Archive for the ‘experience’ Category

My first of several posts detailing my amazing trip to Vegas at the end of April!

The Main Hotel Lobby

I mentioned in my last post how I just happened to be in the studio audience at The Talk in February and was given a two night stay at The Mirage along with two tickets to the Beatle’s LOVE Cirque du Soliel show! So my best friend since 3rd grade and I decided that since we were going to fly out that we might as well make a vacation of it and stay another two nights. The first two nights we spent at The Golden Nugget. In many ways I liked The Golden Nugget better than The Mirage! Our room (and view) was much nicer. The air conditioner worked better there as well. Also the staff we encountered overall was friendlier there too.

The fabulous view from our room!

We flew bright and early Monday morning so that we’d have the entire day ahead of us (or half a day by the time we got to the hotel). Our flight on Jet Blue was very nice with us even arriving 20 minutes sooner than expected. After we grabbed a shuttle to our hotel and proceeded to check in, I got to chatting with a manager as we had been rudely directed by the desk attendant to the computer system to register. We were directed by the computer back to the desk to finish checking in as the computer was out of room keys. The manager was very nice and I told him that not only was it my first time to Vegas as an adult (I had been when I was 10 with my family), but that it was my first trip since I had learned how to walk all over again. He ended up upgrading our room to a Gold Tower accessible room! It was after noon by the time we got us (and our luggage) up to our room.

The pool and shark tank at night.

We decided to have lunch in the 24 hours cafe after which we made a beeline for the pool! It was my first time swimming in more than 5 years although I used to spend much of the summer in the pool as a child/teen. The huge waterslide was definitely a positive in the decision to stay at The Golden Nugget as I knew that The Mirage didn’t have a waterslide or attraction like that at their pool. And to make their waterslide even more unique, just before the slide exits into the pool it goes through the shark tank that sits in the center of the main pool.

The water slide at night.

We probably went on the slide a half a dozen or so times (each) before we decided that we were done. After resting and freshing up we headed down to the Grotto restaurant in the hotel for a late dinner before heading outside to walk along Fremont Street. The major attraction along Fremont Street is not much to look at during the day, but at night when the sun goes down and they turn the lights on it is quite a sight. Over head for a couple city blocks is a lattice work “ceiling” that has millions of lights. It works like an enormas movie screen. Every time a new song or video started most people (including us) stopped walking and stood still staring up watching the pictures move over head.

Nighttime on Fremont Street

Outside at night is brighter at night than it is during the day! Much brighter, which makes it very difficult to tell just how late it is! Yes, I realize they do that on purpose. Our second day was a lot like our first, although we slept in. We decided to try the buffet at The Golden Nugget for a later lunch. It was okay. We both mainly took one or two bites of a LOT of different things and I had fun taking photos of it with her iphone. We then spent a few hours hanging out at the pool, in the pool, on the slide, and in the hot tub before returning to our room to rest. Like the first night we went to Grotto for dinner.

Our pizza dinner Tuesday night although we had the same Monday night as well. We had a lovely view of the pool area!

Afterwards we spend a couple hours in the casino….Want to know how we did? Well, you’ll just have to wait for my bext post to find out how much we actually spent and how much we won!

And I’m not done with my travels just yet, my best friend who went on this trip with me is graduating from medical school in a couple weeks so I’m heading to San Francisco! Since I have family there I’ll also have the chance to spend some time with my aunt, uncles, and cousins. For someone who hasn’t been able to travel in WAY too long, I’m certainly getting the opportunity to do a few things in a short period of time!

Have you been to Vegas? I’d love to hear about what you did while there!

~Jaclyn~

I know it has been a couple weeks since I posted a My Life Monday article as I am recovering emotionally from an infection scare. Several weeks ago when I unwrapped my leg from the full leg length brace, I noticed a spot on top of my knee that had opened up along the incision. I was so terrified that another infection was brewing.

My worst fear was that I would need yet another surgery and possible lose my graft. I have gone through so much to get to where I am I just couldn’t bear the thought that I might have to start over. The PA (physician assistant) at my surgeon’s office said that I should continue on antibiotics preventatively, have lab work done, and that I had to come in weekly until it was healed. He also wasn’t sure it there was another infection starting or what was going on.

On my next visit the following week, the opening was definitely smaller and my lab results were fine. So he didn’t think it was an infection, but time would tell. Amazingly the very next day when I looked at my knee the wound had shrunk by almost half. And so by the time I saw my ID (infectious disease) doctor it was scabbed over.

Thankfully on my next visit to the surgeon’s office the wound had completely closed and he said that he’d start letting me bend my knee. Although the first increase on the brace is only 20 degrees which is really not a whole lot, but a start. I return again this week and should have my brace adjusted again, this time to 45 degrees. I’ll then continue to have visits every two weeks until after my brace is set at 90 degrees for two weeks and then should be able to finally ditch this brace.

If things continue to progress on schedule from now on I should be out of this necessary, but obnoxious brace right around Thanksgiving. While I feel quite relieved that this scare wasn’t an infection, I can’t help but feel a little bit anxious about my knee still. Even though there isn’t a rejection risk with this graft as there is with most other types of donor grafts, there is still an infection risk.

Eventually though if a biopsy of my kneecap or tendon were done it would show only my cells it’ll take about 5 years for that to be complete. But the longer I go with no problems, the lower the chance for any complications. So while I definitely feel I dodged a bullet this time I have a feeling I will still feel at least a little bit of unease still until a few more months have passed with no complications.

~Jaclyn~

It’s been two weeks now and my left ankle/foot is still swollen and painful! Luckily, x-rays showed that I didn’t break anything but this has really slowed me down.

While I will do some walking and stair climbing when I’m at PT (physical therapy), I won’t do much walking otherwise right now as it is hurts too much. L I’m very grateful that my slip and fall didn’t do any damage to my knee or serious injury to my foot/ankle. I know it could have been a LOT worse. And the PA (physician assistant) did still progress my brace to be able to bend to a max of 75° at my visit just before Thanksgiving.
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Tomorrow I head back to the surgeon’s office for yet another one of my bi-weekly visits. While it is a drag having to schlep up to their office and having to often wait hours to see the P.A. (Physicians Assistant) I know it is well worth it.

And I am very lucky to have such a close family friend who is just wonderful company and we often will go out for dinner or something afterwards. That really does help to make the whole experience so much better!
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