THANKSGIVING WEEK 2013

Shannon and kids  are staying with us this week as their house is all taken apart for remodel and new roof...They enjoyed La Jolla Cove beaches ! It is a lot crazy at my house currently....

Dads surgery

Yesterday dad had to be in Torrey Pines [ by the S.D. Temple ] at Scripps Green Hospital at 10:30 a.m. for 12:30 surgery.  Dr. Rosen was the surgeon..he is young and good looking and is fascinated by what he does. { He was kind of excited that it was not a routine case.}   After the surgery he came and found me in the waiting room and told me it went well though not quite as expected.  There was a bone spur still attached to the top piece of the Achilles tendon...the bottom  piece was sliced down the length of it by the bone spur..and there were other bone spurs he smoothed out.  He had to repair the bottom piece before he could attach it to the top piece...some where in there he referred to a screw.   He said there is another side tendon that is not used much except to repair fingers, so he wrapped that  around the Achilles a few times and attached it at the base to support it better.  Dad took over 2 hours to wake up.  We go back Nov. 27th .  Hopefully the surgical site will be pretty healed and not Infected {which is common in this surgery }.  He has to keep it elevated at least as high as his chest until then.  He is off work for 4 weeks..but we did bring his work laptop home for him to work when he can.  We got a temporary disabled sign for the car, good until March 31st 2014.  He is lying around in different configurations sleeping because of the pain pills...  He will have several casts..each changing the angle of the foot until he can handle 90 degrees angle { normal}  Dr. Rosen  showed me the "housewife exam" to tell if it is  an Achilles tear..dad on his stomach..good leg up, see foot at 90 degree angle, squeeze calf...foot moves...good reflex action.    Then, bad leg up...foot is not up at an angle...straight across and toes slightly down...squeeze calf...the tiniest of movement ....means BAD Achilles !  Hope we can get along okay through all this !  I am the nurse.

ruptured achilles

Bill stepped up onto a curb wrong and heard a pop last Wed. night.  He came home from his business trip a day early and went to the Dr.all by himself..(.that shows how bad it hurt.)   They did an x ray and told him nothing was wrong...try to stay off it. ( ya right. ) Saturday we went to visit  Isaac, Amy and Anders.  Isaac checked it over and told us he needed an MRI and an orthopedic Dr.because  it was a torn Achilles.  Monday he called the primary  Dr. for a referral to an orthopedic Dr.  He  got the referral  Wed.   The first appointment to see an orthopedic Dr. was 3 weeks later !!!  I was not handling this well.  April's friend had an Achilles rupture and April suggested he go to Instacare because her friend  got an MRI fast by going there.  Thursday I picked Bill up from work at 3:45 and informed him we were not going to the temple...but to Scripps urgent care Rancho Bernardo.  The admitting clerk commented on why didn't he just wait and heal the 3 weeks until that appointment.  The nurse suggested another x ray because if you take them too soon they can not always  tell until something shifts...I told her our son Isaac is a Dr. of physical therapy and he examined it and said it was the Achilles...and we needed an MRI.  We got a great woman Dr. who believed what we told her !!!!!!!!!   She had him lay on his stomach with his feet hanging off the table and squeezed his calf on the hurt side...no movement of the foot.  She squeezed the calf on the right leg and the foot flexed....she said that is the layman's test for an Achilles problem.  She scheduled the MRI ...we only waited an hour for that !!  We went back up to urgent care and waited for the MRI reader to come.  We were waiting when the first nurse who suggested another x ray came by and said...you have a very smart son !!  The Dr. came and told us, yes it is a ruptured Achilles...the other nurses and Drs. were saying ... call your son and tell him he is so right !  They were so impressed, probably because Bill does not appear to be in great pain..he blocks it out and keeps going !!   They put on a splint and gave him crutches and told him to not put ANY weight on it.  They told us to expect a call from the orthopedic Dr. today to set up his appointment. Not bad for a $20.00 co pay and 4 hours and 25 minutes !!  I highly recommend Scripps urgent care Rancho Bernardo !!  They really have their act together !