In the interest of not writing a 10,000 word article I will try to keep the last week to a few highlights.
Movies
Fulfilled my promise of going to see Capt America: Civil War one more time pre-surgery. Since i knew after this it would be quite awhile before i would be able to see a movie. After the movie before bed and again just before surgery i got use some wonderful Chlorohexidine sponges. Never felt so clean in my life after those two showers.
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| Definitely not Elaine's sponges from Seinfeld |
Low O2 conundrum solved
Waking up from anesthesia i mentioned to the nurses my previous week's O2 numbers. Well things got fun. After an hour of me, plummeting my O2 by passing out from the Dilaudid.(they did say keep pushing the button until I felt no pain) Along with my sleep apnea controlling /cosing my airway (nurse watched with concern /horro as every time i fell asleep I stopped breathing almost entirely). The Nurses decided to pull out my CPAP and hook oxygen into it. I am only guessing here but the other alternative might have been a trach-tube?
Things were still bad although now instead of plummeting from 90% to 60% i was drifting between 855 and 91%. Which was still annoying for me because every time i dropped i would have to hyperventilate to get my Oxygen level up.
Just over the hour mark i asked to be put back on the straight oxygen so i could sit and read my book. Well the nurse took the sensor thing off my finger and put it on my big toe. Instantly 100% O2 without doing anything.
Why? Well i have spent the better part of the last 25 years working outside in cold weather. Most of my finger tips have been frost bitten to some degree. I can barely use touch screens.
After this discovery Oxygen was not discussed again
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| The delivery of my equipment! |
Hospital Semi Private Room
I will sum up my 3 roommates by state the nicknames i gave them: \
Mr Suffer in Silence (he moaned and groaned all night except when the nurse was doing his rounds)
Mr throw your bed pan (empty thankfully, and he threw it at 0230hrs)
Mr OMG my bandage is bleeding (no actually that is seepage it is normal)
The nursing staff were fantastic. They took great care of us. I make sure to do 2 things in hosptial, make the nurses laugh and be under dramatic about every thing i tell them.
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| Post surgery requirement, homemade PB Cookies |
The Wound day 2
The nurse was kind enough to take some pics of my hip when she removed the dressing in preparation to re-bandage me for the trip home. Above and below the staples was purple bruising. The Nurse cleaned things up so as to make it less gross.
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| I discussed the tattoo with the surgeon pre-surgery, I told him"do what you need to do" |
Day 3-5
My leg swelled. Discomfort. Loss of ROM through my knee and hip. I felt as if I had lost a 5 round Muay Thai fight solely by having my left leg and hip smashed repeatedly. Other than that i am in pretty solid condition. I did have a tiny bit of seepage on the Sunday but very minor. No fever or any other signs of bleeding or infection. When the PCN called we discussed it and she was not concerned either.
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| you cannot really see it but left leg is twice the size of my right leg. The circle is the blood spot. |
Aquacell bandages are Awesome
The Aqua cell bandage allowed me to shower right away. I am lucky enough to have a stand up shower at home so that means daily showers. The Aqua Cell Bandage had to come off 7 days post op. It came off easily enough. Although things got dicey just as i was getting out of the stand up shower. I got nauseated and light headed. Not sure if it was the shower being too hot or the heat lamp.So i rushed things and got back on the couch quickly. Catastrophe avoided. Sticking to cold showers. Counted up the staples in my leg, 29 total.
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| You know you were curious. |
So surgery last week was on my birthday, my 40th birthday to be precise. Surgery for some is a horrible experience. To me it seemed like the perfect way to end /start another decade. I will be tracking the days, weeks, and months for quite awhile to come. Post surgery nothing is linear. In fact i think my ROM is not as good as it should be. Things are progressing and it will get there. I just have to keep chipping away at it slowly, daily. 1% a day improvement. I feel a lot more in touch with my day to day because for now at least I have singular focus on a task. Recovery and rehabilitation, from there i have other plans.
As I lay here typing my leg is no longer painfully swollen, the bruising has subsided, and the only thing i really feel in the leg is the wound closing up.
I will continue to do what i am told. I will cover the rehab exercises and timelines that I have been given for me. Probably next time. It is summer time. Go outside, get some sun. Lift something heavy or do something that makes your lungs feel like they might burst. What ever it is enjoy it. This process has been fun so far. I know it will continue that way.
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| Keep Moving forward, Keep Getting strong(er) |
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