On Easter Monday my Mom and I decided to have a Ham dinner unfortunately my van was out of gas and my dad had to work so we could not get supper supplies. I guess that egg hunt on Easter Sunday took two hours to do, no wonder we were out of gas. So instead Mom and I went walking to winners and Dollar Tree. We got a birthday present for my friend Skyler’s baby girl Sutton. We got her a baby book and we bought her some bath toys. Then we found a birthday card and a butterfly gift bag for the birthday presents! Then I got a PJ shirt, some pants and PJ bottoms . Once I tried on the PJ top at home I didn’t like the back of it , so we had to take it back and then I found a pinky and flowery shirt for a wedding in June. We decided to have homemade BBQ chicken pizza for dinner and we watched American Idol.

Unfortunately I had to miss the first birthday party for Sutton because I got a cold/ flu bug on Wednesday, but my friend Courtney who was going to her birthday party kindly delivered her birthday presents from me to her birthday party. My friend Courtney video taped her opening up presents, Skyler sent me pictures from her birthday party that I’ll post here!

On Thursday afternoon I had a school presentation at Sifton school.

On Friday afternoon my friend Courtney and my friend Skyler with their babies and children came over for an visit. I got to finally meet Courtney’s children Joseph and a baby girl named Marley! I loved holding Marley! She was so chill on my knee! I was so surprised to see Sutton wearing the outfit I bought her in February, she was wearing the shirt that I got her. Sutton looked great in the shirt and it fits her perfectly! It made me feel good and happy that she’s enjoying her shirt that I bought her.

On Saturday afternoon I got to go to Starbucks with Kelsey, Melissa, Mary, Alayna and Junior. I got to hold junior! It was a wonderful afternoon catching up with friends and their kids!

On Monday afternoon I had a school presentation at Sifton school this is Mrs. Jutais’ Grade 5 class!

On Thursday afternoon I had two school presentations at the new Chester Ronning school! When I got back home from bocce ball , I got a thank- you note and some flowers from the Camrose Association For Community Living! That was a fabulous surprise and it made it worth the hard work and it paid it off. My favourite part about the job is answering the children’s questions. It was a wonderful year of school presentations! I can’t wait until next year! Thanks so much for the wonderful flowers and thanks to Cherilyn and Victoria for the best super duper support team ever for the school presentations! We made another year of school presentations!

On Friday evening we had bingo and a meeting for events for June, July and August months with Rose Club and I got a mango flavoured face mask for my prize!

On Saturday morning was the fundraiser for the Larry Gibson’s memorial walk and I walked with my friend Kristen, her husband Adam and her newborn Huston, and her sister in law Rebecca! It was wonderful to see everyone from Special Olympics. There was hot dog lunch! They had lunch kits for everyone.

On Tuesday afternoon I got two birthday cards and an Mother’s Day card ready and coloured with coloured envelopes. May long weekend is busy with birthdays! My friend Teresa’s birthday is on Friday, Craig’s birthday is on Saturday and Mother’s Day is on the weekend before. Then my friend Karina and I went for manicures. I got sunflowers, black dots and yellow nails! Karina got a French manicure. It’s so nice to catch up with your girlfriends!

On Friday evening we went swimming with Rose Club. It was lots of fun swimming with our friends from Rose Club and Maryann came as well.

On Thursday morning I did some Mother’s Day water colouring painting pictures at Centra cam and a few months ago I painted a bright rainbow coloured bird house.

For Mother’s Day I helped my mom plant some flower pots in her backyard. Then I helped my brother Joel make a Mint Chocolate Mousse Cake for dessert while my mom, and my brother Luke went to her friend’s Anna Marie’s house so Luke could meet her new puppy Bean! I gave her a water coloured flower picture and an little picture with the words that says I love you mom. She liked her bird house and the flowers were her one of favourite flowers that I bought her.

I finished the word searches book from an Rose Club prize from name that tune or an bingo of some kind.

On Friday morning My Best Friend Forever Teresa sent a picture of herself reading her birthday card, she looked So smart in her glasses studying her birthday card she is still a teacher at heart. She loved her birthday flowers and her birthday card from me. It put a smile in her heart! She said the only birthday presents she got was her birthday flowers from me and her birthday card that I coloured. It’s makes a person feel like she did something extra special for her friend for her birthday. On Friday evening we went neon bowling with Rose Club and had a blast! It’s extra fun when you’re glowing in the dark and there music playing in the background. My staff Anna was dancing on the side.

On Saturday afternoon Rebecca, Kat and I went walking around Mirror lake and got some Starbucks drinks! We were discussing our birthday plans and what we want for our birthdays!

On Sunday afternoon my Mom changed my feeding tube!

Kelsey: Why did you need to get your knee replacement done?

Sheila: My knee was very sore because the knee joint was worn down from osteoarthritis. 

Kelsey: What did they replace your knee with? 

Sheila: Titanium. Now I will beep when I go through security at the airport. 

Kelsey: What was the surgery like?

Sheila: I woke up towards the end of the surgery, but I couldn’t feel any pain. I could feel my body moving while they were hammering, however.

Kelsey: How many days were you in the hospital and what was it like?

Sheila: I was in the hospital for two nights. I would have gone home sooner but I was in too much pain.  They had me up walking the day of surgery, which was fine, but the physio made me do some exercises that were very painful, and I nearly passed out. 

Kelsey: How was the recovery? 

Sheila: Recovery was good.  I could tell every day that I was healing a little more.  I followed all the rules and healed quite quickly.  Exercises, icing, elevating my leg – it was quite time consuming.  I only used a walker for a few days, then switched to a cane.  I didn’t need it very long either.  I did have a reaction to the blood thinners and bruised quite badly. 

Kelsey: How bad and for how long did you have pain? 

Sheila: The pain was pretty bad doing physio at first.  The physio told me I had to straighten my leg before I left the hospital, and there’s no way that was happening!  My leg was too swollen.  It took weeks before I could completely straighten in.  I’m not sure what that physio was thinking.  I think I only took something for pain for maybe a week. 

Kelsey: Do you think it was worth it? 

Sheila: Absolutely! 

Kelsey: Do you have pain now? 

Sheila: I wouldn’t say my knee is like it was when I was 20, but it’s pretty good.  It is sometimes stiff, but I wouldn’t really say it hurts. 

Kelsey: How long did it take you to fully recover? 

Sheila: I’d say it took a full year to really recover.  It’s a big surgery. 

Kelsey: How is your other knee? 

Sheila: Well, it will need to be replaced also, along with my hip. 

Kelsey: Is this a hereditary thing? 

Sheila: I’m not sure.  My parents never had any joints replaced, nor did my grandparents, but my sister has had both her hips replaced, and my one brother had a hip replaced.  Also, my nephew, and he was only 42!

Kelsey: Any advice for someone needing a knee replacement? 

Sheila: Don’t wait too long.  If you wait too long, you might damage your hips or other knee.  The first few days aren’t much fun, but it improves quickly.  Also, do your exercises, icing, elevating…all the things physio tells you.

This is what I found on Knee replacements if you want to read more about them:

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/knee-replacement/about/pac-20385276?fbclid=IwAR2PE7dum-bGm8Wf6q4yLsAB6CG5pjRe-SqRAZz2XA1ZWDyWk3pxdF3F62I