Surgery #1

I think I’m driving my sister nuts by taking so long to write about my surgeries.  So, here we go.

I mentioned before that I was having extreme pain in my knee that my Rheumatologist attributed to a tear in the cartilage.  Then my Orthopedic Surgeon told me that there wasn’t any cartilage left to tear.  He mentioned total knee replacement as a solution to my pain.  What?  I was 23 years old.  Twenty-three year old people don’t get total knee replacements.  I walked out of the office relieved that had options that meant I wasn’t on my way to being confined to a wheelchair, frustrated that it wasn't going to be an easy fix, but also having no intentions of scheduling surgery in any near future.

After a full year of life on crutches, crouched down low because I couldn’t straighten my knees and in so much pain I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything without a lot of hassle, I bit the bullet and scheduled knee replacement for both knees.  My Orthopedic Surgeon is extremely talented, and extremely busy.  I had to wait another couple of months for them to squeeze me in.

It was a Tuesday that I went in to the hospital for my first knee replacement.  The plan was to do one knee that day, and then if the doctor had enough room in his surgery schedule the following Friday, he would do the other knee then.  If not, it would be the next Tuesday.  I got gowned up, IV inserted, tons of warm blankets requested, and the TV set to Sports Center (we didn’t have cable and my hospital trips were the only time my husband could watch it).

I don’t remember how long I waited until I was wheeled to the operating room.  A couple of hours maybe.  Once I got on the table in the OR, I was trembling and crying; afraid of the surgery, afraid of recovery, afraid of complications, feeling sorry for myself and asking, why me?  A PA that was helping with the surgery came over to me and held my hand and hugged my tight while the anesthesiologist put a needle in my back for a spinal block.  I cried in pain when he pushed on my spine with his thumb, trying to find the spot to insert the needle.  I thought he was inserting the needle already and I was scared of that “poke”.  He informed me that it was just his thumb and I remember telling him that he had a sharp thumb.  The PA was still hugging me when he finished.  He was holding me so tightly, so lovingly.  While I didn’t stop crying and didn’t stop being afraid, that gesture from that wonderful man was very comforting. 

I had undergone general anesthesia twice before in my (short) life.  Once to fix my broken nose in junior high, and again when I had all four wisdom teeth removed.  I thought I knew the routine.  It would be like a long nap, and I would wake up just a little bit different.  That’s about how it went for me, magnified by about 100!

 

When I woke up, I remember being in the recovery room and feeling so sleepy.  I wanted to go back to sleep.  I could see the nurse putting ted hose on my legs, but I couldn’t feel anything.  I think I was in the recovery room for an hour before they took me to my room.  Thankfully, my hospital only has private rooms, so I didn’t have to share with a roommate.  My husband was in there waiting for me, watching ESPN.  It was as if I had never left, except it was a different room.

I remember having something wrapped around my calves that filled with air and compressed them, then released the air, I guess to reduce the risk of blood clot?  And I was nauseated.  Oh my goodness was I nauseated.  The food didn’t smell or taste good, all I wanted to do was lie there and try my hardest not to throw up.  I got through the rest of the day ok, but then night came.  I tease that during the day I can’t get a nurse to come help, and then at night when I want to be left alone, they keep coming in and interrupting my sleep!  I don’t understand the requirement to check on patients every hour because it disturbs sleep.  Isn’t sleep good for healing and recovery?  Then why don’t they let us do it?  Bah!  The lights from the computer, the hospital bracelet scans, the directions to eat crackers and swallow pills!  Needless to say, I got very little sleep in the hospital.

The physical therapist came in the next day to get me up and out of bed.  It was my first time standing on my artificial knee.  I don’t know how to describe how it felt.  I was expecting a major difference, but it just felt normal.  Natural.  Except, a lot more painful.  The swelling in my knee from arthritis disappeared almost overnight, and I could straighten it!  The first walk in the hall was amazing!  The physical therapist took me back to my room and sat me down on the bed.  Then he knelt down on the floor and lifted my foot up slightly and pushed it back so that my knee would stretch and bend.  I’m pretty sure the people on the other side of the hospital could hear me scream.  I’m pretty sure that was the most pain I had ever been in.  It was absolutely horrible.  And it would happen twice every day for several days. 

Look at me go!

Until then, I had no reason to get out of bed.  I had a catheter in so I didn’t need to go to the bathroom.  My meals were brought to me, so I didn’t have to get up for that.  When the nurse came in to remove the catheter, I got really upset at her.  I didn’t want to have to get up and walk to the bathroom.  Actually, the walking part wasn’t too bad, it was the knee bending required to stand up from the bed, sit down on the short toilet, stand up again, and sit down again on the bed. 

Looking back, at the time I remember it being the worst pain I had ever been in.  But it was also one of the best things I could have done for myself.  It gave me back some of my life and independence.  I love the medical technology that is available to me, and I believe it is just going to get better.  

Yeah, that's what I think of You, RA!

 Now that I had the first one down, I just had to wait a few days for the next surgery.

Riley