Headed out for the hospital at 4:30 a.m., my friend Carrie, who came from San Antonio to help out, and the kids still asleep. Check in didn't take very long and I was in a small prep room with a hospital gown on shortly after. The parade of faces started - nurses, anesthesiologist, surgical assistants, my orthopedist...for the ID bands, IV, paperwork, introductions, and my Dr's signature on my op leg. We held it together through most of the parade, but it was difficult being rolled out of that room away from Mark. It was nice being the first patient of the day and surgery started on time: sometime between 7 - 7:30 am.
I was told to expect a spinal anesthesia with something to help me sleep through the IV. The only thing I remember about the actual surgery is the feeling of being lifted on sheets from one place to another. Probably after the procedure to the recovery bed, but I'm not sure. I slept for a long time in the recovery room. I remember hearing the nurses complain that the rooms upstairs weren't prepared for their patients and I drifted in and out of sleep until we started rolling through the halls to my (private ... nice!) room.
It was about 1 p.m. when I got situated, was reunited with Mark, and realized I was still hooked up to my IV, plus compression boots, a catheter, and oxygen! I didn't have any nausea coming around, and the sensation of the spinal anesthesia wore off little by little until I was able to wiggle my toes finally.
I was surprised when they handed me a menu and said "call this number and order whatever you want." I selected a mozzarella, tomato and basil panini and it was delicious! I'm sure a dog bone would have been delicious at that point, but it was nice to know what was coming, and that it sounded good, rather than have a mystery meal show up.
By 2 p.m., I had eaten my sandwich and by 4 p.m., I had taken my first steps down the hall with the assistance of a walker, and a PT holding on to a belt around my waist. FALL RISK!
This was the only photo taken during my three days in the hospital ... sorry to disappoint! I walked about fifty steps down the hall and then back to my room. It was AMAZING being able to tell that there was no pain in the joint immediately! Sure, there was soreness around the incision and muscle soreness, but the joint pain - sharp, shooting pain from bone-on-bone, was gone. I was on Oxycontin and hydrocodone for pain and my pain was very well-managed throughout my three days there.
The next two days passed by in a blur - mostly sleeping and guzzling water. The oxygen and catheter were removed on day two. Carrie came to see me while the kids were in school, and Mark brought all the kids to see me Thursday night. We did Lucas' homework and answered a million questions from them, but it was good for them to see me looking and sounding OK, except for the whole being in the hospital thing.
The kids all reacted differently to the idea of me having surgery. When asked by his teacher how I was doing, Lucas told her that I was fine and walking around great three days BEFORE my surgery! Ethan saw Carrie's name on the calendar with an arrow that connected to Laurie's name, and then to Mary's name (people that were coming to help) and thought that my surgery was going to take that many days! Like a week and a half! Sarah was emotional and scared for me. Jacob seemed fine, but we found out later that he flunked two semester finals on surgery day. I'm sure it was stressful for Mark too.
On Friday, I was released in the afternoon. I was discharged with my walker and instructions to not bend more than 90 degrees at the waist, not to cross my legs, and not to turn my toes inward. I managed to get into the van just fine, and Mark drove home.
By this time, Carrie had gone home and Laurie had arrived. We gathered the kids from a friend's house and enjoyed dinner together. I slept a lot. At least two naps a day. I was supposed to take hydrocodone every 4-6 hours and it put me to sleep within 30 minutes of taking it! The home health nurse came over on Saturday and changed my bandage. It was then that I got a good luck at my posterior incision for the first time. It was about eight inches long, held together by dermabond, steri-strips and dissolving stitches. No staples!
On Sunday, Laurie helped me wrap my thigh and rear end in Saran Wrap, covering my bandage so I could finally take a shower. My left leg was still part orange from the surgical cleanser, and I couldn't bend to scrub my shins, but at that point I didn't care! Later in the day, the home health PT supervisor came over for an assessment. He was surprised to find me sitting up in a chair in the living room, saying that most of the time, he is led to a dark bedroom where the patient is still huddled under blankets and not wanting to move.
Monday was a whirlwind - with my first home PT session with Jamie, saying goodbye to Laurie, and saying hello to Mark's sister, Mary, who would be staying for the week. Neighbors and PTA friends were feeding us every night and I was feeling pretty good!
