The long awaited day, May 14th, a Wednesday. finally arrived. I really had no idea what to expect, but I was so ready to get this surgery done!
My hubby and I arrived at Murray Calloway County Hospital in plenty of time to get registered and find our waiting area by 6 AM. My Dr. has privileges at this hospital and does his surgeries there. Turns out he had more than 1 scheduled for 6 AM, so I got to be the one sitting in the waiting room for over an hour. Turns out they had problems getting the other lady’s IV started, thus making the delay for me even worse.
The nurse was really sweet and I soon forgot my agitation over the long waiting… First things first, they needed to take a pregnancy test just to make sure that I’m not pregnant. I was pretty sure I wasn’t but I had told my hubby, just watch, after alll this time spent waiting for my surgery. I’ll be pregnant and then they won’t do the surgery! But I wasn’t. I was taken back into a room, the nurses had me change into a gown and got my IV started, and double-checked all the proper information on every possible paper. Plus put all the medicines into my system to avoid becoming sick from the anesthesia, beings this was my first surgery ever I had no idea how I would react to it, so she gave me all the possible preventatives. After I was all settled they got my husband and let him be back in the room with me until time for surgery, which was very sweet! The nurse assisting the surgery came in to introduce herself, and also the guy giving the anesthesia. And Dr. Morgan stepped in to make the marks for my incision and check on me one last time. Before he left he asked if he could pray with me, of course I was very happy to allow him, by now I was beginning to get a lil nervous and he just totally relaxed me with that. It was probably the highlight of the day and was blessed to hear him pray specifically for each and every person that was having a part in my surgery that day.
While we were there waiting I got to feeling extremely sick. I didn’t hardly dare move, couldn’t concentrate on watching anything on tv, or hardly talk. My belly was extremely upset but I didn’t feel like throwing up. I still don’t know what it was, but they gave me some crackers and I fell asleep a lil bit and got some relief. I wonder if it was something in one of the medicines she gave me? But after I woke up I felt so much better.
Finally after about an hour the anesthesiologist came back in and said he was here to start the anesthesia into my IV. Okay sure. Now I was kinda excited, this was starting to happen and I wanted to experience how it feels to fall asleep. Knowing I was going to have surgery there was 2 things I was concerned about, this being my first time and all. 1. I wanted to make sure to kiss my hubby before I leave the room. 2. I wanted to remember and experience what it was like to be wheeled down the hallway on a bed in the hospital, and hopefully even get a glance at the surgery room. Last thing I remember is the anesthesiologist leaning over me and pouring a lil tube into my IV, then nothing…..
A few hours later I woke up, instantly I thought, “Did I already have surgery?” I wasn’t sure where I was n couldn’t feel anything and there was something over my mouth, everything was a blur. But I moved my hand around enough to feel down by my leg n there was all kinds of stuff there, I couldn’t move it or do anything, so I knew surgery was done. Just from thinking and doing the above I was soo tired, I just lay my head back down and wanted to sleep! But a nurse rushed over to my side and took ‘the thing’ off my mouth and wondered how I felt, n if I have pain? I don’t know what I said, all I remember was kinda groaning. She wondered again if I have pain, cuz if I do she can put something in my IV for pain she said. That sounded like a good idea so I tried to move my leg again and yeah, everything hurt, so I old her, “Yeah that’s fine.” I really don’t remember much, but I know that every time I opened my eyes and wanted to think, I just felt so confused, tired and foggy. After a few times the nurse asked me if I was ready to wake up and go back to the first room with my husband, I knew that I wanted to, but I just didn’t want to wake up or move. It was prolly around 2 hours before they did take me over, the sad thing is that I don’t even remember that ride! I do remember being so happy to see the face of my Sweetheart, but I just promptly fell asleep again!
Dan said the Dr. came and talked with him right after the surgery and said it went extremely well and in minimal time, only 1 hour. [but he had to wait to see me for almost 2 more hours].
I got to see my leg now, it is wrapped up in ACE bandages from the very top of my leg till only my toes are sticking out. And there’s a brace over that from the top of my leg down to my ankle which is set to not let my knee bend at all. They say I’m not supposed to remove any of it for 5 days.
I remember bits and pieces of the next 2 hours. I would wake up and ask Dan a question and then try so hard to stay awake. Suddenly without warning I’d be sleeping again. One of the first things I asked him was, ‘Did I even kiss you and tell you bye?’ He assured me that I did and that I was smiling and talking for awhile after they gave me the anesthesia, even while they were wheeling me out of the room. My foggy brain couldn’t quite grasp that! I’m not sure how often I asked him until we figured out that I must have still been ‘with it’ but now the anesthesia was doing it’s work and erasing everything from my memory, even more than I wanted it to! Everytime I awoke I had more questions for him, towards the end he gently told me that I had asked him some of those questions like 3 or 4 times already. Guess my memory was still wiping away things! They also gave me a prescription for pain, so hubby told me to just sleep and he’ll run to the drugstore and fill the prescription.
Because I had my surgery as an out-patient, I was able to be released the same day yet. So by around 1 in the afternoon they were asking if I think I feel good enough to go home? They brought me crackers to try to give me energy. I tried to sit up and got extremely wore out, sweaty and nauseated that they brought me a handheld fan. I told em No, I can’t move or get up yet, I want to sleep more. So they let me lay back down and I slept for another 30 minutes before I tried it again. Painstakingly and with alot of help from my Sweetheart we finally got me dressed. During that time I put the fan away and by the time we were done, I was grasping frantically for it again, it was the only thing that kept me from passing out. Everything in me was fighting to not ‘get sick all over the floor’ -it was AWFUL!!! [I remember thinking, at least I can move, it was a more bearable feeling than the sick feeling I had before surgery.] At least I was starting to be able to think clearly when I was awake!
I think it took me probably a good 20 minutes to maneuver my big ole leg and my nauseated self off the bed and into the wheelchair, it felt like an hour! Once I was finally in my wheelchair I made the comment that ‘I thought I was gonna throw up, but I was fighting it off’. The nurse was like, “well you probably would feel a lot better if you just would have let yourself.” I was like, ugh, a bit too late, but thanks! She also informed me that if I ever have another surgery to let them know that I got really sick from the anesthesia and to have them give me medicine. She also put a patch behind my ear to leave on for 2 days to help with the nausea, and sent me out the door with a bag in case I get sick.
So the nurse wheeled me down and Dan carried all my paraphernalia. I remember distinctly when we got outside there was a cool breeze and it was almost chilly, but I instantly felt better. I was feeling so weak and that was like a burst of energy. I told my hubby that I think God gave us a cool day just for me, cuz I don’t know how I would have gotten into the car if it hadn’t been for that.
Thankfully we had brought my crutches along and we got me situated sitting sideways in the back of the car. Nurse also gave me some ice to put on my knee. We had our jackets that we wore from that morning, and it sure helped to prop up under my knee and for me to lay my head/back on against the door. I was soo wore out and ready to sleep again!
When we were almost home, honey woke me up and said to hurry because it’s almost ready to downpour! So we hurried as much as I could. He did so well in aiding my every move. I was feeling quite a bit better and could walk mostly alone with the help of my crutches. Except going the steps, Big oopsie, I hadn’t practiced doing that one with crutches. But we got it figured out. We were just good inside when indeed it started to dump rain! Ahh 🙂
It was hard to get myself moving and think of going home, but it was soo good to be home! And on my recliner. We got out 2 pillows to prop under my leg, they had specifically told me to not let my heel hang off the edge of the pillow. After awhile that got harder than it sounds! We kept putting ice on and I slept most of the afternoon. It was such a blessing to have my Sweetheart here with me, as anytime I needed to get up [which was ONLY for bathroom trips] he had to help me. As awkward as this may seem, we soon decided we needed to get a lil step stool, because what do you do with your leg while sitting on the toilet when you can’t bend it?!
My wonderful sister brought us a meal over, if there was one thing that I needed it was food. The nauseated feeling anytime I tried to move was bad enough. Trying to take my pills every 3 hours for pain on an empty stomach just would not have been pleasant!
I was surprised, but I was super tired by about 8pm and so ready to go to bed! So we did what I had done right after the accident and rigged up pillows under my leg and I had to sleep in one position all night. I woke up pretty much every 3 hours and took my pills along with some crackers. But thankfully I usually went back to sleep quickly. By 5 am I was so done being in bed and my husband sweetly awoke to help me out on the recliner and get comfortable there. Of course after a bit, I was sound asleep again!
Surgery Day complete. Thank you Jesus!
