Steve's surgery went fairly well. He has had problems with his shoulder(s) and his elbow(s) since the late 1980s. Over the years with all the abuse, his shoulder bone had developed frayed edges where the rotator cuff slides beneath it. Periodically, the bone would catch on the tendon and pinch it - causing great pain. This also limited Steve's overhead motion. Last Tuesday, the doctor shaved off the ragged edge and filed the bone to a very smooth (and slippery) surface.

Steve also suffered from 'tennis elbow', and in order to encourage new bone growth, the doctor drilled 10 tiny holes deep into the elbow bone. The doctor explained to me that the blood will fill those holes and new marrow will generate and the bone will become stronger, and the tendons will have fresh bone to adhere to. (Or something like that)

The surgery required general anesthesia with a tube down the throat, etc. Everything went well, until Steve was in recovery. While there, he began to panic because he couldn't breathe. In his mind he was saying "take a breath, lungs", but his body was not responding. He started to sweat, his oxygen levels plummeted, and he complained of chest pain. They automatically gave him an oxygen mask, hooked him up to a 12-lead to make sure he wasn't having a heart attack, and whisked him off to x-ray to see what was going on with his lungs. Everything was normal - thank God.

He continued to improve, but at a much slower pace than they hoped for, so they kept him there for observation for four hours, while deciding whether to admit him overnight or not. I was allowed back to sit with him for the last two hours - during which time he had bouts of nausea, and had to be administered anti-nausea drugs.

This was Steve's very first time being put under general anesthesia, and I guess he just didn't take very well to it. They said that because of his size, they gave him a higher dosage of narcotics, which is probably what caused his lungs to take so long to breathe at full capacity. They said the chest pain was probably the heaviness of his shoulder, which was three times it's normal size because of the fluid buildup from surgery.

While I was waiting, a friend who works at the hospital came by to see how things were. She read about Steve's surgery in this journal and knew I'd be there. That was a nice surprise, and her company helped the time pass a little quicker. (Thank you, Hannah!) Also, my friend Dianne, who is an OR nurse at the hospital, saw Steve's name on the roster and made it a point to check on him - especially when she heard he was having some problems in recovery - and then come out and let me know what was going on. I really appreciated that too.

The first few days after surgery were tough. Steve was in a lot of pain, and because of the sling and having to keep his arm immobilized, he didn't sleep well at all. Now, he's out of the sling, is able to straighten his elbow, has cut back on the pain meds, and seems to be on the mend. His shoulder is still very sore and he's being careful not to move it too much.

One of the side effects to the Percocet can be uncontrollable bouts of hiccups. Less than 1% of people taking Percocet have this reaction. We tried every trick in the book to make them go away. Plugging his ears while he drank water, and eating a spoonful of peanut butter worked, but were only a temporary fix. The hiccups would come back again within an hour. Now that he's cut back on the pain meds, the hiccups have abated. He was so frustrated!

His follow-up appointment is on Wednesday. Hopefully all will go well.

On Thursday, the rain finally let up and I had planned on going to the fair to get some 'sunny day' photos. I got myself dressed and ready, and just before I was ready to leave the house, I changed my mind. I just didn't want to go alone. It was one of those days when I was really missing Rachael's company. I've been missing her a lot lately and wish she still lived here. We did so much together - even the mundane stuff - and now there is a void in my life. *sigh* I miss having a really close girlfriend to hang out with, and be silly with, and talk to. Even the silent moments with Rachael were comfortable and enjoyable. I suppose I should be thankful that I had such an awesome friendship; some people never find that.

Since I was dressed, I decided to at least get outside in the sunshine. I grabbed my camera and Sedona and took a walk around the property in search of anything that caught my fancy.

	"When piped a tiny voice hard by, Gay and polite, a cheerful cry, Chic-chic-a-dee-dee! saucy note Out of sound heart and merry throat." -Ralph Waldo Emerson-

With the cooler overnight temps, I've been seeing some changes in the foliage. It's hard to believe that autumn is slowly but surely arriving in Alaska. I'm not ready for summer to come to an end, but I do enjoy watching the colors of fall arrive.

The prickly rose bushes are usually the first to turn. The green leaves begin to turn crimson around the edges, and gradually the color moves inward until the entire leaf is a beautiful shade of red. We don't have maple trees here, so we have to rely on shrubs and bushes to provide crimson accents of color on the landscape. Likewise, the tundra ground cover will change from a deep holly green color, to a rich burgundy. However, we do have plenty of birch, aspen, and cottonwood trees - with their golden yellow and yellow-orange fall foliage. It's quite striking to see this bright golden glow on the hills, particularly on a sunny day. I've already noticed small pockets of color in the tree line, and any leaves that have already fallen are turning yellow. While autumn probably won't officially arrive for several more weeks, the slight changes are already being seen.

Yesterday, I hung out with my friend Dianne for most of the afternoon. She asked me to take photos of her in front of the plane she is taking her flying lessons in. Before driving to Eielson AFB (where the Aero Club is based), we did a little shopping and had lunch. Dianne has decided she's going to take belly dancing lessons with me, which I think is wonderful. It will be nice to have a friend in the class, and we plan to carpool as much as possible.

Here are a few of the photos I took of Dianne:

Dianne's been taking lessons for nearly two years. She's an RN with a very busy schedule, so it's been difficult for her to squeeze in flying lessons and studying, but she's getting there. I'm very proud of her for working so hard to realize her dream of flying someday. She's invited me to go flying with her after she gets licensed and has some experience under her *wings*. She's already flown solo a few times, but has to do a long-distance solo in the upcoming weeks. I know she's a little nervous about that, but I'm sure she'll do just fine.

Today, I have to go to the fairgrounds and pick up my photo entries. It's hard to believe that fair week is already over. Time seems to be flying by, as always.