The Cool Machine - A Tip

This little baby was one good investment.

As we were leaving my last appointment with Dr. Kerina before the surgery, he told us to go pick up an ice machine from OrthoCare, for which he gave us a prescription.  We rented it for two weeks for $50, and were told to bring it to the hospital with us.  I think the hospital can provide it, but Medicare does not pay for it, so Dr. Kerina tells his patients to rent one.  Just put ice and water in the cooler, plug it in and wrap the magic suction wrap around your knee secured with the wrap provided.  The motor then circulates the cold water through the octopus-like wrap.  The hospital staff kept it cold for me and applied it as necessary.  It works to keep the swelling down, and it is easy to use at home.  We put 8 bottles of water in the freezer, and each morning Bill puts 4 bottles of the frozen water into the cooler with water to the water line, and it is ready to go for the rest of the day.  The other 4 bottles go back in the freezer.  I find myself regularly going and elevating my leg with the wrap on it, and it is very soothing.

Dressing change - Not for the weak of stomach

The nurse came by Tuesday afternoon to change the dressing on my wound.  She cleaned it off, and before she applied the new dressing, Bill took this picture:

There are 22 staples, which will be removed next Monday.  The wound is clean and I think I looks pretty good, if not pretty.  

8 Days Post Op

The physical therapist, Bud, came this morning and we took a little walk around the neighborhood.  I am using the cane, and he was helping me get all the movements sychronized.  He is pleased with my progress.  The leg is straight, and that is a six-week goal reached.  I can bend to 95 degrees and I think the goal is 120.  It's still swollen, of course, but all in all the experience so far is not as bad as I had anticipated.  The pain is tolerable, and I'm taking fewer pain pills.

Bill and I went to Publix to do our shopping, and I was introduced to the wonderful world of battery-operated shopping carts, which I like, since without that, I would not be able to go.  And my appetite is back, at least for today, so food shopping was fun.

The nurse is coming by this afternoon for a dressing change, and then a week from today she comes back again to remove the staples.  Then, I can shower.  AAHHHHH!

So, I am slowly getting back into the normal routine of daily living, and sooner than I expected.   The house is still a mess, but I'll get to that soon enough.  Housekeeping was never my forte; dust is, after all, a protective coating.

THE HOSPITAL

Day One (Monday, November 8, 2010)

The surgery took about 1 1/2 hours.  I don't remember a thing from the time they wheeled me out of the preparation room until I awoke in my "private" room, and not much after that.  Bill was there, and my leg was in a machine that kept it moving continuously,  and my knee was in an ice wrap attached to a cooler that kept the cold water circulating.  I was in and out of awareness, more out than in.  I had a PCA, an IV, and a catheter, and when I wasn't in the machine that keep the leg moving, both feet were encased in boots that keep the blood circulating.  I wasn't going anywhere.  The hospital offered room service, so I was able to order my meals from a menu, although I had no appetite, and only ate a fraction of what I ordered.  Bill was with me, but I slept most of the time.

Day Two (Tuesday, November 9, 2010)

I slept OK; I don't remember much about the night.  The Femoral block was still blocking.  It was supposed to last 18 hours or so.  My GP came by to see me early, and Dr. Kerina also popped his head in.   The Physical Therapist came in twice:  once in the morning and once in the afternoon.  Ingrid is from Belgium and it took me awhile to stop calling her Bridget.  She massaged the quad, which wasn't too soothing.  It was very sore, but she said the surgeon had cut it; hence the pain.  Then she gave me various exercises to do, which I could manage with her help.  She measured the angles that could be reached and explained the goals.  The instructions are to take the pain meds at least 1/2 hour before she gets there, so once the PT appears on the floor, the staff sort of alerts you. The object is to "stay ahead of the pain."  But I did find a disconnect between the advice given by the PT and the actions of the nursing staff.  I found you must ask for the meds, they will not come in and tell you it is time for your pain meds.  And it is very difficult to keep track when you are out of it.  There are clearly mixed signals being sent.  The nursing staff does ask frequently about your pain level on a scale of one to ten.

Bill arrived early afternoon, but I was not very good company.  I'm sure he enjoyed watching me doze off.  But I enjoyed knowing he was there.  And Val and Dixie stopped in to see me late in the afternoon.

Another dinner from room service.

Day Three (Wednesday, November 10, 2010)

First thing this morning both the catheter and the PCA are disconnected.  So begins the transition to oral pain meds and getting out of bed and into the bathroom.  I took my first walk with the walker, but didn't go far. I was nauseous and feeling very weak.  I hadn't been able to eat much, and I was continuously sick to my stomach, though I didn't throw up.  My morning blood work (which they draw at 4 am) indicated that I needed a transfusion.  (7.9; and normal is 12 or so?).  So they worked that in around my PT.  The first unit would go in after the morning PT and the 2nd unit after the afternoon PT.  It was a slow process, followed by Lasix injected into the IV.  I was told its purpose is to rid the body of the elements of the blood transfusion that are not needed, so it makes you urinate frequently for 4 or 5 hours.  Tomorrow I go home, so it's important to have the blood level where it should be, or I'll be another day in my private room.    I was feeling even sicker after the transfusion, but I did take a few walks down the hallway to try out my new knee.  I was told on Tuesday that the goal was to walk to the nurse's station and back in order to be discharged, so I had acheived that goal.  Now, I just had to be sure the blood is ok tomorrow.  Bill came in the afternoon and I think I was a little more fun to be around, but not much.  I cherry picked from the veggie and side menu for dinner.  No wine though the apple pie wasn't bad.

Day Four (Thursday, November 11, 2010)
 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!

What a great anniversary present:  to go home!

Today I go home.  I was told I needed to wait for Dr. Kerina to come by to release me so the plan was I would call Bill once I got the go ahead.  The blood (again, drawn at 4 a.m.) came in fine, so all signs were good  I got the word around ten that I could go home, and  I called bill to come fetch me.  So I was wheeled out of my private suite around noon, and happy to be headed home.

Bill's Omelet

Every day is a new adventure.  As I become better at feeling better, as I did this morning, I'll be able to post more about my experiences.  But first things first.  This morning I was feeling much better than I had felt in quite awhile.  Friday morning I felt great; both the PT and the nurse came by, and the PT was pleased with my progress so far and gave me some assignments for the weekend.  Come Monday, we could get down to business (see:  chills running down my spine).  Anyway, an upset stomach and swelling of the leg was keeping the discomfort level high all afternoon and last night, so my appetite was poor.  But this morning, I awoke hungry!

Voila!  Bill cooked me an omelet to order, and it's the first morsel I have eaten in the past five days that I really enjoyed!

The Hospital Experience, or, What I remember of the Hospital Experience

La La Land is a nice place to visit but I wouldn't want to live there.

But I felt as if I have spent a lot of time there for the past three days. (Just ask Bill).  We arrived at the hospital at 7 am, hurry up and wait.We did the due diligence, made the decisions about anesthesia (general) and femoral block (yes) and off we went.  By one o'clock I was in my room (private).  A private room in this case means there are two TVs, ergo two remotes and two phones, but only one bed.  The remotes control the TVs, the lights, and the nurses' call button.  When the phone rings, though, you have to find it, and the first one you find, might be the wrong one. Now, the lights are a different problem, because the aide may give you one nearby, but it does not mean that that one controls the lights that are on or off, which, of course, you don't find out until you need to, and then it's too late.  And let's not forget about your cell phone.  So much to keep track of with only 1/2 a brain functioning.

I awoke in a device that moves your leg into positions you are not sure it wants to go in yet, but drugs are a wonderful thing!  Who knew.  And now at least it's moving.

Arden's Gong