Ida B. Wells, African American Civil Rights Leader

Ida B. Wells began life as a slave in 1862 in Holly Springs, Mississippi.  She was freed during the Civil War by the Emancipation Proclamation, and went on to be an investigative journalist, educator, and early leader of the Civil Rights Movement.  She was one of the founders of the NAACP.  Her life centered on combating prejudice and violence.  She fought for equality for African Americans, especially women.

Ida's parents and a young brother all died around 1868 from the yellow fever epidemic.  Ida, in order to keep her family intact, went to work.  She got help from her grandmother, and the family was able to stay together.  In order to improve their quality of life, Ida moved the family to Memphis, where she secured a good teaching job.  She soon became involved in newspaper work, and co-owned the Memphis Free Speech and Headlight, two local newspapers.

As a journalist, Ida B. Wells wrote about many incidences regarding racial segregation.  She document lynchings, and exposed it as a barbaric practice that southern whites used to intimidate and oppress southern blacks.

Ida eventually moved to Chicago, where she married, and continued her work as a civil rights leader, with special emphasis on black women.  She preached peaceful means to change, long before Martin Luther King, Jr. was even born.

Remembering Past Events: Write It Down!

By sheer accident I was checking my blog today, when up popped a post I had written on August 8, 2014, four weeks after the partial knee replacement of my left knee.  I couldn't believe what I had written.  I remember correctly the positive part of the surgery and recovery, and completely forgot all the negative.  What I wrote 5 years ago, was that the first 10 days went very well, and I was back to the gym and thought everything was going easily.  When I got to week three, I experienced lots of pain, difficulty getting off the Norco, not feeling well, and not sleeping, all the things I am now experiencing.  What a shocker if was for me to read this.

It has been 17 days since my surgery, as I write this blog.  My physical recovery has again been quick.  The physical therapist released me, as my movement and range of motion are all above normal.  My problem is pain.  I want to get off Norco, because it makes me feel bad, no appetite and fuzzy in the head, so I have switched to Aleve and Tylenol PM, as my basic pain relievers.  This time around I have an additional problem, and that is lower back pain on occasion.  It's hard to get rid of, and sometimes the only thing I can do is sit in a straight chair in the kitchen in the middle of the night until it subsides.  Really interrupts my sleep.

So, here's my advice.  If you really want to remember an event, document it either by writing about it or taking a video.  You won't remember it correctly years later.  The mind protects us, I think, from negative experiences and pain, otherwise why would anyone ever have more than one child?  So glad I read this old blog this morning and realized that what I am going through now, is not all that different than what happened 5 years ago.  I will keep on my pain med regimen, and hope, in another 7-10 days that most pain will subside.

Artist Lee Krasner

Modernist abstract painter and collage artist Lee Krasner, wife of Jackson Pollock, lived in the shadow of her famous husband for much of her married life.  Born in 1908 in Brooklyn to Russian-Jewish immigrants, she was the youngest of six children, and the only one born in America.  After high school, she was awarded a scholarship to attend the Women's Art School of Cooper Union.  She finished her studies under the renowned German artist Hans Hoffman.  Through her exposure to Hoffmann's modernist theories, her formerly naturalist paintings and drawings took on a cubist approach.  Krasner joined the American Abstract Artists, which afforded her more opportunities to exhibit her work.

Krasner had the misfortune of graduating in the midst of the Great Depression.  She supported herself by modeling and waitressing.  In 1934 Krasner got a break.  She landed a job painting murals for the WPA public works of art project in New York.  Thanks to FDR's New Deal art program, Krasner was able to work steadily up until 1943, when the agency was dissolved.

In 1941, Krasner became involved with Jackson Pollock, whom she married in 1945.  They moved to East Hampton, Long Island, where Krasner became a champion for Pollock's work.  Her marriage to Pollock unraveled due to his alcoholism, and Krasner's art took a turn too.  She began experimenting with multimedia collages, and held an exhibition in 1955.  The following year Jackson Pollock was killed in a drunk-driving accident, so Krasner, struggling with grief, moved to Paris for a while.

Back in Manhattan in the 1960's, Lee Krasner returned to refining nature-inspired works.  She had lived in her husband's shadow for a long time, but the 1960-1970's was her time.  He had a retrospective sol exhibition at London's Whitechapel Gallery, later another solo exhibition at the Whitney.  Krasner never got the recognition she deserved, living most of the time in the shadow of her famous husband.

What is Arnica?

Many people, from my sister to nurses and physical therapists in the hospital, recommended I add arnica to the list of meds I was taking after surgery.  I had tried it before and was unimpressed, but I decided to try again.  It couldn't hurt.

Arnica is an oval-shaped leaf with a bright yellow, daisy-like flower, that when dried, is primarily used to reduce bruising and pain from wounds.  Arnica is classified as an unsafe herb by the US Food and Drug Adminstration.  (why am I even thinking of taking it?).

The flowering heads of arnica have been used medicinally for hundreds of years.  Aarnica was used extensively in European folk medicine and alcoholic tinctures were produced by early North American settlers to treat sore throats, as a fever reducer, and to improve circulation.  Homeopathic uses include the treatment of surgical or accidental trauma, as a painkiller, and in the treatment of postoperative inflammation of the vein caused by a blood clot.  It has been used externally for bruises, acne, sprains, and muscle aches.

Overall, there does not appear to be sufficient evidence to support the use of arnica as an anti-inflammatory or pain relief agent, or to prevent bruising.  However, differences in doses and delivery forms in clinical studies make generalizations difficult.

My personal experience with arnica is that it does absolutely nothing.  It has not reduced inflammation or pain, nor has reduced bruising.  It is listed by the FDA as toxic because it unsafe to ingest orally.  Many people seem to believe in the this homeopathic treatment, but for me, no.  As with so many homeopathic medications, the testing is spotty.  Fortunately there are no serious side effects, so there is little harm in trying it.  I have a tube of it if anyone wants to try it.

Always Changing

I had my first partial knee replacement almost 5 years ago.  I was 69 years old, in excellent physical shape, and was back at the gym in 12 days.  5 years later I underwent a total knee replacement (other knee), was not in great physical shape, and am suffering the consequences.  Right now I am 18 days post surgery, and still having a difficult time.

Yes, I realize that 5 years makes a big difference, but I feel the physical shape I was in for my first knee replacement had a great deal to do with my quick recovery.  I had been taking spin classes for several years, three times a week, prior to surgery.  Now, most of activity is walking.  Walking is good, but it doesn't build the muscles around the knee as spinning does.  I will be patient, knowing that within a few weeks I will be feeling better.  It's hard to wait.

Hospital procedures are always changing, and I noticed a big difference in the way things are done now, and the way they were done 5 years ago.  What hasn't changed, is the days in the hospital.  It's usually one night, sometimes two nights, and if Medicare requires, three nights.  A friend of mine had her surgery done at Kaiser and she had surgery and came home in the same day.  That's quick, I think.

Even prior to arrival I was swabbed for Mersa.  This is a change from five years ago.  In addition to special soap for washing that was used five years ago and is still used, an added level of cleanliness is added.  Right before surgery, my entire body was swabbed with antibacterial towels.

I was surprised when I went to skilled nursing after one night in the hospital that the  first thing they did was give me a TB test.  They wanted to make sure I didn't pick up anything in my 24 hours in the hospital.

Because of high rates of infection in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities, cleanliness is at the top of their priority list.  I still can't figure out with all the anti bacterial procedures they use that infection would be a problem, but it is.  The best thing to do, is to avoid the hospital.  It's a catch 22.  They want to get you in and out of the hospital as quickly as possible, often risking other complications because of the short hospital stay.

Stay in shape.  It's your best chance for a quick recovery.  I am paying the price now, with a slower recovery.  I know in a few weeks I will be feeling better, but for now, most of my time is spent resting and sleeping.

Margaret Knight: American Inventor

Margaret Knight (1838-1914) was an American inventor, called by many "the most famous 19th century woman inventor."  Born in York, Maine to James and Hannah, her father died when Margaret was a small child.  Margaret went to school until she was 12, then worked in a cotton mill from ages 12-56.  While living in Springfield, Massachusetts, Knight invented a machine that folded and glued paer to form the flat bottom brown paper bags that are used by everyone today, worldwide.

Knight built a wooden  model of the device, but need a working iron model to apply for a patent.  Her design was stolen by Charles Annan, who was working in the machine shop where her iron model was being made.  Knight filed a successful interference lawsuit, and was awarded the patent in 1871.

Knights other inventions include a numbering machine, window frame and sash (1894), several devices relating to rotary engines.  Her original box-making machine is in the Smithsonian.  Margaret never married and died at age 76.  She was awarded an honorary plaque recognizing her as the "first woman awarded a U.S. patent" and holder of 87 U.S. patents.  We're not sure why she got this recognition, because she was not the first female patent holder.  The first was Hannah Slater, wife of industrialist Samuel Slater, who invented two-ply thread, becoming in 1793 the first American woman to be granted a patent.

Finaly, Feeling Better

It's been 13 days since I had my right knee replacement.  This is the first day I have gotten up and felt human again.  Actually, day 1 and 2 were fine.  That nerve block they give you makes you feel invincible.  But, being a veteran of several surgeries, I knew what was to come.

On day 2 I moved to Seacrest Village for rehab.  I was there because going home and taking care of Ron was out of the question.  Dan, our nurse, driver, dog walker, cook, housekeeper and all round fantastic companion, was home to help Ron.  That worked out better than I could have imagined.  Ron was happy and well taken care of, and I could comfortably rehab at Seacrest without worry.

I spent 7 days at Seacrest, working hard at physical therapy, visiting with lots of friends, and resting.  Not much sleeping, but lots of resting.

I walked out of Seacrest  on May 10, and I have been recovering at home ever since.  A full replacement, I would find out, is a lot harder than a partial.  I am now on  day 13, am taking meds every 6 hours, doing PT at home (Iknow all the exercises) and sleeping.  Finally, I sleeping better.  I think the lack of sleep is due to the Norco, which makes me edgy and unsettled.  The sooner I get off it, the better I will sleep.

I will have more to say about the surgery, the meds, the rehab, and the incredible support I've gotten from family, friends and neighbors, in future blogs, but for now, I just wanted to let you know that I'm back among the living, feeling good, but not great.  As if knee surgery weren't enough, I have a torn rotator cuff too, which the doctor has been treating with every 3-4 month cortizone shots.  It's been 4 months since my last shot, I'm really hurting, so I'm off to Scripps Rancho Bernardo this morning for a shot.  I know I will be smiling when I leave Dr. Alberton's office.  More later.