Knee Surgery, 12

Daily life / Personal Reminiscences / Surgery & MedicineLeave a comment

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Well, the staples are removed and my leg no longer looks like, as per Young Frankenstein, a zipper. It was a quick, and quite painless process, and the incision looked good and clean. The bandage is gone and in its place are numerous “steri-strips” that will last another five days. The knee is still very swollen, and I can’t expect the leg to lose all of the swelling for several months. All I really want right now is for it to diminish enough to make it possible for me to sleep on my side without discomfort. * Our appointment at … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, 11

Daily life / Personal Reminiscences / Surgery & Medicine / UncategorizedLeave a comment

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Seventy-two degrees, up from 58 when I first started physio last week, That’s how far my operated knee can bend when I’m doing my exercises. It’s still got a long way to go to reach the one hundred-plus milestone, but it’s an improvement. Small achievements are how it’s done. I can also lift my left foot higher, too, and use a five-inch aerobic stepper for one of the exercises, and an eight-inch step for another. Don’t get me wrong: these are baby steps, still. And while the pain has diminished, it is still pretty much constant enough that it sometimes … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, 10

Daily life / Personal Reminiscences / Surgery & MedicineLeave a comment

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Back when the surgeon offered me an unexpected date in August instead of the expected December to February, I thought to myself it would be better to get it done in summer when I could still get outside and enjoy the weather. Back then, the temperatures were mid-20s to low 30s and looked like the rest of the summer would be as hot. Seems the weather has since gone from August to October and those lazy, hazy days of summer are a memory. At least, I keep telling myself, it isn’t snowing. But damn, it’s cold for August. And there’s … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, 9

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Well, I have a whole new set of exercises, most of which come with a pain factor increase, but nothing that seems to make any great leap forward in either mobility or pain (fortunately for the latter). Yet. But, of course, it’s still very early days. It’s difficult to be patient or optimistic when every little thing is still a struggle. I’m sure Susan’s patience wears thin during the day when I have to ask for things to be brought, picked up, removed, moved further, moved closer… yeah, yeah, I’m whining again. I should concentrate more on the accomplishments so … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery: 8

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On this blog, I’ve been counting the days since surgery from the day of the operation. That makes surgery day Day 1 in my count. And the first day I wrote about it as Day 2 (the day after surgery). But a friend argued that most people think of the first day as the 24 hours since surgery, and my perhaps eccentric counting was misleading, so I am changing the heading to show just the number of posts, without a day. When I refer to the days since or the date in the post, I will try to be clear. … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, Day 7

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Yesterday, after taking off the tensor bandage, my knee was a cheerful gnome of pain, likely released, I suspect, by the flesh expanding rather suddenly after all that compression. Sort of like one of those strange deep-sea fish dragged to the surface from the depths. And while it calmed down somewhat overnight from the tempest of torment, the pain has not fully gone away. Just another day in the saga of knee replacement recovery, Not that positive notes don’t sound: going up and down the stairs with a cane is a tad easier and less gruelling than before. No faster, … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, Day 6

Daily life / Musings / Personal Reminiscences / UncategorizedLeave a comment

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Aficionados of slow food, mindfulness, and slow thinking should add knee surgery to their list of life-focusing activities. It certainly makes everything move more slowly and deliberately. One does not rush — indeed cannot rush — with a walker and an operated knee. One walks with a speed that glaciers would admire; carefully, with each step considered. You look at the ground and consider obstacles, you pay attention to the motion of cats and dogs nearby. You plan how to get short distances as thoughtfully as you would a long road trip. It can be almost Buddhist-like in its contemplative … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, Day 5

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Accomplishments come in little packages. Last night, I managed to get myself up and into the bathroom to pee twice, without having to wake Susan up to help me get out of bed. I felt like a proud toddler who finally went potty on his own! Mind you, I woke her up getting back into bed, what with the clanking walker, my grunts and groans, and what thought was the sotto voce swearing when the pain shot through my leg as I lifted it. But still, I did it, on my own. Twice! And I am getting up and down … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, Day 4

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The other thing you lose with mobility is dignity. And that loss can affect you deeply, albeit not physically, but certainly a blow to your morale and ego. We are raised to be independent, to do things for ourselves, to dress ourselves, feed ourselves, to be self-reliant on ourselves for so many things in our daily life. And when we lose mobility and have to depend on someone to help with the smallest things that were previously in our control, our dignity suffers. You feel incapable of doing even the basic tasks; you become an invalid. And while it may … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery, Day 3

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If you want to see just how bad the roads and streets are in the Town of Collingwood, just drive over them a few hours after knee or other surgery. The roads around the hospital are excruciatingly painful, almost nausea-inducing when you hit one of the *many* deep ruts, potholes, or bumps, and the pain explodes. I know, because this was my experience two days ago. But so are the rest of the streets we drove on, on our way home. Some of these streets have ankle-deep potholes, others have been left to decay for decades. But the town doesn’t … click below for more ↓

Knee Surgery Day Two

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Well, I’m back from the hospital following my knee surgery. It was a “Total knee arthroplasty (TKA), also known as total knee replacement,” described as a “surgical procedure that involves replacing the damaged surfaces of the knee joint with artificial components made of metal and plastic.” I am now the bionic man. First time I’ve had artificial bits embedded in me, but it’s common with my age cohort who get their knees and hips done.*  I came home just after 5 p.m. yesterday. I could have stayed in the hospital overnight, but I’m sure the hospital staff preferred to see … click below for more ↓

Godzilla Minus One: Some Thoughts

Film & Reviews / GodzillaLeave a comment

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I have been watching Godzilla films since the late 1950s or early ’60s, when the edited American version (1956) of the 1954 Japanese original was released and was finally shown on TV. I have since seen all 37 films in the franchise at least twice, some even more, and still enjoy watching them (readers here will recall my previous posts about Godzilla and the films…).* The ’54 original film became my favourite of the franchise when I first watched it in the early 2000s (it was not released to North American audiences until 2004; until then all we had was … click below for more ↓

The Disappearing Semicolon; Has English Education Failed Us?

Grammar / Reading & Literacy / Style & usage4 Comments

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The media, both legacy and online, continue to herald the death of the semicolon. Perhaps this is meant merely as a distraction from the events unfolding in world politics, particularly the death of democracy as fascism rises in the USA. I’ve previously lamented the misuse and unuse of the semicolon here, but usually in the context of sloppy local media and townhall writing. However, judging at least by the linked articles below, it is a much larger issue than differences over usage and style, and it affects English writers worldwide. It may be the metaphorical ‘canary in the coal mine’ … click below for more ↓

The Troubling Lack of Empathy Among Conservatives

MAGA cultists / Psychology & Sociology / Rightwing claptrap / Talibangelists and pseudo-Christians / What I'm Reading Now9 Comments

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Empathy is a nasty word to conservatives. Elon Musk recently showed his contempt for the very notion of considering another’s feelings, calling it “civilizational suicidal empathy.” And then, to make sure everyone knew his views, the technocrat added in an interview with fellow rightwing MAGA cultist Joe Rogan, “The fundamental weakness of Western civilization is empathy, the empathy exploit.” Which means he sees empathy as a weakness he can exploit. Information-warfare.com noted, “Musk’s perspective on empathy aligns with certain ideological frameworks, particularly technocracy and the Dark Enlightenment [DE] movement. These ideologies do not prioritize empathy as a guiding principle but … click below for more ↓

What if Julian Jaynes Was Right?

Evangelicals / MAGA cultists / Politics / Rightwing claptrap / US PoliticsOne Comment

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In 1977, Princeton University psychologist Julian Jaynes published his controversial book, The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind. Hardly a title that should have captured the public imagination, but it managed to create a stir in the media, among Jaynes’ peers, as well as among other scientists. And, surprisingly for an academic work, it sold out its first printing. It went through new printings in 1990, 1993, and 2000. It was criticized, attacked, and debunked at the time, but also praised, debated and discussed. It still is, albeit not with the same vigour that attended its … click below for more ↓

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