Please click on the link below and vote for my mom Karen King. You can vote multiple times per day as long as it is from a DIFFERENT computer. Voting ends May 5th. The top 3 win a make over at a spa, a gift certificate to a hotel and make a TV appearance. She is beyond deserving of having a special day!! She has been there every step of the way with all of this surgery. Thank you for your votes in advance!!
http://www.nbcchicago.com/on-air/contests/Mothers-Day-Make-Over-Voting-2013-203223861.html
I want to say thank you to everyone for all of the well wishes after I found out I was having this surprise surgery on April 10th. Talk about being thrown for a loop! I figured I would end up with another surgery, but I didn't think it would be the next day after seeing my doctor. It has been a roller coaster of emotions since finding out I was having this surgery. So many various things have happened. It has really tested my patience and ability to just go with the flow.
Before being rolled back for surgery 23
After my shoulder surgery, I was told one of the anchors popped, as well as a suture. Not to mention all of the scar tissue that I had. I had a subacromial decompression as well as a subcoracoid decompression. The "cherry on top" was finding out I have stage 4 arthritis...just wonderful...not. The loud, audible pop that I felt back in January was the anchor popping. It had been poking me for the past 9 weeks of physical therapy that I was doing. No wonder pt hurt so much. This is another perfect example of why it is so important to listen to your body. My MRI showed once again there was zero wrong. Seems to be an ongoing theme with my MRIs.
Pictures of some of the junk that was found in my shoulder
Physical therapy started the day after surgery. I went for a week and a half, two times per day while I was in Colorado. Since nothing was actually repaired, just more cleaned out, recovery was not bad at all. It actually didn't really feel like I had a surgery. I didn't have a large open incision, and it was absolutely nothing in comparison to all of the previous surgeries I have had. There was an immediate difference in physical therapy with the way my shoulder felt. I don't have this sharp, catching, knife-like feeling with every little, basic shoulder motion. Ex: attempting to get my arm up to write on the table.
Motion out to side before surgery
Motion moving my arm forward
The following week, my motion was back to where it was pre-pop on March 28th. This is a very good thing because it means I haven't lost any motion from this surgery. At the same time, it makes me concerned because I still have this sharp pain over where the top screw is in my shoulder at the same point I did before surgery. Hopefully through continuing to work really hard at physical therapy, we will be able to get my motion past this point. I know my shoulder is always going to hurt to some extent because of the arthritis.
Between all of the physical therapy, my mom and I would go for a walks in the village. While we were in Colorado, we received a snowstorm. The one day we got 16 inches of snow and then a couple days later we were hit with more snow. Since we didn't have to drive in it we didn't really care. The snow made everything look very pretty with the mountains in the background. We would cook food in the condo and watch the snow fall outside. It was relaxing.
My mom
View of the creek
Just me. The view was so pretty.
Two days before we were supposed to fly home to the flat state of Illinois on April 18th, my mom received a phone-call from our family that our dog Katie had died. It was very unexpected. My sister brought her to the vet because she was throwing-up and was not her usual self. The vet kept her for a few hours to give her fluids because she seemed to have the flu. They called my sister at lunchtime to tell her Kate is responding well to the fluids and can be picked up in a few hours. Soon after that, things went south really fast. They let Kate out to go to the bathroom before she got picked up. She ran after the birds and barked like loon like she usually does at the squirrels. It was her favorite thing to do. When they brought her back inside the building, she took two steps and collapsed. The vet did an ultrasound of her heart and found a cancerous tumor called a hematosarcoma that filled up 90% of her right atrium. The vet said she had never seen one that large and never met a dog that lived with so much life. Kate had such a happy life and a will to live is what we were told. She went out on her own terms doing the thing she loved most. Barking at the squirrels.
On the left is Katie and on the right is Daisy. We were
told Katie had this tumor in her heart for at least 3 years.
Daisy moved into our home around the same time. Daisy
helped keep Katie around all these years. She reminded
Kate what it was like to have fun.
The following day, I still had physical therapy in the morning and in the afternoon. I'm sure I looked tired but my CO therapist doesn't know that my dog died. I went to my appointments focused and worked hard. During those appointments we woke up muscles that I forgot I had. I was so sore the next couple days but it was a good sore. Not the "Oh no something is wrong" sore. The following day my mom and I flew back home to Illinois. I will do physical therapy here for a few weeks while we make arrangements to stay out in Colorado for a couple months. The next few months will be difficult but I am confident that I will get better than I was before this surgery. Again, thank you for all the support.
A fundraising page was created to help with medical expenses. If you would like to donate follow the link below. Thank you!!
From the shock and surprise of Meg's latest surgery to the high of being selected as one of the "Final Five" contestants on NBC Chicago's Mothers Day Makeover (that my very thoughtful daughter submitted to honor me) to the lowest of lows loss of our dear sweet Airedale Katie. Needless to say, it has been an emotional rollercoaster for our family! I just wanted to say "Thank You" to all of our family and friends (old & new) who have taken the time to comment and encourage us on this journey. Words just can't express how thankful and appreciative we are for ALL of you. Thanks again & many blessings wished your way!!
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