Medical News There is A-Plenty!

I've been really busy this week because (1) we're creeping up close to what I have come to term the "first battery" of semester tests (three next week, one the following Monday) and (2) Nicky had arthroscopic surgery on her right knee on Tuesday morning. The docs at Johns Hopkins Bayview set Nicky's surgery time at 7:30am, which necessitated us getting up between 4 and 4:30 on Tuesday. I'd never been to Bayview before, but there I was trying to find an unfamiliar location in the dark and still loopy from the lack of sleep. The surgery went well and I picked Nicky up later that afternoon. The procedure apparently was a little more involved than expected; the surgeon has told Nicky not to put any weight on her right foot for 4-6 weeks. Hopefully we will be back to normal (or what passes for same around these parts) by November.

The day before Nicky's surgery, I also found myself facing the prospect of going under the knife, albeit a much smaller one. I developed a small umbilical hernia on my abdomen some time ago and, while it's not that painful, I did strain it once while Nicky and I were putting together our new treadmill in the basement. I went to a general surgeon for a consultation and we discussed the possibility of repairing the hernia. There's always a danger of the thing getting tangled up with "functioning parts" in the vicinity, so I do plan to have it fixed. Surgery will have to wait until December, after final exams, because I'll need a couple of days to recoup.

I'll be picking up Bengie's ashes from Mountainside Vet Hospital tomorrow. We plan to keep them along with the ashes of Nicky's dogs Paula and Squirt.

Reviews should recommence this weekend when I have time in between making up tests and ministering to Nicky.