Last day of 2010

Image taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_replacement

Well finally the year is coming to an end, only a few hours left of 2010. What a full-on year it has been for me. We started the year searching for a new place to live and finding a new house. Work-wise was incredibly busy, not only the everyday busy, but we had to shift buildings, all the packing, arranging, cleaning, re-arranging, decorating and getting used to the new place. I also had established a tutoring business with 11 students, which I hope to continue in the new year and to top it all off I completed 6 units at University and I did all of this with a painful hip and a limp. To end the year I had a total hip replacement at a very young age (like everyone keeps telling me and making me feel like a freak). This x-ray is not mine is a borrowed image from Wikipedia, but this is what mine may look like now. The surgery went well and I am now recovering. I suppose this was a successful year in many ways, but it was exhausting and I am incredibly tired. I just sleep in everyday, do my hip exercises and vege-out the rest of the day...no...wait a minute...I forgot I am still studying over the Summer so I have one unit to complete and assignments to write. To be honest I haven't done much yet and I have to get started. Not today though, not today. Today is a day to celebrate the good and to put aside the bad of 2010 and to look forward to a better 2011, which will be also extremely busy for me with units to complete at Uni and practicums to carry out, Anton will start University, Ric will continue to work extremely hard, but I am predicting it will be a changing year for us, with lots of adjustments and many challenges yet our love and care for each other will sees us through. Good bye 2010...thank you for everything :)

Staples removal

I thought I only had a few staples at either end of the wound, but it turned up that I had staples all along it. They were so many! It was a bit uncomfortable when the nurse removed them, but it didn't really hurt. Now I feel a bit better as I realise the staples were restricting my movement a little bit. The doctor told me I was doing really well by walking with one crutch after only 16 days from my operation. I feel okay. But I still miss the beach!

Pense que tenia solo un par de ganchitos en cada punta de la herida, pero resluto que tenia ganchitos a todo lo largo. Tenia tantos! Fue un poco molesto cuando la enfermera me los saco, pero no me dolio. Ahora me siento un poco mejor, me di cuenta de que los ganchitos restringian un poco el movimiento. El doctor me dijo que estaba re bien caminando solo con una muleta despues de solo 16 dias de operarme. Me siento bastante bien. Pero todavia extrano la playa!

Los vegetales explotan

La cosecha de verduras para ensalada estuvo super ayer. Las lechugas estan que explotan como asi tambien la albahaca. Las plantas de tomate estan altisimas y los pepinos ya empezaron a dar. Es increible que distinta es la lechuga de la quinta a la compramos en la verduleria. Esta lechuga parece de papel de tierna que es y es tan rica! Lo unico que crece muy lentamente son los zapallitos...quiza este no es el clima adecuado, por otro lado las plantas de zucchini estan tan grandes que van a usurpar todo el terreno.

The harvest of veggies for our salad was fantastic yesterday. The lettuces are bursting and the basil is too. The tomato plantas are getting really tall and the cucumbers started to fruit. It's really incredible how different the lettuce is from the one you get at the shops. Our lettuce is so tender that it seems like paper and it's so tasty! The only thing that is not growing well are the "argentinian zapallitos" perhaps this is not the best climate for them. On the other hand the zucchini plants are so big that there's a risk they may take over the patch.

Cracked Buffy open!

In June this year for my birthday, I got the complete 7 seasons of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, one of my favourite series ever (thanks Joss Whedon). We saved it for the holidays and for a bit of a treat after the operation. So as soon I came back from the hospital, we cracked the tin open and started watching. Season one has an old look, but boy the script is fantastic! It is amazing how the characters shape up. Willow is so unique and Xander is hilarious from the beginning. If you like vamps there is no way that you can skip Buffy. It is a classic and the best story ever. I know that sometimes it is hard to struggle through the first season of anything, but it is essential to start from the beginning. It does get so so much better!

En Junio de este ano para mi cumpleanos, me regalaron la serie Buffy completa, una de mis series favoritas (gracias Joss Whedon). Lo guardamos para las vacaciones y para una especie de regalito post operatorio. Asique tan pronto como volvi del hospital, abrimos la caja y empezamos a mirarla. La primera temporada tiene una onda vieja, pero el libreto es fantastico! Es increible como los personajes se van maleando. Willow es unica y Xander es graciosisimo desde el comienzo. Si te gustan los vampiros no hay manera de evitar Buffy. No solo es un clasico sino que es la mejor historia de siempre. Se que a veces es dificil bancarse la primera temporada de cualquier cosa, pero es esencial empezar por el principio. Se pone tan buena!

Christmas

Christmas was fun and yummy. I got a new netbook yipee!!!! So now I will spend a few days uploading it with all the stuff I need. This netbook I'm using now it's sort of collapsing slowly so I will soon be blogging with my new one.

Navidad estuvo lindo y deliciosa! Papa noel me trajo una nueva compu...esssa! Asique ahora voy a pasar unos dias cargandola con todo lo que necesito. Esta compu esta medio gastadita asique pronto estare blogging desde mi nueva mini laptop.

We ate a lot and had a good time with the family. I love my family and I am happy to have been able to enjoy the night and day.

Comimos mucho y la pasamos bien con la familia. Amo a mi familia y estoy contenta de haber podido disfrutar la noche y el dia.

As ready as I can be

Noche buena llego finalmente y yo estoy tan lista como puedo estarlo. Hoy hice una picada y decore la mesa navidena afuera en el quincho despues voy a sacar algunas fotos. Me duele un poco mi pierna pero creo que sera tolerable. Tengo ganas de olvidarme por un ratito de que las medias me aprietan, los musculos me duelen y los medicamentos me ponen un poco boba. Voy a disfrutar lo que mas pueda esta Navidad junto a mi familia que amo tanto. A mi otra mitad, viviendo en Buenos Aires les deseo lo mejor del mundo, se merecen tanto! Los extrano hoy mucho pero por suerte todo esta bien en los dos frentes no? Pasenla lindo y brinden por un pronto reencuentro.

Xmas Eve arrived finally and I am as ready as I can be to celebrate. Today I made an antipasto and a cheese platter and decorated the pergola for our Xmas Eve celebration southamerican style. My leg hurts a bit but I think it will be tolerable. I want to forget even for tonight that my socks are killing me, my muscles acke, and the medication is making me 'gaga". I am going to enjoy tonight as much as possible together with my family who I love so much. To my other half, living in Buenos Aires I wish you all the best, you deserve so much! I miss you particularly strongly tonight but luckily everything is cool in both fronts, isn't it? Have fun and cheer for a quick rendezvous.

A day at a time

Today was a good day, better than good actually, it was a great day!

I woke up in a bit of pain, due to a stupid balancing manoeuvre that I did last night when I put my crutch on the towel that was lying on the bathroom floor and it slipped. I got so scared and it hurt like hell. Luckily the stitches didn't come out and after some pain killer I was able to sleep.

Anyway today I felt a lot better and by walking with only one crutch I was able to do the dishes and tidy up my kitchen bench, hang some clothes on the verandah, got the mail, watered my plants and tidied up a few things on my desk. I know it's nothing exciting, but being able to do this things made me feel in routine and it gave me a lot of satisfaction. In the afternoon I had visitors, my Chilean friends, who I haven't seen in ages, came to see me. I really liked seeing them and chatting with them. Now I finished my dinner and I am ready to start some uni work. I really don't feel like it, but I think that it will give me some sort of a "routine" feeling too. So I will give it a try. Tomorrow is Physio again.

Hoy fue un buen dia, en realidad fue mas que bueno, fue un dia exelente. Me levante con un poco de dolor, debido a un estupido moviemiento balanceador que hice anoche antes de acostarme, cuando apoye la muleta sobre el toallon en el piso y esta resbalo. Me hizo pegar un tiron y senti un dolor terrible. Por suerte los puntos no sufrieron y yo no me cai, pero me produjo mucho dolor durante la noche.

En fin, hoy me levante mucho mejor, y como ando solo con una muleta me senti libre para hacer un monton de cosas. Asique despues de mis ejercicios me puse a lavar los platos del desayuno y a acomodar la mesada, colgue algo de ropa en el balcon, fui a ver si habia carta y acomode algunas cosas en mi escritorio. Ya se que no son cosas maravillosas, pero esa cotidianeidad me dio una especie de rutina que me venia faltando y me hizo sentir re bien. Despues tuve visitas. Mis amigos chilenos vinieron a verme. Hacia muchisimo que no nos veiamos y me encanto charlar un rato con ellos. Ahora termine mi cena y me voy a poner a estudiar un ratito. No estoy ni ahi, pero creo que estudiar me va a dar una especie de rutina tambien. Manana viene el fisio otra vez.

Back at home in time for Xmas

Finally back at home just in time for Christmas! I am very happy to be here, it's true there is no place like home.

My time in hospital was difficult. I don't wish it on anybody. It is a very scary thing to do, to give yourself up for others to mend you. I was very strong going in, trying to be especially strong for my family. My son had gone to an interview to Monash University that morning and I wanted him to be 100% confident, so I didn't show any fear, but inside I was terrified. I also wanted to be strong for my husband because I know how much these things scare him.

Finalmente estoy de vuelta en casa, justo a tiempo para Navidad. estoy muy muy feliz de estar aca, es verded que no hay nada como el hogar.

Mi tiempo en el hospital fue dificil. No se lo deseo a nadie. Es muy dificil entregarse por completo a otros para que te arreglen. Trate de ser fuerte antes de ir, especialmente por mi hijo que tenia una entrevista en la universidad esa manana y queria que tuviera 100% de confianza, asique no mostre nada de miedo, pero por dentro estaba aterrorizada. Tambien queria ser fuerte para mi marido porque yo se cuanto lo asustan estas cosas.

I held it together until the nurse came and said: "it's time to hug and kiss" and I saw in my husband's eyes a mirror of my fear. I tried not to show it but couldn't hold it as the bed was wheeled away from him.

Aguante fuerte hasta que la enfermera vino y dijo:"es hora de abrazarse y besarse" y yo vi en los ojos de mi marido un espejo de mi miedo. Trate de no mostrarlo pero no puede aguantarme mientras la camilla se alejaba de el.

The anaesthetist was very kind and explained step by step what he was doing. They gave me a spinal injection and slowly but steady I lost feeling from my waist down and my legs felt so heavy I couldn't move them. They also gave some other drugs and I must have gone to a happy place.

El anestesista era muy bueno y me explicaba paso a paso lo que estaba haciendo. Me dieron una inyeccion raquidea que despacio pero firmemente me hizo perder la sensasion de la cintura para abajo. Mis piernas parecian tan pesadas que no podia moverlas. Tambien me dieron otras drogas que me habran llevado a un lugar feliz. Cuando desperte, sin embargo la historia era otra.

When I woke up though the story was different. The anaesthetist was talking to me with some urgency and I was feeling pain, I said "It hurts" and he explained the operation took 2 hours longer than expected and I lost a lot of blood so I had to have a transfusion. I kept saying: "It hurts" and he said "the anaesthetic run out".

El anestesista mi hablaba con cierta urgencia mientras you sentia un fuerte ardor y dolor en mi pierna yo le decia "me duele" y el me explicaba que la operacion duro 2 horas mas que lo deberia haber durado y que perdi mucha sangre y necesite una transfusion. Yo seguia diciendo: "me duele". Y el me dijo: "La anestecia se acabo".

Very quickly I was taken to the recovery room and I remember feeling pain but it was hard to make sense of what was going on. All I know is that the anaesthetist kept saying: she needs morphine now!. After that I remember being taken to the ward where I spent the next 6 days. The first two days were very painful days. Too awful to try to remember them. The nurses were very kind and hard working and they did their best to make me feel well. When I saw the surgeon the next day he explained that I had a very small cavity to where the prosthesis needed to go, so it took them longer. So now I have a brand new hip and lots of exercises to do to nurse my muscles back to normal. I still have pain, but everyday I feel heaps better.

Rapidamente fui llevada a la sala de recuperacion y me acuerdo sentir dolor pero era muy dificil tratar de que las cosas tuvieran sentido. Lo unico que se es que el anestesista queria que urgentemente me conectaran con la morfina. Despues de eso recuerdo que me llevaron a la sala donde pase los proximos 6 dias. Los dos primeros fueron dias muy dolorosos. Muy feos para recordar. Las enfermeras eran muy buenas y trabajaban fuerte para hacerme sentir bien. Cuando vi al cirujano me explico que tengo una cavidad muy pequena donde tenian que insertar la protesis y que por eso les llevo mas tiempo. Asique ahora tengo una cadera nueva y muchos ejercicios para hacer para nutrir mis musculos a un estado saludable y normal. Todavia tengo dolor pero mejoro dia a dia.

In Hospital

I have been in hospital now for 4 days. I am sharing the room with 3 other women. One of them is a very old lady who I suspect has Alzheimer's and says crazy things all day and night. She gets really agro at the nurses and treats them rudely. She makes me laugh when she starts screaming "I'm hungry give me something to eat". It is also very sad.

Hace 4 dias que estoy en el hospital. En mi habitacion hay otras 3 mujeres. Una de ellas es una viejita que sospecho tiene Alzheimer's y dice cosas graciosas y fuera de contexto todo el dia y toda la noche. Se enoja con las enfermeras cuando no hacen lo que ella quiere cuando ella quiera y las trata re mal. Me hace reir cuando grita"tengo hambre denme algo de comer"...tambien es muy triste.

The doctor came to see me today and said I am going home tomorrow. I am happy but apprehensive. I don't want to hurry home and then realise that I don't know what to do with myself.

El doctor me vino a ver y me dijo que me voy a casa manana. Estoy contenta pero un poco preocupada. No quiero apurarme y darme cuenta que no se que hacer conmigo misma.

Hip Replacement

The dreaded day arrived. I am 1 hour away from being admitted into hospital for my hip replacement surgery. I am apprehensive but, calm considering. I am sure I will be okay, but there is always that little bit of doubt in your mind eating away. I know I am going to struggle for a while after this, but the thought of not feeling this horrible pain again is encouraging. I am worried about my husband cause I know how he thinks and how little sleep he is going to get in the next days, worrying. We will pull through.

El tan inesperado dia ha llegado. Estoy a una hora de ser admitida en el hospital para mi operacion de cadera. Estoy un poco miedosa, pero bastante calma, considerando todas las cosas que pasaron por mi cabeza en estos ultimos meses. Seguro que todo va a salir bien, pero siempre hay ese poquito de duda adentro que te carcome. Se que va a ser dificil la recuperacion, pero de solo pensar que no voy a sentir mas este dolor espantoso, me siento bien. Me preocupa un poco mi marido porque se como piensa el y que poco va a dormir estos dias preocupado. Ya vamos a salir adelante.