- Oct 12, 1999
- 20,952
- 3
- 81
Film at eleven.
Yep, tomorrow at 8:00 A.M. I am scheduled for full hip replacement surgery. Tomorrow happens to also be my birthday. Some birthday present, eh?
This will be a very long surgery and I was not the least bit worried. I have gone through all kinds of tests and physicals. I donated my own blood for the surgery and up until 4:00 P.M. today all was well.
THEN, the anesthesiologist called and ruined my day. "You realize that you could die during the surgery or it might leave you paralyzed, don't you?" "I'm going to give you a spinal and another injection in a nerve on your left side. You will be in severe pain for at least three days and this will help to relieve the pain"
All of a sudden my mouth went dry and I felt a tightness in my chest over the wonderful news.
Any way, he told me to go to the drug store and buy some Tylenol PM to help me sleep. If he hadn't called, I would have slept fine.
I have one complication which might delay the surgery. If I'm back on tomorrow you will know that it was delayed.
Wish me luck, guys and gals.
========================================================================
Well here I am and hurting like crazy. I got home at about 2:00 P.M. today.
The operation went as scheduled and the doc said that the actual procedure took only one and a half hours. I woke up in recovery before 11 A.M. Then the fun began. On the first day I just stayed in bed and felt pretty good. On the second day I walked for the first time and was told that I had done very well. On the third day I screamed bloody murder as they dragged me out of bed and even more when they got me to walk only about 15 feet. I have never had so much pain in my entire life.
On the fourth day they decided to put me in their continued care center which is the modern equivalent of a convalescent home. Very sad place because most of the inmates.. er patients have dementia. The only people I could talk to were the nurses and doctors. The patients just stared and said mothing.
At the CCC I received my medications and therapy but the pain continued expecially when I was placed in and taken out of bed. I couldn't do it myself because my left leg (the operation side) still wasn't and isn't working yet. I had to stay in bed for two days when they realized that they had not put on the stockings which are supposed to reduce swelling. I'm sure that I had the most mismatched legs in history. I haven't seen the incision yet but it is about 11 inches long and is healing well. The staples come out Tuesday morning.
Anyway, I passed inspection and they released me today. I thought that I would be OK when I got home.... boy was I wrong. I'm hobbling around on a walker and it still is extremely painful.
One last thing.. they told me that I would have to inject myself with a blood thinner twice a day for 15 days. Me do that? You've got to be kidding! Well, my first lesson was last night and the second was this morning. Now I'm on my own and I punch the needle in my belly at 10 tonight. As much as I was apprehensive, it's really a pice of cake -- no problem.
I want to thank all of you for the nice comments and I want you to know that it's great to be back at ATOT.
Yep, tomorrow at 8:00 A.M. I am scheduled for full hip replacement surgery. Tomorrow happens to also be my birthday. Some birthday present, eh?
This will be a very long surgery and I was not the least bit worried. I have gone through all kinds of tests and physicals. I donated my own blood for the surgery and up until 4:00 P.M. today all was well.
THEN, the anesthesiologist called and ruined my day. "You realize that you could die during the surgery or it might leave you paralyzed, don't you?" "I'm going to give you a spinal and another injection in a nerve on your left side. You will be in severe pain for at least three days and this will help to relieve the pain"
All of a sudden my mouth went dry and I felt a tightness in my chest over the wonderful news.
Any way, he told me to go to the drug store and buy some Tylenol PM to help me sleep. If he hadn't called, I would have slept fine.
I have one complication which might delay the surgery. If I'm back on tomorrow you will know that it was delayed.
Wish me luck, guys and gals.
========================================================================
Well here I am and hurting like crazy. I got home at about 2:00 P.M. today.
The operation went as scheduled and the doc said that the actual procedure took only one and a half hours. I woke up in recovery before 11 A.M. Then the fun began. On the first day I just stayed in bed and felt pretty good. On the second day I walked for the first time and was told that I had done very well. On the third day I screamed bloody murder as they dragged me out of bed and even more when they got me to walk only about 15 feet. I have never had so much pain in my entire life.
On the fourth day they decided to put me in their continued care center which is the modern equivalent of a convalescent home. Very sad place because most of the inmates.. er patients have dementia. The only people I could talk to were the nurses and doctors. The patients just stared and said mothing.
At the CCC I received my medications and therapy but the pain continued expecially when I was placed in and taken out of bed. I couldn't do it myself because my left leg (the operation side) still wasn't and isn't working yet. I had to stay in bed for two days when they realized that they had not put on the stockings which are supposed to reduce swelling. I'm sure that I had the most mismatched legs in history. I haven't seen the incision yet but it is about 11 inches long and is healing well. The staples come out Tuesday morning.
Anyway, I passed inspection and they released me today. I thought that I would be OK when I got home.... boy was I wrong. I'm hobbling around on a walker and it still is extremely painful.
One last thing.. they told me that I would have to inject myself with a blood thinner twice a day for 15 days. Me do that? You've got to be kidding! Well, my first lesson was last night and the second was this morning. Now I'm on my own and I punch the needle in my belly at 10 tonight. As much as I was apprehensive, it's really a pice of cake -- no problem.
I want to thank all of you for the nice comments and I want you to know that it's great to be back at ATOT.
Facebook
Twitter