Pat's Birthday Blog

[Veda]

So glad to hear that it's all a GO! 
Much love and prayers coming your way during the next few weeks.
 

[Pat Testa]

Veda...I believe all the prayers and good thoughts are working...everything that has been thrown at me has been resolved and the more I talk to my doctors, the more I am glad that I exercised and kept weight off my body. Now, they are predicting that my stay in the hospital will be minimal and if the doctor is able to use glue instead of staples on the small incisions that he is preparing to use...I will be able to shower within a week, so, the dreaded sponge baths will be short-lived. I'm actually getting excited about having this done and proving to my kids that I CAN do it and they don't need to worry about me.
Ann and Randi (granddaughter) are coming over tomorrow to help me get the house ready for Steve's arrival on Sunday...and making sure I have everything I need for my hospital stay.
I need for Jeff and Julie to bring Jackson over for hugs...I really miss his little smiling face.

[Pat Testa]

I hear voices.............
.....but it's okay
The voice of my Mother, as she lay her hand on my painfully swollen arthritic knee..."I suffered, so you wouldn't have to...." and the swelling subsided.
The voice of my Father encouraging me to be strong.
The voice of my deceased Daughter, telling me to "Relax...it's not your time"
The voice of my late husband reminding me that he is waiting but to "take my time" His Eternity is but a moment in my Lifetime.
It seems as if there is a Gathering of Angels preparing me for my upcoming surgery 

[Pat Testa]

Everything is in place and I have only 2 more days to surgery and my 72nd birthday. The closer it gets, the more confident I am that it will go smoothly and I will be back in my home where I belong. Brother Steve has talked my ear off since he has been here and if he starts on politics...I just give him "the look" and he laughs and says "okay"
Randi did a good job cleaning house for me and Ann got my groceries and helped me put them away. It's good to be me right now...things are going well and I'm content.....

[Pat Testa]

My birthday came and went and a lot of it is just a blurr...which is probably just as well.
My surgery went well and after 4 days I was home again and started the healing process. Brother Steve was a BIG help to me and I didn't even have to use the whistle to summon him. My visiting nurse gave him the okay to leave me to my own care and so far I'm doing well. I refuse to use the drugs to mask any discomfort I have, because I want to know what is going on and how I am healing...I don't like the side affects of the pain killer.
I'll have my first visit with my surgeon on Wednesday and am hoping he takes the bandage off and gives me the okay to shower as much as I want. Everything is working out okay and the mystery of the unknown is known..... It will be much easier if I have to have the other hip done....but....I don't even want to think about that right now....just want to be whole again...and I'm gettin' close.

[Veda]

Just read your great, positive news on your recovery from the hip surgery.

Your attitude is amazing, (well) just like you.  Hoping it continues forward for you.

Have a great day and know you're thought about so very often. 
Cheers!

[Pat Testa]

Thanks Veda...I have had good reports from my nurse and Therapist who come to the house...they have both told me that my recovery is really good compared to other patients that they care for. That's good to know and it tells me that I am on the right track.

The one thing that I don't understand is the pain killer that I refuse to ingest is one of the drugs that people deliberately go to drug dealers to purchase...... I don't know how people can abuse their systems like that and go through life not knowing what is actually going on...because they are "out of it" Life is too short and too precious to waste like that.

[Barbara T]

Strangely enough, when I had my surgery I had no pain.  I was sore, but no pain, and when I went to get my staples removed he got ready to write me a prescription for percoset.  When I told him I didn't want it, he couldn't believe it.  He said patients would call up begging for more than they would write.  Poor man walked out the door shaking his head and talking to himself.

[Guardian Angel]

When I had my gall bladder surgery, I had very little pain, just the soreness from dragging the instruments through my tissues.  The doctor wrote me a prescription for Percoset too and I told him I wouldn't need it.  He insisted I take it and when I went back for my 2 week check up, I gave him the prescription back.  He did the same thing.  I can't believe that people want to take that stuff either.  I really believe that pain is mind over matter.  If you put your mind on other things it won't matter and you won't feel it. 

[Pat Testa]

I remember when hospice took over Dad's case and they asked us to give them all of his medications...we just smiled and told them he didn't have any. At 85 years of age...he didn't need to be medicated...just a nearby place to play golf and some good friends to accompany him and he was good. Now...he and his good buddy Ron are tearin' up the clouds with their golf swings.....

[Pat Testa]

It's a little over a month since my hip replacement and I am taking care of Jackson again, doing my housework and my yard work and my shopping....in other words...I am OKAY! My neighbor who had surgery a month before I did, is still having problems and is amazed at my recovery. I think, because she wasn't a candidate for minimally invasive surgery, that they must have sliced through some nerves when they made the 18 inch incision down her thigh. She's going to be tested today and hopefully will get some answers...
We are all different and amazing and no two of us will ever have the same outcome...but, I am hoping she will be able to carry on with her life and not have to use that darned walker forever.....

[Pat Testa]

Went to the surgeon yesterday and he gave me the "go ahead" to resume my life...but, not to overdo it. He suggested an elliptical as opposed to a treadmill, so, as soon as my former boss gets back from Europe...I'll have him find a used one for me.

My youngest Granddaughter was born 16 years ago and only weighed 2lbs. 5oz and is still very thin. She is a very soft-spoken girl and would never say anything to hurt someone else's feelings. Well, some jerk at school...fueled by the need to impress another girl, said something aloud to Randi and she handled it very well...but it hurt her feelings. I can imagine that she is under some pressure, having a sister who is very sure of herself and always being complimented on her physical beauty. I just wish I knew how to explain to Randi that in the long run, it is inner beauty that matters most. We all eventually grow old and our personalities and how we treat others is how we are judged. Physical beauty fades...but inner beauty lasts forever. I am not saying that her sister only has physical beauty, because she also is one who would never intentionally hurt someone...it's just easier for her because people respond to her looks before they even get to know her...and she is past the teenage angst years.....
My wall post on FB was for Randi...I hope she sees it and understands...but, I didn't want her to know I knew about her harrasser. 

[Guardian Angel]

Shawn went through that kind of pain and I never knew what to say so I just listened and made sure he knew how much he was loved.  The cruelty of teenagers can sometimes be razor sharp.  Praying for Randi's peace of mind.