Owie Index...!!!

Owie Index...

...

Owie Series: Broken Hip

Owie Series: Left Knee A B C

Owie Series: Right Arm

Owie Series: Broken Hip

My Broken Hip...!!!

The Kookiest Element about 'My Broken Hip' is that i don't know exactly when i broke it...!!!
i first noticed that my Right Leg was feeling poorly around April 20th, 2006 --
But my first Journal Entry concerning it isn't until April 26, where i discribe the pain as eminating from my Right Groin Area, and Down the Front of that Leg.
Even though this entry mentions that it is 'KILLING ME' and that i can Barely Walk on it...
i was still getting around fairly well until May 4th.
May 2nd mentions that i'm not sleeping well because of that Leg...!
On May 4th, i went over to The Waikiki Health Clinic as a Walk-In and it was very busy that day, All the patients that had appointments actually showed up...!!!
So i waited from about 9am, through lunch, and finally around 5pm i was able to see Not a Doctor Shane Mallard. But even before he came in, i was worked over by a Resident in Training, Nurse Practitioner.
Not a Doctor Shane was agreeably baffled by my symptoms, because he kept saying that there was nothing in the area of my Groin that could be causing all the pain was i experiencing...!!!
At that time, and after having SAT ALL DAY in the Waiting Room, ( In a VERY Comfortable Chair ) -
i couldn't walk at ALL...!!!
They let me use a cane that another patient had left behind when he went 'upstairs', and although i was allowed to use the 'Chair Elevator' i had GREAT DIFFICULTY even walking to the Examine Room...!!!
So NAD Shane finally decided that i had an Inflamed Tendon, and Prescribed a large bottle of 800 _mg Ibuprofen.
Again, leaving, i had GREAT DIFFICULTY getting out of there, but as was typical at that time, i had my most difficutly getting started, and then, there after, i could walk pretty well, so long as i didn't stop for anything...
That was Wednesday.
---
Thursday i filled the prescription for the Ibuprofen at The Longs Drug Store in Wahiawa.
i took my last Codine Tablet while i was waiting, so that i could get out of the store...!
On my way out, i got some Mango Chucks which were the most awful things i've ever tasted... they must have sprinkled them with Taco Powder or some such... This is the sort of thing that Filipinos enjoy, and that Only They could invent.
i also tried to get $20 'Cash Back', and keyed in 20 when the machine prompted me for an amount.
What i got back was .20 Cents...!!!
Did you know that you could key in ANY AMOUNT...???!!!
So then when i went over to The Goodwill Store to get some Replacement Shorts for the ones that i'd Crapped in, i discovered that their Debit Card Reader wasn't working, so i had to limp over to The Food Mart where they had a Cash Machine.
Nothing by BAD Omens...!!!
$12 for two shorts... i can remember when you could get 2 shorts in Hawai'i for less then a Dollar...!!!
Now-a-Days; These Thrift Stores are no cheaper than Waldomart...!!!
Plus: Both pairs were too small for me... But i kept them both anyways, because i was thinking that i would loose some weight soon...???
---
Thursday i limped around, Friday i limped around, Moving from my sleeping place in Wahiawa, to a nice little beach, just past The North Shore area, called Hau'ula Beach. Mostly i just tried to get some sleep...
But i noticed that instead of the pain getting better it was getting worse.
Also:
During this time, i wasn't eating Anything...!!!
This was due to Two Factors:
One was that i had been experiencing EXPLOSIVE FARTS that ruined one of my shorts and nearly ruined another...! The Second was that It was just too much trouble, and painful to find a 7-11 to dose myself with Fancy Coffee & Donuts...!!!...Which i'd pretty decided by then, ( Much too Late...!!! ) that i should be switching to something more nutritious like Tomato Juice & Fresh Fruit...!!!
On my way back to Wahiawa, i had several episodes of Pain Spasms...!!!
These would consist of Not Only Excruciating Pain Snapping through my leg in a Lightning like manner, but it would be accompanied by a Sudden, Unexpected, UnControlled Seizure of the leg, Contracting Upwards...!!!
It was a SHEAR MIRACLE that i didn't fall during any of these, which were occurring every 8th step or so...!!!
Instead, i would just FREEZE, and wait a few moments, attempting to overcome my fear to take another step...!!!
i had also tried to develop various 'Techniques' during those last few days to get my foot 'Started' so that i could move on... These consisted simply of rocking back and forth, trying to fool my legs into thinking that i had been walking, and that the next step was just another in a series that we'd been participating in...
---
On Saturday;
i got up, put my sleeping bag away, and tried to stand.
i could stand, but any tiny movement of my leg caused Excruciating Pain.
i sat down.
i thought about this for awhile, and decided that i was massively boned.
i called 911 with my cell phone and there was some difficulty with them coming to pick me up, because i couldn't provide them with an Actual Address...!!!
So i tried describing in sufficient detail where i was in relationship to The Park, The Ravine, The Large Apartment Building across the Street, and that i was behind The School Administration Building.
At some point the nice lady that i was talking to thought that she had enough information to send an ambulance, and i waited for about 10 minutes for one to arrive. i shined my flashlight against the bushes in the direction of the nearest access path, and shouted when they arrived.
The next problem was that the path leading to the porch where i was sitting, was too rough to bring the stretcher to me, and i could NOT MOVE...!!! So they bought this Canvas Sling Chair around, which i sat in, and they carried me around the corner to where the wheeled stretcher cart was.
---
i was seen by Dr. George Richard Bruno; who decided after i described all the crazy symptoms that i had-- Specifically the Overwhelming Pain expanding outward from my groinish zone...and so on...That is was a Muscle Contusion...! And went on to find me a pair of Crutches and wrote out a prescription for Vicodin [ 5-500 mg 15 Tablets ]
This was the second time that the solution was 'Get Lost!' - 'Here are some fun drugs'...!!!
---
i made it across their parking lot, then across the street and onto another parking lot where i slipped on some wet leaves. That is; The Left Crutch slipped out from under me, and i went down, hard.
But curiously; Not on my 'Bad' hip. i landed on my backpack and left hip.
Nevertheless... it did something to the right hip that wasn't quite that bad before,
because-- before; It only hurt when i was moving it, or putting pressure on it.
Now-- It HURT all the time.
i couldn't even move. Just trying to sit up was Excruciatingly Painful.
So i dug out my cell phone and called 911 again. Fortunately for me, it was right on top, next to where the zipper opened, so i didn't have to pull out a bunch of crap to get to it...!!!
i am absolutely terrible at reconstructing converstations...
But suffice to say, i explained that i was in the parking lot right across from the hospital that just turned me away, and that 'Yes, i would still be here when the ambulance arrived... No, i wasn't going to get up and wander off, i am laying on my back, and i can't move.'
And so on...
Additionally; Several people walked nearly over me, and neglected to ask if i was 'Alright?'.
One guy was sitting at the bus stop, directly across the street and was watching the whole thing.
i suspect that a lot of this: 'NonParticipationary Attitude' stems from a person's 'UnPreparedness'...???
That is; 'What should i do--?' and of course: 'Will 'It' turn on me, and be ALOT of Trouble... Perhaps someone will even sue me for trying to Help...!!!' This sort of thinking, i think, is nearly ubiquitous these days, and doesn't, Necessarily mean that people are Heartless, Merely Psychopathically Timid.
---
After i got in, The Morning Shift had changed, so i didn't have to go over all this with Dr. Bruno again...
Instead; i now had a Dr. Whiteside, that ordered up a CAT Scan and then we had to wait for a CAT Scan Interpreter to take a look at it... So i waited in a curtained cubicle for awhile and they gave me some Morphine, But it must not have been much, because it wasn't even scratching the pain.
Plus: The head nurse [ Whose name i was never able to discover, despite repeatedly asking around about it... ] was fanatically AntiStreet people and she was making it Crystal Clear to everyone within earshot that The Emergency Room was intended for Real People with Real Emergencies, and that i wasn't one of these...
After a little while, she decided that they needed my cubicle for real people and rolled me out into the hall way.
Where i waited for about 2 hours and then Dr. Whiteside came by and told me that my Hip was Fractured and that i would need surgery to repair it...
This was all very Traumatic for me and i was crying like a baby, and i asked Dr. Whiteside to be sure and tell the nurse that i wasn't faking.
After that-- Everyone was VERY NICE to me.
---
Except that i still had to wait another 6 hours for a room to become available in Orthopedics.

A Private Room!

Everyone that is scheduled for surgery gets a Private Room!

( To jump ahead a little bit, After surgery, i was supposed to have transferred to 'Long Term Care' where i would have had to share a room with between 1 and 3 other patients... But because of this and that, possibly some possibility of malpractice...???...i got to stay in my Private Room the whole time i was there, which was 10 days. )
Also: to mention another thing, slightly out of sequence, was that when i asked my surgeon [ Dr. Salvador B. Cecilio ] if the X-Ray that Dr. Bruno had ordered showed the Fracture that was apparent on The CAT Scan... He said, "No-- It wasn't there."
But then later, Dr. Mitchell, who was my 'Primary Care Physician' said that It Was There...!!!
The X-Ray DID show the Fracture...!!!
Also somewhat curiously; Another Dr. and Dr. Mitchell said that they were having 'A little Trouble' finding those Original X-Rays...!!! But Dr. Cecilio seemed to have them right with all the other documents pertaining to my case... But-- ??? --when i asked about this; he dug out the/an X-Ray and held it up for the briefest moment and declared that the Fracture wasn't visible...???
So what are we to make of this...???
---
So then when i did get up to my Room, i still had to wait until the next morning before Dr. Cecilio would put a Pin into The Hip Socket.
---

Saturday Night : Some Male Nurse put a Catheter into my Penis so that i could pee without having to get up.

It was VERY Convenient...! i was very sad when they took it out a few days later...!!!

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The only thing i remember about the operation is NOTHING...!!!

They woke me up that Sunday Morning ( May 7th 2006 ) and rolled me and my whole bed up to The Operating Theatre. We had a short stop in the hallway where the Anesthesiologist asked me some questions and then after we got into The Operating Room, i have a last memory of her fooling around just to my left, this side of my blind spot, and then i'm OUT.

The next memory i have is Extreme Disorientation as i'm being wheeled back down a hallway, and i'm soon back in my Private Room...!!!

i was told that i was also clawing at my Oxygen Mask for awhile...???

After that, i had an Oxygen Nose thinger strung around my head for all day Sunday and most of Monday Morning.

---

i think that my 'First' IV line must have been stuck into my Elbow Joint Saturday Night...???

Because my notes say that i got my Hand IV stuck in me @ 3:40 (a / p ??? ) Monday...???

By Lana. ( Floor Nurse ) Who had a Russian Accent.

This IV was dripping just Saline into me... Nothing else...???

After i got my Saline drip put in Saturday Night, i wasn't supposed to eat anything before the Operation--

But for some reason, i may have told them that i didn't get anything to eat all day Saturday, and i hadn't eaten anything, except for one bowl of soup in the previous three days...!!!

So that i did get a meal Saturday Night... i think...???

---

Most of Sunday i was completely ignored and my pee-pee bag ( Peepee = Sheshee in Hawai'i )

Overflowed and i spilled some on my sheets.

When Darlene came in and discovered this, she was very annoyed, but a few days later we were getting along pretty well.

My Physical Therapist 'Wade' said that i was popular because i was so agreeable...???!!!

So anyways... While Darlene was changing my sheets, she also mentioned that there was another disagreeable odor, but she couldn't discribe it...???

When i was in Jail, Many, many years ago, the other inmates, like children, free of self-censorship, would frequently mention that i had a disagreeable body odor...???

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Monday ( or thereabouts )

Percy ( who i only saw that first day or two, ( they kept changing all the nurses and nurses aids EVERY DAY...! )) brought me a Clear Plastic "Airlife™" dealie, which is kind of like the blowing do-dads in 'The Right Stuff', in which you'd try to hold a ball in a certain range along a vertical shaft by blowing through a little tube...

This version required me to SUCK into a little tube to hold a little ball within a certain range, while also trying to raise another indicator to a high mark...??? The purpose was to expand my lungs as much as possible, that would in turn, somehow-- keep me from developing pneumonia.

-

Also went for a short walk on a 'Walker' and did some Stretching.

-

Started a regiment of shots to my belly that were supposed to prevent blood clotting.

i think that it may have been these that were causing all the blood to start appearing in my Bowel movements...

But i'm still getting alot of blood in my bowel movements / and farts...!!! 2 weeks after i've left the hospital...

So then i suspected all the Ibuprofen that i was taking, so i quit taking that..

And i'm getting as much blood as ever.

i need to see a doctor.

-

They also kept taking my 'Vitals' every 3 hours, or so, for several days.

My Blood Pressure, which had been a little high for years, started to come down,

but i was consistently running a high temperature, ( around 100 ) that was never adequately explained away...???

-

The Nurse's Aids that were taking care of me most of the time, were pretty nice, but DUMB!!!

i was trying to explain to one that had brought me my breakfast Monday morning that i was Lactose Intolerant, but she didn't seem to understand what that meant, and was mad at me for not drinking my milk...!!!

Then i wanted to know if the Eggs that they were serving -scrambled- were 'Real' Eggs or 'Carton' Eggs...

and 'somebody'...??? came in and explained to me that the so called 'Carton' Eggs were merely Pasturized, and that that couldn't possibly be making me sick, but they did send me Hard Boiled Eggs after that...???

[ The reason that i mentioned this was that i discovered that the Eggs in The Subway Sandwiches were Carton Eggs, and that they gave me Terrible Yellow Diarrhea...!!! ]

-

The bed that i was in could be raised and lowered, as well just raising the head half, or the feet half, or both, resulting in a V appearance.

There were also controls for Music ( didn't work ) or Mattress Firmness ( didn't work ) or Light ( didn't work ).

The Nurse Button Worked.

As did the TV button. But the thing with The TV Button was that there was only ONE Button for the TV.

It turned the TV On, then changed the channels from 2 to 75. Then turned the TV Off.

You couldn't go back through the channels, Nor could you turn in Off without going all the way to The End. ( ! )

Volume was also Preset. But you could get an Aid to adjust that, or i could get up a do it myself.

All the controls could be Turned On or Off from the Foot of the Bed.

To keep me from watching TV, for example.

---

Carolyn & Jean are the Social Workers that were supposed to help me get all the things done so that i could get out of there eventually...

Like; They arranged for me to use a computer across the hallway ( Special Permission! ) to make flight arrangements... But it turned out to be too confusing... So i only succeeded in transfering about $800 dollars from my Saving Account to my Checking Account.

Then Carolyn went to an ATM for me and withdrew $100 so that i'd have enough to pay the cab driver that took me to the airport.

My Auntie Barebelly eventually made the flight arrangements for me, and used her own credit card, instead of mine, as i'd instructed her to...???!

---

i met Dr. Damon Lee and Dr. Lei the first day, while i was waiting for a room in Orthopedics...

Dr. Lee was so young looking that i though he was a Resident, like Dr. Lei, who was introduced to me as a Resident, and this led to some confusion later, since Dr. Lee was actually the Head of something or another...

He was Dr. Mitchel's Boss..??? ( Who was my Primary Care Physician, even though she was 'only' a Resident Herself...??? )

Also i thought Lee was his first name, and my wrist bracelet said that i was admited by Lee Damon, and for whatever reasons, i never seemed to connect them into one person...???

i kept seeing Dr. Lee and wondering where Dr. Damon was...???

---

The Anesthesiologist came by Tuesday to see how i was doing. i said fine, and thinking of all the movies i'd seen where the patient is laying on the Operating Table counting backwards from 100 as they gently go to sleep, i asked her is i was supposed to have been knocked out so quickly before the Operation, and she said; 'Yes.'

---

Also on Tueday; Rowena called about moving me to Steerage, where, if i'd been moved there, i would have been essencially been cut off from SSI ( would be reduced to $30 per month )

... But as it turned out, i never was moved to Steerage...???

---

Tuesday: Chris came by to do some P.Therapy with me.

This mostly consisted of just walking around at first, then i was shown various techniques for navigating Stairs. They kept trying to convince me to leave the hospital on Crutches, but i now have a deathly fear of Crutches, so i insisted on a Walker...!!!

Apparently, a Walker is not only more expensive ( for Medicaid! )

But there is a Stigma Associated with them, such that Only Old People would use them...

But they are Enormously Better than Crutches is so many ways...!!!

For one thing, When you stop, your hands and arms are completely free...!

And it's much easier to use on Stairs, if the stairs are wide enough,

and most Importantly, it is just about Impossible to Fall with a Walker...

( Although; i have fallen with the Walker Twice...!!!

But both times i was in a hurry, and one time, the handle was slippery...!!! )

So -- If you're careful, The Walker is Much Better...!

---

Had a little trouble Peeing on Tuesday, so Dr. Mitchel ran some tests on it, and it came back 'Clear' and i was Peeing OK later on in the day...??? Might have been caused by stress...???

The Curious thing about the way that i was having trouble peeing was that i would have a strong desire to pee, then i would seem to pee, but no pee would come out, BUT THEN; Afterwards, i would No Longer Need to Pee...!!!

i've noticed that this also happens when i'm trying to pee somewhere where i know i shouldn't be peeing... i will want to pee, no pee will come out, and it's also accompanied by a burning sensation, and then i will no longer need to pee, as if i Did Pee, but i didn't...???!!!

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Tuesday: Had a TB Test. Never heard anything more about it.

---

Dr. Mitchel caught me ( The ONE Time ) that i took one of my 800_mg Ibuprofens and confiscated them.

( i got them back when i left... )

---

After a few days of walking around with The Walker, i got a blister on my Right Index Finger. i self medicated it with 3 in 1 Salve and wrapped a piece of White First Aid Tape around it. No one seemed interested in why there was a strip of tape around my finger.

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The two Nurse's Aids; Darlene & Sully seemed like the same person to me. Everyone agreed that they are InConfusable.

That is; Only an Idiot would think they are the same person...???

---

Did my First Poop on Wednesday, around 9:30am.

---

Dr. Mitchel told me that when i would be leaving, they would only send me out with Aspirins, But i would also get the Ibuprofen's that she'd confiscated, and i also still had the prescription that Dr. Bruno gave me, but now it's been 3 weeks, and i'm on the mainland, and i still haven't filled it...???

It would be some good stuff if i could get it filled...???!!!

---

May 17th, i was allowed to use Paulette's Computer to make Airline Reservations, but it was too confusing, so i didn't...!!!

---

Some lady came in to check if anything in the room was 'Broken'... so i figured that she'd know about all the quirky plumbing and such, but she didn't...

Later; i was thinking that she may have showed up in response to a questionaire that i filled out and said that it was drafty at night, but that was probably just the air-conditioning unit..???

The thing that i was kind of curious about was, that the toilet had an armature dealie that could be pulled down so that a 'Shower Head' would be positioned over the bowl...???

Later; i discovered that this could be used to clean out the 'She-shee' Bottle that i frequently peed into.

---

Took a shower with Hot Water, Wednesday.

i think it was Darlene that taped plastic over my bandages and such...

She also wiped my butt after i took my first BM...

But i didn't think that it was as sufficiently thorough, as i would have done myself...!!!

She did use a spray bottle of disinfectant though...

---

One of the things that they kept asking me, Especially when i wanted a Pain Pill, was;

How much Pain was i in...?

And i would usually tell them that it was just A Dull, Continous Ache, but i would really like to have something to help me sleep.

What they were giving me, up until the last couple of days, was: Tylox ( ?- A Red and White Lozenge shaped Pill ) A combination of Tylenol and Codine!

They were merely OK, they helped me sleep, but i wasn't getting the Halucinations that might have been fun.

But also:

i was going to mention that they have this chart that is supposed to help you 'Gage' how much pain you're in...
The Chart described various kinds of Pain; Dull, Sharp, Throbbing, Electrical, Prickling, Waves of Pain, Excruciating, Burning, Shooting, Pressure, Constant, Intermediate, Crawling under your skin...???-- Was it In the Bones, Muscles, Nerves, On the skin...???
i thought this was useless...!!!

So i began to devise a new form that would rely on a set of questions;

Such as:

Could you thread a needle?

Hold a Glass of Water?

Eat a Sandwich?

Are you now Screaming?

Does the Patient Stare Blankly Off into Space?

Is s/he Catatonic?

Would you like to have the limb removed?

Do you wish you were dead?

It seems to me that a better Scaling of Pain could be Ascertained with this approach...???

---

Thursday Morning Nurse's Aid was 'Louie'... this was just after i was wondering if there were any male Nurse's Aids. i made the mistake of being cordial with Louie, so that he took to hiding out in my room and watching TV when the Nurses were looking for him to do something...!!!

Most of the other Nurse's Aids seemed very hard working...!

Fortunately; i only had Louie for that one day, But i would see him around from time to time after that...

---

Wednesday to Thursday Night...

Filled my Pee Bottle Four Times...!!!

About 60 Oz...!!!

---

Thursday:

May have overstretched something...

Can't seem to find a comfortable Sitting Position...

Plus: Shins hurt too...???

---

Somebody from Occupational Therapy ( ? ) came by with A Blue Rubber Band Dealie and showed me how to use it to increase my UpperBody Strength...

OT is concerned with showing me how to get On and Off a Toilet or Into and Outof a Bathtub...

---

Beverly called and talked for about a half an hour...!!!

Although i still had about $10 left on my phone, i made a payment and lost that $10 because it's not Accumulative...!!! Stupid Cingular...!!!

---

Getting AntiCoagulent Shots in my Stomach twice a day. Ouch!

These shots 'had' to be stuck into subcutaneous fat, and tummy fat is the best place to find this...???

The shots weren't supposed to 'overlap' so they had a map of places, which was arranged so that you could get your shots across your tummy, by the numbers-- and once that was filled up, then they could go on your fatty underarms and hips...???

As is turned out, for whatever reasons, i did get one shot in my fatty underarm, then the next shot,

by a different Nurse, went back to my stomach...???

---

On Friday i came to understand that i would be moving to Steerage today, but didn't.

i was 'On Nerve' all day waiting...!!!

---

Someone called me Friday ( 10:15a ) from 'Home Depot' in Washington...???

But when i called the number that was held in my phone, i got The General Directory...???

This Mystery was Never Resolved...!!!

---
Watched a lame Magic Show on TV.

---

Asked my Auntie Barebelly to make airplane reservations for me...

i was thinking-- that since she has such extensive experience flying all over the world, that she would be especially adept at this; but i may have failed to consider that she was always making arrangements without thinking 'too much' about the expense of things...???
The two plane fare together from Hawai'i to Spokane came to around $600,

But if i had been 'well', i probably could have squeeked by at around $400...???

Standby from Hawai'i to Portland alone would have been less than $200,

and add another $200 from Portland to Spokane...

But of course, i didn't want to travel Standby with a broken hip...!!!

So it was probably around the cheapest that could have been had...???

Also: i sent her all my Debit Card Info- with the intention that she pay for it through my checking account,

but she gave some confusing and suspiciously erroneous reasoning as to why she couldn't...

It sounded like, as she explained it to me, that there would have been a question of verification, since she didn't make the reservations on the computer, but, by phone, and she didn't even use her own credit card, but Uncle Pat's and he had to somehow 'Authorize' it...???

This sounded much more complicated than any on-line or over the phone transaction than i've ever done...???

So anyways...

When i got to the Airport in Honolulu; they had a Computer Check In thinger, and all i had to do was insert my Debit card to 'Identify' myself, and then i pressed the [Yes] key a few times as it displayed my flights, and then it printed out my two 'Boarding Passes'.

It printed them out kind of slowly, and i forgot to pick up the second one,

So the attendant guy had to come running up behind me and hand it to me...!!!

Fortunately; since i was using my walker, i didn't get very far from the Desk.

---

Also: Auntie Barebelly told me all the Flight Information over the phone, but then; just to see if it could be done, she tried to e-mail it to my cell phone, but it turned out that my cell phone will only allow for messages of a certain length, and that's about 108 characters...!!! STUPID CINCULAR...!!!

---

Day not Mentioned--

Wade brought me a Walker that i could take with me when i left,

but then-- later on in the day; he came by and took it back, because that was the last one in their closet,

and some lady that was leaving that day, needed it...!!!

So i had to wait another couple of days before he got me another one...

i think i got it the day before i left...!!!

---

Everything is happening all at once in Spokane...!!!

While i am trying to get Auntie Beverly to get me a plane ticket, Uncle Joe is in the Hospital in Spokane with lower Torso Cancer...!!! ...and he's taken a turn for the worse...!!!

Then a few days later; he turns for the better and they let him go home...!!!

---

Another crazy thing that is happening all at once,

Is that my Nephew Derrick had just broken up with his girl-friend, so he has come home to Sandi's at the same time i am imposing on her and Deana...!!!

( Deana is the most put out by all this... She is; i suspect, the one that actually takes care of everyone else...! Not only Sandi & Derrick, but Gra'ma Abby and Bev & Pat...!!! )

---

Friday: The Abby called at 3:45p. Call lasted two and a half minutes.

Not as traumatic as i may have suspected.

---

Ivan brought a Rehab Walker for me to use, since when Wade brought me 'my own' Walker and then took it away again, he also took the Unit Walker, that i had been using, away...!!!

---

My leg seems awfully puffy...

Found that elevating it seems to reduce this quite a bit...

---

Jean Look ( Discharge Planning Nurse )

i was tring one day to get ahold of her for some reason...??? and while i was standing at The Reception Desk, i was leaning over a little bit, so that i could see all the heart monitors for the other patients...
And what i thought was Amazing; was how Abnormal most of them looked...!!!

One in particular was all over the place, then it would 'Fibulate' ( Terminology based on many hours of watching the ubiquty of hospital TV ) and then suddenly 'Spike' then return to a very irregular beat... for a few moments, then Fibulate again...!!!

When i asked about this one, thinking that she must have a Defibulator Implanted in her...

i was Chastized for Violating the Patients Privacy...!!!

and told not to look at the moniters anymore...!!!

---

Flight from Honolulu is on Hawaiian Airlines

8:10a Wednesday Morning ( May 17th 2006 )

Be there Early-- Around 5:00a.

Flight #10 InterIsland Terminal

To Los Angeles

Confirmation Number: BKNNKU

Seat: 12B

---

Flight from LA to Spokane

Alaska : Flight 2-11

8:55p

Confirmation Code: GPIDQS

Seat 23-C ( Changed at the Desk to Second Row; Coach....??? Slept through the whole flight, didn't even get a beverage...!!! )

Total Cost : $573!

---

Wisdom from Lana: Russian Proverb

"No Happiness; But sometimes UnHappiness Helps."

---

Saturday Night

Cheryl was very helpful at getting my leg arranged just right from under the blanket...

i liked my foot sticking out, without anything on top of it...

But then; later on, someone turned my overhead light on, So that it was On all night--

And no one ceame by to empty my She-she bottle, so that i had to pee in it Twice, and then get up and empty it myself...!!!

---

Louie is back Sunday Morning.

Cion is The Nurse's Aid sometime Sunday morning too...???

---

After talking to Sandi on the Phone, i mentioned that i only plan my life in increments of 20_minutes into the future, and she suggested that while others may try to plan in greater increments, it often works out to no more than 20_minutes.

---
During this time Dr. Mitchell and Lana and Dr. Lee were treating my Ingrown toenail on my Left Foot, Big Toe.

i had this when i came in, and they were putting Hospital Strength 3 in 1 Antibiotic Salve on it and then started me on some Red Antibiotics that gave me terrible Diahrrea, so i quit taking them a day or so before i left, and continued Not to take them when i got to Spokane, because i was still having alot of BM problems... and then i took off my sock a few days later, and it was ENTIRELY Healed...!!!

---

Best Show on Television: Discovery Channel's Myth Busters...!!!

What i lked best about this show was that it was concerned wtih Finding The Truth behind various Crazy Notions, Friend of a Friend Stories, Urban Myths and such...

It wasn't merely Debunking these ideas, it went far beyound each original story and tried to find The True Seed, or Elemental Axiomatic Fact that was hidden within it...!!!

---

Monday: Nurse was Luanne, N-Aid was Miriam, and the Night N-Aid, whom i only had to endure for a few minutes, was 'Mel' ( Large male Hawaiian ( ? ) ) who cracked dumb jokes and kept calling me 'Boss'...!!!

---

Talked to Carolyn ( or Jean -- ??? ) about what my optimum travel arrangements would be to get from The Hospital to The Airport, and for awhile it seemed like there were several excellent possibilities, but they ended up arranging for a taxi to pick me up.

As it turned out: The Taxi Service ( The Taxi )! didn't actually Own Any Cabs, but subcontracted all thier business out to Independant Drivers... So that; As a Dispatch Center only, they merely put my name and time up on their computer -- And Hoped for The Best that Someone would Take that Call...!!! They didn't really have any Control over that end of it At All...!!! So that i had to wait An Hour Past my desired departure time, before a Cab came to pick me up...!!!

i think that the fare was nearly $60...!!!

If i had had to have been at the Airport just a little bit later, like 2 hours later, i could easily have taken a Bus, for FREE...!!!

oh well.

---

Monday Night:

Patricia ( Nurse ) didn't give me my usual Red & White Pain pill,

but instead, two dinky white pills...???

Probably nothing more than Tylenols...???

---

Got less than an hour of sleep last night... Leg was Very Achy...!!!

---

Tuesday: ( 10:50a )

New Walker is INVACARE Model # 6241-A ( Lot # 60201 )

Weight Capacity: 300_pounds

---

Tuesday's Lunch: Greasy Hamburger on Spaghetti...
If there were problems related to this, they are not mentioned later...

---

Wm Tychonievich sent me an eep saying that he has not seen Myth Busters...
He is living on Taiwan. ( See: The Litchen Corpse )

---

Told Dr. Lee about all The Blood in my poop, and he didn't seem terribly concerned...???

---

OT therapist suggested that i get a Reacher, which should be available at any drug store, or Waldomart...

---

Second Idea: Replace shoe laces wtih Elastic, so i don't have to tie them...!

---

Wade said that i could take a She-she bottle with me, ( Anything Plastic! ) and i so very wanted to, but it was just too big...!!!

---

Gave my Library book of Shirley Jackson Stories to OT Lynn Salurantie.

She would Talk and Talk and Talk about her personal life, and her artist sister, and other relatives whenever she would come by...!!!

---

More Mischief...!!!

i called the nurse to report that i didn't get a Tea Bag with my Lunch, and then while i was waiting for a new one, i found the original one in my Lap...!!!

---

Made another ( Second ) phone payment on May 17th. 01:48a $3.23 remaining.

Confirmation Code: 073911
---

Tuesday Night:

Lana and Nurse Luanne removed my Staples...

i kept them, but i'm not sure where they are now...???

Also: Seem to have lost my first Wrist Braclet from Dr. Bruno...!!!

---

Left Wahiawa Hospital an hour late on Wednesday; May 17th.

---

figure xxx: TV & Clock
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :
figure xxx: Darlene)NA
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: Leg Exercises
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: Dr. Mitchell
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: Chris)PT
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: OutSide My Window
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :
figure xxx: UnKnownNA
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: Ivan)OT
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: CupCakes
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: Daniel)PT
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: My Room
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: Rubber Stretcher)OT
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: Shy Wade)PT
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: Lana)LPN-2
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: My Room) 1
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: Jean ( From Jean & Carolyn : Social Services )
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: Lana)LPN
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: Hang Nail: LeftBigToe
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :
<figure xxx: My Room)2
: - - - - - - - - - - - - : figure xxx: Lynn Sialurate
: - - - - - - - - - - - - : figure xxx: UnKnownNA
: - - - - - - - - - - - - : figure xxx: Lana
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

figure xxx: Cupcakes
: - - - - - - - - - - - - :

...

Owie Documentation : One

Introduction
- - - - - - - - -
Regrettfully;
Although i intended for this to be a first rate job at documenting this owie,
especially after i said--
...essentially; "Promised"
--to fully document my 'next' owie...

This documentation has several substantial deficiencies...

.
÷Θ÷Θ÷Θ÷Θ÷Θ÷Θ÷Θ÷

.

figure a : Onset of Woogily Owie
- - - - - - - - -
i set the camera's distance to auto-focus incorrectly here...
Or--
It may be that i was holding the camera
even closer than is allowed for it's 'Close-Up' capability...!
This was taken around January 14th to the 17th; 2006...
When i first mentioned in my journal that this owie is getting woogily!

.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure b : January 16th(?) 2006 without Yellow Cover...?
- - - - - - - - -
This is the same day, without the weird yellow cover
That was probably dead skin...???
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure c : Mysterious Yellow Cover
- - - - - - - - -
The Mysterious Yellow Cover
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure d : January 20th(?) Sever Woogiliness.
- - - - - - - - -
It is getting worse, but perhaps amazingly...???
It Doesn't hurt AT ALL...!!!
--So i'm still not panicky.
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure e : Same as d; Dug out a little
- - - - - - - - -
i can't resist digging these things out...!!!
i definitely have a masochistic streak
and love to claw at my own flesh...!!!
---
This owie didn't really present itself with
An opportunity for any really enthusiastic gouging...
i had one on my Right Knee a few months ago
That i decided to take care of all on my own,
And during the 'Cleaning' phase,
i used Q-Tips to poke into the owie
And discovered that it went down quite a ways...!!!
So i kept at it for awhile,
And the yellow pus & blood finally started to clear,
And i discovered a new region of White Pus...
That was considerably thicker than the Yellow Pus...!!!
So i dabbed that up as i continued to probe deeper and deeper...
( it continued to sink down for about a half an inch...!!! )
Then i found a larger 'Blob' that had a pudding like texture to it,
So i thought i might remove this with tweezers,
But it was just half way between a blob and pudding...
i decided to call it a Bolus,
Which seemed to be an entirely appropriate name for it...
Later; when i was telling this account to Nurse Practitioner Amy...
i'd forgotten that i called it a Bolus;
So the story seemed to lack the impact that it should have...!!!
So i struggled and dug, and probed and squeezed
And tried again & again to pull The Bolus out,
And FINALLY i was able to get a grip on it,
And yank it free...!!!
Then i cleaned it up some more,
Filled the cavity with 3 in 1 Antiseptic Salve
And with The Bolus gone,
i knew it would heal pretty quickly...
Which it Did...!!!
So these last two Owies,
Where they DIDN'T dig out The Bolus...
i felt cheated...!!!
And believed that they would Not heal as Quickly...???
But they both did pretty well...
i guess...???
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure f : Same as d & e; Bandaged up
- - - - - - - - -
i probably put on some 3 in 1 antibiotic salve
But i don't think that i particularly did anything to clean it...???
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure g : Probably a few days after d,e & f; Hamburger Phase...!
- - - - - - - - -
January 23rd...???
It looks like it's entering it's Hamburger Phase...
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure h : Another view of g
- - - - - - - - -
i was probably trying to get a good angle...???
It's really hard to see my view finder picture in bright sunlight...!!!
So would point with my left hand to the owie,
Wagging my index finger back & forth,
So i could see it in the camera's LCD...
And try to get the camera in position;
Then remove my left hand, and snap the picture...!!!
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure i : Another view of g & h
- - - - - - - - -
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure j : From the g, h & i Sequence...???
- - - - - - - - -
These pictures were loaded by their sequencial positions in the camera...
But this certainly looks like it was taken before g,
Before i had a chance to scrape off some of the dead surface skin...???
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure k : g, h, i & j Sequence; Antibiotic Salve
- - - - - - - - -
i don't like to skimp on the 3 in 1 antibiotic salve...!
i've had some remarkable cures by using it... ( sometimes )
Another miracle drug i've discovered is a generic version
of Waldomart's Acne Creme,
Which i think has antibiotic action built into it,
And also dries out the owie...
Which is usually Very Good...!!!
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure l : g, h, i, j & k; All Bandaged Up...!!!
- - - - - - - - -
All Bandaged Up...!
i like to use the athletic stretch wraps
because my skin will just fall apart
if i put to much tape on it...!!!
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ω . 1

Next: Waikiki Clinic...!!!
.

Owie Documentation : Two

Introduction
- - - - - - - - -
Around January 23rd or 24th i was thinking...
'This owie is getting Very Woogily...!!!'
So i went over to The Waikiki Health Clinic
Where they fixed my last
UnDocumented Owie...!!!

.
÷Θ÷Θ÷Θ÷Θ÷Θ÷Θ÷Θ÷

.

figure 1 : Waikiki Clinic Entrance
- - - - - - - - -
This is kind of an odd location for a Health Clinic
That ostensibly serves the local peons & other chattel...
Because it's only about a block from
The Purportedly Fanciest Beach in The World
Outside of France.

.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure 2 : Sign out front
- - - - - - - - -
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure 3 : Reception area
- - - - - - - - -
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure 4 : Generic Waiting Room
- - - - - - - - -
i took these pictures on the 26th
Even though this visit, my first visit for this owie,
Was on the 25th...
( because i forgot to take any pictures
of the waiting room that day...!!! )
( i also forgot to take a picture of Shane Millard PA.C )
[ Physician Assistant - Certified ]
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure 5 : Where the Doctor ( or equvalent ) sits
- - - - - - - - -
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure 6 : Stuff
- - - - - - - - -
i should have looked through all the drawers,
But i'm too shy.
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure 7 : Generic Nurse
- - - - - - - - -
She came in after 'Not a Doctor Millard',
And she was supposed to clean my owie and put a bandage on me,
But she just wiped it off--
( like last time...!!! )
And i think she also game me a shot in the ass...!!!
( i really should have asked ( or remembered )
what they shot me with...!!! ( ? ) )
( they didn't give me a shot in the ass last time...! )
Before this:
When 'Not a Doctor Millard' came in,
He took one look at my owie,
Recoiled in horror, and refused to even get near it...!
ugh.
i also got a prescription for Climaycin 150mg.
NaDM also said that he wanted me to come back the next day
And when i told them this down at The Reception Counter
They acted as though this was absolutely unheard of...???
And asked me if i wanted to make an appointment...
And i was thinking 'Yes...!'
But they were acting so quirky about it,
That after a considerable amount of lollygagging-- ( ! )
i said i'd changed my mind, and would just 'drop by'...
which is how i think most of their appointments
are done anyways...???
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure 8 : Owie on January the 25th 2006
- - - - - - - - -
It doesn't really so bad here...
does it...???
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure 9 : Still January 25
- - - - - - - - -
i think that all the dead skin on top is keeping you
from seeing all the gore just below it...???
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure 10 : Very Nice Bandaging...!
- - - - - - - - -
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure 11 : The Pills
- - - - - - - - -
i think there was enough,
4 per day, supposedly every 6 hours...???
So that they lasted about a week.
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ .

figure 12 : Nurse Practitioner Amy
January 26th 2006
- - - - - - - - -
This is Nurse Practitioner Amy...!
She took VERY Good care of me!
She squeezed a lot of the pus out of my owie
And disinfecting it with antiseptic germicide povidone-iodine
And gave me some P-I swabs...
( i was supposed to get some more on my own,
But The Longs Drug Store only had Huge Bottles of it...!!! )
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure 13 : The Second Owie...!
- - - - - - - - -
This owie had been around for a few days,
And wasn't getting any better...
So NP Amy Bandaged it up too...!!!
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure 14 : Owie with Iodine
- - - - - - - - -
i didn't really take very many picture of my owie on the 26th,
But it looked ALOT better after only one day...
NP Amy thought that the shot i got
The day before was The Wonder Cure...???
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

figure 15 : Second Owie after squeezing...!
- - - - - - - - -
i was hoping that with all The Drugs i was taking that this owie,
Which was just 'starting' would short circuit and
Not 'Cycle Through' the usual bell curve of woogliness...
What that consists of is starting off
As a harmless looking scratch, or puncture,
Then getting progressively worse
Until it looks decidedly life threatening
Then it heals VERY quickly...!
Usually within a week or 10 days...!!!
.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Ω . 2

Next: On My Own...
.