Waking Up on Pins & Needles...

Well, here I am... after being wheeled into the room post-op... Mr. Sunshine!

I'm writing to you now from the confines of my parent's house. So yes, my friends, I have been discharged! Whoo hoo!

We have a lot of catching up to do in the meantime! What a week it has been... who knew I'd start the week off by getting ready to run a Half Marathon, and end it on my back and with numerous wires and pins in my knee.

While I'm still heavily drugged up, and as I'm groggily typing each word, I've been encouraged by my good friend Laura here that NOW is the perfect time to rehash all of the greatest moments... and my thoughts and opinions of each of them. So get ready for one loopy ride...

I didn't sleep very well Tuesday night. Even though I went to bed at a decent hour, I was a bit distracted from sleep as I thought about the knives and flaps and blood and anything else going into or around my knee for the surgery. I also thought about my mom not knowing, and how THAT was going to go... hmmm...

We got down to Medical City around 7:30 AM. Mel showed up to keep Chandra and I company, and brought some stuff for Chandra to stay entertained while I was off in La La Land. This was an area called PreAdmission Registration Services.... or something like that. Basically, "Day Surgery."

From there, they had me get into my fancy hospital gown and then wheeled me (bed and all) into the Adult Holding area. This is the place where you sit in a room that looks like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise waiting for drugs and last minute consultations with your doctor, nurses, and anestegiologist.

While I was lying there, a nurse by the name of "Soupy" hooked up my IV. She had a very cheerful personality... so much so that she cracked herself up, as well as the both of us. At one point she said she'd be back to hook up my catheter... "Uh, I don't need no stinkin' catheter, Soupy!!!" (Thankfully, Soupy didn't have to do that for me...)

After they wheeled me from Chandra, I remember me arriving in a room that didn't look like an operating room at all... it looked more like the maintenance room! I was asked to think of the vacation spot I would like to be at right now...

The next thing I remember was being in Recovery. THAT was a painful time... the meds had worn off and my knee was killing me, and they needed me to tell them what medication was working (and not working). I not only felt the ache of the knee, but the stinging of the wound! Yikes!

They eventually wheeled me into room 611 - a private room outside the nurse's station. Chandra was in there (snapping that picture above) and was a great friend to act as my personal Public Relations guru. You have no idea how big of a job that entails when everyone and their mother's brother wants to be updated...

Due to an elderly patient in his 90s, they asked to move me to a larger room - 624. That was a nicer one because it also had more chairs and a couch.

Dr. Rutherford stopped by to tell me that the Patella had a good piece and a bad piece. The good one, sitting just inside my thigh, took most of the anchor for the damaged piece. They removed about 1/3 of the other piece because it was mostly "gravel." Nice, huh? They used wire wrapped around both in a figure 8, and then inserted a pin.

For the next 3 hours, I was pretty well jacked up. I remember friends coming by (Mel, David, Stephen) and family calling (mom, sister)... but geez louise was I on some kind of crazy trip. Not only was I taking a very strong pain pill (2) every 4 hours, but I was on a morphine drip... that I could control if I wanted more!

Everyone left around 8ish that night and I pretty much had one wild and crazy night of sleep... or, more specifically, napping for a few hours and then dealing with the nurses that would come in and check on me. The staff was outstanding... everyone made me feel like I was their only patient. And I tried to make sure they knew my gratitude.

At 4:45 AM, I awoke to a nurse saying, "Good morning... I'm here to draw some of your blood." Well, that CERTAINLY is a good morning wake-up call! A few hours later, a new nurse arrived to give me my first ever shot... in the stomach! That's an interesting feeling to say the least.

Thursday was a rough day... I had my first physical therapy session (walking on crutches in the hallway) and it didn't go well at all. I didn't make the "lap" that they needed me to do, and I was pouring sweat. After visiting with my doctor, and talking it over with my mom, we decided it was best that I stay another night since I was still needing the pain meds.

I had another PT session that afternoon, but I still didn't make that lap. My mom left around 5ish, and I got settled in for another evening of trying to get comfortable with a big pain in my leg.

Have I talked about the food yet? Wow... it's very good. The first night I had a grilled chicken breast, asparagus, and wild rice. Last night I opted for chicken fried steak, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans. I also had a salad.

After dinner, I was pretty dang sleepy. About 8:30 I turned out the lights... but by 9 I was back up. I was very hot last night, so it made for a rough night of sleeping.

Had another shot in the stomach this morning, and found out I was getting discharged today! Yea! I had another PT session with Rudo this morning - she was fantastic - and I made 2 laps! One with the crutches, and one with a walker.

After a shower (sweet aroma goodness!), we checked out. Joel drove me home while I laid across the back seat. Once we got home, Laura showed up with my luggage/stuff from Chandra's and the OKC Marathon... and brought a walker.

Yes, my friends, I'm on a walker. However, it is awesome! No tennis balls on it, but it sure does help me with my balance and maneurvability.

So, how am I really? I'm very tired... I know a lot of you want to talk with me, but emails are really good for me now because I can get back to them when I have the stamina. Now that the blog is up and running, check here first for updates.

Thanks for all of your support... it means more than I can truly express.

My New "Marathon"....

Well, tomorrow I begin another "marathon," so to speak. It's my new goal... my new objective...

Hopefully, soon, I can begin walking on my left leg again... to walk normally! What a goal, huh? Who would have thought "that" just a few days ago? On Sunday I was ready to run 13.1 miles. Now, I just want to walk without the use of crutches.

In my mind, I know it's going to be a long journey. I know that with the support of family and friends, I can do this. My attitude is to be positive throughout the negativity. And Lord knows I can be a "doom and gloom" guy... but not this time. I can't...

So here I am... the night before going under the knife... am I nervous? Afraid? How am I really feeling?

Honestly, I'm ready. I didn't get to run my marathon on Sunday. I had to listen to the runners in the distance start their race. Well, this is my time... my race... and it all begins tomorrow morning!

My surgery begins at 10:00 AM. It should last 2 hours, and then I should be out of Recovery by 1:00 PM. I've supplied email addresses (the ones I have here on my personal computer) to Chandra. She will be sending out an update after speaking with the doctor while I'm in the recovery room. If you don't receive anything by 3, just start asking others if you think they may know by then... again, my apologies if you don't receive anything.

Finally, I just want to say it again: Thanks. Thanks to everyone for your concern. I know I put myself "out there" by writing this blog about my running... so, since I have done that already, I figured I needed to keep everyone in the loop on the recovery aspect.

So I have a different type of "running" to go through. But you know what? In the end, maybe I'll reach that point where I can run again...

It all begins tomorrow... I'll be lining up in my own personal starting gate!

"On your mark... get set...."

Meet My Surgeon...

Charles S. Rutherford, M.D.

Orthopedic Associates of Dallas

Dr. Rutherford received his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in 1980. His general surgery internship and orthopedic residency was completed at the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond. Dr. Rutherford then completed an adult joint reconstructive fellowship at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. He specializes in total joint replacement and revision surgery with an emphasis in the hip and knees. Dr. Rutherford is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Texas Southwestern Medical School. Dr Rutherford is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery, the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, and the Southern Orthopaedic Association. Along with Dr. Highgenboten, is a member of a small group of orthopedic surgeons from around the nation involved with the development of minimally invasive unicompartmental knee replacement techniques which allow much quicker recovery than seen with typical knee replacement surgery.

Life is All About Making Adjustments...

For those that know me, you know I don't like change. In fact, "change" isn't a big word in my vocabulary. I like "structure," "order," and "consistency."

Lying on my side under that pickup on Sunday and looking at that deformity that once was my knee, I knew then things were about to change.

It was pretty much confirmed yesterday after speaking with the doctor. This was going to be a long process of recovery. What was once normal is no more... and won't be for quite some time.

To say I'm "independent" would be a mild statement. I love my privacy, I like being by myself, and I try and go out of my way at times to do things without the help of others.

"Ch-Ch-Cha-Changes...."

I'm looking at everything now and saying, "OK... let's go with it." I can't turn back time, I can't make this go away, and I certainly am not going to have a pity party for myself because of this latest "event" in my life. Nope... I'm moving forward. But to do that, I have to accept reality and be open to change. In essence, it's time to embrace the "adjustments" to everything I knew beforehand...

Life as I once knew it is gone. I can't get up and go get something quickly... it's a process. Before moving, I have to map out my plan. If I'm by myself, I have to figure out how I'm going to lift my leg and adjust my body as it's going down. If someone is around, I try and get their help because they can lift at the ankle... which feels a little better than when I do it from the thigh.

I pretty much eat standing up now in the kitchen... putting my weight on that right leg and supporting myself with my crutches. Chandra has been great to prepare my meals, bring me drinks (I'm drinking a ton of water for some reason), and getting things for me that I realize are on the other side of the house.

Moving is a lengthy effort. I move pretty dang slowly... let's just say if I need to take a "break" during a commercial, the commercial is well over by the time I return to the couch.

Bathing? Have you ever thought about if you lost the use of one of your legs, what would you do? At first, the Heman in me thought, "Oh, I'll just balance on my right leg while in the shower." Well, since my lack of balance got me into this situation, then that ain't gonna happen. Even thinking about getting down into a tub (or getting out) seems out of the question. So the solution has been to use these "night-time baby wipes" that Chandra had left over from when her niece was here. Godsend! But still, I hate that I haven't fully showered since Saturday.

I mastered the art of sleeping with my leg propped up last night... I think. Now I keep the blankets on the side and pull them over right to left instead of at the foot of the bed. Makes it a bit easier when I have to get up and back in.

But overall, it's the sheer dependence on others that is so foreign to me. Yesterday at the hospital I realized how much I've leaned on Chandra and others. When someone could help me, it was so much easier. When I was doing things by myself, it was even more painful.

How is the pain by the way? It's constant... that's about the best word I can say. However, it ranges from a little bit of intensity to a lot. When it's getting to the "a lot" phase, I know I'm ready for more pills.

Waking up both mornings, I've had a headache. I think it's because the blood has gone downward from my leg. But, once I get moving, headache is gone.

Today the plan is for me to just rest up/get ready for the surgery tomorrow. From the "Too Much Information" department, I'm allowed to wear my underwear during surgery. However, I don't have any with a button in the fly and yours truly doesn't want the world to get to know him THAT well... so we'll be making a purchase today.

I'm responding to emails and phone calls as best as I can. The blog helps to keep people informed of what is going on... and it seems to explain more of the details. I've heard from a lot of people since displaying the X-Ray. I have pics from the race (more hospital ones, too), but I don't have the software I need to display the pics on my site. I'll post those at a later date.

Other than that, I'm just lying here on the couch next to a dog that sleeps more than any dog I've ever known. While I'm not much of a dog person, Zeus is a good dog. He likes to come check on me every once in a while, then goes back to sleep.

Just one more adjustment in my life... ha!

A Recap of My Kneecap...

First and foremost, thank you to all of my friends and family who have reached out to me today. Wow... what a support group! In times like this, you really REALLY know who cares about you... I truly am blessed.

Last night was pretty miserable - not used to being immobilized while trying to sleep. I slept for about 2 hours and then would be reminded of what had happened. Percocet is really good, but man oh man does it give you some crazy dreams!

I started calling the Orthopedic Surgeon at 8:30 AM... and I was fortunate to get an appointment at 11:00. Chandra and I hit the road about 10:15... and headed toward Medical City Dallas Hospital.

I assumed this would be like most doctor's offices... sign in, wait for 45 minutes, etc etc etc. Not this place... I signed in and within 3 minutes the Dr. came out and asked to see me.

He and his assistant asked me a bunch of questions, then set up the X-Ray. To do that, they took off the brace and ace bandage... so now I got to see my knee, in all its glory, for the first time since yesterday morning.

The first thing you would notice is the swelling. It's about the size of a softball. Then there are the scrapes and scratches (abrasions) from when I hit the curb... and then the bruising.

But what struck me immediately was the lack of support I had - it literally felt like my foot was pulling my leg apart when I stood up. Meandering down the hallway on the crutches, I think the technician was losing her patience a tad. Like, "Hey buddy... hurry it up!" She didn't say that, but that's kinda how I felt. Well, I was going as fast as I could, about a hair over a snail's pace, due to the crazy streaks of pain shooting up through the entire leg!

After she got me on the table, and I informed her that I literally could not pick up my leg and would require her assistance, she took the photographs. Well, I knew it must be bad from her reaction - she had made a 180 in her attitude. "Oh my gosh we are NOT moving that knee!" I said, "So the pictures were pretty good, eh?" On my return back to the room, she helped me all the way...

So, that's what you're seeing up there... a picture of my knee. Basically, your Patella is supposed to be one bone. It connects your thigh muscles to your lower leg and acts as a fulcrum to pull up the lower leg when one needs to bend that knee. Notice the gap? Well, there's no connection... so I can't lift my leg.

The surgery is scheduled for this Wednesday morning at Medical City. Should take 2 hours, and then 1 hour in Recovery. They are going to hold me overnight, and hopefully I'll be discharged on Thursday.

The rest of the day was spent gallivanting around the hospital... or just hobbling really really slowly. I can't tell you how many nice people I met today. You see, Chandra had to leave to go to a presentation. I had to get admitted for Wednesday. So, being on my own, I guess people just took a little pity in me.

I'm pretty sore tonight. The time at the hospital went a lot longer than I expected, so I was away from my pain meds. I plan to just sit on this couch with my leg propped up... and enjoy the meds.

So, how does the rest of my year look? After the surgery, in 2 weeks I'll come back to get the stitches out. I'll then receive a knee brace that has hinges. I think every 2 weeks they'll unlock a hinge so I'll slowly but surely get more mobility.

Recovery is supposed to take 4-5 months. In 9 months, I return for another surgery. This one will remove the wires. Oh boy...

Thanks again for those who have been supporting me. It really means a lot...

I think I need to start a new blog: RecoveringToBlog.com.

Oh, and my parents still don't know... they will get home Wednesday night, after my surgery. We think we'll tell them Thursday morning.

Un-Freakin-Believable...

"Hey... what happened to the text messages? I never received an update..."

I have heard this question a lot to day. As you can see from the picture, we had a bit of a problem today... I really only need to tell the story once, so here you go:

The day began at the crack of dawn... 4:15 AM for me, personally. I had a difficult night sleeping with the anticipation of running 13.1 miles.

Chandra, David, and I had planned to meet at 5:05 AM and catch the 5:15 shuttle in front of our hotel to the starting line. Sometimes, good plans just don't go as planned...

After waiting for over 30 minutes for the bus with 50 of our fellow runners, we decided to drive it. The race was less than an hour away... so I ran upstairs, grabbed my car keys, and off we went.

Immediately we were hit with a lot of "race traffic" near the Memorial. This delayed us a bit... so much that we struggled to find a parking space (again, which we hadn't planned on since we were thinking we'd be taking a shuttle). It was now about 6:00 AM... the clock is ticking.

We found one in a field where we thought it was parking lanes for the participants. However, we, along with dozens of others, were mistaken. These "lanes" were actually PVC pipe for a future sprinkler system. We parked there anyway... and felt really bad about it.

We hurriedly walked to the Memorial with hundreds of others. It seemed a bit chaotic to say the least. We found Laura and Matt, but had to make a quick "break" as we needed a pre-race potty stop. Not finding any port-o-potties, we went into First Church, the one at the base of the Memorial that has a huge impact on the race. "Pancakes Pancakes Pancakes!!!"

Well, we couldn't afford to eat any pancakes... we were in a rush. It was now approaching 6:20 and we hadn't even stretched yet.

Chandra and I headed towards our spots, along with dozens of others, but we were blocked by barriers. We rounded the building and again were faced by barriers. Seeing others jump them, we decided this was what we needed to do...

Wrong decision...

As Chandra was hopping over, I was attempting to "carefully" leap over mine. The barriers were a bit taller than I expected... for some reason, my foot got caught and I headed straight downward.

Instead of landing on my head, I instinctively tried to catch myself... well, I caught myself in a big way. As I hit the pavement, I knew I landed badly. A numbing shock went through my entire body. I heard gasps from a group of women sitting nearby. My first reaction was "embarrassment."

If you were standing nearby and saw this happen, you would have witnessed me landing on the curb... with my knee.

As I tried to stand, I noticed my leg wasn't bending... and then I saw it. My left knee...

To say it was deformed would be putting it a tad mildly. Chandra saw it and immediately started saying, "Regan sit down! Regan... don't look at it! Get down!"

All I could do was to lie down behind a pickup truck as others came running to help me. My knee looked as if someone had hit it with a hammer... there was a pit where my kneecap was supposed to be.

That kneecap? It now was residing in my lower thigh. Sorry for the gruesome details, but that's what was going on. As crazy as this sounds, I thought, "Why can't I just stand up and push this back in... I have a race to start." Maybe I was in shock...

I couldn't believe this. I'm lying on the ground under a pickup and listening to the start of the race happening... and I wasn't going to participate.

I looked at Chandra and said, "Just go... don't worry about me." I felt bad that she was going to miss out on her race due to my stupidity. Of course, she wasn't going to leave me.

The next set of events are kind of a blur... We tried using someone's phone and calling my phone because David had it, but no answer. A call went out to 911. The ladies prayed over me. Chandra ran around the building to go find our friends. People constantly walking by and staring at "the man with the deformed knee."

The ambulance arrived and the EMT girl asked me several questions. She said, "You don't look like you're in pain. Are you in shock because that looks very painful." I said I hadn't extended the leg yet so I wasn't sure where the pain would be.

Little did I know that Laura was having a hard time seeing me in this condition. I saw Chandra's watery eyes. Good grief, was I dying? But I guess if the shoes were on the other foot, I'd probably be feeling the exact same way...

They got me into the ambulance, and off to the hospital I went. In my first ever ambulance ride (whoo-hoo!), I was asked even more questions and the pain started to arrive just as we arrived at the hospital - Hello Demerol!

At the hospital, I had a ton of questions and of course I tried to show a little humor from this... "Yes... I didn't do this running IN the race but running TO the race." Then several nurses came in to look at the knee and told me how painful of a recovery I should be expecting... awesome. They were nice enough to turn the TV on for me - which was showing the Marathon. Son-of-a...!!!

A doctor arrived and started feeling around and said that he could feel my kneecap in different places... oh the news was just getting better. X-Rays were taken and it was confirmed - I have 2 kneecaps now. One is in my thigh and the other is someplace else. Probably in my ankle.

My knee was now swollen pretty good. They gave me more Demerol and then discharged me because there was nothing they could do... I need an Orthopedist. My friends took over big-time.

They ferried me to Walgreens to fill my Percocet prescription, bought some pillows for me, and helped pack me up in my hotel room. Laying in the back of a car, I was now ready to go back to Dallas for the 3-hour tour... the 3-hour tour...

I'm now living at Chandra's house. She has put me up (I tried to fight and say I'm fine and I can do this on my own, but she won out), fed me, and pretty much has become an extra appendage to me...

So, how am I really feeling?

Physically, I've got some pain to say the least. It ranges from a 2 to an 8 on a scale of 10... I had a nap this afternoon, so that helped. My ankle has swollen. Oh, and the "best" part is now I'm putting weight on my right leg... the one that has been giving me the recent troubles. I'm on crutches, I have a brace that extends from my upper thigh to my ankle, and my knee is wrapped up very tight.

Emotionally, I'm pretty frustrated/discouraged. I don't have to get into all of that now... I think it's pretty self-explanatory. And I feel stupid... stupid for rushing and not considering I was about to make a dumb mistake.

Tomorrow the plan is to call an Orthopedist. The ER doctor says I will need surgery... guess I can't "wish" my kneecaps to come back together. Hopefully something can happen before noon tomorrow.

I obviously can't drive, and I'm finding that crutches aren't a lot of fun.

My folks are out of town this week... so Chandra is my Florence Nightengale. I'm pretty sure my mom is going to flip when she finds out all of this.

The Night Before...

Well, it's the night before and we've had a long day. It's about 9:30, so it's getting close to having to turn the lights out. Have to be up at "dark-thirty" to make sure we're down at the Memorial for a 6:30 start time!

Chandra, David, and I drove up today... arriving just after noon. We made it to Bricktown and found a restaurant at the OKC ballpark: Coaches. Let's just say I would NOT recommend this place - terrible food and service.

After filling our bellies, we headed over to the Expo in the convention center. It was pretty crowded, but not as large as Nashville... and certainly not as large as the Chicago Marathon. Very friendly folks, though.

Next we checked into our hotel, made a quick change, and headed back down to Bricktown. We had a lazy afternoon at a bar called Tapwerks. It was really good - service and beer selection!

Dinner was a bit of work... we faced a 2-hour wait at Rios. Chandra found some place called Italianos in northern Oklahoma City... next to a Pizza Hut! Ha! Anyway, it was really good... lots of pasta for the carbs we'll be using tomorrow.

Now I'm back in the hotel room... I bought an ice pack and have been trying to freeze my leg. I've attached my bib number to my shirt, and my chip to my shoe. I decided on the right one since I know I'll be focused on that side anyway...

The weather is terrible - very windy. They are interupting the TV tonight with all kinds of weather warnings. Rain is predicted throughout the race... strong wind, too. Chandra said she saw "hail"is exected. Awesome...

So this is it. Wow... in less than 12 hours I should be finished with 13.1 miles of running. Throught rain, sleet, sun, or hail...

Great googly moogly...!!!