Duchess will be better!

xo

Sheila

The Quintessential Magpie said...

My Wild IRIS Rose? That really does give new meaning to the song! ;-).

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

Bless her stout heart! Praying for full recovery and patience and strength for her and for you sisters as well. No green here, the whole day passed without even thinking of it! The Dutchess would NOT be proud of me for that!

Maryann said...

Debbie your mom sounds like a hoot! I glad everything went well and will be praying for a speedy recovering. Hopefully the pain will be short lived and she will be able to get around better than ever.

Lynn said...

Wishing your mom a speedy recovery Debbie and glad you did at least get to spend some time with your sisters. Take care:@)

Barbara F. said...

I am glad the surgery is over and she os on the mend! I thought for sure she had a wee bit of Irish in her, knowing all those songs. Will keep her in my prayers. xo

Anonymous said...

"You've just gotta love that woman."
And that sums it up, Debbie.
Be assured that the Duchess (and the picture on a Quaker Oats canister automatically pops into my mind's eye) and the rest of you will be in my prayers today and going forward.

Deanna Rabe - Creekside Cottage Blog said...

I love the way you love your Momma. I am thankful that her knee has been taken care of. Tim has a bionic hip, it's been in for 5 years and he is having a lot of pain too. I am trying to get him to the doctor. Perhaps the story of your Mom will get him there.

I'll be praying for her recovery and pain. Praying too for you and your time with her!

Deanna

Chatty Crone said...

I know how you love her. Glad she is okay. I have had a knee replacement so that scares me a bit myself! Nest wishes to her.

elizabeth said...

Praying for the duchess to have a speedy recovery!

kitty@ Kitty's Kozy Kitchen said...

Oh your poor Mom, Debbie, to be in such pain. Hopefully she should be feeling up to par in no time. How wonderful to be with your sisters and to share your Mom's St. Paddy's Day tunes at the hospital. Of course, prayers will be said for a speedy recovery for the Duchess. xo

Kathleen said...

I pray the Duchess will be back on her feet, very soon. I remember when my mom fell and broke her knee, oy, it wasn't easy. We didn't clean to her specs, so she did it from the wheelchair! So speedy recovery to your mom!
As an Irish gal, I am proud to have the duchess celebrate with us! Nobody answered so she hollered all the louder! :). I would love to hear her rendition of Johnny McEldoo. The Clancy Bros. do a great version!

Creations By Cindy said...

Praying for the Duchess this morning and for you! Hugs and blessings, Cindy

Debbiedoos said...

Oh my gosh what a hoot. Do you know that is my biggest fear about surgery as to what I will say when I wake up...LOL!! I am glad to hear your Mom did well. Hugs to all. You girls are wonderful and almost made the ordeal sound fun!

Mrs. Kelley Dibble said...

Hugs all around, Debbie! My MIL had hip replacement surgery in early February and is doing excellently. I trust the Lord to be with your mom in coming days. Bless her heart.

St. Patrick's Day? We flew from Los Angeles to Hawai'i. {You asked...} it's a huge help to overnight here a couple and leave some of our jetlag behind when we go back to Guam today. ;-)

Hugs and happy highways,
Kelley~

Angel said...

Just said a prayer for the Duchess and believing for a quick recovery! She is blessed to have such wonderful children to help her through this time.

My St. Patrick's Day was definitely less eventful but I may have spent a little time on Pinterest too, so I guess we have that in common. :)

Alycia Nichols said...

That is NO way to spend ANY day, let alone a day that's supposed to be filled with fun and revelry!!! My goodness...poor Duchess! I can only imagine how ticked off she is at the sheer inconvenience of being laid up when she'd much rather be dancing to those Irish songs.

Blessings to you all. I know these are difficult times. Hard to watch our parents aging. I just pray for a quick, easy and relatively painless recovery for The Duchess!

Tanna said...

The Duchess will be at the top of my prayers, Debbie. In my past life, I loved these surgeries... so many beautiful tools... beautiful implants... the wonder of restoration. None of them as wonderful as the Restoration you spoke of in your earlier post... but, pretty impressive never the less. I pray for speedy and strong recovery for your dear Mom and easy tending for you and your sisters. ;) blessings and hugs ~ tanna
ps LOVE the "restoration" you did on those drapes, too!

Manuela@A Cultivated Nest said...

Oh my gosh no wonder she was in pain!! I had to chuckle while reading about her singing after surgery (my husband did the same thing when he came out of them operating on his wrist) - not Irish songs - The Temptations LOL!

I'm praying for quick healing!

Vee said...

Oh I howled with laughter and startled poor hubby who said, "Now what's going on with those bloggers?" Praying for your mom to have the best possible recovery. I'm also praying that it will be less painful than she could have imagined. Pain. No fun. All the best to the caregivers, too.

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

obviously, a great sense of humor runs in the family. I can't believe I'm sitting her with a big grin on my face while you tell about your mother's surgery and her pain! I suspect that the Duchess and her family had the entire hospital staff grinning too (while they browse Pinterest). I will definitely have your mother and her daughters in my prayers. I'm so glad everything went well, but I'm sure there will be difficult days ahead. Hugs, laurie

Gina said...

I think I can understand where you get your good humor from! Wishing The Duchess a speedy recovery so that she can dance an Irish jig next St. Paddy's Day!

Yellow Rose Arbor said...

So sorry to hear The Duchess had to have surgery. Sounds like a very painful process. I'm praying for all of you. Keep us updated on her progress.

Katherine

Mevely317 said...

OMG, Debbie. I'm thinking your mom must be an over-achiever as well - a 3-part bionic breakdown?

I love, love the part about her regaling everyone with the Irish songs. No doubt she was a post-op favorite amongst the staff?
In all seriousness, I'm honored to hold all of you in my prayers!

PS - So glad to hear there's another Pinterest advocate out there. Come check-out my boards some day if you will, and I'll return the favor!

Big hugs,
Myra

Renée said...

Hugs to each of you. Hope things are better each day and she's doing wheelies again soon!

Bargain Decorating with Laurie said...

I've been thinking about you and have you in my prayers. I hope all is going well and that the Duchess is recuperating quickly. laurie

Anonymous said...

Who threw the overalls in Mrs. Murphy's chowder?

I LOVE the Duchess! I'd be "there" for her, too, were she mine own. Blessings to your family as you walk through the healing process - pun intended.

I know where you get your sense of humor from with a mom who is singing gay '90's vaudeville tunes after surgery! Wonderful LOL moment as I freeze here in my house - with no heat for two weeks since the furnace died and we're waiting on the gas company to put the meter on the hook-up so the NEW furnace can function. Gotta laugh when discouraging circumstances try to steal your joy.

Keeping you in prayer!

BTW - Brought back great memories with that song. We did that in the olio of my western melodrama I wrote and produced some years back with a talented cast of young people who are all in diverse careers now - doctors, college professors and border patrol agents among them! Great times when their lives were more innocent.

Joy!
Kathy

PS - Say, I know you're going to be lurking in Blogland during this recovery time - but sure would like you to link-up with my launch this week with All Things Bright and Beautiful. It's my monthly linky - read all here:

http://www.thewritersreverie.com/2014/03/all-things-bright-beautiful-link-up-1.html

Vee said...

Thinking of you gals!

Knitty said...

I hope her recovery and rehab is going well.

You are such a delight to read.

corners of my life said...

The Duchess is lucky to have such a loving family to support her in the days to come. Good luck all . . .

Sue said...

The Duchess sounds like my mom, always on the go, and so much fun. I am glad she is on the mend and please tell her I am praying for a soon, complete and full recovery!

Francie...The Scented Cottage Studio said...

Leave it to the Duchess to have everyone in stitches :))
Hope her recovery is going well. Lifting you all up in prayer. I know how stressful and exhausting it is for the family (())
Will be flying by your neck of the woods next week, will wave and send special prayer on my way past.

The Polka Dot Closet said...

OMG I missed this post..OUCH, is all I can come up with..The broken bionics and the surgery...Oh man, oh man!!! So glad you are now 2 weeks out, things have to be improving! Hope you had some good laughs with your Sis and I know you enjoyed the company and help! Thank you so much for your always kind words and for being such a cheerleader...I hope the Lord is guiding me down the "Flea" road, if not I have learned so much and have enjoyed myself on the way!

My best to the Dutchess

Carol

Nikki (Sarah) said...

First...I love love love how you spin your words and tell a story.Next. so glad all is well again and the Duchess is doing great.

bj said...

Sooo sorry your mom is hurting but glad to hear the surgery is over. Bless her heart...she is blessed to have daughters that love her so much.
I'll pray for complete recovery for your mom.

Dayle ~ A Collection of Days said...

Dear Debbie, I feel just awful that I'm so late getting by to read the news of your mom's surgery. Glad to hear she is on the road to recovery.

I will add her to my prayer list and pray she gets stronger with each day.

P.S. I can see where you get your wonderful sense of humor from.

Kim@stuffcould.... said...

I pray the knee is on the way to full recovery by now....but it does take a long time. We don't think about how long bionic parts will last, too much??

Decor To Adore said...

Dearest Debbie,

I do hope that the dear Duchess is on the mend. No doubt your have had a VERY full plate!

Take care dear one~

FABBY'S LIVING said...

Oh, I am praying for this wonderful and courageous lady, the Duchess is an inspiration for her daughter and for all of us, who came across this lovely post.
I'm sure you've been busy caring for her, but it's our God given job and we, daughters are blessed for it.
Have a fun time doing your living room and thank you for your sweet and kind visit.
Blessings.
FABBY

http://bitsandpieces-sonja.blogspot.com/ said...

Just thinking of you and lifting you and each one in your family up for whatever the needs of today are. Miss you!

xo

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