Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Ridgetop]

Got new glasses prescription 2 weeks ago. Haven't had new glasses in 4 years. Current ones were scratched and cloudy, so I had to take them off to read anything. Went today with DH to pick up new prescription. Putting on the new pair I was thrilled that I could now see and read. Then, as we turned to leave the store, I caught sight of an old, wrinkled woman in the mirror.

OMG! It was me! Where did those wrinkles come from? In my old glasses I saw hardly any wrinkles! I was congratulating myself on holding up well for my age. Now I am going to slather on the special face cream guaranteed to remove wrinkles. Luckily the new Vita E cream that DS1 just ordered for my knee is supposed to be good for wrinkles too. I better have him order more, lots more!

I hate these new glasses!

 

[Baymule]

Amazing what new glasses can do! Looking on my driver's license, I am supposed to be wearing glasses, but I haven't worn any in years. The last pair I had, kinda got messed up. BJ and I were loading hogs and I had a habit of putting them up on my head when they got annoying, which was most of the time. They fell off. I didn't miss them until a couple of days later. By that time, they had got run over and were smashed. Never got any more, maybe I oughta look into that.......

Y'all just need to hurry up and MOVE. Leave all the crazy behind and let them all figure it out. But I can tell you this, when you go back to visit, you will be appalled at what "they" have done to your house! You'd probably be better off if you didn't go back inside and just stay in your RV and let them come visit you!

 

[Mini Horses]

Sounds like your physical and emotional have come to terms! Improvements happening.

Oh. It's not the glasses but, the mirrors! I often wonder who's in my house. . Do they sell vit e in 55 gal drums? . A "soaker" size...jump right in!

 

[Baymule]

Yeah, how about a link to that vitamin E cream? Seeings as I'm gonna need it coming up soon.......

 

[Ridgetop]

https://www.amazon.com/Fruit-Earth-Vitamin-Skin-Cream/dp/B00E4MK3X4/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_pb_opt?ie=UTF8

Well in my usual boneheaded way I overdid again yesterday and now am having trouble walking. I can look forward (not) to another day flat on my back, leg in the air, and ice on knee (after some computer time and getting a bagel and cream cheese for breakfast. And a coffee refill).

Yesterday, still annoyed about the state of my house, I came out at 7am, made coffee and put dishes in the dishwasher. Not many so decided to clean out the fridge, dispose of the old leftovers, and put the containers in the dishwasher. That filled it up - no idea how long some of the stuff had been in there -May 29 maybe? LOL) - so turned it on and did a load. Walked through the house picking up stuff and putting things away. Got on the computer for a couple hours or so - some BYH and some business work. Then went outside to the back patio (between house and barn where new "grass" was installed) and sorted through some of the stuff left laying there for who knows how long. Found about 5 sheep halters, put them away, then took 2 portable folding halter racks to the barn and found a place for them in the barn. Then heard a lamb screaming in the creep and only saw 1 ewe so went back up the stairs from the barn and around to the other side to turn on trough water. Still couldn't see the ewe but there was one on the other side of the wire fence looking a bit lifeless so back around the barn and down 2 sets of stairs to the lower milk shed where I found the flock had relocated from the large field to the shaded area below the milk shed. They a ran back out to the large field. Then saw the missing ewe come running up the hill. So back inside and went to lay down since knee was hurting and swelling. Ice and exercises for a couple hours. Then DH got me to go get glasses. Walked a block from parking to location to pick up. Had that scary experience with the OLD WRINKLY woman in the mirror. Came home and lay down for an hour. Then up and made a corn pudding with leftover corn for dinner and got the hamburger patties ready. Corn pudding in the oven, DH, DS1 and I went to back patio and started cleaning. I sorted and tossed junk away. DS1 moved everything that needed to go to shed, barn, and milkshed. DH helped and then swept patio and washed it down. By now my leg was really swollen and hurting so I came back in to check corn pudding just as timer went off. Back out and DH and DS1 told me they didn't want me to help anymore so I came back inside and iced my knee. By this time it was badly swollen, and I could hardly lift my foot off the floor. July 1 is second visit to surgeon and will have x-rays taken first to check on progress. When the knee gets so swollen, the leg looks crooked again. Hoping it is an optical illusion due to swelling.

Today I am under orders from DS1 and DH to stay off my leg and in bed with knee up and iced. This weekend we need to tag the new lambs and turn them into the creep out of the jugs. Then we need to band the 2-month-old ram lamb we are keeping for our freezer. And over this weekend we need to retag the flock members that lost tags. 2 weeks until the inspector comes to evaluate the flock, and that needs to be done. I also have to either find the pop-up shade or borrow one from DD1 for the inspector's visit.

In the meantime, I am applying wrinkle cream twice a day in a fruitless effort to remove wrinkles. Luckily DH's new glasses must not be that correct since he says I still look good. He's my sweetie! I have found that I still look like I am in my 30's (OK OK, 40's!) without my glasses. Unfortunately I can't see where I am going, so have decided to avoid all mirrors. Like a vampire.

 

[Baymule]

Sounds like you had a pretty good day, but now you are paying for it. Laying in bed with your leg up has got to be driving you batsh!t crazy. That’s the part that I’m not looking forward to.

Your family is so used to you being this whirlwind of activity that they don’t realize that it puts you down until you are down. You don’t tell yourself no and they don’t either. Try to do a little each day. Build up your strength for when the inspector comes!

You know, it’s perfectly ok for you to give orders and supervise!

 

[Ridgetop]

A day and a half in bed with ice and the swelling has gone down a bit. Still swollen and doesn't want to bend due to swelling but another day or two with minimal walking and exercises should take care of it. Like DH said I want to be back to the way I was when my leg was working and straight. Need to be willing to go slow on recovery.

DGS1 came up yesterday and helped DS1 tag lambs and move them from the jugs to the creep. DS1 plans to retag the sheep with incorrect tags so they will be ready for the inspector. I said I would come out and hand him the tags and he shouted at me that I wasn't allowed out of bed! He assured me that he would be able to take out the wrong tags and put in the correct ones himself with help from DGS1, DS2 (if he doesnt have to work) and DH by using the chute and squeeze if necessary. He said I need to keep resting and exercising the knee so I can be up and out when the inspector comes. I need to hold the record book with the papers in it for her. I also need to be outside with her to discuss the different sheep, take notes, and hear comments. I have two weeks to recover from the overwork on the knee and get back on track to healing.

Back to bed.

 

[Mini Horses]

Well --- they are looking out for you, maybe better than you are. HOWEVER. it's a real shame that they didn't get some things done FOR you, before you got into trouble!

I'm with Bay, give orders and supervise!! Smack 'em with your cane if need be!

 

[farmerjan]

I feel for you but I didn't have the swelling problems that you seem to have. Guess I should be thankful for that. It just hurt with the bending more due to the extreme straightening of the right knee.
I still get more swelling in the left ankle than the right after being on them all day though.

That Vit E cream is also on Ebay for about $1.00 a 2 pack cheaper, with free shipping from several places. I hardly ever use Amazon as I can mostly find better deals on Ebay. Just fyi....
My scars are very good, thin and not hurting much...a little "tight" across the front of knees.... just the kneeling. Trying a lidocaine cream, think "numbing", before I go out to the garden and kneeling with the left knee on 3 flakes of straw bale with right leg bent and foot flat on ground ( think position a guy gets down on "one knee" to propose)...... somewhat bearable... still want to get down and kneel and "crawl" my way down the rows to weed like I used to....
I am almost 9 months out ; from the replacement surgery... not much strength in the right one though...
Using an "exercycle" a bit in the house to make the right muscles work more...sit on a stationary chair and using it.

 

[Ridgetop]

The heavy swelling has gone down after 3 days. My own fault for overdoing. So swollen that it was hard to do my exercises and bend the knee. The scar stretched so much when the knee was swollen that it really hurt badly. Now that the swelling is down, I can do the stretching and bending exercises better.

This morning I went out on the field with DH when he fed the sheep. I used my cane and was able to walk easily, although slowly. I did not get in the way of the sheep when DH opened their gate! Think cattle stampede on a smaller, but just as dangerous, level! He told me to stand way back which I did. Noted a couple that have not shed but have ginormous butt muscle which is good. That combo is not promising for my culling program though. It might be either/or when it comes to keeping heavy muscle or shed. I will have to see what the inspector says and what these ewes' daughters do. I might be able to keep the muscling and breed in the shedding. Depends on what is hardest to achieve.

It has been hot here - in the high 90's, and humid which makes the temp feel hotter. Temps probably won't drop for the inspector, so need to plan for am and evening inspections. Since all ewes are out of the jugs, maybe we can take a couple jugs down, run the ewes into the barn from the field and she can inspect them there. Three rams are in a smaller pen and be inspected in that pen. I will have to discuss the inspection plan with DS1. Since she is from South Africa she may be used to high temps. She is coming from Spokane which is in eastern WA which gets hot too. When she leaves, she will be flying to another flock in Reno. She will sleep inside on our LR sofa bed with A/C. Have to figure out some meals for her that will be easy to prepare - have to check the freezer. and maybe take her out one night. That only leaves 2 lunches, 2 breakfasts, and 1 supper. Can probably handle that with the Instapot. DS1 will make breakfast and we'll use cold cuts and potato salad for sandwich lunches. Will get in a cheesecake or something for dessert. I will email the arranger to make sure about dietary restrictions.

Tuesday and Thursday this week I have PT. Friday see the surgeon with xrays for him to check recovery. Hope the knee is ok and healing well. D0n;t want to have gone through this for nothing. It is not like I can return this knee joint and have the old one put back!

My potassium level is back to normal with the potassium supplements. I also stopped taking the blood pressure pill that were causing the potassium depletion according to the doctor. I didn't have high blood pressure, I had low blood pressure and those pills were supposedly to stabilize the readings. However, when I read the problems associated with the low potassium, it showed severe lack of potassium caused diabetes glucose problems, along with interference in kidney function. Since I was retaining water the doctors kept increasing the dosage of the blood pressure pills to try to monitor the water retention. With the potassium level back to normal, my glucose levels (which were showing pre-diabetic levels), and ankle swelling has decreased - probably due to return of kidney function. Incredible what the lack of a specific vitamin or mineral can do to you.

About 12 years ago I had severe abdominal pains, joint issues, and exhaustion. I got so weak that I was using one of those electric carts to grocery shop, fell asleep as soon as I sat down, could hardly walk, and DH had to drive me everywhere. After several weeks of constant blood work, the doctor discovered a severe lack of vitamin D was causing all my physical problems! Because I tan well in the summer and spend a lot of time outside he had not tested for a Vitamin D deficiency. That was around the time a couple medical papers were written saying that Caucasian women could suffer a lack of Vitamin D no matter how much time they spent in the sun! Now they check Vitamin D routinely in women middle age and older.

Anyway, better go check the freezer for spaghetti sauce - an easy meal with salad and garlic bread. I can make more sauce in the Instapot if not enough frozen.

Time to get off the computer, check several posts, and then go put my leg up again.