Snow storms and doctor appointments

For weeks and weeks I've waited on my chance to see a doctor at Mayo in Rochester for a second opinion on my knee. My original surgeon did a scope on July 22nd and then did a total knee replacement on Sept. 9th. However, I can still not walk without a walker and even with it I am in a lot of pain and it often goes out from under me and I almost fall. The physical therapists and I discovered that my kneecap was on the side of my leg not in front where it belongs. When I asked the original surgeon about this, he told me I was fine and that if it wasn't better in a couple of weeks he would go in with the scope again. At that point I called my family doctor and asked for a different surgeon. Finally this Tuesday was my chance. A major snowstorm was forecast and I was to be at the clinic at 7:30AM so my daughter and I went to Rochester on Monday night and stayed in a very old guesthouse near the clinic. It did snow all night and all day Tuesday. I had xrays from about every possible angle and then saw the doctor. I really liked him. He was very personable and very thorough and explained everything. He agreed and the xrays confirmed that indeed my kneecap is on the side of my leg. But then after a thorough exam he felt there was more wrong than that and that perhaps my muscles and ligaments might not be attached to the kneecap to keep it where it belongs and to allow my leg to hold itself straight. He said this cannot be fixed with a scope so that would have been another wasted surgery had I allowed it to be done. He ordered labwork to check for infection and he ordered a very thorough ultrasound of the knee to check the muscles and ligaments. He said we may even have to replace the new joint I got in Sept. He will call me next week to tell me the test results and how extensive the surgery will need to be. However, he has hundreds of patients awaiting surgery and he only does 12 per week. So I am worried how long I will wait and how long recovery will be and if I will miss the whole year of work. If I do what will we live on and what will happen to my medical insurance through work? I know, I know, God is in control, but it is hard not to worry.

Anyway, I got done at Mayo about noon or so on Tuesday. It was still snowing and a blizzard warning went into effect at noon Tues through midnight Thurs. AM. So I called home and my husband checked the radar and it was right upon our home at that time. So since with my walker I'd be helpless if I were to go into a ditch, and I had a 70 mile drive home, he told me to stay put in Rochester. So I checked us into a Super 8 for the next two nights. On the way there we stopped at a store for paper plates and lunch meat and buns and milk and juice and cheese. We had a nice room, 2 beds, a table and 2 chairs and a 27" tv. There was a nice lobby with tables and chairs and a fireplace and there was an indoor pool and whirlpool which we had no clothes for. So Tuesday afternoon and night we sat in our room watching the snow out the window. We had sandwiches for lunch in our room. For supper we had pizza delivered. All day Wednesday we sat at our motel and watch the snow blow by and listened to the wind howling at our window. We did go down to the lobby and play cards for awhile and for lunch and supper both Cassandra hiked through the blowing snow to the Denny's next door and brought us back hot meals. The rest of the time we hung out in our room reading books and doing crafts and watching TV and she did homework and we played on her laptop computer. It was an okay break. We were a little sad that we were stuck in a city with movie theaters and shopping malls and restaurants and we couldn't leave our motel. But we were warm and dry and had all our necessities met. About 11AM today Thursday, Cassandra shoveled out our car and got it warmed up and we loaded our belongings and headed for home finally. There was still snow blowing across the road in places and lots of icy patches on the road, but we were careful and we got home safely. It is good to be home. In Rochester they got 13 inches of snow. I don't know how much they got here at home but it was plenty and those 50mph winds made some horrific drifts. This was only our second snow of the season and the drifts look like it's been snowing for months. I hope this is not an indication of what the whole winter will be like. If so, my walker and I may just hibernate until spring. I hope wherever you are, that you are safe and warm.