Please join us for the next Q&A Cafe lunch and taping on Tuesday, February 22, when the guest will be Margaret Brennan, moderator of CBS News' Face the Nation and also the network's chief foreign affairs correspondent. February marks Margaret's 4 year anniversary as host of broadcast, which itself is 67 years old. Margaret's expertise and skill, plus the show's history, combine to make FTN a ratings winner. For more than a year it has beat all the Sunday morning show competition in attracting the most viewers.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb and Margaret Brennan
Recent guests have included Vice President Kamala Harris, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, French President Macron, British PM Johnson, Turkish President Erdogan, to name only a handful newsmakers from the White House, Capitol Hill, and global politics. Her record is equally strong with corporate leaders, Wall Street, and especially tracking the Covid virus since even before it caused a pandemic. One of FTN's regulars on that beat is former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb. Other pandemic related guests have included Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Deborah Birx. Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Dr. Jerome Adams, as well as CEO's of major pharmaceutical companies.
Ukrainian Ambassador Oksana Markarova and Margaret Brennan
Please join us on Tuesday. The location is the George Town Club, 1530 Wisconsin Ave NW; seating begins at 11:45, the interview starts at approximately noon; lunch is served, and dessert from Georgetown Cupcake, for a fee of $35, all inclusive. For reservations please call 202-333-9330 or email GTCReservations.
Opening remarks for the emcee of the Chefs for Equality gala, held at the West End Ritz Carlton Hotel in September 2014. A month later same-sex marriage was legally recognized by the state of Virginia, but it remains a complicated issue. On this night though it was all about food and DC's sparkling restaurant scene. Talk about beforetimes. During the decade I reported on the Washington party scene my favorites were always those events that made food an important part of the evening. The Chefs for Equality gala, organized each year by chef and author David Hagedorn, always delivered. Here he is, clearly enjoying his party!
Guests at the gala enjoyed a robust cocktail hour that included "food surfing" buffets with samples from the region's most celebrated chefs, including some from out beyond the beltway, Spike Gjerde of Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore, Patrick O'Connell from The Inn at Little Washington and Brian Noyes from Red Truck Bakery in Warrenton and Marshall, VA. Also, there were seated dinners created by teams of the chefs. This gala was in every way a splendid affair.
From what I can find online, their last gala before Covid hit was October 2019. Let's hope it returns when this horrible time is behind us, because the pandemic unfairly ravaged the restaurant business.
Brian Noyes (Red Truck Bakery)
Fabio Trabocchi, (Fiola, Fiola Mare) and Patrick O'Connell (The Inn at Little Washington)
Eric Ziebold (Kinship) and Mark Furstenberg (Bread Furst)
Caught mid-bite, general manager extraordinaire, William Washington (let's see, his resume includes Le Diplomate and Blue Duck Tavern, to name only two of the many).
Michael Friedman (Red Hen, All Purpose) and Frederik De Pue (Table, and soon The Henri)
Ballet director and choreographer Septime Webre takes note of a great wine.
Here are James Alefantes (Comet Pizza and Buck's Fishing and Camping) and artist Izette FolgerLyndon Boozer and Terry McAuliffe
John Quinn (the Ritz Carlton)
Robert Weidemaier (Marcel's, Brasserie Beck) and Cathal Armstrong (then, Restaurant Eve; now, Mattie and Eddie's).
Jeremiah Langhorne (The Dabney) and Spike Gjerde (Woodberry Kitchen
Cheers!
A party at the British Embassy can be a treat, especially when not over-crowded. In January 2009 it was a select group of friends who were invited in for drinks to celebrate the publication of a book by famed writer and editor Harry Evans. "Paper Chase: True Stories of Vanished Times." At the top I post a photo of Amanda Downes, in motion, because as the esteemed social secretary of the UK Embassy she had to be in a whirlwind. But she kept it to herself, the embodiment of "Keep Calm And Carry On." I like this photo because its probably the Amanda she did not show the public. I follow with a still shot, the official Amanda. She's since retired, but remains a legend on Embassy Row.
Here we have Carol Blue, Tina Brown and Christopher Hitchens (also Carol's husband. Tina is Harry Evans wife.) Really, Christopher was always a party, a smart party, and he was always "Christopher," not "Chris."
Secretary of State Colin Powell, Bob Woodward and Jayne Stanton Hitchcock.
Michael Kinsley, who has a resume that includes Slate, The New Republic, Los Angeles Times, Washington Monthly, The Economist, Harper's and The Washington Post. No moss grows under Michael. And, Ralph Nader., political and consumer activist, presidential candidate, founder of "Nader's Raiders."
Mark Whitaker. The editor of Newsweek magazine who succeeded Tim Russert as bureau chief for NBC News in Washington.
Notably, the British Embassy serves fun party food. Yes, Pimms Cup along with the flutes of Champagne and glasses of white wine. The food includes paper cones of fish and chips, more or less the UK national dish, as well as canapés of smoked salmon and foie gras.
Ken Duberstein, who served as chief of staff for President Ronald Reagan, after Howard Baker and before John Sununu. He's with his wife, Jackie Fain. Jackie and I first met when we worked together at the NBC News Washington bureau in 1977.
In an earlier era, Tucker Carlson
Its a heartbreak I don't have a better photo of Harry Evans, here on the left in a pow-wow with Colin Powell and Mrs. Evans, aka, Tina Brown. I blame it on myself and this old rusty camera i used back then. But still, you feel the camaraderie. Harry was an easy to know gentleman, with the good crust of a seasoned journalist.
Sometimes this happens. Edward Norton. I think he was kidding. But I liked it.
2009. Its early Obama era, and very early in my "career" or side game, as a party photographer. The Kennedy Center Honors and the brunch preceding the big event is, as one might say, catching fish in a barrel for a photographer. They are all there, sort of primed to pose, but the beauty of the brunch is that it has a pretense of casual and intimate. Its that I stormed in and started snapping. More, I joined the party, talked to people, and then, if the moment seemed right, would take a pic or ask to take a pic. Whichever mode seemed right. Over the years I probably attended half a dozen of these brunches, thanks to George Stevens, the maestro extraordinaire of the Kennedy Center Honors. Truth told, the brunches were their best in their early years, when they were held in the Jockey Club restaurant. But when it met its untimely demise the brunch relocated to the Mandarin Oriental. Its ok, but way too bright.
John Kerry in his happy place, next to Robert DeNiro. Who can blame him?
Donald Sutherland. He later came by my restaurant for dinner.
Brilliant Brian Stokes Mitchell, being cute.
Valerie Jarrett and Ann Jordan
Mikhail Baryshnikov, elegant and handsome, and our co-host of the brunch, Liz Stevens.
Ben Bradlee, Nan and Gerald Rafshoon, and, in bright orange, Sally Quinn
Sharon Stone was a pleasure. After some party convo, I said, "I have to take your photo." She said, "Ive not got on any makeup." To which I replied, "that's why I have to take you pic."
Barbara Walters didn't know me from anyone, but I reminded her of when I was a producer for David Brinkley, at "This Week," and she'd guest on the show, and hanging out in the green room, and her being so nervous about being on the show -- which I dismissed as nonsense. A pro. She came with an entourage but all she needed was herself. She was happy to reminisce.
Nancy Pelosi and Harvey Keitel. I love this pic.
Carol Burnett, one and only
Herbie Hancock, the other photog at the party!
Architect Hugh Jacobsen"s home was easily one of the most elegant in Georgetown -- outside and in. The big window shown here was a looking glass into his great parties. At Christmas, it always featured the most charmingly decorated holiday tree. These party photos here are from a casual weekend lunch party in February 2013. Among the guests are journalist and PBS Newshour host Jim Lehrer, his wife, novelist Kate Lehrer; interior designer John P. Irelan, Hugh's son and daughter in law, Simon and Ruth; Christianne Ricchi, owner of I Ricchi restaurant, and other friends. Hugh's parties always were fun and interesting and, if there is such a genre, so "very Georgetown."
Chrstianne Ricchi and John P. Irelan
Jim Lehrer, telling a story...
Ruth Jacobsen
Me, "seated well" -- between John Irelan and Jim Lehrer
Kate, Hugh and John
After lunch, relaxing.
Note: these are in black and white because I felt that worked for this particular party. Some disagreed. But I still like, all these years later.
Hugh died in 2021. Jim in 2020.
Between the years of 2007 and 2017 I wrote a regular weekly column for the website New York Social Diary. It meant going to a lot of parties in Washington and, at those parties, apart from writing commentary about the goings on, taking photographs. Here are some from the those Washington Party Archives. I will try to post often. So many to choose from. Below is a party for David and Janet Bruce before they left Washington for Shanghai. We had gathered at Citronelle Restaurant, at the Latham Hotel in Georgetown (both now gone, along with Chef Michel Richard, also RIP). It was a lovely evening, the party drifted from indoors out to the terrace, where we gathered, pre-Instagram, for conversation. Lots of conversation. These pics are truly old and musty, and they are from 2005 even before I started with NYSD. But I always enjoyed taking pics of friends having a good time. As we go along, we will catch up.
Me, about nothing.
Nancy Bagley and the von Eichels
Izette Folger and Janet Bruce
David Bruce (the late)
A gang
Nancy Bagley, the great Henry von Eichel (the late)
Izette Folger, Beverly and John Fox Sullivan
Frederica Valanos and Kyle Samperton (photog superb)
David and Janet Bruce, Kinsey Marable, and two disinterested teens, Caroline Bruce and Spencer Joynt
Dorothy McGhee, one and only
Once upon a time
The next Q&A Cafe is on Thursday, October 7, an interview with Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former Commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, expert on the behind-the-scenes domestic and global decisions and actions to try to defeat the Covid pandemic, an uphill climb he recounts in the new book, “Uncontrolled Spread,” to be published Sept. 21 by Harper. Dr. Gottlieb is a physician, a contributor to CNBC, a resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and consults widely with governors and Fortune 500 corporations as to how to navigate the coronavirus. He also appears regularly on Face the Nation.
“America’s COVID-19 catastrophe is the result of our failure to prepare for such a crisis. To be ready for future threats, America must treat publc health and pandemic preparedness as a matter of national security.” — Uncontrolled Spread
Again, the date is Thursday, October 7. Lunchtime. (We will start the interview at noon, due to his schedule). At the George Town Club. 1530 Wisconsin Avenue NW. For reservations please call 202-333-9330 or email the GTC reservations office.
The fee is $35, including lunch and dessert from Georgetown Cupcake.
We're coming up on the end of summer and that means it's time for a Q&A Cafe that kicks back a little. How about a focus on the culture's collective distractions and dirty pleasures? Pop culture and reality TV. We have an excellent guest for this discussion: podcaster and pop culture expert Gibson Johns. His podcast, "We Should Talk," posts on Thursdays featuring interviews with celebrities and influencers, not to mention his own opinions and recaps of lots of pop culture and reality TV, and especially Real Housewives.
From his bio: "We Should Talk is a weekly interview series hosted by In The Know's pop culture expert Gibson Johns. Each week, he'll unpack the cultural moment you should be talking about, share first-hand tales of stars in the wild and interview celebs, reality stars and influencers you care about."
He's a New Yorker now, but Gib was raised in Washington, in Georgetown. He attended St. Albans and then the University of Michigan. He was a pop culture columnist for AOL. And, not the least of it, I've known him since he was one.
Among the reality TV celebs he's interviewed: Lisa Vanderpump, Garcelle Beauvais, Tyler Whitman, Kyle Cooke and Amanda Batula, Chrishell Stause, Carl Radke, Tayshia Adams, Meredith Marks, Melissa Gorga, Heather and Max Dubrow, Leva Bonaparte from, among other shows, Real Housewives of Potomac, Real Housewives of New Jersey, Summer House, Southern Charm, Million Dollar Listing, The Real Housewives of Dallas, Vanderpump Rules, Family Karma, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Botched.
This will be fun, whether you've never watched a second of reality TV, are simply curious, or live on it day and night!
At The George Town Club, Thursday, August 19. Noon, with lunch and Georgetown Cupcakes for dessert. For reservations please call 202-333-9330 Tues-Fri between 10 and 5, or email GTC Reservations. The fee is $35.
Photo:Melina Mara
Please join us for the next Q&A Cafe, when the guests are acclaimed Washington Post reporters Carol Leonnig and Philip Rucker, co-authors of the No. 1 bestseller, "A Very Stable Genius." The date is Tuesday, February 25.
Carol is part of the Post’s investigative reporting team, who together won the Pulitzer Price for public service; she won again on her own for national reporting. She’s also won the George Polk Award. A graduate of Bryn Mawr, Carol got her start with the Philadelphia Inquirer and Charlotte Observer before joining the Post.
Phil, the Post’s White House bureau chief, has been with the paper since 2005. He began covering Donald Trump during the 2016 campaign. He's a graduate of Yale and has won the Pulitzer Prize, the George Polk Award, the Gerald R. Ford Journalism Prize and the Sigma Delta Chi Award, among other honors. He appears regularly on MSNBC, NBC and Washington Week.
As always, we'll be at The George Town Club, audience seated at 11:45, we'll start the interview at noon, lunch is served, and for reservations please call 202-333-9330. Or send an email.
I hope you’ll be there to join us.
Carol
Coming to The Q&A Cafe on Tuesday, November 12: USA Today's chief Washington correspondent, Susan Page. Susan is also biographer of former First Lady Barbara Bush. Her next book will be a biography of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. She's a regular on the Sunday shows and cable TV, and overall a well respected and well liked chronicler of all things Washington. Please join us:
What: A Q&A Cafe TV show taping with lunch served
When: Tuesday November 12, noon to 1 pm.
Where: The George Town Club, 1530 Wisconsin Avenue NW, at Volta
How: Call Joe Pikovsky at The George Town Club to book at seat. 202-333-9330
How Much: $35, all inclusive of lunch, soft drinks and dessert from Georgetown Cupcake.
The Q&A Cafe is now in its 18th year, with more than 500 notable individuals having appeared for long-form interviews. It airs at 8pm each Friday on DC Cable, channel 16. Up next, Tuesday, December 10, RdV Vineyard founder and winemaker Rutger de Vink.
Its no secret that apart from politics Washington's favorite dinner table topic is real estate. That's the subject this upcoming Q&A Cafe. Once upon a time her face was on your shopping cart, but now her name is on the top tracking chart for national real estate sales. She’s Nancy Taylor Bubes, among the city’s most dedicated, and dogged, realtors and community supporters. I’m happy to announce Nancy will be our guest for the next Q&A Cafe, on Friday, April 19, lunchtime, at The George Town Club.
This will be an encore appearance as Nancy last joined us when the show was at Nathans, a decade ago. Since then real estate values in Washington have gone every which way but down, and whole new neighborhoods have come on the buzz grid, while others have been consumed by gentrification.
Of course its a risk to handicap any political races at the pace of current day politics, but nonetheless Howard Fineman was game to give it a go in late February, when he was the guest at The Q&A Cafe -- his third appearance on the show in 10 years. We got to some of the 2020 candidates. Not all, but at least the presumed frontrunners. Enjoy the conversation!
Our next Q&A Cafe is an interview with veteran Washington political journalist Howard Fineman. The date is Friday, March 1, the location the George Town Club, the time NOON, and please make a reservation to join us. The contact for that is Joe Pikovsky at the GTC, 202-333-9330, or shoot him an email, Joe.
This will be Howard's third appearance at The Q&A Cafe. His first was when we were at Nathans, his second when we were based at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, and so its only right he hits our current home, the GTC.
Needless to say, much to discuss. Expect a good political conversation with a reporter and analyst who has been covering Washington politics since the Founding Fathers. He was raised in Pittsburgh, began his career in Louisville, KY with the Courier-Journal, and made Washington his home through a long career with Newsweek and also as global editor of Huffington Post.
As always, lunch is included as well as dessert from Georgetown Cupcake.
He took on Washington with his bestseller “This Town,” and now Mark Leibovich takes a run at the NFL with his new must-read hit, "Big Game." which reviewer David Oshinsky called "a gossipy, insightful and wickedly entertaining journey through the N.F.L. sausage factory.” Thus the ideal guest and topic for our first Q&A of 2019 on Friday, January 25, one week before Super Bowl LIII. The Ringer said "Big Game" is the book that "terrifies" the NFL
"After years of rotten behavior, NFL owners finally have the muckrakers they deserve."
Mark is the chief national correspondent for The New York Times Magazine. Washington is his usual turf. "This Town," was the consummate Washington insidery page-turner. The topics he writes about, though, span a broad range.
Please join us on Friday, January 25, as I interview Mark at noon, at the George Town Club. For reservations please contact Joe Pikovsky at 202-333-9330 or through email. A reservation includes the interview, lunch and dessert from Georgetown Cupcake.
Of course we'll discuss the Redskins! And Tom Brady, Roger Goodell, Colin Kaepernick, and get an update on “This Town,” too.
More than anything else, 2018 for me was a year of doctors. A medical year, if you will. The principal event was having both my knees replaced, AKA bilateral TKR (total knee replacement), a project which started on August 21, with the right knee, and then three weeks later, September 11, with surgery on the left knee. I took a two month medical leave from work. Each surgery was under two hours and for each I was at Washington DC's Sibley Hospital -- in their relatively new dedicated orthopedic ward . I stayed two nights but I could have gone home after one night. I opted for the two nights for some extra in-patient physical therapy. They had me up and walking within a few hours after each surgery.
I chose Dr. Marc Connell for the surgery after a year of interviewing half a dozen knee replacement specialists. Some were local, some far away. All the doctors I researched were top doctors and came highly recommended. What I was looking for was the doctor who was the right fit for me and my personality type (AAA) and who listened to me and respected my priorities (and tolerated my possibly obsessive questions). That was Dr. Connell from our first visit, when I went in for a basic consultation. His personal office staff, particularly Brittany, were attentive and responsive, also.
From his bio: Dr. Connell ... served as the head team physician for the Washington Wizards basketball team for 21 years as well as a team physician for the Washington Capitals hockey team. He is a former head team physician for the Washington Mystics women’s basketball team. In addition, he was the chief medical officer for World Cup Soccer and Olympic Soccer. The point being: when your injuries derive from sports go to a specialist in sports medicine.
My knee situation was bone on bone from years of sports and other physical activity. In my teens as a leaping cheerleader I had a few injuries -- ACL type -- and had three surgeries. So my knees had a history. Also, in my adult life there were years of road running, rowing, and aggressive boot camp. The knees had worn out. I could walk, sleep, climb stairs, etc., without issue, but my mobility was declining. Walking could be painful and I sometimes limped. Where once I routinely walked 10,000 steps a day, it had become a struggle to hit 5000. It took me several months to make the big decision to go ahead with the surgery, but when I made the decision it was solid. I gave myself three months to prepare: losing weight, working hard to buff up my quad strength and arm strength (there are good exercise apps for this), getting my house in order ... as I would be living on just one floor for two months of recovery. Fortunately that one floor had the kitchen, full bath and laundry and easy access to the outside.
Throughout, Dr. Connell was a helpful guide and most of all understanding of my fears and doubts and encouraging regarding my goal: to be able to walk without pain. The mornings of each surgery he was smiling, gave me a good pep talk, and then was all business as I rolled into the OR. We talked again after surgery in my room (all the Sibley ortho rooms are private) and I continue to see him for check ups. My home recovery went well. Dr. Connell sent his physical therapist, Hussein Hussein, to see me three times a week for two months. Now I go to PT twice a week, again at Sibley. I'm now almost five months out from my first surgery. Its going well. I'm pleased and glad I made the choice to have the surgeries and to have them performed by Marc Connell.
Dr. Yi Ping Hu came into my life as I struggled to find relief from job stress. For five months I'd been working solo in my usually two-person job and the stress began to impact my health. The symptoms were largely acid indigestion, with lots of pain in my chest. I saw a few conventional doctors, had a variety of tests, and relied on over the counter meds like Nexium, Zantac and other routine treatments. Nothing helped. Because my health insurance covers 12 acupuncture treatments I looked into this alternative form of medicine. My research led me to Yiping Hu in Bethesda. She is renowned for treating oncology patients, and is often referred by NIH, but she treats all kinds of ailments and issues at her efficient and busy clinic near the NIH campus.
When I first visited Dr. Hu, in May 2018, she started with a complete work up, asking many questions about my medical history. She also looked at my tongue and frowned. I would come to learn that the tongue tells the story! After that checkup we commenced my first acupuncture treatment -- many many needles from the top of my head down to my toes. The only one that hurt was the one she placed near my big toe. I flinched. "What's that for?" I asked. "The liver," she said.
From that day forward I visited Dr. Hu once a week for a 25 minute acupuncture treatment. After the first month my acid pain started to go away. By the third month it was gone. At that point I asked her to start helping me prep for my knee surgery. I also went to see her every week during the recovery from knee surgery. She is a font of helpful assurance and guidance and I look forward to my sessions. They must be good if I am willing to drive to Bethesda MD. Its worth noting her office is run very well, they submit to insurance, her staff are friendly and efficient. A session is $85. She also makes her own herbal drinks for patients. They treat a range of issues. There's a basic formula to drink twice a day. She prescribed another for the two months of my recovery from knee surgery.
The time with Dr. Hu is a restorative moment of my week. I leave her office feeling serene - the Chinese music helps - and I do experience positive results for the conditions where acupuncture can make a difference. Coincidentally, Dr. Connell knew of Dr. Hu and her impressive reputation, as did my GP, and both doctors are supportive of her work. Connell said acupuncture is a boost to my knee recovery.Dr. David Shocket is someone I have known a long time. We met during the decade I was on the board of the Medstar Washington Hospital Center, where he is section director of Gastroenterology. He's an all round good guy and while not officially a general practitioner he is my go-to on a lot of issues and he has been so very helpful. I refer friends to him and they always are grateful. For sure if you have any gut issues, or need a colonoscopy, he's the one. With the stresses of this year, he's been there for me.
If you buy just one cookbook this holiday season, if you give just one cookbook as a gift, and if you reserve a seat at just one cookbook and holiday interview, I have it all wrapped up for you! Please join me on Friday, December 7 for a Q&A Cafe interview with Brian Noyes. He is the author of the Red Truck Bakery Cookbook, it focuses on the amazing food and recipes of his rural bakery sensation, Red Truck Bakery, and its also a story of shifting gears professionally as an adult.
Incidentally, he's also the favorite pie maker of Barack Obama, and superfan Robert Duvall cut the rope at the opening of his (second) Red Truck Bakery in Marshall, VA, which is now in many ways the company mother ship (though it started in Warrenton).
I'll add more interesting information about Brian over the next several days, but I wanted to get the word out right now so that you can book a seat for what will be a delicious and fun holiday Q&A Cafe.
The date, again: Fri. Dec. 7. Location, the Georgetown Club. Time, noon. Reservations: 202-333-9330 and ask for Joe. Bring friends. We'll have the interview plus some treats and books to buy and have signed by Brian.
This is a Q&A Cafe I've wanted to host for many years and at last it is happening. Its with one of the most powerful people in Washington: Tom Sietsema, Food & Restaurant critic for The Washington Post. Tom will be the guest on Friday, October 12. This will coincide with the release of his latest Dining Guide. This is a rare opportunity and I hope you can join us.
As always with our show, we will tape the interview before an audience at The George Town Club. Seating begins at 11:45. We'll start at 12:15 and wrap by 1pm. Lunch will be served and is included with the $35 fee, as well as delicious dessert from Georgetown Cupcake. It will air a week later at The Q&A Cafe's regular time, 8pm Friday on the DC Cable channel, Comcast 16.
Will Tom be in disguise? Come and find out!
For reservations please contact Joe Pikovsy at the GTC. 202-333-9330. Or send him an email. The GTC is located at 1530 Wisconsin Avenue NW. There is parking on the street and at an adjacent lot. Membership is not required. ALL ARE WELCOME!
Tom has a fascinating background. Read more about him here: Tom Sietsema.
Photo: Metro Weekly
SIX DAYS AFTER SURGERY NUMBER ONE ON A 'FIELD TRIP' TO A NEIGHBOR'S
It is approximately the moment between surgery #1, on my right knee, which was August 21, and surgery #2, the other knee, coming up soon. It has been an interesting, challenging and rewarding experience, so far. I will say the headline is that the evening of my first surgery, when they got me up to walk the hallway, I could feel the new knee. My leg was straighter, stronger and I could feel my spine saying "thank you."
The other headline is that the pain is a legitimate issue and I can understand why some people, after the first knee surgery, bail on doing the other knee. I'm following the advice of experts and pushing through, also focusing more on the results of the pain than on the pain itself. Recovery, physical therapy, are painful. It is so important to work through the swelling and stiffness, to do the exercises, to walk. I feel much better after PT than before. It is effective.
The pain is more soreness and aching than sharp or piercing. It is the same kind of pain you might feel after spraining an ankle, or perhaps breaking a bone (though I've not experienced a broken bone). It does not encompass my whole body. It is localized in the knee area. They tell you to stay ahead of the pain with pain meds and that is excellent advice. The only time I was in near crisis from pain was the time, a couple of days after surgery, when I didn't take my meds on time and let the pain get out in front. It was so fierce I broke a sweat. I have not made that mistake again.
Nights are the worst. But that's probably the routine with any medical issue. I don't know why it goes like that, but it does.
The good news: I can walk from bed to bath to kitchen. I can walk sometimes without my cane. I can do stairs but I am not supposed to do them alone. I have prepared my immediate environment as if I'm camping, though not quite glamping. I can do most things unassisted. I leave the heavy lifting to others. The icing machine is a must, it is my crack cocaine. I use an Ossur. I tell friends who want to bring me something: please bring a bag of ice to feed the machine. Also, I freeze small water bottles to augment the ice.
The PT comes to the house three times a week. On my own, I do the 20 minute exercise routine at least three times a day. I walk every hour. I sleep when I can sleep. I eat, though my appetite is limited.
It will be more challenging when the other knee is also post-op. A tough initial two weeks for sure, and then another month of hardcore rehab. Doc's office said to expect sleep to be difficult for 4-6 weeks. But also, "it will get better." I use those words as my mantra.
Can't say enough how grateful I am for those who stay at the house with me, family and friends, who visit, do favors and run errands. They are my army. It takes a surgical team to do the knee replacements, but it takes a village to recover.
I hope this helps anyone who is weighing the decision of whether to go forward w/ TKR.
THE VIEW FROM OUR CONFERENCE ROOM AT MEET THE PRESS, AND THANK YOU, TEAM!
My darling colleagues at Meet the Press Daily surprised me with a farewell to the knees party on Friday afternoon. Walked into our afternoon meeting with my nose so buried in my phone I didn't at first notice this wonderful sign they had posted on the window (with our hot view of DHS and a few trees). But when I looked up and saw it I almost cried. For sure I smiled from ear to ear. It was such a thoughtful and caring gesture. Then came boxes and boxes of chocolate dipped fruit, and a very funny card with sentences that cleverly made use of "kneed." I will miss my colleagues and my work. My last bit of work until I return was to book John Brennan and Rudolph Giuliani for the Sunday show, which I like to call Big Meet - driving our MTPD Sr Producer a bit up the wall. Lol.
So, I am almost officially on medical leave. It turns out that it won't become officially effective until I am out of surgery. Thank you very much. Someone has to call them to verify that I did, in fact, have surgery. Then, and only then, will the process kick in that makes it possible for me to get a paycheck. A company called Sedgewick handles and they said I'll miss one pay period but I'll get that back at the end. It feels like renting an apartment and putting down a security deposit! Geez, I'll miss that missed paycheck. And, meantime, still hassling with insurance to get approvals. Never again will I think paying extra for a PPO is worth the $$$.
I am in the stage now of prepping my body. Any TKR patient knows what I'm talking about. Constantly having to put on clean clothes. Change the sheets. Change the towels. Wash myself with a brew called Hibiclens. I went to put on a dress today and stopped just short, just in time, realizing it was now fresh out of the wash.
Otherwise, finishing up the details: paying bills, buying provisions, letting friends know. Coping with the unexpected dramas that define daily life: the car battery suddenly died. Had to deal with that. The home security system battery suddenly died, had to deal with that. Please, no more battery failures. I even went around changing lightbulbs, so they would be fresh. ARRRGGHHH. But then I went to acupuncture and OMMMMM.
In the midst of so much provisioning that is mostly medical I did treat myself to something exotic -- pajamas. PJ's. Found them at A Mano in Georgetown and they are adorable, affordable and comfortable. One set is an elephant toile and the other is pretty fleurs and fawns. Of course.
Well, its time to do my nightly exercises -- rowing, recumbent bike, floor work, free weights -- and then disinfect again and and towel off with a freshly cleaned towel and crawl in between freshly cleaned sheets. Wash, rinse and repeat!
I've mostly stayed off alcohol for the last month, but did allow myself a very cold martini yesterday. That's it until the next one, and I look forward to that. Because I will have climbed Mount Everest, or sailed the seven seas, and got back! Cheers.
Carol Joynt has "a perfect eye, an infallible ear and the unequaled gift of rearranging the alphabet into words which both entertain and mean f**cking something."
-- "Hollywood Bob"
The Q&A Cafe is now in its 21st year. We launched in October 2001 at Nathans in Georgetown as a response to the September 11 terror attacks, and from that initial purpose grew into a weekly community interview lunch, the first "talk show in a bar." When Nathans closed in 2009 we moved to the Ritz Carlton Hotel and since 2015 our home has been The George Town Club. Some 500 notable individuals, from all fields, have appeared for interviews, which are taped and air Fridays on DC Cable. All are welcomed to attend. For reservations: 202-333-9330.
Visit this link to view our archive of broadcasts: The Q&A Cafe on YouTube
Emmy-winning CBS News producer, talk show guest wrangler, published author, host of The Q&A Cafe, print & digital journalist, filmmaker, photog, and former saloon owner. Read more...
Here is information for my popular memoir Innocent Spouse...
MEDIA: For book-related inquiries, please contact my agent, Laney Becker, at 212-243-8480