Injury report: days 7-10

[sauergeek]

Monday, I went shopping for non-perishable foods that I could leave on my bed, so I would not have to get up to eat or drink. I bought crackers, nuts, granola bars, and a gallon of Gatorade. I also filled a prescription for hydrocodone/apap (generic Vicodin with acetaminophen (read: Tylenol) mixed in, 5mg/500mg) and picked up a bottle of ibuprofen for once the pain cut down from prescription painkiller levels. Finally, I left my multivitamins and vitamin C on the bed. I had quite a pile, so I could stay put for a long time, even if I had an upset stomach. And, in case of the worst, I put a bucket in easy reach. Much planning needed for recovering from surgery while living alone.

Just before going to bed, I wrote "WRONG LEG" on both sides of my right Achilles tendon, in black permanent marker, in hopes the medical staff would have a sense of humor about it. I woke up early for surgery on Tuesday. also_huey drove me in and picked me up afterward, as I would not be allowed to drive myself home. The surgery went well -- better than I was expecting.


I last was under general anaesthesia 21 years ago. It was for surgery to screw the bottom of my right shinbone back on, so it likely was long and somewhat complicated. I was in recovery in the hospital for a full day, and even then, was nauseated and still feeling the effects of anaesthesia 24+ hours after the surgery. I was expecting similar effects from this surgery.

I arrived at the INOVA/Fairfax ambulatory surgery center at around 7:45 AM. There are no signs, whatsoever, for the surgery center; I had to get out and ask before I was confident I was in the right place and sent also_huey on his way.

After much sitting and waiting, I finally got called for surgery. There was much paperwork to go through, but mostly routine stuff. I was warned along the way that because this was a face-down procedure, they might need to use a breathing tube on me, and that I might wake up with a sore throat. While this was going on, a nurse came in to set up an IV. Because this surgery required that I lie on my stomach, the usual forearm IV point was out: it went into my left hand. Getting the IV installed was only mildly uncomfortable; the nurse did a good job.

Shortly afterward, I was wheeled into the operating room itself. As I was rolling in, I started to feel a bit woozy. I looked at the nurse, and asked if they'd given me pre-anaesthesia -- because if the answer to that was "no", something was seriously wrong. She smiled under her mask (her eyes reminded me of a fuzzichi giggle) and nodded. They'd put the pre-anaesthesia into my IV without me noticing.

Once my gurney was lined up with the operating table, they arranged some padding on the table and had me roll from the gurney onto the table itself. I must've fallen asleep there, because the next thing I remember is waking up in recovery. (It's possible they continued with not telling me when things were coming, and just started the anaesthesia without notice.)

I came off the anaesthesia with no nausea, and went from being vaguely aware at 11:15 to fully aware and feeling fine (thanks to a Vicodin at 11:30) by the time I was out the door at 1 PM. I did have a sore throat when I woke up -- and still do, a little bit -- so I'm guessing that they did need to use a breathing tube on me during the surgery.


I spent the rest of Tuesday and all of Wednesday in bed, on hydrocodone/apap. I got up to go to the bathroom, and went straight back to bed. The hydrocodone/apap mostly did the job of keeping the pain under control; however, there were times, especially on Tuesday, where the incision hurt right through the drugs. The pain was particularly bad when I stood up: the increase in blood pressure as my foot went much lower than the rest of me was the likely culprit.

I woke up today with little pain, and only had a spike or two during the day. I have had no painkillers at all today, though I will probably take some ibuprofen before going to sleep, as a preventative. I got out of bed to make a real lunch; boy, did a ham sandwich taste good. I also managed a bath (showers are right out when you're not allowed to put any weight on one leg). Finally, while dinner was from the freezer and microwaved, it wasn't granola bars, crackers, and Gatorade again. I expect I will be progressively more mobile over the next few days, but I intend to stay mostly in bed so I can heal better.

For those who still thought I might make it: I will not be up to Massachusetts for Purgatory this weekend. I thought it might be possible, but I think I would rather have the time to stay in bed at home, so I can heal. I'll probably be up in the area in October, for Halloween. I may even be off crutches by then, who knows.

Comments

[sauergeek.livejournal.com]

What an excellent thought! I'll send mail to the list once things are more certain.