Monday, June 25, 2012

The Man with the knee and the Minion

My husband Art is a hard worker, a helpful man, the person who shops and cooks and fixes and gardens and drives. I am also a hard worker, the person who takes care of the money and plans the trips and coordinates the housekeeper and communicates with the eight grown children.

Art is now 17 days post-surgery on a new knee. He has worked mightily in physical therapy and achieved impressive results. He has graduated from walker to cane. He has elevated and iced and the swelling has come down. He has greatly reduced his daily intake of oxycodone.

However, he can't work hard right now. Can't shop or cook much or fix much or garden much or drive at all. Those things have fallen to me, the minion.

For the past four days we have had one short outing each day: out to breakfast on Saturday at a local diner; to a morning meeting on Sunday; to massages today. They say the stamina is the last to return. That means, after each outing, Art needs the rest of the day to rest.

But not me.

We never watch television, except for shows and movies on Netflix. TV is about all Art can manage right now. I have been listening to "kill and maim" TV shows and movies for nearly a week now. The TV is on six or seven hours a day. Not loud, but on.

I have cut the lettuce from the garden for salads. Pulled up the two remaining turnips in the garden and brought in 150 seeds to put in an envelope. Weeded the buttercups so our little yard crew (son and grandson) can spread the mulch next weekend. Driven to the pho place to pick up dinner. Driven to Safeway to pick up almond milk. Put the newspapers and the bottles into the recycle bin. Taken the recycle and trash bins to the curb. Loaded and unloaded the dishwasher. Cleared the table. Filled Art's ice pump with ice. Moved the ice pump from the bedroom to the living room to the bedroom. Filled Art's water bottle with water and ice. Done the laundry. Changed the sheets. Counseled with two grown children.

I am taking care of myself, though. I get seven hours of sleep each night, at least. I go to exercise class on weekdays. Today I got a massage for the first time in three weeks. I fell asleep on the massage table. I never do that. Tomorrow I get to mediate at the dispute resolution center. Tomorrow night I get to meet with my writers group.

Still. I am one tired minion. So, so grateful this is temporary.




13 comments:

Terra said...

Wow, you are one busy little minion. Thank goodness that is not a long term minion job!

1NurseRatched said...

You're an outrageous good wife and minion. If I remember correctly, last week we were calling him the "old goat" and you the "goat wife". Sleep well, little minion, for you have served the man with the knee with patience, kindness, and tolerance. I salute you!

Muffy's Marks said...

Art did all that? Wow, you were a luck lady for a very long time. He will be up and at'em real soon and then you will be able to cut back on all of those extra duties. I would like to send mine your way for Art to teach The Mister some of those chores!!

Arkansas Patti said...

Minion has some great satisfaction rewards but sleeping through a massage is not one of them. Yikes.
Good that Art is putting in the work. Too many don't and the results show it. Keep up the good work, both of you.

DJan said...

What a lot of work, on both sides of the partnership. Getting over something like that is really hard. When I was laid up, it was my husband who did it all for me, and I so appreciated it, I asked him to take a road trip he'd been wanting to take for ages, and I gave him enough $$ not to have to worry about anything. We are much stronger having gone through that trying period. Hope it's the same for you.

Ms Sparrow said...

I hope your writer's group gives you as much fun and social outlet as mine do. I love hanging out with other writers--they are my kind of people! Plus, nobody is a "minion" when you're with them!

Out on the prairie said...

I figured you must be busy , it has been a while since I had heard from your way

Sally Wessely said...

I'm glad he is coming along so well. His progress is really impressive. Being the minion is hard work. It seems you are handling it well. I hope Art is able to add to his ability to feel more stamina each day.

Beth said...

I am glad your husband is showing progress. It is hard being a caregiver, I know that first hand.

Barb said...

This too shall pass. Is there anything the minion can just eliminate from the routine for a week or so?

Linda Reeder said...

My first though is that you are one lucky lady to have a husband who does all of that, and wants to, and will again soon.

Tom said...

Best of luck to your husband with the new knee. (And to you as his primary caregiver!) My sister, age 65, got hers yesterday.

(Let me pause to point out that my sister is older than I am. Much older. WAY older. (I wish.))

Anyway, my much older sister with the bad knees is still in the hospital. Seems like it's going to be a lot of pain, and a lot of hard work. But, seriously, worth in the end.

Carol Lee said...

You said that you are good in handling money, does this means that you are good in wealth management too.