Wenshu Temple and Grounds

Chengdu, China. My friend Max took a trip there recently and this photo is one of many exquisite shots he took of the gardens and walls and temple. Look at the color and form and pattern; just so entirely pleasing.

Still in the recovery center. I've officially passed the two week mark, which is longer than I was in for the original knee replacement surgery. The staff is being very attentive, which is nice, but they make me get up when I don't want to. They changed up my sleep meds on me and they are leaving me groggy in the morning, so I have to get them changed back to the original formula.

Bindi is with my dog trainer and her two dogs, Achilles and Peeve. I feel my doggie is safer and doing better with two of her own species to hang out with all day, and of course she prefers the bigger dog to romp with. I was not happy with the dog walker coming in just two times a day for one half hour, and then
Bindi being left alone all night with just Misty. Now poor Misty is alone, as Camilla is boarded, but I think she can handle it better. Camilla I'm sure is not too happy but she needs to be in a place where she can get her two medications. I know! She can come stay here with me!! And we'll get our meds together!! I've been fantasizing about the ideal recovery center, because of course this is not it, and it certainly would include a small petting zoo.

Sleep

When you go to sleep with a box of chocolates under your pillow, and a kiss made from the blue sky itself on your lips, I can almost assure you will have a dream like no other. I can even explain this dream to you, and if you have this dream you will see that I have not lied. But there is only one way to invoke your mind to dream this dream; and that is to sleep with a box of chocolates beneath your pillow and a kiss made from the blue sky itself on your lips.

--IKA

Day 11 in, then out, of the hospital.

Am in rehab now, but physically not much less pain than being in the hospital. All very confusing.

Day 8 in the Hospital.

Still lots of knee pain and stiffness. They put in the PICC line tomorrow, and then do the white blood cell scan on Tuesday, then maybe they will let me go home. I'm very scared that the six weeks of antibiotics will not work and they'll have to do surgery afterall on the knee. I've had visitors but still feel alone.

ughhhhhhh

I'm back in the hospital. On Sunday i started experiencing extreme pain in my left knee, then chills, throwing up, fever. A friend came over and I was in too much pain to even try to get into her car to go to the Emergency Dept. and we called an ambulance. At the ED they pumped me full of morphine, dilaudid, did an agonizing knee fluid puncture, and admitted me. I've been here since.

Although I do not have have an absolute diagnosis and the doctors are still not done doing their echocardiograms of my heart, MRI's, blood cultures, determining antibiotics, and the like, my knee is much less painful, and the other symptoms have disappeared. The doctors do think I have some kind of staph infection, altough they do not know which one and they do not know how the orthopedists will want to do handle the knee involvement.

I'm taking it day by day and trying not to be freaked out.