Well, I’m home—and thrilled to be here, believe you me. [g] I actually got sprung late afternoon on Friday, earlier than expected. Possibly because I was standing beside my bed, dressed in my street clothes, when the surgeon came in to see me (very funny; there was an RN and a LPN in the room at the time, and he apparently thought I was one, too. He glanced at the empty bed, then—startled—at me, and blurted, “Oh, you’re the _patient_! I didn’t recognize you.” No reason why he should, after all—I look quite different when out cold with my head in a bag).
Anyway, all’s well so far, but I’m not going to write much because I _am_ significantly Under the Influence of pain meds and rat poison. The knee is hugely swollen, of course—and was wrapped in layers and layers and layers of cotton batting and Ace bandage, as seen in the accompanying photo (my other leg is wearing an elastic compression stocking, to assist with circulation).
I got to unwrap it this morning, which was a great relief, though the underlying flesh is a nasty sight. (My husband took a photo of the incision-plus-steri-strips, but says I ought not to post that, as being too gross and indicating a tendency to egomania, assuming that people would be interested in looking at my gross knee. Now, personally, I’m always interested in looking at gross things, but I’ll bow to his better judgement here, since he’s _not_ on pain pills.)
Good to be home, though—and many, many, many thanks to all the kind people who’ve kept me in their thoughts and prayers!
Yeah! Your home. Ok, start writing! Just kidding – feel better soon!
I think that you must have written that tendency of liking to look at gross things into Claire because when I read that about you, I totally thought of her there. lol
Anyway, I really hope that your recovery is quick and as pain free as possible.
Rat poison?!?!? I think I missed something…
Glad you're having a speedy recovery and your sense of humour is intact, Cheers Diana from Heather
Glad that you are home. You can write when you well enough. Your health is more important. Although, I have to admit that I would love to read what you would write UID. Just to see what you would come up with.
Dear Diana,
It is so good to see you up and smiling with one of your faithful at your feet.
Wish you a speedy recovery.
As for nasty pictures, I would love to see them for one, I do not think it is a sign of egomania but a study subject. You can track how it heals, changes color, etc. Definitely a worthy thing to follow, who knows, it might come in handy one day in your writing and you won't even have to do extra research for it. Maybe Tom Kolodzi would have to do it or one of his suspects… Possibilities are endless. I am not sure Claire can use it in the 18th century, but then again shutterd knee and the healing process…
The rat poison, did they give you warfarin or coumadin? Almost the same thing essentially. I hope you do not have the same side effects as I did on it. I felt nauseous taking it, almost like morning sickness when I was pregnant.
I do hope they warned you about taking acetomitophen containing drugs while on warfarin/coumadin, that vitamin K and the foods containing vitamin K like kale, spinach and some other leafy greens, I think broccoli was also on the list.Vitamin E on the other hand adds to the effects of blood thinners, unfortunately, there so many foods rich in Vitamin E, that would be cereals, nuts and a lot of vegetables.
It was quite a challenge to eat during the short time I had to take blood thinners.
Again wishing you all the best in managing your recovery and diet
Maria V.
It's wonderful that everything went well!
You look pretty happy in those photos. The pain meds. woi;d explain that! 
Always love your posts. Hope you are better than ever quite soon.
So glad everything went well! Sending you healing thoughts…
Sandra
Diana – so glad to see that you were let out of the hospital so quickly (although it doesn't appear that the doc had much choice, did he?) and are up and about again. Make sure you utilize all that help around you – meaning Doug, Susan, Homer and JJ (although the latter two might only work for treats).
So glad you're home and all went well! Best wishes for a speedy recovery.
Oh, and coincidentally, I like looking at gross things too.
I grew up looking at my mom's medical textbooks and journals as she worked her way through a Master's in nursing. Fascinating stuff!
I'm so glad hearing that you are fine =)
I send you some nice thoughts so you are getting better as soon as possible =)
Dear Diana,
I "was" a newbie to your books until my own total knee replacement on May 25. I had just finished Outlander and read Drums of Autumn while in the hospital. One of the OR nurses in pre-op walked by and said, "You've read OUTLANDER!!!" and we had such a wonderful talk going on into other books (Andrew Davidson's "Gargoyle." The book addict I am, I bought numbers two, three, and four to make certain I wasn't caught hanging before I could get out to the bookstore. I am four weeks post op tomorrow and just finished Echo in the Bone today. As such, you have been in my thoughts through the entire journey.
Wishing you all the best and thank you for the great read,
Kate
)
(Bath and Body Works Body Butter works GREAT for the leg cramps!!!!!!! Tell your own "Jamie" to massage the calf and your foot when the cramps start in
Welcome home, Diana. Ah, the miracles of modern medicine. I am glad pouring whiskey down your gullet for anesthesia wasn’t an option and that ice machines take the place of leeches for bruising and swelling.
Time passes and significant changes have occurred in treatment, although there is nothing romantic about modern surgical procedures…a completely sterile procedure, thank the Lord!
Enjoy your convalescence, rest, read, and sleep, and if you find that you are bored you might write a page or two
Dear Diana,
My dad had his knees operated not long ago, and he is a good example of how quickly one will get better. He was walking about in few days after the surgery.He says not to worry,your knee is going to be like brand new.
All the best for you and get well soon.Hope you can get plenty of rest and good time with your family.
Kind greetings,
Marjo
Dear Diana,
Thanks for the picture. Not gross at all! And there is nothing more healing that a doxie…ok 2 doxies laying by your feet. And a husband waiting on you… and pain killers… What a time we live in!
Take care, heal well.
Shannon
Hi Diana,
So glad you're home and doing well. My mother had both knees replaced (we tell her she's "bionic") and it was the best thing she's ever done.
Best of luck for a speedy recovery!
Carol
All the best, Diana. Racovery time is a great time for reading if you can't write due to the meds. I saved A Breath of Snow and Ashes for two months when it came out so that I could read it when I was home after my hysterectomy. Then last year when my sister had hers, I sent her the whole series; Echo was just about to come out, so she had decided to reread the rest to be primed for it.
Last week I broke my foot (tripped over a curb while walking backwards, but for a good reason! Really!). My reading joy these days is Sara Donati's Wilderness series, which I stumbled upon (figuratively!) and checked out because of your endorsement on the cover.
Lynn from VA Beach
Funny, my Mother and Grandmother always said, "Home again, home again clickity click."… though I suppose "Jiggety Jog" works just as well. I send you my hopes for a speedy recovery!
Can't wait to buy the CD! This was beautiful and it also gave me chills! Love it!
Diana, Had not checked your web-site in considerable time and only now learned of your knee surgery. I am certain that you will be nearly fully recovered by now. I had a hip replacement five years ago and it was the best thing I had done. I play tennis three times a week so it was a success! I note that the “Scottish Prisoner” was released two days ago and look forward to getting my hands on a copy asap! Also hope your progess on the next installment of Claire asnd Jamies adventures will be 2012. I can hardly wait!! I am now reading portions of the line up for the third time! What a joy!!
Your loyal and enthusiastic male reader, Wayne