Hello, It's Me...

Here's a leaf from our
front yard.

No, you CAN'T get rid of me.  I'm back to torture you.  Sorry.  (Not really!)

A friend texted me two months ago wondering what was going on because I hadn't posted anything here since early May.  Up to now, nothing for FIVE months.  What a slug.

That's not right, though.  It wasn't laziness, but depression, pure and simple.  It's hard enough to do the caregiving thing when it has a definite endpoint, but when it's open ended and you don't really KNOW when it will be finished, well, it wears you down.  I didn't feel much like doing anything beyond those things that absolutely MUST be done.  You know - laundry, meals, housework.  Vacuuming seemed particularly obnoxious, as was putting away clean laundry - YUCK.

Plus, there was the festive COVID pandemic.  The proverbial cherry on top.

In my last post, That Knee had once AGAIN gone septic, necessitating a trip to the emergency room and surgery to remove the "hybrid" knee replacement (a temporary prosthesis) and install yet ANOTHER antimicrobial spacer (the fourth one).  Life felt like a neverending not-so-merry-go-round.  We were back to home health care provided by ME - another six weeks of administering intravenous antibiotics, to be followed by a TENTH surgery on that same blasted knee.

We had a surgery date scheduled and went to the pre-op appointments, and the infectious disease specialist dropped a good news/bad news bombshell - six additional weeks of  IV antibiotics and no surgery until after they were finished.  The New England Journal of Medicine had published a study a couple of weeks earlier indicating that joint replacements plagued with persistent infections appear to do better with twelve, rather than six, weeks of IV antibiotics.  

Well, DUH.  What genius came up with THAT revolutionary hypothesis???  When I've had sinus infections that didn't go away with one round of antibiotics, what do they do but give me ANOTHER?  I mean, REALLY?  It's just common sense - you'd think,

I DO get it though.  I know how insurance works.  Without a published study, it won't cover a treatment that isn't part of the usual "standard of care."  So the timing was perfect for the additional round of antibiotics.

So I was still kind of tied down.  BUT...  Because the surgery was postponed for an additional ten weeks, That Knee was allowed to more fully recover from the previous surgery and build up more muscular strength again, allowing a longer time of more normal activity than after the other surgeries.

AND... We had a MONTH between the end of the antibiotics and the surgery, so we both went a little crazy trying to accomplish as much as we could, plus fit in some fun stuff before That Knee went under the knife again.

So the surgery behind us, ORAL antibiotics were prescribed for twelve weeks (the first time AFTER a surgery), and, after five weeks...so far, so good. I don't want to jinx it, but That Knee APPEARS to be healing well, and That Man says it feels better than it has in over two years.

Although in some ways it doesn't LOOK so hot - kind of like a relief map of the Grand Canyon - it WORKS, and the leg is straight - correctly aligned.  Amazing.

In the meantime, lots has happened, and I'll be catching you up on it all, but not all at once!  (I bet you're breathing a sigh of relief!)

That Darned Knee! And Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies - A New-to-Me Recipe

I haven't been posting regularly the past couple of weeks because we've had yet ANOTHER setback with The Knee That Won't Cooperate.  

After the first replacement, infection, debridement, wound vac, once-a-day IV antibiotics (administered by yours truly, about five minutes each time), removal of the knee implant, installation of an antimicrobial spacer, twice-a-day IV antibiotics (again, administered by yours truly, taking about 1 1/2 hours each time), and finally a new replacement, more infection was discovered three weeks ago.  So, out came the nice new implant and another spacer took its place.  

Now I'm giving yet another IV antibiotic, this time by the old-fashioned drip method, three times a day, over four hours each time, which means I have to do something with the IV every four hours, around the clock.  Can you imagine being hooked up to an IV bag twelve hours a day?  UGH.  I don't know whether I'd have the patience.

Anyway, it's getting really, really OLD.

And on top of that, my tomato plants are PRODUCING, so I'm also trying to fit in canning sessions.  I have a couple dozen of the monster tomatoes waiting for me on the kitchen counter, and a bunch more staring at me from the garden through the back windows.  The plants look more and more disreputable, and the tomatoes look more and more red, ripe, and HUGE every day.

But for something different, I decided to try a new cookie recipe.  After all, cookies are pretty quick and easy, and these just sounded interesting.  That Man has been scarfing them down, so I guess that's a pretty good endorsement!

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/8 c (1 c plus 2 T) all-purpose flour

1/2 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 c refrigerated butter, diced

1/4 c granulated sugar

1/2 c dark brown sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1/2 t vanilla extract

1 1/2 c (7-oz bag) Decas Farms Julienne Cut Baking Cranberries

1 c white chocolate chips (the original recipe called for 1/2 c, but, hey, chocolate!)

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter, then add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat well.  Slowly add the flour mixture and blend.  Stir in the cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheets, leaving about an inch between them.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes.  Allow to cool on the cookies sheets before removing.