Here I Sit….

Here I sit in my gravity chair with my knee gracefully suspended above my heart.  This is my daily post-operative position and it’s 5 days since my operation.

My total knee replacement went fine according to my surgeon, though I found out  ‘fine’ is not a term related to pain.  I was fortunate to still be numb from my spinal block when 6 clock the day after surgery rolled around.  By that time, I had talked to all the necessary people and had got the ‘go ahead’ to pack up and leave.  All that was left was the removal of the drain from the incision.  My male nurse tried to pull it out but it was stubborn and couldn’t be budged.  Two discharge nurses tried ad failed.  Foolishly I asked what would happen if we broke it off?  Back to surgery.  What if it just stayed stuck”?  Back to surgery.   Finally someone decided to call the surgeon’s office.  My surgeon’s PA was still there and said he’d be right over.  He showed up and told me to relax, he’d get it out, and I would go home this evening.  Well he tried every which way, even winding it around his hand and pulling with both hands, no luck,  He left the room mumbling something about wanting to see the X-rays.  He came back and manipulated the knee a bit and out it came.  Yaaaaay!  He bowed to his captive audience and wished me good luck.  Yes, someone finally recognized that there was a patient under all those hands.

Now all I had to I was summons a wheel chair and I’d be out of here.  Well, a half an hour later  I was still waiting.  Several people from RN’s to  Candy-Stripers promised a wheel chair in moments.  Time continued to pass and still no transportation.  Finally the office girl grabbed a four wheeled walker, wheeled it over and put me in it.

“I’ll drive you down myself or we will still be here at midnight”  So she did and weren’t.  I arrived home around 9 pm and fell into bed.

More to Come …      

We are 8 days post surgery now.  I am making good progress but I am not a happy camper.  I came home with a drug regime that included oxycodone, Tylenol,iron, vitamin C, a blood thinner and  all my usual drugs. Within a few hours I started to feel sick to my stomach.  I hate nausea !!!!  Pain I can stand but I hate feeling that I am going to throw up any minute .  This complication was from the pain killers and the iron-which has always made me sick-and the Vit C.  I gradually weaned them out and took just Tylenol for pain.  But today is the first day I have felt less nausea.

During this time I have to go to Physical Therapy for three days in a row, starting Tuesday.  I could write a book on the perils of Physical Therapy and mine was no exception.  The dilemma of PT is that the better it is for you the worse you feel.  I am so fortunate to have found a wonderful, very skilled lady not far from where I live.  She is bright, pretty, skilled and interesting which I too bad because I am probably going to have to murder her.  She can inflict pain like the daughter of the godfather. Smiling sympathetically the whole time.  She is encouraging and helpful but underneath that veneer beats a heart of stone.  There you have it, and strangely enough I keep going back for more punishment and will do for many more weeks.  What does that say about my sanity?   

More to come…

P.S.  We have a new telephone land line. 

Our number:  1-509-722 3435  & we still have our cell phones.