WE’RE OUTTA’ HERE! HEADING TO NAPA, CALIFORNIA ON WEDNESDAY

It was all good news at the knee surgeon’s office.  Odel needs to tweak his recuperation a bit – less walking, more targeted exercising of the knee, more icing – but they signed off with “call us for an appointment when you get back in fall”.  To those of you anticipating something similar in you future, be aware that you can be walking (Odel was cautioned to continue taking his cane along, since falling would be the WORST thing for his knee), but you will not be healed at six weeks.  The focus remains on healing for several more weeks; once you regain full extension and flexion, you can focus on strength (walking longer distances).

Of course, Odel asked about golfing.  Brian (the surgeon’s assistant) okayed putting and chipping, but said that driving should be put off for several more weeks, until the three month mark… and then Odel should start on the range to determine whether his knee was ready for that twisting, torqueing motion yet (with pain and swelling as the clue that he isn’t).  Six weeks or so of chipping and putting practice would help anyone’s game, so I don’t think Odel found the prospect too dismal.

The only problem?  The weather!  It is another rainy day here in Sacramento.  When we got home, I checked the weather for all of the areas of Oregon we have discussed as targets, and found that the ten-day forecasts don’t anticipate a lot of balmy golfing weather.  Napa, California, on the other hand, has many days of dry weather – and even sunshine – with showers forecast for just one day and temperatures mostly in the upper 60’s or lower 70’s.  So, Napa – here we come. 

One more health issue of possible interest to some readers:  Odel is a “lifetime” warfarin (Coumadin) user.  As we travel, he has blood drawn and tested (PT or INR) monthly.  Well, that is about to change.  On Saturday, he will receive a home diagnostic PT/INR meter that works like a blood glucose meter – stab your finger, draw the blood onto a strip which is then read by a metering device.  Simple – or so they say.  :)  A nurse used the same device when she came to test Odel’s PT post-surgery, and it was she who put us on the track of getting our own.  With a prescription from his primary care physician, Odel was approved for home testing.  The device is covered by Medicare; apparently it is less expensive than the lifetime of monthly lab tests Medicare currently covers.  Seems like a very good solution for us.

Now, let’s hope travel adventures (and photos!) squeeze health news off our front page!