I started typing todays blog in yesterdays!
We have since bought new a new bed, a king size bed which is pretty
comfy on a normal night. So, Kevin put a pillow at the foot of the bed
between the mattress and the foot board which pulls the sheets out a bit
so my foot isn't bent over all night. Next, my leg was on two pillows,
my head was on two pillows and I had a body pillow down the right side
of me incase I wanted to sleep on my side. SO, who can't sleep a million
hours with all those pillows? I fell asleep with music on because
people were setting off fireworks and it was a little loud, woke up
around midnight and thought, "oh no, I'll never get back to sleep" took
my headphones off and went back to sleep. Woke up around 3am and REALLY
hate having to wake someone up so I shimmied my way out of bed myself
and got to the bathroom, came back and took my meds, Kevin got mad
because I didn't wake him up, then he put be back in bed and I went
right out again! I woke up around 6am or so and rolled onto my side on
the body pillow and it felt fine! I was amazed. Thank goodness. I slept
for an hour or so and rolled on my back again. I finally got up around
9am so just about 12 hours! I got up, took one step and fell back to the
bed in tears! I had a ripping sensation in my lower ab/pubic
region...to the side of my incision. It hurt SO badly I couldn't take
it. Kevin had gone downstairs to use the bathroom and came back up to my
crying in pain. He felt bad for leaving me but it wasn't his fault. I
took my medicine, waited a few minutes and went to the bathroom...still
VERY sore. From there I went downstairs, got down 4 steps and started
sweating, feeling nauseas and overheating so Kevin ran down and brought a
chair to our two flight landing and I sat there. I just lost it again. I
have never had such a terrible time during recovery like this. I said
"I'm done, I can't do this anymore"...and just sat there a while. After a
few minutes I got up, went down the last flight and right to my
recliner!
I ate some breakfast, did my exercises and relaxed a bit while playing MORE cards....and Mom usually kicks our asses! Kevin told me that I was to do another suppository because my insides are so uncomfortable...so FINE, I did it...waited 30 minutes and went to the bathroom which made me feel much better but it's still nowhere near how much I should be going. I wish my body would kick into gear and start going.
We kind of hung around all day, I took an hour nap and Kevin cleaned the fish tank, Mom cleaned up and made salad for dinner and what not. Then Kevin made pizza for dinner and Mom had to run out to get a few more things from the store. Her and Kev are drinking their Gin&Tonics in front of me. :-( But that's ok. I was able to sit at the table for dinner much longer, but did get tired after a little while. Sat back on the couch and played some cards for about an hour, then it was back to bed just after 9pm again.
Things are improving, but at a VERY slow rate. :-\
One thing I almost forgot, one of the girls from PT called
me today and asked how I was doing and if I had any questions. I really
appreciated this because they do genuinely care about their job and how
you are going once you leave the hospital. I said I was doing good and
also mentioned about being over heated coming downstairs and she said
it's because I am so exhausted in general that that little bit of
movement just exhausts me. That eased me a little...but ready for that
to be done!
Monday, July 1, 2013
Saturday, June 29 - Day 4
Well, I only got up to pee once last night and didn't get disturbed too often either. I did my exercises in the middle of the night as well when I woke up. My nighttime nurse decided to change my dosage and the amount of time between doses of meds which I'm not sure why. I knew I wasn't going to like her from the beginning. So I had to call at 7:30am and ask for meds and the nurse said it wasn't due until 8am but since I was awake she'd give them to me. I said well I was getting them every 3-4 hours and all of the sudden now it was 5-6. So she looked and saw I was correct and not sure why the nurse before changed it on her own!
Millis's fellow came in early and asked if I had any questions before I was discharged and also said he or Millis would be back in later...which neither of them were.
We didn't see Millis and no one could get in contact with him so we decided to get a started and get out of the hospital. I got in my wheelchair with all of my goodies and felt very nauseas and dizzy and hot! It was pretty terrible, I got an anti-nausea pill for the ride home but that didn't help too much. My stomach was turning on the way down to the lobby so while Kevin went to get the car I had to make a trip to the bathroom which was less than enjoyable...will skip the details this time around!! Wheeled back out to the car, piled me in and off we went!! I was still very nauseas and had no idea how I was going to make it for the 2 1/2 hours home...I put on my eyemask, put the seat back, got under my snuggie and I was out for most of the trip thank goodness. We hit some traffic so the trip ended up being about 3 hours but it didn't bother me TOO much.
We got home, I walked in (it was SO sweating hot out)..and walked right to the couch recliner and stayed there for most of the day!! Mom went to Stop&Shop to get some food for dinner and for the week and Kevin played with his beer while I just sat here and slept. Kevin grilled burgers and Mom make Macaroni Salad and it tasted SOO good! My stomach is still bloated and I have not had a bm since the other day in the hospital.
I became very sleepy at the dinner table and had to go back to the couch while everyone cleaned up. We played "cards" on our devices again (mom is obsessed with playing cards)...I went to bed around 9:30pm which was a little fiasco while we made sure I had the right pillows and everything else. Going bed was something I was not looking forward to since it brought me to tears many times the surgeries before but let me say...I slept almost 12 hours!!!!!!
I almost forgot, since I wasn't able to see Dr. Millis before I left, he emailed me and asked for my number and ended up calling me later in the day asking how I was. I asked how long until I can take the bandage off (you'd think I would remember by now), I also asked if I should be concerned about my tongue or not and he said he would contact anesthesia again and have them contact me. He said to contact him and Erin Monday and let them know how I'm doing. So I will send something off and see how I'm doing then! He's such a soothing doc. Also, he has a patient needing a PAO and the mother is STRESSING about it, so he asked my Mom if she could be put in contact with this Mom and maybe ease some of her worries. We love Millis and back everything he says. So, Mom sent him her address and said to please send patients to her/us and also direct them to my blog since it's quite informative. I hope that he does!
Millis's fellow came in early and asked if I had any questions before I was discharged and also said he or Millis would be back in later...which neither of them were.
We didn't see Millis and no one could get in contact with him so we decided to get a started and get out of the hospital. I got in my wheelchair with all of my goodies and felt very nauseas and dizzy and hot! It was pretty terrible, I got an anti-nausea pill for the ride home but that didn't help too much. My stomach was turning on the way down to the lobby so while Kevin went to get the car I had to make a trip to the bathroom which was less than enjoyable...will skip the details this time around!! Wheeled back out to the car, piled me in and off we went!! I was still very nauseas and had no idea how I was going to make it for the 2 1/2 hours home...I put on my eyemask, put the seat back, got under my snuggie and I was out for most of the trip thank goodness. We hit some traffic so the trip ended up being about 3 hours but it didn't bother me TOO much.
We got home, I walked in (it was SO sweating hot out)..and walked right to the couch recliner and stayed there for most of the day!! Mom went to Stop&Shop to get some food for dinner and for the week and Kevin played with his beer while I just sat here and slept. Kevin grilled burgers and Mom make Macaroni Salad and it tasted SOO good! My stomach is still bloated and I have not had a bm since the other day in the hospital.
I became very sleepy at the dinner table and had to go back to the couch while everyone cleaned up. We played "cards" on our devices again (mom is obsessed with playing cards)...I went to bed around 9:30pm which was a little fiasco while we made sure I had the right pillows and everything else. Going bed was something I was not looking forward to since it brought me to tears many times the surgeries before but let me say...I slept almost 12 hours!!!!!!
I almost forgot, since I wasn't able to see Dr. Millis before I left, he emailed me and asked for my number and ended up calling me later in the day asking how I was. I asked how long until I can take the bandage off (you'd think I would remember by now), I also asked if I should be concerned about my tongue or not and he said he would contact anesthesia again and have them contact me. He said to contact him and Erin Monday and let them know how I'm doing. So I will send something off and see how I'm doing then! He's such a soothing doc. Also, he has a patient needing a PAO and the mother is STRESSING about it, so he asked my Mom if she could be put in contact with this Mom and maybe ease some of her worries. We love Millis and back everything he says. So, Mom sent him her address and said to please send patients to her/us and also direct them to my blog since it's quite informative. I hope that he does!
Sunday, June 30, 2013
June 28 - Day 3
So the morning arrived, Millis came in around 7:30am, just 15 minutes
after I got up to pee and took my meds and he asked how I was and I just
broke down. I have NEVER done this, and he has NEVER seen me with any
sign of pain or being upset. His face looked in shock because I was
never like this. Poor guy, he got me at the wrong moment. He rubbed my
leg and said it would be OK and we would increase the meds. So he double
OxyContin and get the Codone more often. He felt bad but told me it
would be OK. He knows how to soothe my fears. He wanted me to go home today but because of how upset and in pain I was he wanted to see how the rest of the day went and decide later on.
He said we'd do PT, xrays and poop and then see if I could go home later. PT arrived at 10:30am just as Mom and Kev arrived and I just got my meds at 10am so I was feeling a lot better. We went to the gym and got back on crutches and did stairs. I told the girl I have two flights of stairs back to back so I did the 3-stairs up and down 4 times each. I did this no problem and she said I was fine to go home whenever I completed all my other chores. She had to see Kevin help me into bed to make sure he could pass PT also and knew how to do my bed exercises as well, he of course passed! He's the reason I haven't needed to go to PT during recovery at all.
After PT I got into bed and rested. Millis was supposed to come back around noon...of course he didn't. I decided it was time to take a shower which would make me feel so much better! So I got on the commode and Kev wheeled me into the shower and helped me bathe and it felt good. Got dressed and sat back on the bed and I was SO hot and overheating then I felt very nauseas. It was upsetting because I hadn't felt like this. It's a mix of being on these meds, being backed up from not going to the bathroom, being in pain and whatever else. I took some anti-nausea medicine but that didn't really help. Millis came around 3pm or so and went down to get an xray, the whole way now I had my head in my hand and eyes closed because I still felt so sick. We got an xray done, looked at it and saw the three screws. He corrected me about 20% instead of the original 10% so my range of motion maybe less than what it should be. But the ball is definitely covered this time around!
Millis said to tell the nurse I still felt sick so I didn't have to go home tonight, but first thing in the morning I would. Saw the nurse, asked what my options were to go to the bathroom, she said the Colace, the Mirimax, other oral pills or a Suppository.... I went with that because it was fast acting. I went, and felt MUCH better but still my stomach didn't empty out all that much. I ordered dinner, some chicken fingers and soup and fruit, Kevin went and got a burrito from a place next to the hospital and Mom came back with meatballs from Bertucci's so we had a little "last supper" in the room, we played more cards on our iPhone's and they left around 9pm. I cut back on the 1/2 of Codone and slept on and off all night.
He said we'd do PT, xrays and poop and then see if I could go home later. PT arrived at 10:30am just as Mom and Kev arrived and I just got my meds at 10am so I was feeling a lot better. We went to the gym and got back on crutches and did stairs. I told the girl I have two flights of stairs back to back so I did the 3-stairs up and down 4 times each. I did this no problem and she said I was fine to go home whenever I completed all my other chores. She had to see Kevin help me into bed to make sure he could pass PT also and knew how to do my bed exercises as well, he of course passed! He's the reason I haven't needed to go to PT during recovery at all.
After PT I got into bed and rested. Millis was supposed to come back around noon...of course he didn't. I decided it was time to take a shower which would make me feel so much better! So I got on the commode and Kev wheeled me into the shower and helped me bathe and it felt good. Got dressed and sat back on the bed and I was SO hot and overheating then I felt very nauseas. It was upsetting because I hadn't felt like this. It's a mix of being on these meds, being backed up from not going to the bathroom, being in pain and whatever else. I took some anti-nausea medicine but that didn't really help. Millis came around 3pm or so and went down to get an xray, the whole way now I had my head in my hand and eyes closed because I still felt so sick. We got an xray done, looked at it and saw the three screws. He corrected me about 20% instead of the original 10% so my range of motion maybe less than what it should be. But the ball is definitely covered this time around!
Millis said to tell the nurse I still felt sick so I didn't have to go home tonight, but first thing in the morning I would. Saw the nurse, asked what my options were to go to the bathroom, she said the Colace, the Mirimax, other oral pills or a Suppository.... I went with that because it was fast acting. I went, and felt MUCH better but still my stomach didn't empty out all that much. I ordered dinner, some chicken fingers and soup and fruit, Kevin went and got a burrito from a place next to the hospital and Mom came back with meatballs from Bertucci's so we had a little "last supper" in the room, we played more cards on our iPhone's and they left around 9pm. I cut back on the 1/2 of Codone and slept on and off all night.
Walking the stairs....
Last supper
June 27 - Day 2
Dad went home this morning, no reason for him to sit around all day with the rest of us...it can get VERY boring. I told him he didn't have to feel obligated to come for surgery, I would not be hurt in the worst...but he did not want to hear that and was going to be there 100%. :-) So he took my car home and we were left with the Tahoe.
I woke up at 6am and the epidural stopped, the blood was done and my IV was actually stopped earlier yesterday because I was drinking water at a great rate and peeing into my pee bag just fine. So things were starting to get turned off one at a time now. After my morning bath, I also asked the CNA if I could put on a normal shirt which would help me feel better and plus the tape on my back from the epi makes my back sweat SO bad, a fresh shirt was going to help a lot. I was feeling better already.
So when the epi turned off, I got 10mg of OxyCodone and Tylenol (which helps Oxy absorb). I always get nervous when the epidural gets turned off because I want to make sure that nerve down my thigh wasn't touched during surgery so I constantly touch my leg as the numbness wears off.
Dr. Millis and Erin came to visit this morning around 9:30am, he asked the nurse if my catheter was out and she said 10:00-10:30am and he said no, 6am! :-( I finished the visit with Erin and gave her a little outfit for her soon to be little bundle of joy, she told me she's supposed to be giving ME a gift, not the other way around. She looked SO cute in her little Ralph Lauren dress! I was glad to see her, a familiar face. She said to email her if I needed anything. Millis came back and said how cute...then he told me to put on panties because there's children on the floor and I can't run around naked... (see surgery day for the joke). They left and the catheter came out, one of THE worst parts of surgery, it does not feel good coming out that's for sure. SO, the next time I have to pee, it's out of bed!
In the meantime, Megan came to visit me! For anyone who doesn't remember, she was my roommate for both of our first PAO's back in January 2011. Then she came to see me for my second and I saw her for her second and now she's seeing me for my third, and she's preggo!! Congrats Meg! She is such a sweet girl and so glad we met and keep in touch. We have this bond that is hard to have with other people. She also brought me "garbage" magazines which was awesome and kept my mind off the pain a lot of times. Just as she was getting ready to say bye, PT came in. It was a little chaotic for a few mins, but a mood lifter to see Meg and also give her some goodies for her baby boy!!
They told me PT would be in later in the afternoon to get me out of bed and basically just sit in a chair. That's the most they do for the first day out of bed. Before PT came, I had been out of bed twice because I obviously had to PEE! I need help swinging the leg out of bed, stood up and had to pivot onto the commode and they wheeled that into the bathroom. Then back into bed, twice. PT came in and we told them what I had done and she was SHOCKED! She said well if you want, we can go to the gym and work on the uneven bars and then come back and sit in the chair for a while. So I said sure, lets go. She couldn't believe I said that. Off we went in the wheelchair to the gym with my mom, brother and Kevin. She went over the basics of walking and asked if I remember which I did. I walked down the parallel bars - better than I did the last times I think and she was so impressed. I have a little more thigh strength than I have before so I can bring the leg forward easier than before. I turned around and walked back to the chair and she wheeled me over to the middle of the room. I then crutched to the wall and back. She said we could to the stairs, but we all agreed that was enough for one day (which was FAR more than she's ever taken anyone on the first day). I get it, it's a lot, but it's also my third PAO...I know the pain, I know what I can and can't do, I know what it's going feel like...so it just makes things easier. We came back to my room and I sat in the chair for an hour until I became exhausted and back to bed I went!!
I stayed in the bed the rest of the day unless I had to pee. Mom and Kevin left around 8pm or so and I stayed up to read my magazine and listened to music. I slept pretty well overnight but was in pain when I had to get up to pee every few hours. The pain was almost paralyzing at times. At one point, I laid in bed and had a few tears but put it behind me and knew I would just get more meds and get over it.
I was also wearing an ice pack at night as that has helped my hip soothe as well.
I woke up at 6am and the epidural stopped, the blood was done and my IV was actually stopped earlier yesterday because I was drinking water at a great rate and peeing into my pee bag just fine. So things were starting to get turned off one at a time now. After my morning bath, I also asked the CNA if I could put on a normal shirt which would help me feel better and plus the tape on my back from the epi makes my back sweat SO bad, a fresh shirt was going to help a lot. I was feeling better already.
So when the epi turned off, I got 10mg of OxyCodone and Tylenol (which helps Oxy absorb). I always get nervous when the epidural gets turned off because I want to make sure that nerve down my thigh wasn't touched during surgery so I constantly touch my leg as the numbness wears off.
Dr. Millis and Erin came to visit this morning around 9:30am, he asked the nurse if my catheter was out and she said 10:00-10:30am and he said no, 6am! :-( I finished the visit with Erin and gave her a little outfit for her soon to be little bundle of joy, she told me she's supposed to be giving ME a gift, not the other way around. She looked SO cute in her little Ralph Lauren dress! I was glad to see her, a familiar face. She said to email her if I needed anything. Millis came back and said how cute...then he told me to put on panties because there's children on the floor and I can't run around naked... (see surgery day for the joke). They left and the catheter came out, one of THE worst parts of surgery, it does not feel good coming out that's for sure. SO, the next time I have to pee, it's out of bed!
In the meantime, Megan came to visit me! For anyone who doesn't remember, she was my roommate for both of our first PAO's back in January 2011. Then she came to see me for my second and I saw her for her second and now she's seeing me for my third, and she's preggo!! Congrats Meg! She is such a sweet girl and so glad we met and keep in touch. We have this bond that is hard to have with other people. She also brought me "garbage" magazines which was awesome and kept my mind off the pain a lot of times. Just as she was getting ready to say bye, PT came in. It was a little chaotic for a few mins, but a mood lifter to see Meg and also give her some goodies for her baby boy!!
They told me PT would be in later in the afternoon to get me out of bed and basically just sit in a chair. That's the most they do for the first day out of bed. Before PT came, I had been out of bed twice because I obviously had to PEE! I need help swinging the leg out of bed, stood up and had to pivot onto the commode and they wheeled that into the bathroom. Then back into bed, twice. PT came in and we told them what I had done and she was SHOCKED! She said well if you want, we can go to the gym and work on the uneven bars and then come back and sit in the chair for a while. So I said sure, lets go. She couldn't believe I said that. Off we went in the wheelchair to the gym with my mom, brother and Kevin. She went over the basics of walking and asked if I remember which I did. I walked down the parallel bars - better than I did the last times I think and she was so impressed. I have a little more thigh strength than I have before so I can bring the leg forward easier than before. I turned around and walked back to the chair and she wheeled me over to the middle of the room. I then crutched to the wall and back. She said we could to the stairs, but we all agreed that was enough for one day (which was FAR more than she's ever taken anyone on the first day). I get it, it's a lot, but it's also my third PAO...I know the pain, I know what I can and can't do, I know what it's going feel like...so it just makes things easier. We came back to my room and I sat in the chair for an hour until I became exhausted and back to bed I went!!
I stayed in the bed the rest of the day unless I had to pee. Mom and Kevin left around 8pm or so and I stayed up to read my magazine and listened to music. I slept pretty well overnight but was in pain when I had to get up to pee every few hours. The pain was almost paralyzing at times. At one point, I laid in bed and had a few tears but put it behind me and knew I would just get more meds and get over it.
I was also wearing an ice pack at night as that has helped my hip soothe as well.
June 26 - Day 1
I am now on my way, "worst" behind me and onto my first real day of recovery. I started my day with a hearty breakfast of blueberry muffin, fresh fruit cup, cottage cheese (that was kinda gross) and a heard boiled egg. The food was pretty tasty to me but the egg I set aside and when the nurse took the tray away she stole my egg too! boo.
I didn't really do too much today, a lot of sleeping and talking to the family. The first day could go one of two ways and mine fell kind of in the middle. I wasn't knocked out dead from surgery but I wasn't wide awake either (each is how my last surgeries went).
Mom and Kevin and I played card games on our i'devices which helped pass the time. I could play one round or so and then needed a nap. This surgery has made me VERY tired. I wake up for a decent amount of time, kind of wide awake, but I switch rather quickly and need to sleep.
I don't remember what was ordered for lunch or dinner...I think I had a salad somewhere in there! Shortly after my parents left, Dr. Millis came in and asked if my dressing had been changed or my drain was removed and I said no to both. My pain is still under control so no big deal there. He said that tomorrow my dressing and drain would be changed along with my epi turned off and me out of bed! I heard him out talking to the nurses...and about 5 minutes later he came back in to change my dressing. He was talking to me about how the nurses taking care of me didn't know much and there's only a few he trusts with his patients and I said I TOTALLY understand. If you can remember back to my last surgery and the nurse left me dangling from the trapese on a bedpan for 5 minutes when pain management walked in...well...yup, guess how was my nurse...ding ding ding, Sue! Millis said "I hope you're teaching her a thing or two" haha I liked talking junk with my doc. During all of this, my drain was out and I didn't even know it!!!! He thought it was a little soon as it was still draining a little. But while he was there he decided to do it. He then cut my ace bandage (human diaper, Millis diaper), I was eating Cheerios at the time - oh yeah, I had Cheerios for dinner! No milk - I told him I wanted a Cheerio to heal in my incision, he didn't find that funny. I tried to touch the steri-strips but he didn't let me. Again, he did all this with no gloves on, he kills me! So he layed out the gauze on the Tegaderm (clear, waterproof bandage)...and stuck that over my wound. The drain hole was leaking a little so he said that might show through the gauze but not to worry about it.
That paragraph was long so we'll start a new one here. After he cleaned me up he told me I would get my units of blood overnight and my epi would come out the next morning (a day earlier than normal). I was glad because the epi really covers things up and I was ready to get on my feet and rock and roll! So, he had mentioned my blood went bad - which didn't make sense to me because I had given two pints a week about only 3 weeks ago! So whatever. Around 10pm the nurse came in and started my first pint, the Red Cross took whole blood and didn't "spin" it down so it was thick and was going to take some time to drop in which is why we did it over night. It started at 10pm and I also got the heating pad on my hand which helps the vein open up so the blood goes in easier. This pint took just over 3 hours and then the second pint came up. So I asked my nurse, I thought Dr. Millis said my blood had expired. She corrected the statement, on the bag of blood there are small "test tubes" of blood which they use to do testing on the blood, that is what started to get clots and it went bad. NOW it makes sense. So around 2-3am I started my second pint which would end just around 6am, perfect timing for the epidural to come out.
I forgot to mention, PT came in to give me simple exercises I can do by myself in bed. She was the same one I had for the first surgery. So what I had to do are:
1- Ankle Pumps: point and flex my feet 20x
2- Quad Sets: flex my quad 10x
3- Glut Sets: squeeze my butt 10x
I didn't really do too much today, a lot of sleeping and talking to the family. The first day could go one of two ways and mine fell kind of in the middle. I wasn't knocked out dead from surgery but I wasn't wide awake either (each is how my last surgeries went).
Mom and Kevin and I played card games on our i'devices which helped pass the time. I could play one round or so and then needed a nap. This surgery has made me VERY tired. I wake up for a decent amount of time, kind of wide awake, but I switch rather quickly and need to sleep.
I don't remember what was ordered for lunch or dinner...I think I had a salad somewhere in there! Shortly after my parents left, Dr. Millis came in and asked if my dressing had been changed or my drain was removed and I said no to both. My pain is still under control so no big deal there. He said that tomorrow my dressing and drain would be changed along with my epi turned off and me out of bed! I heard him out talking to the nurses...and about 5 minutes later he came back in to change my dressing. He was talking to me about how the nurses taking care of me didn't know much and there's only a few he trusts with his patients and I said I TOTALLY understand. If you can remember back to my last surgery and the nurse left me dangling from the trapese on a bedpan for 5 minutes when pain management walked in...well...yup, guess how was my nurse...ding ding ding, Sue! Millis said "I hope you're teaching her a thing or two" haha I liked talking junk with my doc. During all of this, my drain was out and I didn't even know it!!!! He thought it was a little soon as it was still draining a little. But while he was there he decided to do it. He then cut my ace bandage (human diaper, Millis diaper), I was eating Cheerios at the time - oh yeah, I had Cheerios for dinner! No milk - I told him I wanted a Cheerio to heal in my incision, he didn't find that funny. I tried to touch the steri-strips but he didn't let me. Again, he did all this with no gloves on, he kills me! So he layed out the gauze on the Tegaderm (clear, waterproof bandage)...and stuck that over my wound. The drain hole was leaking a little so he said that might show through the gauze but not to worry about it.
That paragraph was long so we'll start a new one here. After he cleaned me up he told me I would get my units of blood overnight and my epi would come out the next morning (a day earlier than normal). I was glad because the epi really covers things up and I was ready to get on my feet and rock and roll! So, he had mentioned my blood went bad - which didn't make sense to me because I had given two pints a week about only 3 weeks ago! So whatever. Around 10pm the nurse came in and started my first pint, the Red Cross took whole blood and didn't "spin" it down so it was thick and was going to take some time to drop in which is why we did it over night. It started at 10pm and I also got the heating pad on my hand which helps the vein open up so the blood goes in easier. This pint took just over 3 hours and then the second pint came up. So I asked my nurse, I thought Dr. Millis said my blood had expired. She corrected the statement, on the bag of blood there are small "test tubes" of blood which they use to do testing on the blood, that is what started to get clots and it went bad. NOW it makes sense. So around 2-3am I started my second pint which would end just around 6am, perfect timing for the epidural to come out.
I forgot to mention, PT came in to give me simple exercises I can do by myself in bed. She was the same one I had for the first surgery. So what I had to do are:
1- Ankle Pumps: point and flex my feet 20x
2- Quad Sets: flex my quad 10x
3- Glut Sets: squeeze my butt 10x
Having trouble focusing, but here is my body bandage and blood drain!
I also had the booties on my legs that contract and expand to help with circulation. They also make my legs itchy and sweaty!
My incision after I got a new dressing. The top gauze is where the drain was. Sorry the picture is a little close to my hoo-ha. Did I mention one of my rules to Millis was to make sure my tan lines match up! He then told me to make sure I wear panties around the floor because there's children!! ha refer to day 0 when I told him I wasn't wearing any. :-)
Day 1, just chillin' with my neck pillow and snuggie
June 25 - Day 0 - Update
I'm actually a few days ahead but backtracking to make sure I update day by day. My mom helped me take notes so we didn't forget anything. I did update once I got to my room, but here are the series of events!
We woke up at 5am (I slept OK on a pull out sofa)..and went to the hospital, got there at 6am as required and checked in. I had to pee in a cup so they did the pregnancy test (any female over 12 years of age). I sat in the waiting room for only 2-3 minutes and they called us back to the PACU. Typically only 2 people are allowed but the nurse let everyone come (my parents and husband). I got changed into my fashionable Johnny and laid back on the bed for what seemed like FOREVER! Other patients started arriving and all were being taken care of and I waited, and waited and waited...peed about 3 times and waited! I said as soon as Millis gets here it's going to be fast moving and sure enough - doc arrived with a team and things started happening. He signed my leg, I went over the rules again...talked to anesthesia and debated getting the nerve block or stick with the Epidural that worked like a charm each time. We literally went back and forth...and Dr. Choka (not sure how to spell her name), but she has done my epi for each surgery and she said that because I've had such a great outcome for them, we should stick with it. The block is guaranteed to numb only the right side but it's still kind of new. So I got my IV catheter in which took a while because my veins are so tiny (this is a Children's hospital, no?). Said our goodbyes and they wheeled me off! Got the OR and transferred to the operating bed and bent over so they could insert the epi. I don't remember laying back down....They wheeled me in about 7:45am...
Woke up in recovery around 2:00pm - with a sore throat and numb tongue!!! I also check to make sure my operated leg is numb - which is was. I told the nurses they woke me up from a good dream. I was given a cherry Popsicle in recovery to help my throat and my tongue. No one was sure why my tongue was numb, but it was kind of weird. My Mom and Kevin came in to see me first and I was just finishing my popsicle. The Kevin and my bro came to see me and took the time for some photo ops! I was in recovery for about an hour...then the nurses said it may be a couple hours before I get to a room so my family should go get dinner. Then a couple minutes later she told Kevin to go get my family because I had a room and I was about to go. I don't remember getting to my room or going in the elevator, I just kind of remember waking up in my room. I was in a double which is OK, but I was on the window/bathroom side which was great.
The nurses left me and there I was. I was in zero pain. My left leg (non op) was completely numb which was terrible and my right leg was partly numb but my hip was numb and that's all I was concerned about. I ended up eating some chicken soup and ice chips. My brother had an interview during my surgery so he came to see me after look all spiffy! Everyone left around dinner time and went over to Bertucci's to get fed and then back to Waltham to stay for the night.
I got woken up quite often to have my vitals checked. I slept well in the meantime and the epidural was doing it's job. Aside from being numb and my tongue being weird I was also having a hard time focusing as my anesthesia was wearing off.
Here are some pictures to represent the day of surgery - day 0!
Just a quick update, while I was in the PACU before surgery in my Johnny..I got up to pee before they started the IV and I got off the bed and Millis said "you can put your panties on, you don't need to take them off" I said...uhh..that's not really going to happen...I didn't wear any "he's like WHAT, you didn't wear any, oh man!". It was pretty hilarious and EVERYONE heard the convo...but every other surgery I had to take them off...I can't win! (see day 2)
Surgery is over, now it's time to recupe!!
We woke up at 5am (I slept OK on a pull out sofa)..and went to the hospital, got there at 6am as required and checked in. I had to pee in a cup so they did the pregnancy test (any female over 12 years of age). I sat in the waiting room for only 2-3 minutes and they called us back to the PACU. Typically only 2 people are allowed but the nurse let everyone come (my parents and husband). I got changed into my fashionable Johnny and laid back on the bed for what seemed like FOREVER! Other patients started arriving and all were being taken care of and I waited, and waited and waited...peed about 3 times and waited! I said as soon as Millis gets here it's going to be fast moving and sure enough - doc arrived with a team and things started happening. He signed my leg, I went over the rules again...talked to anesthesia and debated getting the nerve block or stick with the Epidural that worked like a charm each time. We literally went back and forth...and Dr. Choka (not sure how to spell her name), but she has done my epi for each surgery and she said that because I've had such a great outcome for them, we should stick with it. The block is guaranteed to numb only the right side but it's still kind of new. So I got my IV catheter in which took a while because my veins are so tiny (this is a Children's hospital, no?). Said our goodbyes and they wheeled me off! Got the OR and transferred to the operating bed and bent over so they could insert the epi. I don't remember laying back down....They wheeled me in about 7:45am...
Woke up in recovery around 2:00pm - with a sore throat and numb tongue!!! I also check to make sure my operated leg is numb - which is was. I told the nurses they woke me up from a good dream. I was given a cherry Popsicle in recovery to help my throat and my tongue. No one was sure why my tongue was numb, but it was kind of weird. My Mom and Kevin came in to see me first and I was just finishing my popsicle. The Kevin and my bro came to see me and took the time for some photo ops! I was in recovery for about an hour...then the nurses said it may be a couple hours before I get to a room so my family should go get dinner. Then a couple minutes later she told Kevin to go get my family because I had a room and I was about to go. I don't remember getting to my room or going in the elevator, I just kind of remember waking up in my room. I was in a double which is OK, but I was on the window/bathroom side which was great.
The nurses left me and there I was. I was in zero pain. My left leg (non op) was completely numb which was terrible and my right leg was partly numb but my hip was numb and that's all I was concerned about. I ended up eating some chicken soup and ice chips. My brother had an interview during my surgery so he came to see me after look all spiffy! Everyone left around dinner time and went over to Bertucci's to get fed and then back to Waltham to stay for the night.
I got woken up quite often to have my vitals checked. I slept well in the meantime and the epidural was doing it's job. Aside from being numb and my tongue being weird I was also having a hard time focusing as my anesthesia was wearing off.
Here are some pictures to represent the day of surgery - day 0!
Just a quick update, while I was in the PACU before surgery in my Johnny..I got up to pee before they started the IV and I got off the bed and Millis said "you can put your panties on, you don't need to take them off" I said...uhh..that's not really going to happen...I didn't wear any "he's like WHAT, you didn't wear any, oh man!". It was pretty hilarious and EVERYONE heard the convo...but every other surgery I had to take them off...I can't win! (see day 2)
My brother came to see me after his interview - here I'm in recovery.
Kevin and I in recovery
In the PACU at 7am before being wheeled off to surgery. Fashionable in my Johnny.
Just got injected with my IV meds before going to the OR
My Popsicle in recovery and being a cyclops because I couldn't focus!
Surgery is over, now it's time to recupe!!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
June 25 - Day 0 (quick update in the hospital)
Well I'm in a room, window side with a roommate. I'm doing ok. Hard to focus, I think bc I need blood. Millis said I'm in control since I've been here two times before. I asked them to bump my epi down again, went from. 12 to 10 but I'd like to be at a 6!! No fever or weird feelings. Epi numbed my left leg completely, it's awful. My tongue is numb, no answers on that. Right leg not numb but hip is. Odd. I have one of those motion sickness patches begin my ear, I don't want it. Very very tired and need to sleep. Had soup and ice chips. Try to upload a pic. Bye!
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