Friday Pet Blogging | Monk

I have not gotten around to uploading the most recent kitty pics to my Flickr account, but I do have this cute little image I snapped with my camera phone:

Otis Monks Around

Doesn't he look like a little monk? Or maybe a Jedi! Support pet blogging! View more pet blogging posts! Here are some suggestions...

More Pet Blogging See the Friday Ark, featuring a compilation of today's pet blogging posts, over at The Modulator. Check the M&O Archives for some previous Milo & Otis appearances. Carnival of the Cats, coming at you every Sunday. And one of the funniest/cutest/obsessivest (OK, I know that's not a word!) sites for cat photos, StuffOnMyCat.com is a must see. Take it from them: Stuff + Cats = Awesome!

Post-Surgery

Thanks for all the well-wishes and good thoughts. The surgery went well: No problems, surprises, or complications. My foot does hurt like the blazes, though, and I have a prescription for percocet. I honestly cannot tell if it's really doing anything. But as long as I am on the meds, I am not allowed to drive. So ... I might not be returning to work on Monday (Mrs. Brainwise has all but prohibited me from going to the office until Tuesday), but fortunately I can work from home. I'm not supposed to get the cast wet. And since the Northeast is currently being pummelled by rain, I'm pretty much in full home mode. There was, however, a brief respite from the downpours. Mrs. Brainwise took me to Doylestown so that we could get a gluten-free pizza from Jules Thin Crust. Now that was just what I needed! I have to see the doctor in about two weeks to have this cast, which feels like a heavy anchor masquerading as a boot, and some surgical clips, removed. The doctor will then re-cast my foot. I don't know if the new cast will be as heavy, but I will have to wear it for another six weeks.

Friday Pet Blogging | Foot

Friday Pet Blogging returns to Prophet or Madman! The masses rejoice! I apologize for the gap in my pet blogging posts. As you may know, my left foot is broken, and it is serious enough to require surgery. And since the Brainwise household is totally preoccupied with feet, we thought this would be a good photo to share today:

"Evil is afoot!"

Well, not evil so much as mischevious. It's Otis' foot! And it's not broken, thank goodness. Support pet blogging! View more pet blogging posts! Here are some suggestions...

More Pet Blogging See the Friday Ark, featuring a compilation of today's pet blogging posts, over at The Modulator. Check the M&O Archives for previous Milo & Otis appearances (currently up-to-date through Sept 2005. I'll finish the updates soon, I hope!). Carnival of the Cats, coming at you every Sunday.

Pre-Surgery Details

I called the hospital at 9:30am this morning as instructed... and left a message. My message was promptly returned ... at 11:14am. Let me back up a bit. I have to vent because the person who called me yesterday used the home number instead of my mobile. So there was no way for me to get the call until after 7pm or so. All she said in the messages was: "This is [name not posted]. Please call me at [number not posted] for instructions regarding your appointment this Thursday. Call me before 3:30pm today or after 9:00am tomorrow morning." First of all, I don't have an appointment scheduled for Thursday. I have surgery. It is an out-patient procedure, yes, but it is still surgery. Second, she requested that I return the call before 3:30pm. Would you like to hazard a guess as to when she dropped that message? Hmmmm? Oh, about 2:57pm. How do you like that window? I might have been able to squeeze through that window had she contacted me via cell, but ... I had to wait until this morning. So, almost two hours after I made my return call, she wins the little game of phone tag and hits me with the following instructions for my "appointment."

1. She will call me after 3pm today and give me the exact time I need to be on location at the hospital. (She doesn't know yet?!).

   Update [06-21-2006 02:18pm]: I just got off the phone. My arrival time is set for 9:15AM. Let me see ... my phone log indicates that the call came through at 2:13pm ... that means the hospital was a whole 47 minutes early in getting back to me. Whoa!

2. Location = 2nd Floor --> Surgical Short Stay. (Remember: It's a "short" stay ... now go read the next item.)
3. The procedure will take about 4 - 5 hours from start to finish. (Well, it's a good thing I cleared my schedule for this "short" stay).
4. I will need someone to "take care of me" after the procedure, and to drive me home. (I hope Mrs. Brainwise cleared her schedule, too).
5. No eating after midnight tonight ... no breakfast tomorrow. (What? No morning coffee? Well, maybe I'll be able to sleep through the procedure without any anesthesia. Ummm ... Probably not.)
6. Do not take anti-imflammatories ... no vitamins ... no supplements of any kind after midnight tonight through tomorrow.
7. I have to use a black pen or marker and write "Yes" on my left foot. (I am tempted to use a red marker to write "NO!" on my right foot ... and maybe both of my arms.)

Oh joy. [This post is a follow-up to My Left Foot.]

My Left Foot

[This post back-dated for my convenience.] As mentioned previously, I have a foot injury. On May 27, I missed the last step on my way to the basement, and my left foot landed hard on the concrete floor. I spent the rest of the weekend with the foot elevated and iced. I did get crutches, but I put off having the foot checked because [a] I knew I had an upcoming appt with my podiatrist -- ongoing treatment for arch pain in my right foot -- and [b] I have had foot injuries in the past that were sprains, and I thought this might be the case again. The following Wednesday, my podiatrist took some x-rays, and checked out the foot. He believed there was a fracture and sent me to get some MRI scans. The report from the image center confirmed my his suspicion. He referred me to a surgeon at Upper Bucks Orthopedic and Sports Medicine for a consult. I had the consult with the surgeon this past Thursday evening. Here is a quick overview of what I have going on ... I have hairline(?) fractures in the 2nd and 4th metatarsils, swelling on the 3rd metatarsil, and a ruptured tendon. But the real issue is that part of the 2nd metatarsil broke away (that underlying tendon really tried to keep it in place) and so it is popped up -- i.e., out of place. Surgery should be performed to realign the bones in my foot. This surgery will involve inserting a screw or two to hold said bones in place/position. I suppose it is considered "elective" surgery, but it is probably required if only to reduce the chances of alignment problems and arthritis down the road (will reduce the risk from 80-90% certain to only a 10% likelihood). My surgery will be scheduled for next week. At the end of the consult, the folks at the ortho place gave me a non-weight-bearing (but removable) splint/cast to use between now and the surgery. The doc really wants to minimize any internal motion. After surgery, I will be in another non-weight-bearing (but *not* removable) cast for 6 or 8 weeks. And at some point after that, there will be another procedure for going back in and removing the screws. That's right, folks ... Brainwise saw his shadow on Thursday night and the forecast calls for 6+ more weeks of crutching around. I have had to back out of a trip to Mississippi (to participate in the post-Katrina reconstruction), and quit my role in the upcoming production of "Murder at Green Meadows" with the Dutch Country Players. And right now, even MusikFest (in Bethlehem this August) and the August Black Belt training are probably out of my summer picture. ::: Sigh ::: [Follow-Up: Pre-Surgery Details]