KathyC

Sorry to hear it did not work but on the positive side the prep work and clean out of the old wound is done and now the graft has a good chance of taking ...chin up it will soon come right Hope you get good news soon it must be trying for it to be lasting so long without resolution ....here is a little joke for you

I agree - which is why it seems odd with that many shorties - Could be a marketing method to renew trust in sailing.  Was hoping we would be past the "test" phase by November.

It's been an... interesting... 3 days since the sutures came out. Wednesday it was sore but very manageable with a combination of Tylenol and Advil. Yesterday... well, let's just say I'm surprised that I was able to get through the work day. Even with the combination of OTC meds, it was throbbing and stabbing me almost the whole day and through the night.
Then I got up this morning and it was basically done with that. Bit sore when I first got up and put weight on it, but by the time I was done with my morning routine it was pretty much fine. Some throbbing here and there, but nothing that doesn't go away just by shifting my leg to another spot on the cushion it's propped up on. And the secondary stuff that comes with an open, healing wound is also easing up a lot. Redness is going away, feels like it's firming up again.
I think at least part of it may be all those remaining self-dissolving sutures that are still in there. I've got a bunch of clear thread poking out of me, and I'm thinking it was getting caught in the gauze or something yesterday and pulling on the wound in ways it didn't like. Not really sure since I didn't do anything different today, but it feels so much better. Still can't keep the foot down on the floor for more than a little bit, but I'm taking what I can get. Hopefully the corner is turned and I'll be healed up enough for the second surgery to happen around the 15th, maybe the 22nd if it's not visibly better until closer to the end of next week.

That's what it is about for me.  The memories.  I'm deleting a lot of them as I go through the downloads, as some are just silliness.  But there are others where I talk about what we did that day, how we felt about the island/excursion, etc.  Photographs don't always give the true story, and to be honest we didn't photograph everything.  Sometimes it was a video or a periscope instead.   I know some people think it's ridiculous that I want to save them.  But one day, I will be happy I did.  Even the ones that area bad quality. 

Exactly .... my first scope was arriving at the Baltimore terminal with Tyna for HER first cruise. Then the scope of HER first Sail-Away and us going under the Key Bridge.  These memories are very important and I refuse to let them go.

That's what it is about for me.  The memories.  I'm deleting a lot of them as I go through the downloads, as some are just silliness.  But there are others where I talk about what we did that day, how we felt about the island/excursion, etc.  Photographs don't always give the true story, and to be honest we didn't photograph everything.  Sometimes it was a video or a periscope instead.   I know some people think it's ridiculous that I want to save them.  But one day, I will be happy I did.  Even the ones that area bad quality. 

Yeah, I got completely confused by the whole thing..... I couldn't figure it out.  I'm going to go one of two routes.  First option, my son, who is a computer genius (he heads-up one of the teams that takes care of the computers for Blue Cross / Blue Shield of Maryland) ---- or download an app similar to Scopedown.  I was looking at the reviews for a couple of apps, Scopedown was NOT one of the ones that had favorable ratings... "Snagscope" seems to have a much better positive review rating (4 out of 5 stars) ---- I REFUSE to let these memories disappear.

I just started going through the individual downloads this week, and honestly they are not great.  They are in all sorts of random order, and none brought the titles with them.  You can't see any of the comments on the videos, and only play in portrait - no matter which orientation you created them in.  So everything landscape is sideways.  ? 
 

I just started going through the individual downloads this week, and honestly they are not great.  They are in all sorts of random order, and none brought the titles with them.  You can't see any of the comments on the videos, and only play in portrait - no matter which orientation you created them in.  So everything landscape is sideways.  ? 
 

By Ben Souza March 4, 2021 0 Cruise NewsHolland America Line Two cruise lines, Princess Cruises and Holland America Line, will offer land vacations to Alaska this year where you can see glaciers up close, spot bucket-list wildlife, explore national parks and see Denali, North America’s tallest mountain.

This summer, the two cruise lines offer many ways for travelers to experience Alaska through Gray Line Alaska, Princess Alaska Lodges and Holland America Line’s Westmark Hotels, giving travelers a combination of tours, lodging and sightseeing options on land.
This year’s tours highlight the best of Alaska’s interior with COVID-19 health and safety precautions top of mind, both for the well-being of employees and guests. For travelers who want to take the legwork out of planning their Alaska vacation, a tour is a great option. For travelers who want to go at their own pace and make their own itinerary, hotel and sightseeing options make for a custom experience.
Among the highlights for escorted tours will be the full eight-hour Tundra Wilderness Tour at Denali, where guests have opportunities to see the big five – grizzly bears, wolves, moose, caribou, and Dall sheep.
Other included tours are the Portage Glacier Cruise near Anchorage and Riverboat Discovery excursion in Fairbanks. In addition, optional tours such as flightseeing around the mountain, river rafting, and more will be available to book at each hotel property.
Options this summer include the following:
Escorted and Explorer tours
Variations between Kenai, Anchorage, Denali and Fairbanks are available. Escorted tours include a tour director and range from six to seven nights. Explorer tours do not include a tour director, but helpful staff members are available along the way. Tours range from five to six nights. Rail travel on GoldStar service on Alaska Railroad rail cars. Most meals and some sightseeing included. Denali Rail tours
Trip variations range from one to six nights with up to four nights at Denali National Park. Options include travel by rail or a combination of rail and deluxe motor coach. Rail travel is hosted in Adventure Class on Alaska Railroad rail cars with the option to upgrade to GoldStar. Tour choices include round trip from Anchorage to Denali, Anchorage to Denali to Fairbanks, or Fairbanks to Denali to Anchorage. No meals or sightseeing included. Guests may customize their experience with optional tours. Hotel only and sightseeing
The Westmark Fairbanks Hotel & Conference Center is currently open. Additional properties will open for guests, May 28- September 6, including Holland America Line’s McKinley Chalet Resort at Denali National Park and Preserve and the Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge overlooking the world-famous Kenai River. Portage Glacier Cruises will operate, May 28-September 6. Portage Glacier Cruises will run five daily departures of its one-hour cruise to see the face of Portage Glacier, including one departure at 1:30 p.m. that includes round trip transportation from Anchorage with a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Princess and Holland America Line are working to create new health and safety protocols to address COVID-19, to ensure the well-being of guests, team members and the greater community. Information and advisories about traveling to Alaska from the Lower 48 or an international destination is available at the State of Alaska Safe Travels website.
Anyone booking with Gray Line Alaska, Princess Alaska Lodges or Holland America Line’s Westmark Hotels is encouraged to review and follow the advisories put in place to help people travel responsibly.

Bad news. Remember how I mentioned getting "random big zings in the middle of watching my bajillionth hour of TV"? Turns out that was the entire thing tearing apart and failing. Sutures came out today, and doc and nurse agreed with my at-home assessment that the whole thing just failed. Too much strain for the incisions to stay closed and heal.
So now I'm back to Square negative 1 -- this wound is now about double the size it was when I started, because of course the doc excised all the originally bad tissue to resolve the source problem. ? 
Good news is that I was mentally prepared for this, since the doc did tell me up front I only had a 50-70% percent chance of it working. And it's sore, but not killing me like the sutures were. We're already planning on a full-thickness skin graft procedure, which he is much more confident will work since he can take enough donor tissue to relieve the problems around strain. But the site is looking angry right now; I have to take a week or two to treat it and get rid of the redness and irritation, let it heal a bit so it's ready for taking a graft.
So that means I'm back at work for that time, then will be back on short-term disability for about 3 weeks. Thankfully, my employer's short-term disability claims allow for a relapse; long as I go back on leave within 60 days for the same reason as before, they'll just reopen the existing claim and get updated info from the surgeon; no need for me to start a whole new claim or redo paperwork.
And to the doctor's credit -- he said that if he had discussed the possibility of falling back on a graft before this surgery started, he would have done it then and there. But he felt it wasn't ethically responsible to go in saying he'd do "X", and then tell me after I woke up that he decided to do "Y" without reviewing it and getting consent from me first. Especially since the original surgery had some chance of working and I should have a chance to beat the odds.
Which honestly, I'm kicking myself over because I had thought about bringing it up with the doctor when I saw him right before surgery to sign everything and go over my questions, but then forgot to do it!! If I had just said, "Hey, if you start this and find it's looking iffy, feel free to switch over to Plan B"... well, this story might have taken a very different course.
Live and learn, I guess. He might still have said, "Well, let's just get through this and see." But then again...

Because few others are interested in Celebrity.   Just talking to myself.

Find Wes Chatham (Amos) on YouTube. He'll keep you entertained while you wait. 

Thanks @KathyC -- looks like I'm going to have to go the PC route too.  Trying to do it on my phone just is not working..... then I came across the Scopedown app (and others that seem to do the same thing) --- but before I downloaded them, I wanted to reach out.
These videos, which there are only a few, are very important to us .... memories that we could never get back.  I can't imagine being Michael Poole trying to save them.
Thanks for the insight.  If I remember correctly, the website would be www.pscp.tv --- or something like that.  I'll have to Google it.

Find Wes Chatham (Amos) on YouTube. He'll keep you entertained while you wait. 

I didn't use Scopedown, I just requested the vids directly from Periscope.  I use iPhone, but it should be the same for everyone.  
Click on "Learn More" from the Periscope is ending box when you open the app.  This will bring you to FAQs.  Scroll down to the question if you can download archive, and tap the blue word "here" (last word in the answer). 
The next screen will give you steps.  Tap "Send data request" under number 1.  #2 will highlight while it's preparing your data.  Depending on how many scopes you have, it can take from a few hours to 24 hours to prepare.   Check back the next day at some point, and #3 will be highlighted that your data is ready.  There will be a data button, as well as individual links for each scope you did.  There will be a time limit; by the time I realized my data was ready, I only had 6 days left to download before my links expired.
Now from here it may vary for you being on a droid.  I could not download my data to my iPhone.  I had to go to my PC to do it.
From my PC, I went to Periscope and dug around until I found the same data page that was on my phone app.  From there, I found it easiest to just click on each link and download the zip files, than to open the JSON file and copy/paste each URL.  To open the JSON data file, you can use Notepad.  Don't download anything special.  I downloaded each zip file into one folder, then as I have time, will open each up and re-name them (or delete ones I don't want anymore). 
If you have any questions, let me know! 

We ended up with Concierge Class.  It was cheaper than an infinite veranda. 

I didn't use Scopedown, I just requested the vids directly from Periscope.  I use iPhone, but it should be the same for everyone.  
Click on "Learn More" from the Periscope is ending box when you open the app.  This will bring you to FAQs.  Scroll down to the question if you can download archive, and tap the blue word "here" (last word in the answer). 
The next screen will give you steps.  Tap "Send data request" under number 1.  #2 will highlight while it's preparing your data.  Depending on how many scopes you have, it can take from a few hours to 24 hours to prepare.   Check back the next day at some point, and #3 will be highlighted that your data is ready.  There will be a data button, as well as individual links for each scope you did.  There will be a time limit; by the time I realized my data was ready, I only had 6 days left to download before my links expired.
Now from here it may vary for you being on a droid.  I could not download my data to my iPhone.  I had to go to my PC to do it.
From my PC, I went to Periscope and dug around until I found the same data page that was on my phone app.  From there, I found it easiest to just click on each link and download the zip files, than to open the JSON file and copy/paste each URL.  To open the JSON data file, you can use Notepad.  Don't download anything special.  I downloaded each zip file into one folder, then as I have time, will open each up and re-name them (or delete ones I don't want anymore). 
If you have any questions, let me know! 

We ended up with Concierge Class.  It was cheaper than an infinite veranda. 

We've taken our boys (now 23 & 21) on a few cruises while one/both were of the 18-20 age and they had plenty of fun.  They enjoyed the adult comedy in the evenings, hung out at the Schooner Bar with me, watched the movies on the top deck, and spent a lot of time hanging out at Sorrentos.  Mine had each other so they didn't need to find friends, and when one was too old for teen club & the other wasn't, the older joined them in the "out of the club" activities like playing cards in the card room or listening to live music/karaoke.    

The 48-ish hours until the sutures come out can’t go by fast enough. Far from getting better, pain around them from pulling and such is just getting worse. I’ll admit that I’m a bit of a baby when it comes to pain, but I only have just enough pain meds to me through the two remaining nights, nothing for daytime beyond Advil. I’m really getting tired of having random big zings hitting me in the middle of nothing more than sitting on the couch with my foot up, watching the bajillionth hour of TV.
 
On the plus side, I got through all 5 seasons of The Expanse with a few days off to spare. Wishing that the final(?) season wasn’t so far off.

I believe @KathyC said you can request a dump of all your vids direct from Periscope

Good news. It looked a lot better this morning than when I went to bed last night, and so far pain levels are back to where they were two days ago.
Sent the doc’s nurse a photo and spoke with her directly. She said the pain was most likely a combination of the front part tearing a bit (she could see that in the pic), but only superficially; plus normal pain from the sutures being pulled and tugged as I move around. No follow-up or delay in getting the sutures removed is needed.
She said apart from that, everything looks great and I’m clearly doing everything I’m supposed to be as far as wound care and maintenance. Also said once the sutures come out on Tuesday that I should feel a lot of relief. It will still look a bit raw at that point; normal for this kind of surgery. Full healing will take another 2 or three weeks, and I’ll need to continue using gauze coverings throughout.
 
Oh, and she said the picture I took was great! ?

When my oldest turned 18 his status reverted back to his points level, this was 5 years ago.  It didn't really matter as it was just the one sailing he was gold (while his 16 yr old brother was platinum) as they both earned enough points on their own to be Platinum once that cruise was added in.  We were Emerald by the next time the boys sailed with us, and they were both over 18 at that time.  Their cards said Platinum.  I've heard of it going both ways - some kept the parent's status and others have not.

My brain has been so bored lately that I have way too much time to think.  I'm thinking about all sorts of things that are meaningless, sigh.