If I Only Had a Knee

Greetings all.

I am well past my contrite apologies for my delay between blogs. This time it was four months. I do not even think you can truly call that a blog then. Blog implies activity; frequent updated information shared with short intervals of time between. That must mean then that my posts are not blogs, but instead must be Blugs or Blags...whatever states more clearly that the author posts whenever she feels the need, but definitely more than twice a year. How boring.

One thing is assured however with a Blug or Blag - there is much to report to said readers and followers regarding the subject at hand: the Master and Commander, the ring leader, the divo himself, William Michael Gordon.

When did I last report - Easter? Wow....what has occurred between? I will try to make a long summer short.

Dad was last given a clean bill of health (regarding his Melanoma) by his doctor, Dr. Schlam. With that miracle behind him Dad knew his next order of business should be his knee. He was referred to a specialist in Montclair, close to home. His first visit was not exactly what Dad had expected. I guess with the great pain that Dad has been enduring for literally years, he thought this doctor, Dr. Chase, would - after first inspection, run out to his reception area - tell his administrators to cancel all his afternoon appointments - and then come back to the room in full scrubs, scalpel in hand and begin to operate right on the exam table. Not so my friends, not so. He told Dad that he felt he should wait (FOR WHAT!?) that the surgery is not the answer right now (ARE YOU KIDDING?!) and that he would give him some shots (HE ALREADY GOT SHOTS SOME TIME AGO - THEY DIDN'T HELP!!!) and see him again in a few months. Well, you could tell Dad was a little disappointed. I am sure it took great courage for him to finally address the "knee" thing.

As suspected the shots did little to curb the pain Dad feels when he does something as simple as walk, go up/down stairs, etc. In fact, the odd thing is, Dad probably feels the least pain when he is on his bike...peculiar the way the body works, isn't it? Due to that and the fact that Dad had been housebound for most of the winter he loaded up his bike and went to a local park to have a go at the cycling. If the weather was agreeable you could find Dad on his bike and at the park. He also found great pleasure when the local pool opened and his early-bird swims resumed. However, the weather soon turned fowl and hot. Going to the park to ride was just out of the question, but the pool was an excellent alternative - and he had a routine of laps and aerobic water calisthenics.

A bit of a tangent here, but still related to Dad - yearly I get great amusement at hosting my nieces and nephews at different intervals according to age, gender, etc. for at least a week. Siblings would be divided, and cousins would be paired or grouped accordingly. The groups broke down in the following manner - Aidan (8) and Dylan (10), Gabby (14) and Erin (13), and finishing out the summer the 3rd Annual All Girls Roadshow - Maria (17), Ashley (16) and Laura (17). So between my three summer classes (not all occurring at the same time) Dad permitted me to continue the tradition and the house was once again filled with the children of his children. Due to the heat all the kids were housed in the sun room - the room we affectionately call the "playroom". Well, it isn't just due to the heat, it is also due to the fact that the only free room, the attic, is strategically placed directly above my fathers room, and more specifically, his bed.

No, no, this just won't do.

I believe the children found the accommodations quite satisfactory and a great time was had by all. The kids, tweens, young ladies and young adults, were all very obliging to the house rules and regulations (keep the cat in the attic!) - and despite the structure - WE HAD A BLAST! Even Dad took on the afternoon shift and took the kids to the pool whenever they desired. I believe the children will remember these visits with their Pop Pop fondly and forever. I know I will.

In early August we await the annual celebration of the birth of the family matriarch Mary Margaret Gordon. This year - hold onto your garters gals - lift up your gym shorts gents - she is a whopping 105 years young. Once again, the house fills with family - and the walls creak with the breath of things once remembered. Unfortunately, Grandma was a bit under the weather and was not able to make her own birthday extravaganza. She tried to fit in two parties in one week - as only a Gordon would do - and it just plum tuckered her out. That didn't stop the Gordon clan though. A beautiful day by the lake, great food prepared by some of the finest culinary relations we have, and wonderful music escaping the hollowed centers of various string-ed instruments - and folks, we have lift off - the Gordon's don't need much to get a party going. And without "herself" present it reminded me of the old Christmas flick - The Grinch - when the entire town of Who's come to the center of "Whoville" to celebrate Christmas Day. The very large holiday tree has been taken. The homes have been robbed of all their Christmas booty and yet, despite this loss - they all came - joined hands and started to sing...



That's what it felt like to me....she didn't need to be there - to be - there.

It is now the third week of August - Dad had been experiencing some shoulder pain over the last month or so due to a strain. You don't realize how all your body parts are connected until one of them is under severe duress. A sneeze hurts, a bump in the road is painful, you can't sleep, you can't wash your flowing silver locks - it is just -well, inconvenient. So, Dad decided to seek medical counsel - that's when you know it is bad. He went last week for xrays and to have some blood work done, just to rule out this possibly being related to something other than a strain. The results came in for the blood work - clear. Dad also made his follow-up appointment to once again discuss his knee - and this time the doctor said - IT IS TIME....TIME FOR SURGERY - ya think? This physician, Dr. Chase, also took a look at Dad's shoulder and said that it was a tear in the shoulder muscle - OUCH. Apparently, besides a shot of Cortisone, there is not much, besides time, that can assist in its healing.

Back to the knee. Dad has his "knee replacement surgery" tentatively scheduled for the third week of September (yes 2010!). The tentativeness of this is based on what the results of his preoperative visits with the doctors reveal. If all goes well Pops will have his surgery on or about the 21st of September. This will result in a stay at the hospital (Mountainside) of about 3-4 days. He will then be sent home and have a rehabilitation of about 5-6 weeks which will include outpatient rehabilitation at a local Health care Center (Cedar Hill Health care Center). That's quite the birthday present he is getting himself! And doesn't he deserve it!! I am sure he cannot wait to get back out there and walk in the reservation with ease!



I will follow-up shortly, I promise I won't wait too long, on any more specific information regarding his knee replacement -

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4DKUS_enUS305US307&q=knee+replacement+surgery

- and also on how his shoulder is mending.

All for now - guess I made a long story - long.

Smooches to all!