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- #2,221
Ridgetop
Herd Master
DO NOT REMAIN AWAKE WITH JUST A SPINAL!
I was talking to my neighbor who had her knee done last year and she had the spinal anesthetic. She said she was awake during the surgery and while she didn't feel any pain, she could hear everything. She could hear them sawing the bones and then knocking in the spike that holds the lower portion of the new knee in the lower leg bone. She said it sounded like house construction! Just the description made me want to pass out! Go to sleep and when you wake up it is all over!
Having gone through this I am readying a care package for Baymule now. She will need extra refreezable ice packs, and a wedge pillow to rest her leg on ("toes above the nose") when she goes home from rehab. In rehab she will need a bedjacket (some of those places keep the AC super cold to prevent germs, and possibly a clip-on battery-operated fan for her bed (in case the nursing home keeps the temp too warm). I have another month to get well and firmly back on my leg then I will start collecting the emergency supplies! LOL Oh yes, and a bicycle basket for her walker to transport the ice packs from the freezer to her bed and her elevated knee pillow. It is very hard to carry stuff in one hand when you need both hands on the walker. I try to keep a large plastic grocery bag with handles to carry stuff back and forth.
Yesterday I was up at the computer for about 4 hours with a car trip to go vote and my leg swelled up like a balloon! I couldn't do any exercises because it was so swollen I couldn't bend the knee!
Better this morning but still slightly swollen and I am trying to intersperse computer time with leg in the air time and ice packs. Bed is boring but better than the swelling.
Three of the ewes in the breeding pen have marked. DS1 says I need to redo the breeding and lambing board since it is out of date now and we have to add the 14 ewes we just moved into the breeding pen. I will have to find time to get that erased and rewritten with lambing dates from last bred ewes, and breeding dates for new batch of ewes.
Talked to a Dorper breeder in Tennessee who said his grass is over knee high from the rains. Asked him about Barber Pole and he said his first year he thought he would have to quit, but then he started testing and culling heavily and now his flock is pretty resistant. He only worms once or twice a year now with no BP problems. He also said that prices last Easter were about $4/lb on his fall lambs. He said this was the first year he didn't keep any ram lambs since the weaned market price was almost what he would sell a registered lamb for after adjusting for feeding to 12 months! With a 3 month breed back he made more selling them at 3-4 months for meat!
We are having the flock inspected and graded this year. Luckily the scheduling family had to change our dates since originally we were scheduled to pick up the inspector June 4. I did not even see the email until June 6! However, they had to put it off to July 5-7 which is perfect for me to be on my feet and get ready to house and feed the inspector for 2-3 days. No shearing or hoof trimming required since they want to judge them in their natural state with little or no upkeep. The amount of wool cover and shed is also taken into consideration. The only work needed is that all the sheep that have lost tags and been retagged must get another tag with the original registration #. We just slap in another tag and change the tag numbers in our files. Naturally the tags need to match the registration papers so I am ordering some blank tags and a marking pen. The inspector will only do inspections on registered animals over 10 months old. But the inspector will also look at young stock and give opinions. I am really looking forward to the inspection and learning a lot from the inspector while she is at our house. She is a licensed Dorper judge and evaluator from South Africa.
Then I found an email telling me that the West Coast Dorper sale would take place on the weekend before I found the email! No bidding and buying for me this year!
I wanted another ram and planned to sell one or two of my rams. I have a lot of youngsters out of 3 of my rams and was considering buying another. I guess I will have to wait till next year. Actually, the West Coast Dorper Society is thinking about moving the show back to northern California next year so we will g and maybe I can pick up another ram cheaply. Lots of rams at the show and sale that go reasonably, while ewes go a lot higher. While doing my knee exercises, I will practice my split second timing with the auction bidding card. 
I could go to the West Coast Dorper show in Reno in July, but I'm having the flock inspection and in the heat don't want to drive 10-12 hours to Reno. I can wait.
OK back to bed and the "toes above the nose" position for another couple hours. I can feel my knee swelling!
I was talking to my neighbor who had her knee done last year and she had the spinal anesthetic. She said she was awake during the surgery and while she didn't feel any pain, she could hear everything. She could hear them sawing the bones and then knocking in the spike that holds the lower portion of the new knee in the lower leg bone. She said it sounded like house construction! Just the description made me want to pass out! Go to sleep and when you wake up it is all over!
Having gone through this I am readying a care package for Baymule now. She will need extra refreezable ice packs, and a wedge pillow to rest her leg on ("toes above the nose") when she goes home from rehab. In rehab she will need a bedjacket (some of those places keep the AC super cold to prevent germs, and possibly a clip-on battery-operated fan for her bed (in case the nursing home keeps the temp too warm). I have another month to get well and firmly back on my leg then I will start collecting the emergency supplies! LOL Oh yes, and a bicycle basket for her walker to transport the ice packs from the freezer to her bed and her elevated knee pillow. It is very hard to carry stuff in one hand when you need both hands on the walker. I try to keep a large plastic grocery bag with handles to carry stuff back and forth.
Yesterday I was up at the computer for about 4 hours with a car trip to go vote and my leg swelled up like a balloon! I couldn't do any exercises because it was so swollen I couldn't bend the knee!
Better this morning but still slightly swollen and I am trying to intersperse computer time with leg in the air time and ice packs. Bed is boring but better than the swelling.Three of the ewes in the breeding pen have marked. DS1 says I need to redo the breeding and lambing board since it is out of date now and we have to add the 14 ewes we just moved into the breeding pen. I will have to find time to get that erased and rewritten with lambing dates from last bred ewes, and breeding dates for new batch of ewes.
Talked to a Dorper breeder in Tennessee who said his grass is over knee high from the rains. Asked him about Barber Pole and he said his first year he thought he would have to quit, but then he started testing and culling heavily and now his flock is pretty resistant. He only worms once or twice a year now with no BP problems. He also said that prices last Easter were about $4/lb on his fall lambs. He said this was the first year he didn't keep any ram lambs since the weaned market price was almost what he would sell a registered lamb for after adjusting for feeding to 12 months! With a 3 month breed back he made more selling them at 3-4 months for meat!
We are having the flock inspected and graded this year. Luckily the scheduling family had to change our dates since originally we were scheduled to pick up the inspector June 4. I did not even see the email until June 6! However, they had to put it off to July 5-7 which is perfect for me to be on my feet and get ready to house and feed the inspector for 2-3 days. No shearing or hoof trimming required since they want to judge them in their natural state with little or no upkeep. The amount of wool cover and shed is also taken into consideration. The only work needed is that all the sheep that have lost tags and been retagged must get another tag with the original registration #. We just slap in another tag and change the tag numbers in our files. Naturally the tags need to match the registration papers so I am ordering some blank tags and a marking pen. The inspector will only do inspections on registered animals over 10 months old. But the inspector will also look at young stock and give opinions. I am really looking forward to the inspection and learning a lot from the inspector while she is at our house. She is a licensed Dorper judge and evaluator from South Africa.
Then I found an email telling me that the West Coast Dorper sale would take place on the weekend before I found the email! No bidding and buying for me this year!
I wanted another ram and planned to sell one or two of my rams. I have a lot of youngsters out of 3 of my rams and was considering buying another. I guess I will have to wait till next year. Actually, the West Coast Dorper Society is thinking about moving the show back to northern California next year so we will g and maybe I can pick up another ram cheaply. Lots of rams at the show and sale that go reasonably, while ewes go a lot higher. While doing my knee exercises, I will practice my split second timing with the auction bidding card. I could go to the West Coast Dorper show in Reno in July, but I'm having the flock inspection and in the heat don't want to drive 10-12 hours to Reno. I can wait.OK back to bed and the "toes above the nose" position for another couple hours. I can feel my knee swelling!
