July 6, 2017<

[gaulsuerou]

So here's my story it will be a long and detailed. A great calm came over me and the two nights before surgery and I slept very well. Checked in at 6:15 hoping to get into surgery by 730. Met with the surgeon, anesthesiologist, nurses etc. etc. Being a small hospital the process took a bit longer than I thought it would. And I guess I walked myself to the OR at about 730 with the surgery did not start until 830.
The spinal, she said it would take anywhere from four minutes to 13 minutes to get it into me,she used a very small needle and said I had some osteoarthritis in my back. That was tough, she kept poking and poking and made me go owwwe, she kept saying what side, I kept saying the right, it ended up being a full nine minutes. I'm not sure if I remember lying down as they had given me some relaxation pain med cocktail before. I did tell the anesthesiologist that if I saw heard anything during the operation and I was going to hunt her down after the fact. Just as everybody describes the next thing I knew I was being wheeled into recovery, no nausea I felt good. My main concern was when he said if he had excessive bleeding or too hard of a time on the first one, that he would not do the second one, but I hit the hip jackpot, was out in about 4 1/2 hours and it went very well, not a lot of spurs in the socket but there were a lot of spurs on the ball. And I did not need a blood transfusion and yay… To be continued that's just part one


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[cpollock]

@gaulsuerou that's great the surgery went well and you're on this side now to heal. I'm looking forward to following your recovery on erythromycin and wish you well. Cheryl

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[Layla]

Wowza! Can't wait to hear the rest of your story.
Wondering if they warn all bi-laterals of the possibility of waking with only one hip replaced? Can't imagine how I'd feel after finally accepting both would be done at once? Well luckily you'll never know that feeling.
Hope you are experiencing a degree of comfort. Hugs!

 

[Mojo333]

Hey gaulsuerue... So happy to see your pic. I've thought of you all day... Well, when I wasn't thinking if how to get 7500 lbs of pasta off a trailer. Don't mind is. Get meds, rest... We will be here.

 

[froggymom]

Its so awesome that all went well and both are done. I hope your recovery goes without a hitch. Take care and i will keep an eye on your recovery.

 

[gaulsuerou]

I am staying in the hospital one more night, but the pain levels are night and day, I just turned down a dosage, i've turned some kind of a corner I walked to the real bathroom used a standard height toilet, and did a lap around the main floor of the surgical ward, It was kind of funny there's a crazy lady a few doors down keeping all the nurses busy , LOL, it made me feel like I was not such a bad patient after all. So after they wheeled me up from the operating room on this pump up this big air mattress thing to transfer are you on the operating table to the bed and then from the traveling bed to the bed in your room. So they had me roll to the left, so they could start to unroll it out from under me then they had me roll over it to the right where they got the rest out. I felt a little snap in my left hip kind of like a knuckle crack and not realizing what a can of worms I was going to open I said my hip just snapped. Next thing I knew I had every nurse In There , my surgeon, an X-ray tech... They thought they had dislocated me, and they were getting ready to take me back down and fix it. To make a long story short, crisis averted, he determined that the muscles were just so stretched that a little bit of the bone moved to make that snappy sound and after he did some range of motion things on my legs we decided I was OK yikes.


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[gaulsuerou]

My lap around the surgery floor rooms

 

[Layla]

AMAZING....Look at you!
Wow, the possibility of dislocation made me cringe. Thankfully it didn't occur.
Wishing you a restful night with successful pain control. It is relaxing to finally have surgery behind you.
Sweet Dreams!

 

[gaulsuerou]

@Layla I might have been more nervous but I had no real pain although the block has not worn off yet I really didn't think I had done anything maybe it was just my mind staving off the possibility about what could have occurred but… Anyway just a speed bump I think they all got a few gray hairs out of it LOL


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[gaulsuerou]

So to continue my story of my first night post surgery, all of the day nurses were just wonderful They have been watching my surgery on the computers and we're expecting me got into my bed hence the dislocation scare but after everything settles down I was good. Then the shift changed a night nurse came on named Dottie , I waited until my pain was about a four and ringing for a nurse it took over an hour and I said I needed medication my pain was spiking rapidly, so she comes back with a cup with some Oxy & Tylenol she said I cannot have it until I eat something, it took another half an hour to get an English muffin, and another Half an hour to get my meds back I waited over an hour for ice packs as well, finally I took the dose,after an hour it had not touch the pain and I called her back waited another 45 minutes saying I thought I had some sort of iv medicine coming on board and with much argument I finally got two shots of dilotid, Instant relief why was this so hard…. I think I got off on the wrong foot with her because by the time she came around the corner with the syringes I asked her if she could move any faster with that stuff I'm dying here, my pain spiked extremely fast, she was a very heavy woman she entered a bunch of stuff in the computer on my right and I she leaned over to get my left IV she smashed my bed tray down onto my incisions that was once. Later in the night I had to beg for pain meds again I know I was on a three hour schedule and I think I waited 4, Dottie was not out there she was checking somebody in. So sweet little LPN said she would find me a charge nurse on the floor, in comes this mean woman with two Oxsee and the Tylenol or something in a cup and I explained to her that did not work I waited an hour last time and it did not touch the pain, and she said well that's what you're getting so I graciously accepted just to have something. A few minutes later Dotty comes around the corner with two syringes, yay, just to keep her informed, I told her I just had a cup full of oral medication, & she said no you didn't that was hours ago, I said yes I did another nurse brought it in and she said who?. I don't know who, I said but another nurse brought it in because you were not here, she says well that was me and that was hours ago, I said no that was a couple minutes ago and it was not you. So we argued for a while she entered her information in the computer leaned over my bed and once again smashed my bed tray into my incisions, then she says so Gloria how are the knee replacements doing, I said my name is Gail and I had bilateral hip replacement, oh she said, she kept reaching for my longer IV on my left hand which was across the bed so I told her I will get it as It
was all entangled in my nightgown I couldn't get it I couldn't move it was all underneath me and around my arm she kept getting angry and saying do you want me to come around there and get it and I said no no I'll get it finally I got the shots why is this so hard why does this have to be so hard . Several more time she call me Gloria and referred to my knee replacements can you believe that ****?


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[Mojo333]

Oh my stars, girl. That would've freaked me completely out just like it did the staff.
Glad it all got checked out.
Look at you standing up all straight, and pretty. Even with those incorrigible stockings...
Glad you are doing well for this stage... Glad you were able to do without a pain dose, but from what I understand with a spinal there is residual... So once it goes away you will want to stay ahead of that pain.
Look at you... And isn't amazing that the hip pain is gone???
I was shocked Even with the other pain that my hip pain was no more!!!

 

[Mojo333]

I just posted about that pain meds...I knew that was going to happen. Baby, same thing happened re pain management on night two at hospital. I know you don't need to fight with them but you need to tell that lady with the heavy on the bed year thing that you hate to have her be the reason your incisions come loose.
Morning shift will be here soon, explain your concerns to first new one in there... Especially that you need to stay ahead of pain.
Don't let this define your day, or recovery. What's the time difference between us? It's almost 6 am here

 

[gaulsuerou]

So I know this is long but the story gets a little better in the middle of the night wonderful nurse named Edna came on and I still had my sweet little LPN I told the LPN I was sore she went got Edna five minutes early who rounded the corner thankfully the two syringes of dilotid, oh my God I got it on my first request I couldn't believe it, and I explained to her that when my pain came in it's like super fast so promptly and another three hours she showed up with another's to syringe is it was like some sort of a miracle.


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[Mojo333]

I dropped everything possible when I was in there.
Let them do their job... I'm the same. I'll get mad and just want to do it myself.
Do you want me to get that? Um yes, since they just replaced BOTH of my hips and I can't move and I'm in pain, yes... Please get it!!!!
Don't let them get you upset... i sure all feeling for you.
You are living my story... Hey, story gets better BTW

 

[gaulsuerou]

Next morning another nurse came in this time I only got one syringe grateful to have it and she says I'm pulling your IV and a catheter, as much as I wanted the catheter out it was kind of convenient as I did not have to get out of bed. Boy didn't that hurt but it didn't last very long. I surgeon came in and we discussed my meds he thought since I had been taking tramadol up until my surgery it had somewhat made me higher tolerance to the drugs they were trying to give me, we tried some Valium as most of my pain was muscular but did not work he came in again I got me a shot of dilotid, Instant relief at that point I turned a corner, I got up to the chair had my lunch and walking ever since, the pain is getting less and less my next dose of the oral was only a half a dose and I took the other half a dose for supper, I declined my next dose they seem to be on a three hour schedule now yay, and said I would take it before bed I slept beautifully just got up to P and had another full dose because I want to do the stairs today and go home, but my pain is very low I didn't really feel I need it but I want to do the stairs, my only pain is the lightning bolts that shoot down my outer thighs when I stand up and walk, but it is tolerable and my right foot is still partially tingly, he suspects it's from the boot are using in surgery, we do not have a Hannah table, they strap a really tight boat and manipulate you with that but it seems to be coming around other than that it's all good I think I'm going to make bilateral hip surgery history !

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[Mojo333]

I've got to quit postng and let you finish this thing... Didn't know you weren't done.
I was already ready to call up there and give them a piece of my mind. I didn't notice you were online girl.
Gracious, you had my blood pressure up because I had a few unfortunate situations come up but usually changes in shifts helped.
So glad you're ok. Rest all you can?

 

[gaulsuerou]

Lol mojo, i'm trying to do it in pieces because it is so long I'm taking a break now so for now I'm done but it was one for the record books I have to tell you it was almost a comedy unless you were me, Gail not Gloria LOL


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[gaulsuerou]

Lol mojo, i'm trying to do it in pieces because it is so long I'm taking a break now so for now I'm done but it was one for the record books I have to tell you it was almost a comedy unless you were me, Gail not Gloria LOL


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Another funny story is when my angel nurse Edna came in, she said I see Dottie just took all of your vitals, I said no nobody has taken my vitals in hours m, she said are you sure because I just saw her and she said she took all your vitals. I should know I've been up all night and nobody has taken my vitals for hours which I think is quite important because I was having a problem with oxygen levels and blood pressure, but she wheeled the thing in and did a reading and said oh yes I don't see a checkmark next to your name out there I don't know why Dottie told me she took them, I said me and Dottie got off on the wrong foot and I think she's got it in for me lol

 

[Mojo333]

Take a break and rest. I called off the hitman.

 

[Layla]

Sheesh....Dottie sounds like a nightmare OR Nurse Ratched at best!
Not only a horrible bedside manor, calling you by the wrong name, getting your procedure wrong,
almost knocking your tray on your incision twice is bad enough but misinforming her colleagues on taking your vitals. Sounds like the right foot doesn't know what the left is doing with your pain control. This comedy of errors should be reported, upon discharge. Possibly the crazy lady down the hall isn't crazy after all. Her frustration may all involve Dottie the Dingbat. All joking aside, it sounds as though your doing well! You look great, seem to have a sense of humor in all of this. Wishing you a day of successful pain management, peace and relaxation at home and no nightmares of DOTTIE lol!