Here it is the first day of December. Doesn't seem that long ago that I had surgery. Actually it's been 2 1/2 days. Surgery went without a hitch as far as I know. I had a spinal which was interesting in itself. I was also sedated, but after the first knee the nurse anesthetist brought me back to consciousness, so I was in and out hearing what was going on, even talking some, not sure I made any sense. Recovery was a blur, but once I went back to the room I didn't have to deal with the wooziness of general anesthesia. There was some concern since it was unknown if I were having partials or total knee replacements, and the time involved was different. So I got a "super" spinal that kept my lower body numb for about 10 or 12 hours. I also got femoral nerve blocks to help with the pain following surgery. The right one worked GREAT, and I have not had one bit of surgical pain in my right knee. The left knee worked some, but I had had 2 really bad episodes of pain. My left leg was hurting in the OR and continued all day. By 6 PM, I finally had the wherewithal to realize that this was not normal, and that this block was not working. I had been using my pump all day, but it continued to get worse. I let them know that I had to have more help, so I got Toradol and percocet. It took a few hours to get the pain under control after that episode. Then the next night, the back of my left knee was uncomfortable, so I stuck my ice pack under my knee. Well, my knee pain was getting worse, and I'm thinking maybe I shouldn't have put the ice on it. The moral of this story is don't wait until you figure out that this is a different kind of pain episode than you've ever experienced, that you must get on top of the pain. As a migraineur, I should have known that. Pain will not win over me again--there is no virtue in not taking pain medicine. You must stay on top of the pain. Today I learned that if you can take 2 pills, you should. I don't like the woozy feeling it gives me, so I was just taking one because I was going to physical therapy and was not really in pain at the time. Then after a rather grueling physical therapy session, I needed that pain medicine, and they would not give it to me "because that is not the way they do it." Some people just can't think out of the box. Lucky for me my doctor called the floor at that time , and they talked to him, and I got a shot of morphine. (Great, the hospital just lost power. Wonder what kind of experiences that will bring?)
Oh, the biggest shocker came yesterday when someone from rehab came to talk to me about 1-2 weeks of inpatient rehab. I must admit, Rick looked pretty excited at the prospect. I will find out tomorrow or Friday if my insurance will pay for it. The doctor in charge today said that almost all double knees qualify for rehab, but it's not a given.
Hope the power's back on. It seemed to be in the hospital when we dropped the car off. The street lights were still out (Brad zipped through an intersection, not paying attention to it).
ReplyDeleteSo glad all is well. I've been wanting to visit, but early in the week I was contagious and then Noah was. Nasty little bacteria do not need to be brought into your recovery. After reading this I'm even more disappointed: I've visited many folks on morphine, etc, over the years and they are by FAR the most entertaining to visit. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd you are so right about the pain meds. I used to tend to hold off on migraine medication until I realized that taking medicine at the first sign can actually stop its progress! Post-surgery it can actually speed recovery since the pain demands a stress response which then focuses your body on resisting the pain instead of healing. It's amazing how much we know for other people but somehow don't translate it to our own selves!
I continue to pray for your wellness.