kimberlyann
member
Hi friends, how is everyone and their knees? I am home and my surgeon was able to install a partial on Monday. We are very pleased with that. He was very excited about the condition of my knee when he looked inside, and believes the partial will be a great thing for me.
I have had a very good experience overall- dotted with terrible, harrowing things that certainly overshadowed the good things. I imagine that happens with all things. A few negative experiences taint the whole picture.
Anyway, I will tell you about my surgery experience.
As the surgery day approached, my scheduled time was switched several times. Last I heard Friday, I was going to be the first case on Monday, and as it turns out, I was still in the waiting room at the time my surgery was supposed to be performed. Oh, well, they certainly didn't forget about me.
I was scheduled for a femoral block, which had made me very nervous beforehand, but the anesthesiologist gave me a little IV sedative (Versed), and I didn't feel anything. He did it in the pre-op room where I changed into my gown and had the IV started. He then gave me a sciatic block, which was a one time shot, and that numbed the back of my knee and my foot. It was a very comfortable experience and I would do it again.
After they let me kiss my hubby, I was whisked into surgery and scooted onto the narrow table, and then the magic mask was over my nose and off I went to la-la land.
THEN- I woke up in recovery and realized that I was in a great deal of pain. An EXTREME amount of pain actually. And there was a pretty blonde nurse smiling at me and 2 little x-ray twits yanking on my leg and I was suddenly screaming into my little oxygen mask. Everyone seemed very confused, and then began realizing that my block was not in effect, and I had no pain meds and the x-ray twits were yanking on me and I was getting hysterical. The anesthesiologist was called (literally screamed for by the recovery nurse), and he wrote for something to help me. But it seemed like a very long time before I was calm again. I will never forget seeing her turn her back to me and saying, "I have nothing to give you". What had happened was that the recovery nurse had my post-op pain orders from my surgeon, but not the recovery room orders from the anesthesiologist, and she had nothing to give me.
They were all alarmed, but it took way too long for everyone to understand what had happened and change courses to the appropriate one of 1) getting me pain relief ASAP, and 2) not manipulating me for portable x-rays while I am in so much pain.
My husband said it was a very long time from the time the OS came out and spoke to him after surgery and when they came and told him I was out of recovery and into my room. Well, yes, there was quite a rodeo going on back there!
ANYWHOOO- that won't happen to me again! And hopefully not to any of you either! Let me be a warning!
Well, my OS had filled my knee with so much numbing stuff that I was feeling great for all of Monday . My nurses and physical therapists were amazed at my progress and thought I was a miracle. The doctor called me on the phone Monday evening, and said that I would be "un-numb" the next morning so be careful. I was on a Dilaudid drip because my block had failed, and it let me push it every 10 minutes. It was very short-acting, so I had to keep on top of it. I was taking Oxycontin 10mg (long acting), morning and evening, and Norco 10/325 every 4 hours.
So, Monday evening, feeling so well, I went to sleep at about 10pm and stopped pushing the pump because I was asleep. My last Oxycontin and Norco had been taken before then and I passed out.
Only to wake up at 3am in worse pain than I had been in the recovery room!! I wanted to die! Poor hysterical me and poor nurses and poor hubby. Their miracle patient had just imploded and I had to wait for all of these drugs to kick in and all I could see was Jo's pain chart and I was so mad at myself for sleeping so long with no pain control!! OUCH. So, needless to say I didn't do that again either.
Many weird things happened during our stay, and it just seemed like I would be cruising right along and wham- my room was full of ants and we had to change rooms. -OR-
One shift, nobody ever would come to my room. EVER. Not for meds or juice or anything. Of course I was warned not to get out of bed without them. If I had been on fire that would have been too bad. Then, as soon as I threw my little hissy-fit to a supervisor- wah-la! back to normal again.
I had some incredible nurses and aides and some nurses and aides that I swore they just picked up at the bus stop and put them in scrubs and sent them to my floor. They seemed totally out of it and I guess that is just life. Some folks are just gonna have bad days.
Each day I recovered a bit more motion, and once the goals of pooping and getting rid of the IV was accomplished, I was sent home with little fanfare on Thursday. I was surprised I was in the hospital that long. Being home is so nice.
I am very happy with my progress and my ability to control my pain when I actually pay attention to it! It is amazing how that little item effects everything else.
I will add more details as I remember them, and if anyone has any questions, please ask. I feel very lucky, the things that went wrong aren't going to effect my outcome, and I can already tell a difference.
On the day of my surgery, I could tell that I had been given relief from my bad joint, and that is amazing to me. It is almost impossible to describe what the absence of that specific pain is, especially when so much recovery is still needed, but I know my friends here understand!
Thank you for your prayers and kind thoughts, I really appreciate them.
Sincerely, Kimberly
I have had a very good experience overall- dotted with terrible, harrowing things that certainly overshadowed the good things. I imagine that happens with all things. A few negative experiences taint the whole picture.
Anyway, I will tell you about my surgery experience.
As the surgery day approached, my scheduled time was switched several times. Last I heard Friday, I was going to be the first case on Monday, and as it turns out, I was still in the waiting room at the time my surgery was supposed to be performed. Oh, well, they certainly didn't forget about me.
I was scheduled for a femoral block, which had made me very nervous beforehand, but the anesthesiologist gave me a little IV sedative (Versed), and I didn't feel anything. He did it in the pre-op room where I changed into my gown and had the IV started. He then gave me a sciatic block, which was a one time shot, and that numbed the back of my knee and my foot. It was a very comfortable experience and I would do it again.
After they let me kiss my hubby, I was whisked into surgery and scooted onto the narrow table, and then the magic mask was over my nose and off I went to la-la land.
THEN- I woke up in recovery and realized that I was in a great deal of pain. An EXTREME amount of pain actually. And there was a pretty blonde nurse smiling at me and 2 little x-ray twits yanking on my leg and I was suddenly screaming into my little oxygen mask. Everyone seemed very confused, and then began realizing that my block was not in effect, and I had no pain meds and the x-ray twits were yanking on me and I was getting hysterical. The anesthesiologist was called (literally screamed for by the recovery nurse), and he wrote for something to help me. But it seemed like a very long time before I was calm again. I will never forget seeing her turn her back to me and saying, "I have nothing to give you". What had happened was that the recovery nurse had my post-op pain orders from my surgeon, but not the recovery room orders from the anesthesiologist, and she had nothing to give me.
They were all alarmed, but it took way too long for everyone to understand what had happened and change courses to the appropriate one of 1) getting me pain relief ASAP, and 2) not manipulating me for portable x-rays while I am in so much pain.
My husband said it was a very long time from the time the OS came out and spoke to him after surgery and when they came and told him I was out of recovery and into my room. Well, yes, there was quite a rodeo going on back there!
ANYWHOOO- that won't happen to me again! And hopefully not to any of you either! Let me be a warning!
Well, my OS had filled my knee with so much numbing stuff that I was feeling great for all of Monday . My nurses and physical therapists were amazed at my progress and thought I was a miracle. The doctor called me on the phone Monday evening, and said that I would be "un-numb" the next morning so be careful. I was on a Dilaudid drip because my block had failed, and it let me push it every 10 minutes. It was very short-acting, so I had to keep on top of it. I was taking Oxycontin 10mg (long acting), morning and evening, and Norco 10/325 every 4 hours.
So, Monday evening, feeling so well, I went to sleep at about 10pm and stopped pushing the pump because I was asleep. My last Oxycontin and Norco had been taken before then and I passed out.
Only to wake up at 3am in worse pain than I had been in the recovery room!! I wanted to die! Poor hysterical me and poor nurses and poor hubby. Their miracle patient had just imploded and I had to wait for all of these drugs to kick in and all I could see was Jo's pain chart and I was so mad at myself for sleeping so long with no pain control!! OUCH. So, needless to say I didn't do that again either.
Many weird things happened during our stay, and it just seemed like I would be cruising right along and wham- my room was full of ants and we had to change rooms. -OR-
One shift, nobody ever would come to my room. EVER. Not for meds or juice or anything. Of course I was warned not to get out of bed without them. If I had been on fire that would have been too bad. Then, as soon as I threw my little hissy-fit to a supervisor- wah-la! back to normal again.
I had some incredible nurses and aides and some nurses and aides that I swore they just picked up at the bus stop and put them in scrubs and sent them to my floor. They seemed totally out of it and I guess that is just life. Some folks are just gonna have bad days.
Each day I recovered a bit more motion, and once the goals of pooping and getting rid of the IV was accomplished, I was sent home with little fanfare on Thursday. I was surprised I was in the hospital that long. Being home is so nice.
I am very happy with my progress and my ability to control my pain when I actually pay attention to it! It is amazing how that little item effects everything else.
I will add more details as I remember them, and if anyone has any questions, please ask. I feel very lucky, the things that went wrong aren't going to effect my outcome, and I can already tell a difference.
On the day of my surgery, I could tell that I had been given relief from my bad joint, and that is amazing to me. It is almost impossible to describe what the absence of that specific pain is, especially when so much recovery is still needed, but I know my friends here understand!
Thank you for your prayers and kind thoughts, I really appreciate them.
Sincerely, Kimberly