Cate's Diary

Llama said:
I'm so glad the golf club is no longer a source of stress in your life and it's great that you get along with J2 now but it must be fun to outdrive sometimes :D And that may improve even further once you're all healed up and your footing is better!
All the best for surgery, of course: I hope you'll be released asap so you can come reassure us everything's ok.
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Outdriving the much better players in the club is fun, Llama. I don't think I could drive the ball any further than I do though. I think I'll come home the day after surgery. I'll try to send a couple of FB messages afterwards. 8 pm here is midday there.
Marsia said:
That's so fun that you can drive so far now and even beat the J's! It's going to be so good to have your balance back, too, like Llama said. I'm glad there is a new kind of crutch that doesn't make your underarms sore. Maybe it's not so new. The last time I was on crutches, I was 18. I often forget how many decades ago that really is! I'm glad Emily asked when the surgery is. I had been wondering, and wanting to have you in my thoughts that day. I'm so glad you are feeling positive about it. It sounds like you are in excellent hands!
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It is fun, M. I have never been on crutches so it's all new to me too. I feel like I am in good hands & am trying to hold those positive thoughts. I'll try to send a message afterwards. 8 pm here is 6 am there. I hope I don't wake you!
Llama said:
Underarm crutches were first patented in 1916, during WWI, and I think they've been the norm here since not long after. I don't know why they didn't catch on in the US but the only patient I've ever seen with the long armpit crutches irl was an Australian with very little hand function, over 20 years ago.
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I think underarm crutches are still used regularly here, Llama but I couldn't be sure. I don't see people getting around on crutches much at all.
liza3 said:
Nice to hear about the positive golf day! It must be really nice to see the progress with your driving. Amazing that you are actually driving better now than you ever have!
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I had one driving lesson a couple of years ago when I came back from tearing a meniscus & I imagine the instructor standing behind me & I concentrate on what he told me. Gradually over the last year, I seem to be able to hit it further & further. It's all about technique with golf. If I try to hit the ball a long way I often mess up.
liza3 said:
Good idea to get that done before the operation! You sound very ready for that operation for sure.
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I'm glad I did. It will be too hard to cut them for a while & I booked in to have them done again 8 weeks away.
Emilyrose said:
Hope your toesies look beautiful. (I suspect you hate the word 'toesies'. 🤣)
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Grrr! :ROFLMAO: G's Mum used to say she was going to have her "tootsies" done & it drove us both bonkers. You are a tease, Emilyrose!
My poor toes haven't looked beautiful for decades. I have dropped so many rocks on them. They have had a hard life. Poor toes. 😥
 
Our feet work very hard for us and we're generally not very thankful in return.
 
I am very grateful for the body I have. Llama. Genetics come into play with every part of your body. I have always spent money on good shoes. I have never worn stilettos even in my teens and twenties. I always buy shoes that give my toes room to wiggle. I have spent a small fortune on orthotics that didn't do much & I have suffered a lot of pain. I know that you deal with people all of the time, Llama who may choose appearance over comfort & good foot care. I don't. Sadly, I have not been able to wear pretty shoes for decades. Working on my feet for 18 years, 7 days a week with very little rest did most of the damage. I still manage. I just don't ever wear sandals or let anyone see my feet.
I have had a good day today. I took Arch for a good walk before lunch, and G & I did some gardening after lunch, I have sorted out which bag I'm taking & have what I'm taking with me sorted, including my meds. I got a notice saying we don't need to be there on Monday morning until 8 am rather than 7 am which is much better.
I have washed our golf shoes & will put mine away in their box when they are dry, I have ironed everything that might need ironing.....Am I ready? I hope so.
 
I didn't mean to attack you Cate and I'm sorry that I made it sound like it. Bunions are mostly genetic, and the things we tend to blame for them (like stilettos and standing jobs) generally make them hurt more but don't normally make them worse. What I was thinking of was the internet's general disgust for them. I sometimes feel like there's barely any room between the small (but loud and obnoxious) group of fetishists and the masses who just hate all feet.
 
Thanks for the apology, Llama. I went to a podiatrist for help decades ago & was made to feel shame when she called my feet deformed. I stayed away from podiatrists after that & only recently have had my feet looked at again. I had no idea about the internet's disgust with bunions & am glad about that. Mine are not severe but do cause me pain & I am losing my balance.
 
I'm so sorry you had to deal with that :grouphug: The internet is disgusted with all feet, no matter how pretty and clean they are.
 
Llama said:
I'm so sorry you had to deal with that :grouphug: The internet is disgusted with all feet, no matter how pretty and clean they are.
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I'm glad I don't get tangled up in it then. The forum is where I spend most of my internet time & we are kind to one another.
Emilyrose said:
You sound ready Cate! I really hope it makes life so much easier for you, once you've got through the recovery process.
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Thanks, Em. I hope so too. I am doing my best to be positive. I have told very few people about having the op & certainly not on FB. There are people who love doom & gloom & worse-case scenarios & J1 at golf is one. I got out before she had a chance to go on and on the other day. Some people love melodrama, but I'm not one of them.
We're going to D & T's for lunch today & I'm looking forward to it & seeing their home. It's raining so we might not get to walk around the property, but I have my hiking shoes & an umbrella in the car already.
I bought them a few kilos of frozen berries the other day & a jar of blackberry jam with a cute wonky spoon. We'll take some wine.
 
Cate said:
I have sorted out which bag I'm taking & have what I'm taking with me sorted, including my meds. I got a notice saying we don't need to be there on Monday morning until 8 am rather than 7 am which is much better.
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You sound good and ready--so nice you can go for 8 instead of 7am!
Cate said:
We're going to D & T's for lunch today & I'm looking forward to it & seeing their home. It's raining so we might not get to walk around the property, but I have my hiking shoes & an umbrella in the car already.
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Lovely! I hope the lunch goes (or went?) well...and that you could fit in a walk around the property!
 
With how far the hospital is that hour would make a huge difference. Good thinking avoiding doomscrolling and "juicy" surgery stories. Hope lunch was fun.
 
Thanks, Liza & Llama. We had a lovely visit with D & T & I'm glad we have now been there & broken the ice. Instead of going the easy way to get there, G decided to go the "scenic route" & we got lost twice. We got there eventually & I drove home the easy way, which was also very pretty. It is lush & green where they live & they have a lovely little creek on the property, which has an endemic freshwater crayfish. D has seen evidence of them but hasn't seen one yet. He loves native creatures & always has. He works for parks and wildlife. It was lovely to see him so happy in his environment. T is in charge of the garden near the house ( more English & non-native) & he is planting native plants everywhere else. They have reached a happy compromise. The place was overgrown with blackberries when they bought it & he has worked on it constantly since. His block is very steep so I didn't walk all over it as I didn't want to fall over.

T thought I was having a knee op. She asked how bad my foot was & I showed her & also told her what the podiatrist had said years ago about it being deformed. She didn't think it looked at all bad & also seemed to think I would recover well. I showed her how I had been practising walking with just my right heel on the floor & she said that was a good idea & that I seemed strong. She also said to make sure I keep my protein up.

Small details worry me the most about going to the hospital. I wish I had asked them ages ago. Do I have to keep the hospital gown on when I return to the ward after or can I put on my pyjamas? Should I take my big cosy dressing gown or the thin cotton one? Where do my clothes go when I have to take them off? My phone? Things like that do my head in. I'll be in a ward with strangers- men & women. I can't wait to get home again!
I found a site for a Canberra hospital that gave me some info. G might have to hang onto my bag until after the op when I'm back in the ward. They said I could leave my wedding ring on but I'll leave it at home.

I'll wear my new "house shoes" /slippers as they look smart enough & then it's one less thing to take.
Gah! I need to pack this morning & make a checklist of what needs doing today & start doing it. I think I'll leave the walker next to the passenger side of the car in the garage for when I get home so I need to tidy up that side of the garage. I need fewer obstacles. I also need to set up our bathroom so that it's right for when I get home. G can use the other bathroom starting tonight.
 
Cate said:
Small details worry me the most about going to the hospital.
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I like to know all the details like that as well. I'm glad you found a site that at least answered some of your questions.
Do you have any idea how long you will probably be in for? You sound very well-prepared and I'm sure if things come up that you didn't plan for G can always help out in making it all work for you.

The visit with D&T sounds so nice. How wonderful that you all are connecting so well. I love the sound of the yard space incorporating both the native and non-native plants.
 
I bet you can call the hospital and ask for someone who answers general questions. If not, you can ask when you get there and give G the stuff you won't need, but I'm sure you've thought of these things! Are you bringing a book? The visit with D and T does sound so nice. I would love a property with an English garden surrounded in native plants. Sounds like a mini-botanical garden! It's nice you have an extra hour to get to the hospital so you don't have to leave home before sunrise or anything. I am picturing everything going even better than you imagined!!!
 
The general recommendation is to leave any valuables at home, especially when you go in for surgery. It's just not possible to ensure nobody enters rooms uninvited. Of course after waking up it's perfectly fine to have your phone with you, as long as you don't leave it unattended. Maybe things are better in Tasmania but I'm afraid human nature is similar everywhere and kicking someone when they're already down is just easier and safer. The halfway positive part of the message is that these really are petty crimes of opportunity and it's not like hospitals are generally hubs of criminal activity.
Hospitals are generally overheated in winter so I'd take the thin dressing gown - but of course I'm always warm so I may not be the best person to listen to. In most hospitals there's a chair for visitors which doubles as a clothes stand and one or two hooks or even a rail on the wall you can hang your gown on. Putting on your own jammies after returning from surgery should be ok but a nightgown might be easier to get over your bandaged foot. Your phone goes underneath your pillow when you go to sleep unless your nightstand has a locking drawer.
All of these are just general experiences but I think you'll be fine whatever you decide. Also: D and T's garden sounds amazing!
 
Thanks, Llama, Vic, Liza & Marsia. I have done so much today & feel well-prepared. I was told I would stay in the hospital overnight so I have a pair of PJs & a spare pair of yoga pants, an old Merino cardigan that can double up as a bed jacket & my light summer dressing gown. I'm pretty sure my clothes go into a bag & get taken to a locker next to my bed, so I'll leave them folded nicely & put my slippers into a plastic bag inside their bag. I think we'll get a chance to work it out in the morning when we get there.
I have done lots of prep today & we did a trip to the tip & did the recycling at the golf club & I took Arch for a nice walk. Our bathroom is set up & I tidied the garage & have the walker next to where I'll get out.
Edit: You just posted, Llama. Hospitals usually are hot so I decided to take my light summer gown. I have baggy-legged PJ's, which should be ok. I nearly sent them to the op shop for that reason, but am glad I kept them. I'm not going to take anything valuable with me. I decided to even leave my wedding ring at home. My PJs even have a pocket for my phone :)
 
Thanks, M. I think I am, I hope I am, but you're right. I have G & he will be there for me. He's a gem. I have some lovely messages today- K from golf, C, R's partner, R & my very own personal physio, A's GF, L, who asked if I was looking forward to our "date" tomorrow. She is so lovely! I promised her that I would do whatever she suggested. I am feeling well-loved & in good hands. You never know, they may let me come home tomorrow.........
 
I hope everything goes fine and you get to recover quickly.
 
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