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THR MajorHeidi is now a Hippie!

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@MajorHeidi ....Claire, so happy to finally catch up on you! I looked for you on OP day, then was off line yesterday and low and behold you have appeared, you crazy HIPPIE you! So glad everything went well for you, the worse is over, now a new life has begun. I go to the OS on Tuesday, can't wait to see the xrays and get the do's and don'ts and hopefully the go ahead to go ahead and SWING! LOL Did you see the swing photo Plumberbutt posted, too funny? Any way you experienced different things then I did, no catheter, no TEDs, no log leg, don't know why you guys had all the fun! I had general anesthesia, no spinal. I don't even remember leaving the prepping area for the operating room, I was out, gone. Keep us posted, don't overdo it because it is easy to do and not realize you have done it until it is too late! Again, so glad you are back with us, love ya!
 
Wow @MajorHeidi I've popped over to say hi and welcome to the other side but find I'm quite slack......your thread is already 6 pages long!!!!!!

Anyway.....Hi and welcome to the other side :heehee:

You are doing so well....out of hospital in 1 day!!!!! Impressive. You must be pleased with how well you are doing. I enjoyed you run down of what happens prior to surgery...it all seems quite similar to us here in Oz except over there it seems quite common for your OS to sign or write on your leg???? It seems strange as you would think after all that pre washing with the special stuff in the days leading up to surgery the last thing they would do is write with pen on your leg. I also got to see heaps in the operating theatre and usually ask lots of questions....it doesn't freak me out at all.

Well....I'm looking forward to more stories from you and hoping your log leg is easing up now. A trick they taught me in hospital is the use a bandage or fabric and tie it at one end so it's just a big loop. This works for lifting your leg into bed just as well as a leg lifter but is cheaper

Talk soon
 
@GaRosehippy OOOHHH you are being bad!!!! ROFL!! I had general anesthesia and I still remembered going into the OR and them telling me they were gonna put something on my forehead, which I assume was one of those thermometers that sticks to you, and then said here's the mask take some slow deep breaths and that was it!! I am not sure how I was not able to remember leaving my hubby but was able to remember asking to see and actually seeing the table. And me being a nurse and having been on the OR and watched folks get put to sleep you would think I would have an idea of why that happened but honestly I don't.
 
So pleased to hear that you are home and doing so well in the first days, Claire.:SUNsmile:

It is fascinating to read all the different methods, experiences pre- and post-op that everyone has.
not only between different countries, but even within 1 country, especially as we have essentially all had the same medical.act.

My OS said he used a simple table (not that I was awake to see for myself, unfortunately). No TEDs for me until I came round again.
One thing they did give me befoe I left was a waterproof dressing which I have to keep on for 2 weeks.
With this I do not need to worry about changing the dressing at all, and can safely get it wet in the shower.
MY OS just suggested to dry the area with a hair dryer if it was too,sensitive to press lightly,with a towel.

@mystikfairy61 interesting about not shaving... I had 1/2 my thigh shaved by the nurse the night before (standing, not in the swing, let me reassure you!). :rofsign:
 
@Cantabrigian Lucky you with dressing thing! I dread most changing bandage each night . . . too bad, swings can be fun, I thought you French had much more knowledge of that arena --- my husband credits his French ethnicity for that side of him!
The surgeon autograph seems common to all on this side of the ocean!
 
The signing of the operative site, while you are conscious and can agree or not, is (required by law) Correction: required by Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals in the U.S. to assure the surgeon is operating on the right place, on the right person...this was in response to a number of highly publicized goofs by hospitals (including the below the knee amputation of the wrong leg)
It is kind of like when we adopted our youngest daughter in China...they held her up and asked "is this the child you expected to receive?"
 
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It's so interesting to read about all the different pre-op experiences...mine was very different from yours @MajorHeidi in that I had been a nervous wreck in the days leading up to surgery day. And that day I was even in tears as I went into the prep area. The anesthesiologist said not to worry, he would give me something to calm me down and bye-bye I was gone! I don't remember anything after the IVs were inserted and that first med started. Probably a blessing. My BP was high that morning too which was not surprising due to my stress level. @VF hoping your anesthesiologist has one of those nice little cocktails for you too.

The anesthesiologist said they were not going to do the spinal (as they had with my knee ) because of the Hana table and were using only general. Made sense at the time so I didn't question it.

I wish I had been more awake so I could have seen the table. On the positive side though I have no memory of the catheter insertion or the dreaded shaving drill.

I don't even remember the recovery room this time either. They had me so far under I woke up in my room about 4 hours after surgery.

So glad you are home and doing well @MajorHeidi!
 
@younghippie They had recommended to not shave about five days prior so as not to nick yourself.
Nurse proceeded to shave my 'private' area about 2/3 of the way across. How weird is that? :hairpulling:
So 1/3 of the private area still is 'as was' and 2/3 hacked off.
And, she nicked me and said 'ooops' I'm sorry.
If they had advised me to plan ahead, I could have done this differently and better.
:thud:
 
@mystikfairy61 Trixie is so cute! What a sweetie!
@AndisMom Sounds like we had the same anesthesiology/table combo.
I usually have high blood pressure and very low medically adjusted heart rate (much slower than normal).
I had low blood pressure after surgery that kept the machine beeping since it was in the high 40s.
Nurse came today and it was textbook 120/72. Nice.....
Ha that won't last.
@fulafoto you are coming next. we look forward to your journey with you and @Sue629 !
@Me2 How are you doing today?
 
@MajorHeidi Hi, Claire. I am wondering how you are feeling. Is your pain being managed and are you comfortable? I know you were quite anxious before the surgery, so I just wondered how you are feeling about it now. It sounds like you are recovering nicely!
 
@MajorHeidi Thanks Claire, she is my little baby, only about 9 pounds. I also had the GA and Hana table so I guess that is the going trend for the anterior at least for most. Hope today finds you well rested and as pain free as possible!! Hugs my friend!
 
Very frustrated as I thought and psyched myself up for and had list of questions for first follow up appointment. Stupid me had wrong day and now have to wait and do all over on Wednesday. Otherwise physically good.

Happy to read your good recovery!.


Sheryl from Pittsburgh
LTHR on 4/2/2014
Sent from my iPhone using BoneSmart®
 
@Me2 Well at least you didn't drive all the way in? right? more time to think up more questions. :wink:
@Dmcfad2 Well..... I am still sorting out the pain meds.
Its complicated! as they say......

I have found I can sleep thru the night and not get up to take pain meds, but they are important to take quickly in the morning. lesson learned. I take Roxycodone 5mg which is pure; no aspirin or anything attached to it and Ultram aka Tramadal 50mg.
Here is my current grid for the pain meds:
1 Roxy 5 at 9am, 3pm, 8pm, and bedtime.
1 Ultram at 6am, 12noon, 6pm, and bedtime.
1 Tylenol 650 at 6am, 12noon, 6pm, and bedtime
1 Asprin at breakfast and at dinner.

What are you taking Debbie for pain and when?
 
@MajorHeidi I have started trying to wean myself off the narcotics. So, for the last 3 days, I have taken one oxycodone 5/325 at 7am, 1pm and 7pm and one and a half at 11:00 before bed. I don't take anything in the middle of the night, but if I did need something, I would take Tylenol. This has worked pretty well except yesterday I took one hydrocodone 10/325 at 4pm because I was having some break through pain, as I was quite active yesterday. I am following the schedule that Josephine gave me for weaning off pain meds. So, I will stay at this level for 2 or 3 more days to see how I tolerate it and then go to 1/2 pill every 4 hours and 1 1/2 at bedtime and stay there for 5-7 days. Then, you just continue to wean off per the schedule. I don't have the link to the schedule handy, but it is in one of the previous posts in this thread. I find I still need the narcotic meds to take the pain away so that I can be active. Tylenol by itself doesn't really work for me yet. I am 25 days post op today. I'm hoping to be off the narcotics totally in 5-6 weeks per this schedule.
 
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